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bethanythebogwitch · 2 months

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Kaijubiology and the interior earth ecosystem

Monsterverse-inspired, but incorporates Toho movies and some other franchises.

Godzilla biology

Hyperfauna, known colloquially as kaiju, titans, giant monsters, etc, are massive organisms native to the interior earth dimensional space that can gain nutrition by absorbing radiation from their environment. The field of kaijubiology and study of the interior earth is young so quite a bit is still unknown about these organisms and the nature of the interior earth. Life appears to have existed both within the interior earth and the planet's surface for over a billion years. As many interior earth organisms are similar to surface life both in morphology and what limited genetic information is available, it is currently hypothesized that abiogenesis occurred either on the surface or in the interior and then spread to the other location. Interior earth life has a major advantage over surface life: the presence of effectively limitless energy in the form of interior earth radiation. This radiation promotes biological function, allowing interior earth life to develop faster and grow to sizes vastly greater than surface life. While on the surface the primary source of energy for life comes from the sun, in the interior earth the primary source of energy is interior earth radiation.

At some point (the fossil evidence is not yet clear on the exact time period), kaiju and subkaiju (a colloquial term referring to hyperfauna that do not reach 50 meters in height or length as adults) began to travel to the surface through the many tunnels connecting the surface with the Hollow Earth. While many species likely only visited the surface for brief periods, some species and individuals set up permanent residence. In prehistoric times, the levels of radiation on the surface were considerably higher than they are now, allowing for kaiju to sustain large populations on the surface. Species that are now known only from a single individual or small population once roamed the surface of the world in vast numbers. As the surface became less radioactive, most of the surface kaiju populations either returned to the Hollow Earth or died out, often leaving only exceptionally hardy individuals in hibernation across the planet. However, very few of these hibernating kaiju remained dormant for the millions of years that have passed, most would wake up and travel the planet for periods of time before returning to hibernation. Sightings of these kaiju inspired many of the legendary creatures and deities that can be found in the countless religions and mythologies from around the world.

While the various species of kaiju and subkaiju are highly diverse, some common traits can be found amongst all of them:

All kaiju and subkaiju are able to feed off radiation absorbed from their environment. Many kaiju subsist mostly or entirely off of radiation, supplemented by the consumption of other food sources such as other kaiju, hyperflora, or geological elements. Subkaiju are more likely to regularly consume external food as their smaller size means they can more easily sustain themselves without needing radiation. For this reason, subkaiju are far more common than true kaiju and form a more recognizable food web.

All kaiju produce bioacoustics, extremely low frequency sound waves that can travel across the planet. Most surface animals are not able to hear these sounds, but kaiju can and use them to communicate. Most of this communication consists of territorial signaling or mate attraction, but some kaiju are intelligent enough to use more complex forms of communication. Studies on hibernating kaiju have shown that even while dormant, they are still capable of picking up bioacoustic sounds and responding.

Kaiju practice a strange form of interspecies dominance hierarchy in which most kaiju will recognize and submit to a stronger individual, known as an alpha. Most kaiju will only submit after some form of dominance is established, which is usually done either via threat displays, or, should both kaiju refuse to submit, a battle. These battles are known to end in the death of at least one participant should neither combatant submit. Known alpha kaiju active currently are Godzilla (Gojirasaurus colloseus), Kong (Titanopithecus kongii), Mothra (Gigatinea mosura), and Gamera (Hypertestudine pyrovoria).

All kaiju are known to constantly emit radiation in various quantities. This radiation is generated within energy-generating Yamane organs that act as biological nuclear reactors. Kaiju deprived of an external source of radiation are able to sustain themselves for long periods of time using their internal radiation, but will eventually require an external energy source or they will starve. Curiously, this radiation has immediate negative health effects to humans and other surface organisms, long-term exposure will actually begin to have beneficial effects. Many sites of kaiju battles have seen rapid growth of new plant and animal populations triggered by the leftover radiation. Some kaiju species have evolved to weaponize their radiation, most famously the Gojira genus and their “atomic breath”.

The interior earth dimensional space, often shortened to the "interior earth" and colloquially known as the "hollow earth", "Agartha", and a variety of other names, is a phenomenon akin to the sci-fi description of a pocket universe. It consists of a universal space distinct from the universe the planet exists in and is of unknown size. It can be accessed via wormholes that exist within fixed locations around the earth's surface. These locations are usually underground, leading to the misconception the the earth is hollow and the interior earth dimensional space is literally within the planet. These wormholes allow for interior earth radiation to reach the surface and allow for objects or organisms to pass between the surface and interior earth. Locations with wormholes are often described as wellsprings and are hotspots of hyperfauna activity and surface-dwelling kaiju will periodically visit them to absorb interior earth radiation. For unknown reasons, wormholes are found more prevalently around the Pacific Ocean and the north and south magnetic poles.

The interior earth consists of two surfaces suspended facing each other. Geological studies indicate that both surfaces have curvature consistent with each other, giving the impression that the interior earth consists of the surface of a sphere suspended within a larger, hollow sphere. It is currently unknown what would happen if one were to drill indefinitely through either surface, but both surfaces show clear signs of geothermal activity indicating the probable presence of a mantle and something akin to a planetary core. Gravity inverts between the two surfaces, meaning that if one travels far enough above the ground gravity will stop pulling them toward one surface and will start pulling them to the other. In between the two surfaces is a region of consistent microgravity where objects can float. Travel between the surfaces is done regularly by flying hyperfauna and via mountains large enough to connect both surfaces. Colossal crystalline structures are found throughout the interior earth. These crystals emit light in a consistent cycle, providing light for photosynthesis and creating a day/night cycle.

The interior earth is inhabited not just by kaiju but by humans. These humans are believed to have migrated into the interior earth from the surface via wormholes. It is not currently known if interior earth humans are descended from a single migration event or if there were multiple separate migrations. The majority of interior earth human cultures are extinct, known only from archaeological remains. Several surviving ones are known, most prominently the Iwi, who are also known to inhabit the surface's Skull Island and worship Kongs. Worship of kaiju, often a specific species or individual, is common among all interior earth cultures. Interestingly, some of those who do or did appeared to have methods of communicating with specific kaiju, who will then protect the humans from other kaiju. Known examples of this kind of human/kaiju relationship include the Iwi with Kong, the Seatopi with Megalon (Gigacoleoptera subterra) and the Muan with Manda (Kairyu manda). The Elias people of Infant Island have an almost identical relationship with Mothra, leading to speculation that they are descended from an interior earth culture that migrated to the surface. While all known interior earth cultures currently possess pre-industrial age technology, there are some indications that now extinct cultures may have had more advanced technology.

The interior earth ecosystem is apparently recovering from a recent (within the past few thousand years) mass extinction. Many of the largest hyperfauna species were driven to extinction of vastly reduced in numbers during this event, to the extent that many species are now known only from a single individual. The same event is likely responsible for the extinction of the majority of interior earth human cultures and the survivors losing much of their previous technological advancements. The cause of the mass extinction is unknown. Curiously, many ruins of interior earth cultures dating to this time depict a common visual motif: that of an unknown winged kaiju with three heads.

#godzilla #monsterverse #speculative biology #worldbuilding #i guess this is a series now #kaiju #hollow earth #iwi #kong #mothra #gamera #megalon #manda #elias #shobijin #king ghidorah

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