Are Reaper Leviathans Mammals?

[The Bored Chairman]

Just purely based on the tail design. Real-life fish tails move side-to-side, whereas seaborne mammals (Dolphins and Whales) move up and down. The Reaper's tail moves up and down as well.

Granted, this is an alien planet, so laws of Earth may not apply. Just curious.

[redeyedraven]

I'm pretty certain that almost every creature in this game is either amphibious or purely aquatic. I think if anything, reefbacks are the mammals of SN..
Reaper leviathans remind me more of huge eels.

[The Bored Chairman]

Originally posted by redeyedraven:

I'm pretty certain that almost every creature in this game is either amphibious or purely aquatic. I think if anything, reefbacks are the mammals of SN..
Reaper leviathans remind me more of huge eels.

I thought so too, but eels have sideways tails too.

[PreLife]

Do they have gills? The model is on sketchfab if you want to inspect the reaper more.

[Zemecon]

I believe some prehistoric aquatic animals may have used a horizontal swimming pattern as well, like the plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs. The Reaper leviathan seems more reptilian in body design than it does of a fish. Mammals are a very specific group of animals. They also have fur, homeothermic body regulation, and they lactate, among othe characteristics. You would only need to get a terrestrial animal - reptile or mammal - to return to the water to get the sort of movements a Reaper makes.

EDIT: Fixed a typo.

[WhackaWham]

You really are bored, aren't you chairman... :P

[PreLife]

Originally posted by Salinité:

I believe some prehistoric aquatic animals may have used a horizontal swimming pattern as well, like the plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs. The Reaper leviathan seems more reptilian in body design than it does of a fish. Mammals are a very spevific group of animals. They also have fur, homeothermic body regulation, and they lactate, among othe characteristics. You would only need to get a terrestrial animal - reptile or mammal - to return to the water to get the sort of movements a Reaper makes.

Ichthyosaurs were more like sharks (as the tail movement was side-to-side), but Plesiosaurs and Pliosaurs were structured similar to current mammals (Apart from the massive teeth and long necks.) Reapers would seem closer to crustaceans, because of the similar tail movements, colorations, and front pincers. It looks more like a hyper-evolved lobster, especially because of the back "leg" like features.

[Amanoob105]

I biggest problem here as I see it is that we're trying to define the creatures of an alien world by the standards of what evolved on our one.

[Zemecon]

^^^ That is very true.

[©.VorteX]

The Reaper Leviathan is perplexing. I mean, ok evolution on an alien planet might have played out by very different laws, but what about the laws of hydrodynamics? The Reaper's combination of skull-like head and pinchers is hardly ideal for a swimming creature that is supposed to be an apex predator. Ok he is fast thanks to his formidable tail muscles but he could be way faster with traditional acquatic lifeform traits. Hell, the blue whale can sprint to 50 kmh and she's so fat.
Also, he'd have a way more lethal bite.

Same goes for the very humanlike arms of creatures such as the Sea Emperor and Dragon. So one wonders why their evolution came to select those traits.

Perhaps they are all the result of creation by some other entity. Or maybe the planet was at some point a lot more radioactive, which induced wild mutations.

As for what the animals in general are, well they are monogender and breed by parthenogenesis (or androgenesis :D) so it's hard to pin down.

[The Bored Chairman]

Originally posted by Amanoob105:

I biggest problem here as I see it is that we're trying to define the creatures of an alien world by the standards of what evolved on our one.

A very valid point, however, evolution tends to follow certain rules because they are most effective. Disclaimer: THIS DOESN'T MEAN THEY ARE ALL-ENCOMPASSING!

For instance, a land-based, sentient apex predator will likely be bipedal (as evidenced by humanity). It is simply the most effective way to hunt. Once again, not a blanket rule.

Now as for the up and down pattern of swimming, Aquatic Mammals tend to use it because it allows them to climb/dive more effectively. Fish breathe through gills, which is supported by a side-to-side form of motion.

Originally posted by Legion:

Mammals also give live birth, are there reaper leviathan eggs???

This is also a good point, however eggs may just be used as a catchall game mechanic which allows you to breed your own fauna. Even so, the Platypus lays eggs, is cold blooded and is still classified as a mammal (Further proving that evolution can be flexible, so a fish with an up and down style of tail is totally plausible).

Originally posted by PrehistoricLife:

Originally posted by Salinité:

I believe some prehistoric aquatic animals may have used a horizontal swimming pattern as well, like the plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs. The Reaper leviathan seems more reptilian in body design than it does of a fish. Mammals are a very spevific group of animals. They also have fur, homeothermic body regulation, and they lactate, among othe characteristics. You would only need to get a terrestrial animal - reptile or mammal - to return to the water to get the sort of movements a Reaper makes.

Ichthyosaurs were more like sharks (as the tail movement was side-to-side), but Plesiosaurs and Pliosaurs were structured similar to current mammals (Apart from the massive teeth and long necks.) Reapers would seem closer to crustaceans, because of the similar tail movements, colorations, and front pincers. It looks more like a hyper-evolved lobster, especially because of the back "leg" like features.

Interesting theory, it would explain the (rather useless) "rudders" that they have, perhaps they were once claws that fell out of hunting use, replaced instead by the mandibles which were perhaps once their antenea, which also adapted when Ecolocation was used as their primary hunting method. I don't know if Lobsters actually use their tails to swim in any direction other than backwards, and the lack of an exoskeleton (the Reaper is pure muscle, suggesting an Endoskeleton. Indeed, you even find one left by a Sea Dragon Leviathan) kinda thwarts this theory.

Anything short of a dev themselves giving an answer is pure speculation though.

[The Bored Chairman]

Originally posted by VorteX:

The Reaper Leviathan is perplexing. I mean, ok evolution on an alien planet might have played out by very different laws, but what about the laws of hydrodynamics? The Reaper's combination of skull-like head and pinchers is hardly ideal for a swimming creature that is supposed to be an apex predator. Ok he is fast thanks to his formidable tail muscles but he could be way faster with traditional acquatic lifeform traits. Hell, the blue whale can sprint to 50 kmh and she's so fat.
Also, he'd have a way more lethal bite.

Same goes for the very humanlike arms of creatures such as the Sea Emperor and Dragon. So one wonders why their evolution came to select those traits.

Perhaps they are all the result of creation by some other entity. Or maybe the planet was at some point a lot more radioactive, which induced wild mutations.

As for what the animals in general are, well they are monogender and breed by parthenogenesis (or androgenesis :D) so it's hard to pin down.

The arms of the Sea Dragon Leviathan make more sense when you look at its method of propulsion and its habitat. It has tentacles, likely allowing small bursts of forward movement, which is better suited for the relatively cramped Lava Zone. The graspers allow for greater control around rocky protrusions, which is complemented by their tentacles, rather than a tail. The creature is also very durable (unlike Octopi), so they aren't all that flexible, which makes the combination of tentacles and graspers more effective than a malleable body.

[Nyello]

If I'm not mistaken, to be a mammal by earthly laws the creature has to have nipples/utters/teets. I'm pretty sure thats the major rule of that classification but I may be wrong.

If someone is brave enough to go check if the thing has nipples let us know. roflmao

[bongerman85]

Originally posted by redeyedraven:

I'm pretty certain that almost every creature in this game is either amphibious or purely aquatic. I think if anything, reefbacks are the mammals of SN..
Reaper leviathans remind me more of huge eels.

this, they have no true intelligence and are essentially just one GIGANTIC muscle.

[bongerman85]

Mammals are any vertebrates within the class Mammalia (/məˈmeɪli.ə/ from Latin mamma "breast"), a clade of endothermic amniotes distinguished from reptiles (including birds) by the possession of a neocortex (a region of the brain), hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands. Females of all mammal species nurse their young with milk, secreted from the mammary glands.
source is wikipedia

[The Bored Chairman]

Originally posted by bongerman85:

Mammals are any vertebrates within the class Mammalia (/məˈmeɪli.ə/ from Latin mamma "breast"), a clade of endothermic amniotes distinguished from reptiles (including birds) by the possession of a neocortex (a region of the brain), hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands. Females of all mammal species nurse their young with milk, secreted from the mammary glands.
source is wikipedia

Considering that Reapers have little to no brain, I guess that debunks that theory lol.