Red-Throated Peptin - Imaginary Anatomical Studies

Project Finished: November 2021

In this project, we chose one of three planets, then in groups of three we worked together to make a predator, a prey animal, and a scavenger. My team chose the Planet Enki, with massive jungles and toxic plants, and I worked on the prey animal.
We studied three real animals along the way to help us make our own feel grounded in reality. Muscle anatomy references for the gecko and elephant shrew were extremely limited so I had to take some leaps to make it work, it is not scientifically accurate!

"The Red-Throated Peptin is a small/medium-sized mammal, resembling an elephant shrew with plant-like camouflage and dappled markings to blend in with the limited light coming down from the canopy. Fused chameleon-like toes and a prehensile tail help them grip the branches they spend most of their lives in.
It uses its long, dexterous, proboscis-like snout and hummingbird-like tongue to sip the toxic nectar out of epiphyte flowers far above the forest floor nearby bodies of water. They consume the toxins and use them to create their own poison, which is stored in brightly colored poison sacks under their throat to warn off potential predators who get too close. These poison sacks can be inflated like a frog’s neck to try and scare off predators.
The Peptins come down to the forest floor at dusk, the males crawling into massive cornucopia-shaped flowers that help to amplify their mating call into the massive forest."