Cleavemaw Strider
A mammalian beast known for its split upper jaw, otherworldly gallop, and eerie call, the cleavemaw strider has been spotted traversing vast wastelands at great speeds. Its hollowed forearms – exposing the contours of its elongated bones – serve both to further reduce the cleavemaw’s almost avian body weight and to provide an easy location for its infants to grapple. The beast’s divided upper jaw, containing several detached bones and prehensile grip, not only aids in communication, but allows the cleavemaw to grip and sever lengthy vegetation in a manner that frees its arms for locomotion.
The idea for the mouth came to mind after I encountered paleoart of Atopodentatus — a genus of marine reptile, which, for years, had been reconstructed as having a split upper jaw. However, more recent and less damaged fossil evidence suggests that its head was actually hammer shaped. I incorporated original idea into my own design regardless, envisioning a split jaw to aid in gripping and feasting on kelp or vines.
Final head, demonstrating the prehensile split upper jaw.
I like the aesthetics of knuckle-walking creatures, in fiction and real life. As gangly as the final beast looks, silverback gorillas served as a loose template for how it would move through its environment. I also studied the upper back musculature of bodybuilders, since a creature with this kind of upper-body locomotion would need a great deal of strength in that area, in addition to minimal weight elsewhere.
Painting featuring concept 2, made before deciding to further the design.
Mesh with baked normals.
Salt flat material, hand-painted in Photoshop for the animation.
Fully textured, rigged, animated, and rendered model.
