Ben's Reticulated Anemokapi

I asked for and received permission from ~whalewithlegs ([link]) to do my own take on one of the gorgeous creatures from his spectacular Monster Generations sampler ([link]). Why do I have such a soft spot for this particular creature, out of all the amazing creatures featured? Let me count the ways:

1] I love giraffids;
2] I love hexapods;
3] I love anemones, barnacles, nudibranches, cephalopods, and all things slimy, spineless, marine, and tentacular;
4] I love chimerical phyletic hybrids;
5] I'm a big fan of Octavia Butler's "Xenogenesis" series, featuring the anemone-analog-derived and tentacle-headed Oankali;
--and last but not least,
6] Since 2005, I have been working on a science fiction novel about a planet where phanerozoic life followed a symbiotic/colonial evolutionary pathway, yielding body designs eerily similar to this creature's.

Okay, that's six ways, but there are probably more I can't think of right now. --Oh, wait, I just thought of one: the head ornamentation evoked fond memories of the "Spineys" and "Tubers" from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles RPG. Both species were relict vestiges of ancient galactic races so transformed by exposure to mutagenic biological weapons that representative individuals could only be positively identified by their namesake tubes and spikes.

I'm also a big fan of Ben's creature designs in general because the way he handles musculature and joint articulation implies a true parallel evolution towards vertebrate-style body forms--whereas my creatures generally look like vertebrates built by committee. I hope some of Ben's imaginative originality comes across in my take on this unique and delightful creature.

Based on an original concept design by ~whalewithlegs/Ben Poulsen--all intellectual copyrights retained by same.