On the topic of my post “Are Animals Becoming Extinct in Fantasy Novels,” someone was talking about how hard it can be to add wildlife into stories when you don’t live in a situation where you can actively go out and experience it, and that is a valid point.

So, to help out, I wanted to share a research method you can use to write wildlife into your stories, and also a time-saving “cheat” for creating fantasy creatures.

Step 1:

Pick an area on our planet that most closely resembles the area your story is based in. Be very specific about what location you are going to research, otherwise it will get too complicated.

For example, if you are writing about a desert, you might pick the wildlife of Nevada (USA). This is not to say your story will now be in Nevada, but just that this is where you will be basing your research so you have a more well-rounded ecosystem. Being specific will help make it so you don’t get too overwhelmed by trying to add animals from other deserts.

Step 2:

Find wildlife documentaries or short videos based in that area. You do not have to know everything about the animals, but some brief point-form notes will do just fine. You just need enough information so that you could describe the animal, some mannerisms, what main roles they fill in the ecosystem, and approximately where someone would be likely to find them(example in step 3).

Once you have your notes, you now know enough to add some real-life animals to your stories. For example, your character who is walking through the desert past vegetation might see a hare run off; startled by the characters movement. If your character is already on edge, this might also startle your character (and the readers).

Step 3:

If you are going to be using real-life animals, you can skip this step. However, if you are going to be creating fantasy animals, this step will help save you time.

Using the Nevada desert again, let’s say you want to focus on replacing the role a desert hare fills in the ecosystem. With your notes, you now have a good building block for creature creation, such as…

• Important Ecosystem Roles: Prey animal, and seed dispersion.
• Population: Since it is a prey animal, it needs to have more young than predators to keep their populations healthy.
• Prey Adaptions: Colours specifically for camouflage, long ears for sensitive hearing, and large laterally-set eyes that help detect motion in a near circular field of vision. They rely on speed and agility to escape predators.
• Diet: Herbivore (mostly roots, berries, cacti, and seeds).
• Habitat Adaptions: To help with the heat, they are mainly active at dusk, and spend most of their time in what shade they can find. They do not require as much food (about 75% less) or water as others in their species elsewhere in the world, and are more resistant to salt in their water.

If you follow those notes, you can create a creature that looks however you want, while also making sure it fits into a believable ecosystem.

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