Description
Alien #25 is a pelagic pteropod Clio recurva. It’s triangular shell is about 2cm long, and it’s wings (the parts out of the shell at the top), pretty much never stop flapping. It’s quite fast-moving, and on the very few times I’ve encountered this species, it’s let me on a merry chase that I only give up upon exhaustion. It keeps a fascinating symbiotic relationship with a colony of stinging hydroids – what appears to be the white hairs. The these hydroids pack a nasty punch via nematocyst cells, and I’ve always found it quite fascinating how they’re neatly arranged in rows. Could it be a form of co-evolution where Clio recurva’s shell is actually specifically designed to house this type hydroid? I’ve never seen one without the hydroids. Yet I see similar species of hydroids occupying almost every conceivable niche in all the world’s oceans – surely the hydroid doesn’t need Clio recurva? Yet the relationship is practically unstudied, so while these are the questions that keep me up at night, the world of science has yet to find it as fascinating as I do. But that’s okay – I like a little mystery in the natural world!
When making a grouping, it pairs nicely with other similarly opaque creatures such as the arrow squid in Alien #21, and the flying fish in Alien #23.
For printing, we offer the Aliens as squares on either aluminum or canvas, but they are customizable into other shapes if your design plan requires it. You can purchase this luxury wall art online in standard sizes, but if you’d like to discuss a custom crop or size, please contact one of our design consultants at the art gallery. Perhaps our most popular arrangement for Aliens is a grouping of three of our 15″ x 15″ aluminums, but I encourage you to discuss the size & shape of your project’s wall, and one of our design consultants will help you develop an amazing contemporary art installation that blurs the lines between natural beauty and scientific fascination. Alien 25 is available up to a maximum size of 96″.