Talk:Characteristics/@comment-68.11.131.36-20141005011545

They don't breathe? I love how much detail has gone into making these adorable abominations seem all the more realistic, but as a hard scifi nerd I have to raise an eyebrow at some point.

I can see them getting all their requisite ATP from prey alone, as an efficient digestive tract could have enzymes that strip the vital molecule before it is broken down, as well as harvest oxygen or whathaveyou directly from the blood. However, this doesn't explain how energy is transported up the food chain of a nebula that is opaque and has no fauna to harness starlight.

So what's the ultimate energy source in the synx nebula? Tidal friction generating heat for thermosynthesis? Chemosynthesis, like that found in the deepest, darkest caves? Or perhaps some completely alien mechanism, like radiosynthesis or neutrinosynthesis?