Have you ever considered what alien species might look like? Some of us have and many of our thoughts perhaps are based on those things we see on the silver screen in Hollywood. Indeed the Sci Fi authors, screen writers, graphic artists and illustrators of the present and recent past periods have gripped movie goes and captured our imaginations. But how accurate are these depictions; I mean are they viable considering some of the tight parameters necessary for life on other planets. Living on the surface of the planet or in an ocean of H20 leaves a species with lots of options indeed.

For instance let us consider here on Earth the incredible diversity of living organisms both on land and in our water oceans. Some of the creatures we have on Earth could certainly pass for our ideas of alien creatures. However on a Planet with seas of Methane life would be much different and on a planet with an atmosphere of CO2, the species would not be soft shell like skin and bones, but perhaps hard shell like lobsters, beetles and such?

Recently in an online think tank this subject was brought up and a fellow think tanker Marv, had considered what he believed could be universal rules which would apply to species living in the realm throughout out Universe. His ideas were predicated on survivability and adaptability and he came up with a few thoughts of what species would be the most successful and their basic make up specifically; Bi-lateral symmetry, Carbon based, Endo-skeletal, at least bi-sexual and ability to exploit the environment to some degree.

Indeed many of these thoughts do make sense and on the subject of an Intelligent Alien Species he had this to say on the matter and stated;

The ability to deliberately manufacture and manipulate fine things like tools to manufacture other tools is necessary to achieve a culture worthy of the label "intelligent."

Of course all this would be predicated on the type of environment available on the planet although these are interesting ideas and concepts of what alien life may look like on other planets. Perhaps you have such thought on these things and if not, perhaps you might consider all this in 2006.