Tripod Alien sculpture

I was wondering what animals might look like if they had tri-lateral symmetry, rather than bilateral symmetry. There's was an extinct group of animals that had tri-lateral symmetry. What if they had survived into the present day?

I made this guy to find out! I think he looks pretty good. He guarded my living room for two years, while I lived in Berkeley.

He's made of twisted armature wire, with a LOT of crumpled aluminum foil providing the bulk, and then masking tape to provide his translucent skin.

You may notice that he has only two arms. Yup, that's because one of his arms developed into a 'head'.

When he's born, each arm has an espophagas and can feed independantly. At that stage, it's a filter-feeder, and lives underwater. It eats small fish that swim close, and other small ocean creatures near the reef, like plankton.

Then, as it grows, it goes through a life change. It uproots itself, and starts to hunt prey.

As they grow and they move from feasting on plentiful small things to hunting, one of the arms grows into an enlarged head, with a much larger espophagas. The other arms develop claws, for ripping.

There's a tri-lobed brain in the torso, where it's safest. There are eyespots all over it's body.

These things are viscious!

~ Made Summer 2014