THE SEAMOUNT

In the empty vastness of the ocean, there are a few places where volcanic activity pushes rock formations up from the sea floor. Once undersea volcanoes in the distant past, these are now known as seamounts. The highest ones have peaks in the sunlight zone, where conditions are just right for a coral reef to grow. After several years, the barren rock gradually becomes a great concentration of marine life, both large and small.

Sea stars, sea urchins and feather stars crawl in search of both food and hiding spaces. Crabs and snails clamber about on the coral and rock, protected by tough shells or disguises made of coral and sponge. Some reef fish swim in groups, pecking the reef for algae and coral polyps, while others swim alone in search of shelter. Fierce predatory fish lurk high in the water column, poised to strike at anything that swims too far from the protection of the coral.

A hollow in the rock and coral is home to a large Day Octopus. His boneless body can squeeze into narrow crevices, allowing him to hunt just about any kind of animal that lives on the reef. On most days, this octopus is the king of the reef. But on some days like today, he makes himself scarce, for there are much bigger and more powerful animals out and about.

VISITORS

Turtles are common visit to this seamount. Resting on the edge is a Hawksbill Sea Turtle, chomping on some soft coral with his pointed beak. He often comes to this same seamount during his circuitous migrations around the ocean, and may rest here for several days, regaining energy before continuing his rounds. However, other turtles are in a bit more of a hurry. The world's largest turtle, the Leatherback Sea Turtle, is also the world's fastest reptile. He is perfectly streamlined for speed and is always on the move, never resting on the reef or sea floor. Still, there are a few rare occasions where he may stick around in the shallows to prevent sharks from ambushing from below.

A rapidly shifting mass of silver scales and fins materializes around the seamount. It's a shoal of Pacific Sardines, over a million strong. Each tiny fish stands little chance at surviving alone, so they move together as one giant mass, coordinating their movements to confuse their enemies and make it harder to pick out targets. However, hunters will eventually figure out how to break through, and tunas are experts. The bigger and more enduring Bluefin Tuna drive the sardines together and take turns snatching them one by one. The swifter and agile Yellowfin Tuna charge through the swarm at high speed, splitting them into smaller, more concentrated groups. But feeding frenzy like this attracts a lot of attention, and the tuna themselves are at risk at becoming prey.

Sure enough, bigger hunters close in on the action: Sharks. The first to arrive is an Oceanic Whitetip, attracted by both the smell and sounds of schooling fish from miles away. He is accompanied by small group of faithful Pilot Fish, which eat old skin and parasites from his body, and in return the Whitetip provides protection and a free meal with every successful hunt. Next to arrive is a Blue Shark, a slender and beautiful species with elegant colors. Although she swims leisurely at a slow, gentle pace, she can put on a turn of speed to catch her prey by surprise. Suddenly, a third shark charges from out of the blue, causing both sardines and tuna to scatter. This ferocious speed demon is a Shortfin Mako, the fastest shark in the world. The Mako is a high-energy fish-chasing specialist, and he is here no not only to catch sardines, but also tuna. Now the tables turn, and the hunters become the hunted.

Sharks are not the only ones to gather around the seamount. Some of their cousins, the rays, are here as well. A pair of Giant Devil Rays join the sharks and tuna, sweeping through the sardines with their mouths and horn-like front fins agape. The smaller male tries to keep up with the rapid pace of the larger female, copying her every move as closely as possible, to show he is a worthy partner. A school of Pelagic Stingrays is also here, using their fins like nets to entrap fish and sweep them right into their mouths. But not all rays have come to feed on the sardines. A pair of migrating Spotted Eagle Rays turn to the reef for food. They patrol and probe for shellfish hidden in the sand and coral.

In deeper water, there is yet another, enormous stingray, one of the biggest in the world. She is a Smalleye Stingray, a rare species that normally stays in shallow reefs and estuarie, but occasionally make long journeys out in open water. She is not alone, as a trio of Pink Whiprays ride the slipsream above her back. These little stingrays often hitch a ride on larger species to conserve energy, find hidden prey, and protect themselves. And that's just as well when there are ray-hunting specialists in the vicinity.

OCEAN GIANTS

Rising from the depths is a huge shark with a unique yet instantly recognizable head. The Great Hammerhead is the biggest of its kind, and has a taste for smaller sharks and rays. Its head is a multi-purpose tool, along it to track rays down, dig them out, follow their sharp evasive turns, and pin them down to eat. But today, this Great Hammerhead uses his head and electrosense like a compass, and his dorsal fin like a wing to save energy by swimming sideways. He is merely passing by the seamount on a long journey, perhaps to his breeding grounds.

While the Great Hammerhead may be intiminidating, it's another shark that puts the whole reef on edge. In the distance looms the greatest apex predator of the oceans, an exceptionally large great white shark, perhaps over fifty years old. She observes the seamount and the commotion of various animals around it, but she takes no part in the activity. Although she sets her eyes upon the Leatherback Sea Turtle for a few moments, she ultimately decides to just keep swimming. Great Whites of her size and age prefer slower, energy-rich prey such as seals, sea lions, and whale carcasses. But she isn't that far when something else arrives and dwarfs her.

A shadow falls over the seamount. It belongs to a truly gigantic creature with a jet-black back and snow-white belly. He is a Giant Oceanic Manta, the largest of all rays with a thirty-some-foot wingspan. Manta Rays have the largest brains of any fish, and with this comes great intellect. He can memorize the locations of various seamounts and coral reefs, forming a mental map to navigate. He remembers this seamount is home to some helpful angelfish, which swim up to greet him and pick dead skin and parasites off his body.

He won't be their only customer, either. Right behind him is another marine giant, the largest bony fish, the Ocean Sunfish. While visually much smaller than the Giant Manta, he weighs almost as much. He may not be the best swimmer, but his durable tanky body and persistent fins keep him going across the high seas. After days and miles of swimming, he has earned his time at the cleaning station, and waits patiently for the ray to finish.

Another giant arrives, one that eclipses all the other animals. At around sixty feet long from nose to tail and over twenty tons in weight, she is the biggest of all living sharks and fish in the world, a Whale Shark. Like the Manta Ray, she also has a pretty good memory of where she's going and where she's been, using rock formations and other physical structures along with her senses of smell and electromagnetism to chart long distance journeys. Having confirmed her approximate location, she reorients herself in another direction, and begins to swim onwards to who knows where.

There are indeed many kinds of nomadic marine animals that visit seamounts for all kinds of reasons. Some go for food, others use it to navigate, and others still may find help from the local residents or a potential mate. But inevitably, all will return to wandering the open ocean.

INSPIRATION

I've always loved marine wildlife, and giant megafauna that really capture my imagination. As someone who's had the good fortune to see whale sharks and manta rays in the wild, I decided to model a seamount ecosystem that these enormous fish often visit as they travel the high seas, plus a few other fascinating creatures. I knew I had to put an ocean sunfish because that's an odd fish my family really likes.

DESIGN PROCESS

Most of the seamount and the coral growing on it are relatively simple in construction. The rock structure of the seamount is built first, and then the coral on top of it, sometimes as several sub-builds. Some of these coral sub-builds have additional gray bits matching the color of the rock, but with side studs for more interesting shapes. There are also several overhanging or angled sections that require a bit of planning with bars and clips.

Really, it's the non-coral animals that have all the fun building. The main goal was to recreate various real-life species of fish and other sea creatures, mostly in-scale with each other. The whale shark was especially challenging because of its intricate skin patterns, and distinct body shape, especially the ridges that run along the sides of the body. This was accomplished with a lot of carefully-placed hinges and SNOT bricks. The manta ray also had a lot of SNOT construction for its head and underside with the gills. The great white shark was an interesting challenge because the entire head had to be tilted at an angle to get the right shape of the real animal.

An additional challenge was to make many of the bigger animals to be highly posable. This is something that may compromise the aesthetics of animal builds, as it requires gaps in the body and joints that may not match the color of the animal. However, I think I did a good job at compromising the seamless form of the animal for a diverse range of mobility. I actually prefer this kind of brick-built animal because it allows for more dynamic play and display. Plus, I can build species that don't have existing molded parts.

BUILD STATS

Seamount Base Stats (Including Stands)

62.9 x 62.9 studs base
37 studs tall at the highest point

Articulated Animal Stats

Day Octopus
- 5.9 studs long
- 4.6 studs wide
- 3 studs tall
- Rotating tentacles
Yellowfin Tuna
- 8.4 studs long
- 6.2 studs wide (fins)
- 7.2 studs tall (fins)
- Hinged tail
Bluefin Tuna
- 10.4 studs long
- 6.2 studs wide (fins)
- 5.8 studs tall (fins)
- Hinged tail
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
- 9.1 studs long
- 9.7 studs wingspan
- 2.6 studs tall
- Hinged head and rear flippers
- Ball jointed front flippers
Leatherback Sea Turtle
- 11 studs long
- 16 studs wingspan
- 3 studs tall
- Hinged rear flippers
- Ball jointed head and front flippers
Ocean Sunfish
- 11.6 studs long
- 4.3 studs wide
- 12.6 studs tall (fins)
- Hinged pectoral, dorsal, and anal fins
Smalleye Stingray
- 10.8 studs long
- 8 studs wingspan
- 2.2 studs tall
- Hinged wings
- Ball-jointed tail
Spotted Eagle Ray
- 15 studs long
- 10 studs wingspan
- 2 studs tall
- Hinged wings and tail base
- Flexible tail
Giant Devil Ray (Small)
- 12.9 studs long
- 11.7 studs wingspan
- 2 studs tall
- Hinged wings
- Ball-jointed tail
Giant Devil Ray (Large)
- 16.3 studs long
- 15 studs wingspan
- 2.4 studs tall
- Hinged wings
- Ball-jointed tail
Giant Oceanic Manta
- 35.3 studs long
- 32 studs wingspan
- 4.9 studs tall
- Hinged jaw, cephalic fin tips, and wings (multiple sections)
- Ball-jointed cephalic fin bases and tail base
- Flexible tail
Shortfin Mako
- 13.3 studs long
- 9.7 studs wingspan
- 4.4 studs tall (fin)
- Ball jointed body, pectoral fins, and tail
Oceanic Whitetip
- 13.6 studs long
- 10 studs wingspan
- 3.2 studs tall (fin)
- Hinged pectoral fins and tail
- Ball jointed body
Blue Shark
- 15 studs long
- 10 studs wingspan
- 3.4 studs tall (fin)
- Hinged pectoral fins and tail
- Ball jointed body
Great Hammerhead
- 20.5 studs long
- 11 studs wingspan
- 6.8 studs tall (fin)
- Hinged pelvic fins
- Ball jointed head, body, pectoral fins, and tail
Great White Shark
- 25.3 studs long
- 5.8 studs max body width
- 18 studs wingspan
- 8 studs tall (fin)
- Hinged head and jaw
- Ball jointed pectoral fins and tail
- Ratcheted neck and body
Whale Shark
- 61.1 studs long
- 10.8 studs max body width
- 28.1 studs wingspan
- 11 studs max body height
- Hinged jaw and pelvic fins
- Ball-jointed pectoral fins
- Ratcheted body sections and tail

Most animals are depicted as roughly 1:38 scale (1stud ≈ 1foot).