A revision of my Iahonak species. A total revision mind you. This time around, I've made them look a little more reptilian in nature, even though they are actually much more like mammals. Their bodies are slighter and more adapted for their planet's tidally locked environment.
A few additions I really liked were the opercalum breathing holes on the area below the flexible ridges down their abdomens. This allows for better air intake and functions as their primary point for taking in air. Their mouth actually only expels or takes in air to swallow or make sound, and cough up phlegm. Another addition is the function of their "nose". Instead of working like ours, sensing smell, the Iahonak nose actually detects infrared light. The skin making up the front of the nose is thin, and also distributes heat back towards the head, minimizing interference while protecting the delecate organs inside. A "lid" that blocks infrared light from reaching the inside of the nose can slide up, allowing them to 'see' in the infrared spectrum.
A couple sources of inspiration here were the quarians, which provided the initial idea of the race; and the kinecelerans, which provided the basic template I used. Oh, and the Banshees from avatar, which provided the idea for their opercalum breathing holes.
Feel free to critique (constructively)! I'm trying to make them seem slightly realistic (it's sci-fi, so realism can be thrown to the wind in some areas).
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Sta.sh
On a more atistic side, the female looks a little ill-proportioned. She looks a little andgogynys (save the breasts) If that's your goal fine, but if you spread her hips out more (so they're at least equal in width with her shoulders) she'd read as more obviously female.
Also, on the "face profile" drawing, the face looks a little squashed and confused. I get a very predatory feel from these guys, but then the face looks sorta derpish. You might want to angle it more forwards, so the brow is the fore-most part of the head.
what is the significance of the black markings? Are they simply camouflage? Is there any reason the female has different patterns than the male?
And the intakes are actually not on the rib cage. They're bellow it on the soft spots between the ribs and hips (where our kidneys are), suspended between cartiligious supports. It actually isn't anatomically impossible, although it wouldn't be as decent in a humanoid species. Larger animals could use it easily. And they can filter out materials, and shut in certain situations (like when lying on one side) or on command. They're also a little sensitive as well, to prevent damage. I could do some internal anatomy for it, but my experience with that is minimal.
The artistic points are just mainly my own faults with drawing. Still not perfect with proportions all the time. I tried to widen the hips, but they did wind up a little thin. The whole lower body does seem out of proportion in retrospect...
'Twas a quick sketch, but does need improvement. They are omnivorous predators (more predatory than what a proto-human may have been). I'll work on profiles some more.
And the black markings are camouflage-only. They just vary from individual to individual. Family members often have similar markings, twins would have very similar markings, but strangers would usually have different markings overall.