THE SEAMOUNT

Although most of the open ocean consists of a vast, featureless blue, there are places marked by great rock formations that rise up from the deep sea floor. Once undersea volcanoes in the distant past, these are now known as seamounts. The highest ones have peaks near the surface of the water. In this sunlit layer, and under the right conditions, a seamount may host a coral reef. The barren rock gradually becomes a great concentration of marine life, both large and small.

Visiting nomads come and go. Some stick around for a while to rest between periods of travel. Others are here for the local cleaning service where resident fish pick off parasites and old skin from their bodies. A few even find the rare opportunity to grab a meal or find a mate. But all will ultimately return to their long voyages across the open ocean.

THE VISITING GIANTS

Presently, a visitor comes to the seamount. A truly gigantic creature, stretching almost 30ft across, with a jet-black back and snow-white belly. She is a Giant Oceanic Manta Ray, the largest of all rays. With considerable grace, she slows her approach towards the seamount, carefully taking in the massive structure with her eyes as she maneuvers around it. Manta Rays have the largest brains of any fish, and this great size comes with great intellect and memory. She can memorize the locations of various seamounts and coral reefs, forming a mental map to navigate across the nearly featureless ocean.

Another giant arrives, one that is even bigger than her. At around 60ft long from nose to tail and over 20 tons in weight, she is the biggest of all living sharks and fish in the world. Her navy blue skin is patterned with pale spots and stripes, like a starry night sky. She is a Whale Shark. Like the Manta Ray, she too 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.

The two seem to acknowledge each other as they pass. In the vast ocean, meeting another large animal is a rare occurrence, let alone reuniting with one that has been met before. But because these fish tend to follow the same migration paths over the years, perhaps they will see each other again.

INSPIRATION

I've always loved marine wildlife, and giant megafauna that really capture my imagination. As someone who's had the good fortune to meet whale sharks and one manta ray in the wild, I decided to model a seamount ecosystem that these enormous fish often visit as they travel the high seas.

DESIGN PROCESS

Most of the seamount and the coral growing on it are relatively simple in construction. It's the whale shark and the manta ray that have all the fun building. 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.

Adding to the challenge for both is the fact that I wanted both 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. I think I did a good job at compromising the form of the animal for a diverse range of mobility.

BUILD STATS

Seamount Base Stats

52 x 52 studs base
14c8 studs tall at the highest point

Manta Ray Stats

34.4 studs long
30 studs wingspan
Articulated mouth, pectoral fins, cephalic fins, and tail

Whale Shark Stats

61.1 studs long
28.1 studs wingspan
Articulated mouth, pectoral fins, pelvic fins, and body

Other Animals

Mobula Ray
Oceanic Whitetip Shark with Pilot Fish
Sleepy Sponge Crab
Common Octopus
Trochus Snails
Various reef fish
Starfish, feather stars, and sea urchins
Brain, Table, Staghorn, Seawhip, and Seafan Corals
Barrel Sponges

All animals are depicted as roughly 1:38 scale (1stud ≈ 1foot) except for the Sleepy Sponge Crab.