Different Species of biomorph - Aronnax9000/WatchmakerSuite GitHub Wiki

The biomorphs presented in the introduction to the User Guide are more specifically called 'monochrome biomorphs', the first of the four original 'species' of biomorph developed by Richard Dawkins. The others are 'colour biomorphs', 'arthromorphs', and 'snails' (also called 'conchomorphs'.) Each of these species comes with its own kind of genome.

Here are the original species of biomorph, the monochrome biomorphs. The screenshot is from page 1 of the saved animals album 'Exhbition zoo', and the biomorphs in it were bred and selected by Richard Dawkins:

Colour biomorphs have the same genes as Monochrome biomorphs, plus additional genes for color and the primitive geometric shapes which comprise colour biomorph bodies. Here is a litter of colour biomorphs, together with their parent.

Arthromorphs are named because of their resemblance to real arthropods, such as insects. Arthromorph genomes contain a variable number of genes, which can increase by 'duplication' mutations, and decrease by 'deletion' mutations. Such mutations occur in real living things. A duplicated gene may result in an animal's body having a greater number of segments in segmented structures, such as legs, or the overall plan of the body itself. Here is a litter of arthromorphs.

Finally, Dawkins created 'snail biomorphs', or 'conchomorphs'. These biomorphs resemble the shells of molluscs such as snails and bivalves. Here is a litter of conchomorphs.

Next: Morph views