The Incredible World of Birdbugs | Speculative Biology

Have you ever wanted to learn how an alien bird-bug plays the horn? An exploration of Ripley’s incredible speculative biology project ‘Birgworld.’
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The Birg Project is a worldbuilding series that brings to life an expansive alien ecosystem, but also delves into the most minute cultural details of its central intelligent species. Created by the brilliant artist Ripley, The Birg Project doesn’t just explore the biology of its titular aliens, but also imagines how they put on clothes, how they play the horn, even how they sneeze.

Also called ‘Birdbugs,’ these extraterrestrials superficially resemble a cross between Earth birds and Earth bugs — and have developed a level of intelligence similar to our own.

So, for this entry into the archive, we’ll explore the incredible world of the Birgs. Now, let’s explore this alien planet on both a macro and micro scale…

0:00 The Birg Project
1:13 Birg Biology
3:33 Domesticated Species
6:12 Wild Creatures
10:24 Defiance of Nature
13:40 Birg Culture
17:38 Allure of Freedom
20:36 Support the Artist

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#CuriousArchive #SpeculativeBiology #Worldbuilding

[leonicle]

It’s so damn refreshing to see alien media having a much more focused narrative, and focusing on the itty bitty details of their life. I love it

[SergioLeonardoCornejo]

Despite the bizarre arachnid-like shapes, they're extremely adorable.

[Klehan]

At the start of the video: "They do look quite alien."
By the end of the video: "They're so cute, I love them!"
What a fascinating race, and the artwork is awesome.

[tbone]

This is without a doubt, one of the most vividly detailed speculations of an alien race I've ever seen. Her art is gorgeous.

[droopsmoop]

The "hmm" look of the Birgs at around 2:51 is just perfection, exactly how you'd imagine a confused alien to look

[ThunderKnightSilver]

The Birdbug project is one of my favorite speculative projects out there. Everything is so detailed and the Burgs really seem like alien animals that you could find in some remote corner of the universe, so similar to us but also so different.

[NathanRW]

Awesome. When you got to the sea part I thought "Shouldn't there be crab like creatures? Seems like such a success that almost all planets would have a similar design", and 2 seconds later it popped up.

[JayEatonArt]

So pleased to see that this finally come out! Ripley is incredible at rendering anatomy that feels alien but not overworked, just textured and lumpy and strange in that way actual organisms are. Their watercolor artwork tickles my brain in the same way Moebius and James Gurney's Dinotopia does.

[ThePartarar]

The art is gorgeous, scaling, depth, textures, animations… she’s done an incredible job.

[Dimo-X]

I’ve been following the creator of the birgs on tumblr for years, and seeing you make a video on them is so exciting!

[vollied]

This has low key become one of my all time favorite channels. As a total biology nerd who loves the potential of life these speculative biology series are so interesting and fascinating but I'd never be able to find these kinds of things on my own thanks CA for scratching my science itch better than anywhere else.

[zenebean]

The stylization helps make these aliens super cute and readable, really feels like a living world!
The Nausicaa inspiration is really cool, I just read the manga at the start of this year and it has so many beautiful illustrations and world building details. The movie definitely has the better pacing, but it is fun for a long, adventurous, and rather depressing tale.

[TheZapan]

Please take a look at Jay Eaton's Runaway to the Stars.
It features several interesting alien species cohabiting with gene-spliced humans in space habitats.
The series is very unique for its slice of life approach to alien lifeforms.

[weston.]

this has got to be my favorite speculative biology project, even more than birrin. I just love how deep it goes into the similarities and differences between birg and human societies, and the attention to detail, down to the ‘cosmetic scarring’ that they have, makes me so unbelievably happy. I also love the idea of walking seeds. I love this so, so much. And the art is absolutely beautiful too.

[hubertrozalski]

I am mad and astonished at the same time; mad, because another idea for alien species is "taken", astonished, because the project is so beautifully made.

[gloomyallo]

I once came up with a spec zoo idea involving organisms known as "Birdbugs", hence I was shocked when I got a notification with creatures having an identical name and similar features.

[Gamer]

Worldbuilding is arguably just as important as a narrative in any story. A fleshed out world will give the characters actions and motivations more weight and flavor, especially with context of that characters beliefs or culture. Ripley is no doubt going to go places in that department.

[claytonharting]

Their stories of the statues’ singing being the voices of passing ghosts really sold me on them. I also like their funeral rights, the statues are a really beautiful idea. The feathervane trees are also beautiful (in a different way). I really like these guys

[freakishuproar]

Ripley did such a fantastic job making the Birg's look both decidedly non-Terran, but also extremely expressive and personable. I also hugely appreciate how she has imagined "scaled-up" insectile anatomy, or at least "insectile" by human standards. She has very cleverly worked out ways around the longstanding problems of speculative creature making that involve bringing invertebrate anatomy to vertebrate sizes :D

[alternategender]

Yesss the Birgs! God. Hopefully you go through Jayrockins Runaway to the Stars species or even Charseraphs Crowns. To be honest got a goal of my own speculative species ending up on this channel someday. The inspiration is real. To have a world so rich.