Speculative Evolution
The Fossils on Mars
Bats of the Post-Human Era
Natural History
Paleontological Illustration
Animal Illustration
Other Work
Sculptures
Fantasy and Narrative Illustration
The Fossils on Mars
Bats of the Post-Human Era
Paleontological Illustration
Animal Illustration
Sculptures
Fantasy and Narrative Illustration
Xenoparadoxa gigeri
“Giger’s foreign paradox”| Next
The first creature named from indesputable Martian fossil remains, X. gigeri is an astonishingly large predatory animal. It has many extremely strange anatomical features that were difficult to interpret until more remains were found. Its hindmost legs are longer than its body with a knee that sits above the spine - something which it would only been able to sustain in the lower gravity of Mars. It is currently thought that these legs may have been used to leap incredible distances, with its other four acting as landing support. Its striking 5ft-long maxillae (upper jaws) were able to fold inward toward its throat, swinging outwards whenever the mouth was open.