Orbitross

 
Welcome to Solaris, traveller! This is a slower-than-light science fantasy set in our own solar system.
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Orbitross are extraplanetary avians who glide on solar winds with their mouth wide open, consuming whatever happens to fall in. Their most striking feature is their massive wingspan and long trailing tails. Orbitross have thick mineral plates on their backs and highly cushioned heads. They are most plentiful in the Asteroid Belt. They have been observed all over space, from deep space as well as in planetary orbit.  

Food and Folly

  In the asteroid belt they are known as foolkites or foolkies. Orbitross have minimal response to stimuli, so much so that it can be hard to tell the difference between living and dead orbitross. It is recommended to toss any orbitross found stranded on asteroids back out into space, primarily holding the central body and avoiding the wings, as they are softer and cartilaginous.   Orbitross make little to no effort to protect themselves or their young. They have no eyes and are entirely reliant on whiskers to detect impending collisions. Their cushioned heads help them survive head-on collisions, and their thick mineralized plates protect their more vulnerable organs, particularly the digestive system. Younger orbitross have several smaller and thinner plates made of keratin which mineralize and fuse together over time. Many do not live long enough for them to fuse, instead dying to a crash or getting stuck on an asteroid with no way to take off again.   The Orbitross seem to spend their entire lives gliding through space consuming whatever is in the cosmic snow: dust; minerals; astroplankton; waste and other orbital trash. It is not known how orbitross procreate. It is believed that they migrate to some remote area in the system to breed. Some extraplanar biologists theorize that the orbitross are not a unique species, but a later life stage of the ophis.

Forbidden Meal

  The consumption of orbitross is highly discouraged; they are thoroughly irradiated. While consumption is not immediately lethal, it increases the risk of thyroid cancer, birth defects in future children, and other consequences of radiation poisoning. Even in the Early Spacefaring Age, spacefarers identified the risks of obitross consumption, which they attributed to an angelic curse.

Related Articles

Outer Space
Locations Asteroid Belt ( The Collision Course ) · Oort Cloud
Species Deep Space Leviathan · Orbitross · Astroplankton
Materials Astrallite · Oortite
Technology Crystal Technology · Super Wide Access Network · Spacecraft ( Dragonfly Carrier )
Society Traditions ( Dumplings in Space ) · Organizations ( Sentinel ) · Conditions ( Deep Space Syndrome · Oortic Poisoning )
Orbitross
Orbitross by Annie Stein
Lifespan
Unknown
Conservation Status
Vulnerable (VU)
Average Wingspan
4-5 meters
Average Length
7-10 meters
Geographic Distribution
Notice: This article is a stub. It may be expanded later!


Cover image: Orbitross by Annie Stein

Comments

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Jul 15, 2023 13:35 by E. Christopher Clark

Between the art and your description on the Discord ("i wrote about some real idiot animals and i love them"), I was already primed to love this article. And it did not disappoint! Well done!

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Jul 15, 2023 13:37 by Annie Stein

Thank you! I'm glad it lived up to expectation. At least, I think it's living...

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Jul 15, 2023 14:14 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Oh my gosh, what dumb babies. I love them.

Emy x
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Jul 15, 2023 16:04 by Annie Stein

No brain billies. I love them too!

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Jul 15, 2023 14:28 by Aster Blackwell

I'm imagining that one video of the beluga whale bumping into glass is what an orbitross looks like when it bumps into an asteroid lol

Jul 15, 2023 16:04 by Annie Stein

Oh my god that is 100% what it would be like, I love that.

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Jul 15, 2023 14:38

I love this! I want to protect the babies.

Jul 15, 2023 16:04 by Annie Stein

Thank you! They could use the protection xD

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Jul 15, 2023 15:12 by LexiCon (WordiGirl)

I love the merging between space and sea in this world. bless the poor beans.

Jul 15, 2023 16:04 by Annie Stein

Thank you! It's been a really fun thing to lean into!

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Jul 15, 2023 18:18

Ooo cosmic snow instead of marine snow is pretty interesting. Mutagenic babies!

"Visit Ayonerra. Your Khelmtsiphe demands it!"
Jul 20, 2023 16:46 by Annie Stein

Thank you!

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Jul 18, 2023 22:39 by Marjorie Ariel

Orbitross! I was so excited for this article! I particularly like the way they navigate, with their whiskers. Considering the similarity to albatross, I also have to wonder what kind of cultural elements have sprung up around them.

Jul 18, 2023 22:40 by Marjorie Ariel

That is... albatross the name, not being similar to the actual bird :P

Jul 20, 2023 16:48 by Annie Stein

I definitely took inspiration from the myths about albatross with the idea that eating them is cursed. It just happens to have more to it in Solaris, what with the radiation.

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Aug 2, 2023 10:25 by Keon Croucher

A space age albatross, and I love it very much. The little nod at the end about the Spacefarers seeing the creature and the idea of consuming it, and perhaps even harming it as an Angelic Curse is a wonderful little reference, as there are real life seafaring cultures whom for a time had such ideas about different birds the world over including some whom saw the Albatross in such a way. It is also a lovely reference to an old poem or story I believe.   You have also told us a lot here about space in your universe, after all this time, as space whilst arguably a vacuum, is clearly not an empty one, and not near as empty as we theorize at current in real life. The necessary nutrient availability for even something this derpy to survive would dictate that it isn't quite as 'empty' as it once was, which makes a lot of sense in a setting where space travel is more akin to highway driving, and likely has been for a long time.   This does lead to an interesting question however, one of origin, which you mention of course. I wonder if this creature evolved as a response to the increase in nutritional options floating through space as space travel became more common. That is an interesting thought, I am curious to know a bit more about that and how the heck their digestive system works, because I mean, they are irradiated??!? That implies they eating some truly wild and interesting things, along with riding solar winds of course.   All in all, a derpy space bird/manta ray is adorable, dumb as rocks and I love em. :)

Keon Croucher, Chronicler of the Age of Revitalization
Aug 7, 2023 08:10 by Annie Stein

Haha, thank you! Yes, I really wanted to lean into the trope of space as another, stranger, ocean. I think it compliments what I'm going for with interplanetary travel being like intercontinental travel in our world, and it's good fun.   The derpiness is definitely in part due to the lack of food. There's only so much higher level processing you can have on the amount of nutrients available in space. I think the radiation is less part of their diet and more due to travelling around in space for a very, very long time without much radiation shielding. The food they are known to eat is fairly irradiated too for those same reasons. However, since most of what they eat is either debris or shorter-lived the food is usually less radiated than they are.

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Sep 9, 2024 14:34 by CoolG

I love these guys! Dumb bebis <3

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Sep 9, 2024 14:38 by Annie Stein

Our favourite dumbos <3

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