#whistlewings

The first aliens the audience is introduced to. Whistlewings are flying sophonts native to a uranus-like gas giant. They speak by producing pure tones from their sphiracles, which they have 12 of (2 per segment). Each pair of sphiracles is connected to a set of air sacs with alveolar-like structures, which pass air through a birdlike unidirectional lung. Whistlewings use this structure to condense water from the air, which they hydrolyze into hydrogen (stored in the sacs along the dorsal meridian, its back) and oxygen (absorbed through the bronchioles and alveoli and used to oxygenate the hemolymph). The dorsal sacs function as a sort of "flight bladder", serving to increase lift while the whistlewing is in the air.

A whistlewing's eyes are on stalks located above and below the head. They are able to move independently and possess two fovea: one located at the tip, and one very long one on the side facing outward. Whistlewings can see in shorter and larger wavelengths than we can, but lack the ability to see greens and blues.

Whistlewings' jaws are rotated 90° from ours. They have two fangs inside them, which inject a digestive and paralyzing venom, and an everting tongue which laps up the liquefied innards of prey items.

An early version of whistlewing design. The wings are actually legs with modified cetae which interlock to form a wing surface.