Abyssal Fleshbag (Somacephalos eximatia)

The Fleshbag belongs to the same clade as the Ballooner, a long-derived descendant of the Teyukais that adapted for live in the deep sea.

Most of the adult Fleshbag’s “body” is actually its very enlarged head. The actual body is reduced to an attachment point for the semi-vestigial limbs and reproductive organs during the metamorphosis from larval to adult stage. The large head is comprised mainly by the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system, with most major organs also reduced. Two pairs of light-sensitive eye spots localized around the main eyes can detect ligh in different frequencies.

The four true limbs have almost completely atrophied along with most of the body. They now serve a limited purpose in steering, communication and during mating, when two Fleshbags grab each other back-to-back and line up their cloacas.

The Fleshbag has six tentacle-like projections around its mouth, with pincers at the tips to aid in hunting. The tentacles are internally supported by cartilaginous rings and each has a well-developed ganglion for fine motor control. Each pincer supports a colony of bioluminescent bacteria to attract prey. However, due to its reduced metabolism, in times of need the Fleshbag can also survive on the energy produced by the bacteria’s chemosynthesis.



It surfaces to breath every night, and can storage oxygen in its tissues to stay submerged for more than 12 hours.

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This is the last organism out of six that I created for a very cool ongoing project created by Tyler Rhodes! It’s based around teaching evolution to kids in a very creative way, and I was one of the artists tasked with bringing some children doodles to life. Check out the others that I uploaded throughout this week!

My Patreons got to see these creatures before anyone else! If you enjoy my work and would like to see sketches, step-by-step process, exclusive content and even earn a print or commission, consider supporting me on Patreon!