The Biology of Subnautica: Below Zero | Part I

[@starblazer237]

When I played Below Zero, I picked up a Pengling and was immediately attacked by a Pengwing, so I ran, accidentally taking the Pengling with me. I stored it in a locker for the rest of the game and my nephew and I joke that I "kidnapped a child"

[@МаксимИванов-с3ч3о]

Lol

[@sonorasgirl]

😂 oh no…

[@balkan25]

You did tho 😂

[@danielthecake8617]

I took them *all*

[@nineblackgoats]

I like to think you and the pengling bonded over this traumatic experience and became best friends.

[@empathymodule]

I believe the thermal lillies are adapted to expend so much energy generating heat and track your movement as a defense mechanism. Small creatures like insect- or bird-like organisms that may land on it would be deterred by the heat, and larger creatures would be startled by the heat and large, intimidating fan of 'petals'. It's also possible their heat serves to help control the temperature of their 'stems' and attachment points to keep them from freezing or being covered by snow, as we can see the heat they radiate can melt the snow on the ground below it that's about their stem's length away

[@divyanshgupta6]

It could also be a hunting mechanism. Rapid changes in temperature can cause organisms to go into shock and pass out or even die.

[@kevinfortin3398]

@@divyanshgupta6 Tho that is true, it is unlikely they hunt or need to, seems like they thrive off of the energy/radiation heat from the sun, they don't need any other substances or have to hunt for much, a defense mechanism seems like something they would need if all they do is sit and absorb sunlight, it makes a lot of sense

[@bengoodwin2141]

Additionally, maybe the organism is actually much larger than just the flower, like a fungus, that would make the energy expense less extreme compared to it's mass

[@djprogramer973]

Interesting hypothesis I was thinking "surely it's a predator because the heat would attract animals" but instead good point. It's basically its own defroster, the heat would make insulated predators uncomfortable, and the eye would definitely deter predators kind of like how some butterflies have "eyes" on their wings. 👏👏👏👏👏

[@theplague5803]

It could also be a purposed organism at the precursors first attempt at thermal energy manipulation

[@horse14t]

I love that the creators gave some creature fur-like coverings! I've seen waaaayyyy too many scaly or smooth-skinned aliens over the years. It's nice to see some aliens converge on feathers and fur for once.

[@ijustlikebees]

Fluffy aliens!!

[@mistakesregretsandimperfec7740]

Man, Now I want to draw even more fluffy feathery aliens just because of your comment!

[@tompatterson1548]

@@Thundernugget Easier to render shiny things.

[@ulforcemegamon3094]

@@tompatterson1548 exactly , fur is hard to animate and rig , scales are easier by comparison

[@buckfoi5099]

Well tbh for me, feathers and furs are prob too earth like so thats prob why

[@Chernould_]

I’m enthralled by the concept of a spacefaring society chronicling creatures that they come across! You’ve earned a new sub, especially for the high quality!

[@Zero-The-Hunter]

I couldn't do this job, it's in my nature to try petting everything

[@superlocke8259]

@@Zero-The-Hunter bro same. i can never be a photographer cause i would just cuddle and pet everything i met

[@al3xb0t2]

Lol

[@atlf3357]

All fun and games until that said spacefaring society is the Qu, and we are one of the creatures they come across

[@robzilla8084]

God I wish I could do that as a job. Imagine being a space biologist. I wouldn't even need to get paid to be as happy as a person could be

[@PutRandomNameHere]

I love this so much, especially that you treat it like it's a real documentary. LOVE things like "Pengwings show a high degree of convergence with Earth penguins" rather than "their design was inspired by..." Immersive fun done very well, thanks for letting me revisit one of my favorite games! Edit: YOU CAN PET THE WHALES??? I'm starting the game again. I knew you could ride them, but I didn't realize you could interact more!

[@Uncle_the_one_shot_kid]

YOU CAN RIDE THE WHALES

[@-insertnamehere-5503]

Well allow me to give all speculative evolution fans a friendly welcome! Have fun watching! Also it's quite interesting how this man can talk about things that I've heard 1000 times and still make is sound interesting af

[@ratkillerthe]

When he said "The Titan Holefish has evolved to be remarkably unintelligent" I really felt that... I'm a Titan Holefish...

[@GoodfellaZeta4873]

How did you even type this then!? You ain't got no arms, hands, or fingers!

[@GoatMilkCookie]

@@GoodfellaZeta4873 give a titan holefish a typewriter and eventually it will push random buttons with its face and write a shakespear worthy book.

[@TiltedHandle]

I have never thought I would be interested in any type of biology but ever since I’ve been watching this channel I’ve found it extremely interesting love your channel and congrats on getting close to 200K

[@concept5631]

Tilted towers

[@tawon1984]

You have a new subscription coming from my son whenever he makes his own KZbin account! He loves this game and after your last video on Subnautica he’s had his fingers crossed that you’d cover Below Zero as well 🙏

[@CuriousArchive]

Thank you both!

[@tawon1984]

@@CuriousArchive Absolutely, your content is top notch! My son and I both geek out when it comes to anything about astronomy and your channel warps us there 👽

[@jynx3978]

Can manicores, minotaurs hydras and cyclops exist and evolve ?

[@whatdahelltwin]

Yo its the Chad father hope your having a good day

[@theotherasianguy8249]

@@jynx3978 I'm pretty sure cyclopses already exist in form as a mutation

[@dahmerung]

When I saw the hole fish my first thought was that the hole could be meant to look like an eye from a much larger creature, scaring away predators.

[@tartaglia.]

Same!

[@TAURELLIAN]

in a world full of leviathans, pretending to be one probably works very well as a survival strategy

[@robertpowell9982]

The Subnautica games are something special. 4546b has quite the unique biology. I'm definitely interested to see what Unknown Worlds has in store for the series.

[@jonathandifonzo726]

This document style video just goes to show how intricately detailed this beautiful game is in the seemingly most insignificant way while still holding some value. Great video, I can’t wait to see more

[@Rex_TheTex]

I always assumed the titan holefish was like a sunfish and that it only survived cause it was too big for anything to eat, but once again the attention to detail in this game impresses me

[@GreatAukEntertainment]

Always loved these games, so glad you're covering them!

[@CuriousArchive]

Thank you, more to come!

[@DaveDotEXE]

except this one, after playing it it's kinda meh. the worldbuilding though is great

[@saturn6784]

@@DaveDotEXE I wasn't a huge fan of how they made the Precursor a main character. I liked them being this nebulous entity that died off eons ago

[@liamtranka9777]

Subnautica 3 was just announced

[@liamtranka9777]

I’m sure you’ll cover that when it comes out

[@dinomation]

This has always been my favorite things about the subnautica games with all of the biodiversity!

[@solospirit4212]

Anyone else noticed how similar a sea monkey and a warmer are? I looked at the warmer lab experiments...its not an exact match...but close enough to be related...which I think is an amazing ( if true) little easter egg🙂 Been watching and enjoying a lot of CA vids...looking forward to the next episode in this genre...thanks!

[@ChrissieBear]

Do you mean a warper?

[@solospirit4212]

@@ChrissieBear lol...yep, warper. Autocorrect sabotage...sorry.

[@HannibalKantter]

@@solospirit4212 Maybe the Sea Monkeys are the species that the people that created the Warpers used for their experiments

[@solospirit4212]

@@HannibalKantter Nod...or a close, tropical sea relative. There has been a lot of engineering...cyber and bio that created the warper. But it makes sense to me they are related. 🙂

[@CHKNFNGRZ]

I absolutely love the Subnautica games, the creativity of the biodiversity the devs put into the design of the game, not to mention the story is unlike anything out there right now. I have a particular soft spot for Hoopfish (if anyone follows MFPallytime on YT or Twitch, you know why). Cant wait for the next installment, the deeper lifeforms are gorgeous, terrifying, and alien, yet dont seem out of place. Until you pass the Worlds Edge, that is. Then its just terrifying and alien.

[@Rylai_xiv]

omg on pins and needles for part 2. unlike a vocal portion of the subnautica community, I absolutely adore below zero's environs. seeing this video pop up on my feed absolutely made my day. Thank you for covering this game.

[@mistakesregretsandimperfec7740]

I like Sea Monkeys and if I were an immortal ethereal being I would absolutely have these guys on my "Observation" list. Their behaviour is very interesting and cute in a way. I was never bothered by their kleptomania since I always would hide my tools away from them. The way how they move then they do take you item is... Playful, I would say. I don't think they really mean anything bad then they take something from you. Oh, and then they bring "gifts"! It's absolutely adorable, and, maybe, they understand a concept of "gifting" or maybe even "trading". And if they ever come out on land, like stalker's did... Well that would be interesting to see. I can imagine their civilization being built on collecting, trading and gifting (well, maybe a tiny bit of thieving as well. They would be the cutest thieves thought). They are so colourful as well, I can see how they might have the most colourful clothes in the universe (if they decide to wear clothes). Basically, I really like them, they are cute and quite smart. Lily paddlers are neat too. Frick it, ALL CREATURES IN SUBNAUTICA SERIES ARE COOL AND NEAT!

[@somerandomguy5285]

If BBC or other "natural" tv channels would've got into gaming, this is probably will be the result. These series of videos is so charming and interesting, that the feeling of my childhood rushes back from depths of my mind and locks my attention to the screen. Soundtrack and voice of the "researcher" almost hypnotising, in a pleasant way of course. By the way, the style of videos is truly perfect with this type of execution. A researcher with an expedition to chart and explore planet's biology and geography sounds like something we might get in the not-that-distant future, and if so, i probably want to become one of these people. A truly beautiful experience.

[@99KITCARSON]

I love your videos so much, they’re so soothing and well thought out. Great job CA ❤️

[@CuriousArchive]

Glad you like them!

[@BreadKrumb]

Finally! Can't wait for part 2. It's like national geographic for speculative evolution here, and I'm all for it

[@kaijenson7949]

I love the thought and research that went into designing the fauna in these games! It's not perfect biology, but it's clearly inspired by the development of life on earth. I love exploring these creatures as if they were real!

[@runeofnoweyr]

I see you have the same investigative tendencies I do. "Is it friendly?" *SNARL* "Not friendly."

[@Aikano9]

Subnautica are truly beautiful yet terrifying games, especially in VR

[@BorisEdiacarov-ui8sk]

Words cannot explain how long I've been waiting for this

[@humanbeingofficial_]

Frfr subnautica and curious archive are the best

[@scumshine2351]

mannn what a great content creator. you can tell he’s really deeply interested in the subject matter, but still keeps a degree of fun in his videos. and on speculative biology nonetheless! one of the most interesting topics imo. thanks for such good videos, keep it up man!

[@BPBegha]

CA, you should check out “In other waters” some day! Its about a zoologist cataloguing news species in an alien ocean! It’s a short game, and rather abstract minus some sketches and artbook pics, but it has such an “alien” feel to the biosphere!

[@RasenCore]

Honestly blew me away. Love your style of realistic documentary for fictional flora and fauna, can't wait for part 2 now. I would love to see something like this made on Monster Hunter's incredible ecosystems.

[@faza6988]

The fact that this game documentary is far more indulging compared to nat geo means its really smtg else!

[@forwarduntodawn.]

Been loving the Subnautica speculative biology series! Can't wait for part 2!

[@jinsai8064]

Man dude I am seriously glad you make videos cause you fill a niche like pbs eons or mothlight media, but for mostly fictional universes. Keep up the great work

[@ReaperNoir]

I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT WHAT IF YOU MAD THIS VIDEO! so glad you did you're videos are *chef's kiss* perfect

[@lobaandrade7172]

I just finished your documentary on Subnautica 1’s biology today so I’m happy to see this in my recommendations

[@CryptadiaSpecEvo]

man I love watching these vids can't wait to see part 2! also I would love to see you make a series like this on a dinosaur game called The Isle

[@swift5384]

I would love it so much if this became a series with other games!

[@UNSALTEDGaming]

I love you how you make different scenarios to showcase the different inventions like the pengling spy camera

[@Murci3l4go]

One of the best videos I’ve seen in a while, didn’t even notice it was 20 minutes long I was jsut so enthralled

[@mikeemous1410]

Would love a series like this on the fallout games people have talked about creatures biology but I've never seen anyone talking about the ecosystem and how the creatures live together

[@MouldMadeMind]

That's becaus bethesda adds mostly predators.

[@mikeemous1410]

Rad chicken, rad rabbit, cat, dog, deer, plus the crows, seagulls and marine carcasses there's plenty to talk abt besides the deathclaw

[@mikeemous1410]

I just think the way he acts like he's there would be so good for the fallout series

[@MouldMadeMind]

@@mikeemous1410 most of them are predators, many are just real animals and almost all non predators aren't from bethesda.

[@mathieuleader8601]

loved the echoes when you got hypnotised by the lily padders really ehanced the immersion

[@kitchengun1175]

I love seeing how all the creatures share features like the beaks and 4 eyes (or spots where a second set once was), it really helps to show how these are all part of their ecosystems and not just a load of aliens lumped together

[@thedishtvLEAKS]

My favorite series returns! These videos are some of my favorite I have ever watched

[@mvw9078]

Your content is some of the coolest (hah) around. I really enjoy the character of the "Archivist" travelling to different realities and worlds to document all the strange life out there. It's also fun that there is a bit of science beneath it all. Truly a unique and fascinating channel and I urge you to keep up the fantastic work. We here back on Earth enjoy your insights and expeditions, Mr. Archivist!

[@mattieman7684]

This is one of the very best videos on Below Zero,Seriously

[@yourplugg7541]

You make these videos so well. I just wanted to say that. Like it keeps interesting and fresh the whole 20 minutes.

[@Blon_ky]

We all been waiting for this

[@Aikano9]

I just finished your videos on Subnautica and saw your comment about possibly making a video or two about Below Zero, great timing! And great video!

[@xaneanian]

Fun fact: there's a frozen leviathan that is very large, it has legs and could walk on land and swim in water

[@woadblue]

You're channel is wholesome and endearing. I love it, it's cute and fun and your voice is perfect for your videos. Thanks for making these, good watch to decompress after work!

[@farrowhumes8210]

This is a refreshing way to see in depth analysis of a games biology. Keep it up! I'll definitely watch all of it

[@germanomagnone]

the Titan Holefish reminds me of one of those "donuts" for swimming pools; and the Sea Monkeys I would call them "mer-okeys" or "merAbu" (because it reminds me a lot of Abu, Aladdin's Monkey)

[@tablescissors]

I was VERY impressed with this speculative biology -- it is a well done mix of influences that also makes good use of the audience without being overly pandering. I also enjoyed how you narrated it. Thank you.

[@eyeln9ne696]

I can't remember the last time i was this upset about a video being over! Great stuff my friend, i can't wait for more.

[@dpeterson5630]

I ADORE the documentary style!! It's so fun and a delightfully creative way to show off both this game and the amazing creatures within!

[@purplehaze2358]

"I wonder if it's friendly" *immediately attempts to maul you* "Not friendly." I laughed a little too hard at that.

[@artofmaryanas498]

Seeing this thumbnail in my subscriptions has made my evening, I love the lore of this game and I'm so excited!

[@Vague05]

Your stuff is incredibly interesting, can't wait for part 2.

[@hrpang]

If character design class taught me one thing, it's always to ground the design in reality, and then make something fantastical from it. I love how possible the animals in Subnautica are, even if they are a bit more sci-fi than what we have.

[@bugjams]

Curious Archive has a video on Darwin IV, a speculative ecosystem on a fictional planet. You might like it. I wouldn't doubt that the designers of Subnautica took some influence from it. The creatures might seem a little _more_ sci-fi than even Subnautica, but it's only because the planet's atmosphere is totally different than ours.

[@hrpang]

@@bugjams I saw that documentry prior to the video. I really loved what I saw. It's on par with Avatar(the blue people) for Alien life for biology.

[@hgd_hanylovely7544]

I dont know why but every time subnautica documenting is always get me

[@princedio1032]

the fact that if an alien visited earth during its early stage they would also think "wtf is wrong with this planet" where sea dinosaurs and weirdly shaped fish exists and land is very scarce

[@Bayoll]

Titan holefish and symbiote is probably the most creative creature design I've heard

[@uncontrollablefire]

I had commented on one of the other subnautica videos saying you should cover the creatures of below zero, and I'm pretty certain that this is just a coincidence, but it was an amazing first part, I can't wait until the next part

[@awesomedonut8228]

the pengwings treating the spybot like how we treat mark zucchini, clearly not one of us, but we’ll leave it be anyways

[@seiyuokamihimura5082]

That's why I always slap my vines against what I want them to grab. Usually happens in a few hours after the slapping.

[@elspencicus7123]

Bro u having TOO much fun making these🤣 I'm I love the way you communicate these wonderful ideas, and how you occasionally wind a narritive in there. keep being awesome dude.

[@pibombbb1175]

I found this channel from the Subnautica video, since then I had watched other videos and loved them. Thanks for your work.

[@NaturallyTheCat]

This game art design is just beautiful

[@suffolk4418]

These are so amazing, the video made me interested in subnautica! Im so impressed by how well they made the biology in the game and still fill the resemblance in our own

[@19indecisive19]

Your videos are amazing!! I've been watching them for days. The way you present these videos, styled like an actual exploration is perfect. Interesting. Very well narrated. You're a legend! hope in the distant future human beings are able to do these sort of things for real.

[@TitansTracks]

@5:30 Great name for a great fish! 💎

[@cephasoj108]

Such a wonderful premise executed so perfectly, great job

[@noldenasjenkins5081]

This is a wonderful video, and it has gotten my subscription and my anticipation! A gameplay series in this format would be welcome as well.

[@neoey]

Lets go! The video ive been waiting for ^^

[@severusslave]

Noot fish are, imho, named after Pingu. An animated penguin comic also often used in memes.

[@chrisschoenthaler5184]

This video was posted 3 days ago and has 168 thousand views. Clearly, you are doing something right. Keep up the good work!

[@JoeOldfield]

I enjoyed this immensely, i really felt like i could be watching your experiences while you travelled there. Your presentation came across with the almost certain possibility that thousands of kids in another part of the galaxies, there are kids watching this knowing this will help them through some sort of exam.

[@koharumi1]

Oh thank you! Subnautica has always been a favourite of mine.

[@skeloluke4967]

11:22 the Brute Shark reminds me of the Dunkleosteus, an prehistoric carnivore sea creature, also known as the swimming tank. The Dunkleosteus’s jaws and teeth are actually all one big bone. His teeth are pieces of his skull that it uses to slice prey.

[@formorian5]

For some reason, the Brute Shark makes me think of Leopard Seals. The way it moves, the silhouette, it's preferred prey.

[@skeloluke4967]

@@formorian5 I understand what you mean. But if you look at their skull, the dunkleosteus and Brute shark really look like they’re relative’s

[@bugjams]

@@skeloluke4967 Interesting note about Dunkleosteus - not that you got anything wrong - but it's bony plate probably _wasn't_ visible on the surface. Granted, we'll never know for sure because all we have are fossils. But back in the day, many paleontologists "shrink-wrapped" fossil bones, thinking the skin was super tight around the bone and that the shape of the creature was more-or-less the same as its skeleton. My point is, Dunkleosteus likely had a thick layer of tissue and skin covering its face. In fact, when its lips were closed, you probably wouldn't see its giant crushing teeth at all! It just looked like a huge fish. That said, I think the bony look is way _cooler,_ and if you're doing a sci-fi or fantasy animal based off prehistoric bony fish, then I think showing the bone plates is the way to go. That said, you'll make a lot of paleo enthusiasts really giddy and happy if you use a more modern understanding of prehistoric body structure... but it won't look as cool. :P Tl;Dr: Boney plates probably weren't visible on ancient fish, but when designing a sci-fi creature, you're always choosing between realism and "cool factor" :)

[@dimensionalremi]

i LOVE the spy pengling, both the way you talk about it and the concept of it in the game itself. bbc earth does this in real life, and it's fascinating to watch how animals treat the camera-spies.

[@dimensionalremi]

if you haven't seen the bbc earth video about monkeys mourning the "death" of a camera-spy monkey, watch it! it almost made me cry.

[@melomanas6205]

Couple of days ago i got suggested by YT the biology of Subnautica video from this channel, i watched both videos in one sit. Now after subscribing, first video from this channel that i see is this, also biology, but now its Subnautica Below Zero, strange how things work sometimes.

[@Basstez]

Hell yeah! I love this series on subnautica so much. You have such a good documentary voice btw.

[@Lumberjack_king]

1:30 I love penguin mimics the names are the best part

[@Hammerheadcruiser]

Below zero might not be the lightning in a bottle that Subnautica was, but the creature designs can definitely stand up to their predecessors. Now the sounds they make, that's a step down. One roar is the same as any other in BZ. When a reaper or sea dragon roars, you know exactly what's making that sound.

[@olivernewbold3082]

Ecstatic for part two :)))))

[@uppensai2922]

its good to say our boy curious archive is also a pro gamer " PRO GAMER MOMENT "

[@heron3501]

Love your channel. Grettings from Brazil 🇧🇷

[@robinbennett1686]

I KNEW someone had to do this. So glad I found it

[@alexries3650]

Thanks again for making videos like this. Fascinating to see people discover this world from another perspective :)

[@Astro_Aladfar]

Seeing from another point of view. You don't know what it's like until you experience it yourself. *Chef's kisses

[@richardsavolainen944]

@@elitekiller8968 wtf are you talking about? What does ego have to do with anything?

[@yigithan.kilinc]

@@elitekiller8968 He has 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 opinions wdym

[@richardsavolainen944]

@@elitekiller8968 almost like hes a human being with his own beliefs

[@richardsavolainen944]

@@elitekiller8968 also looked it up his twitter and what you just said was an utter lie since most of the stuff he does infact is post nature photographs and art pieces mixed with some political ones. Just because hes an artist doesn't mean he can't talk about other subject

[@taiko1237]

My recommendations for your videos once you have done part two of the series: The World of Kong - A Natural History of Skull Island (it depicts the biota of the Peter Jackson King Kong movie and it is very epic) Speculative Dinosaur Project (Alternate Earth where dinosaurs didn't die out - This may take a very long time as it is very comprehensive and also unfinished)

[@piperpiper1956]

Thank you for making this, one of the most interesting things I have watched, so enjoyable

[@dbneptune]

I was hoping you would make this one! Thanks again!

[@darmug]

Hey, I just want to recommend a new world for you to explore called the Boiling Isles. It’s from the animated show, The Owl House and while I do love the show, I am also very fascinated by the biology of the Isles. I should also mention that the show is from Disney, which could cause potential problems that I don’t really know about and the show’s currently on hiatus for the second half of season 2.

[@zbigniewminda401]

No one is gonna probably see this but FUN FACT there are SEA EMPERORS in the lily pad biome but they like to glitch out the map

[@dylanmatthisen8977]

I just saw your Subnautica videos the other day and was wondering if there was a Below Zero! Wonderful coincidence!

[@RodBlanc]

This the best subnautica gameplay and content i've ever seen

[@rainbowappleslice]

The PDF’s located in the ice worm area are easily the scariest. It must’ve been hell to have your life constantly in danger of being ended in an instant and the people you work for telling you to stay where you are

[@Biscuit1968]

Love the biology videos where it’s like a documentary for random creatures you should do this with more games and movies and whatnot!!

[@ghhlx9863]

have been waiting for a below zero version since your first subnautica video. Good work :)

[@vigneshmuthukumar4264]

AMAZING can't wait for part 2 :D

[@QuantumPhanatic]

I'm not entirely convinced that Al-An is not just a Birrin from the future