How Do Xenomorphs See? - Explained 

It makes sense because if that were true that gives them the ability to not easily have their vision hindered by outside forces

It would make sense since the eye sockets and the skull looks like a human would.

Man I had assumed that was the deal since the first movie.

@@sergeantlemon2254 yeah seems perfect for harsh environments. Possibly even a giant lens that helps deal with different lighting. Enhancing the eyes as well as protecting.

@@ventusde8815 There are eye sockets but from what I've seen, there doesn't seem to have actual eye organs in the socket.

That's what I came up with too, because I noticed in a lot of the earlier stories and side stuff's that when a face hugger attached itself to a host...of anything...the final creature more or less resembles the host in some fashion. Look at the early and mid 90's action figures based off of Aliens. There was a bull Alien, Crap Alien, Snake Alien, Mantis Alien, Panther Alien, a Boar Alien, hell even a Bat Alien if I remember right. But on the other side of that coin, I remember one of the side Alien V Predator comics that some odd "Rhino/Dinosaur live stock" thing got a hugger attached and the end result Alien was a typical humanoid shaped warrior...go figure...

the game isolation made it pretty clear that aliens have vision and SODAR.

SilentZombie love to see the face hugger that attached itself to a mantis lol don't think they really thought that one out to much it is cool looking though

As well as the movie ALIEN3 which showed their wide screen panoramic vision.

SilentZombie I loved those toys as a kid.

I don't think that's true. I think they use sonar. They're kind of like Daredevil or a bat in that manner. Because there's been scenes where Ripley's right in front of the alien and it just moves on, it uses its own footsteps to create Sonic waves which bounce back at its giant head that acts like a radar. Thus, it sees sound. Probably almost better than we can see with our eyes. The only problem with this theory is how would they deal with background noise in a ship, the humming of the engine, etc. They got to have extremely good memory or a very tuned ear to sense a human vibration which they have classified as prey. Therefore, they can hear it through the burning of an engine or the wooing of an air vent

Great point.

The Queen, too, in Aliens. She knew full well where Ripley was pointing her flamethrower when she threatened to torch the eggs.

That only proves it can see. Not that it has eyes.

@@skipeveryday7282 Yes, good point.

@@skipeveryday7282 Well I mean, how else could it see genius?

Thank you for your kind words. The channel is just starting up but many more videos are being worked on as we speak. Lots more to come in the next few weeks. "Big things have small beginnings..." :)

+Alien Theory They have no ears either. They see with infrared.

They have no ears that "are visible". Many animals and other critters here on Earth hear without ears, and even see without eyes, in the traditional sense, and many of these do so much better than humans do (or don't because these senses are needed much less than us in the environments they live in). Just because you don't see ears doesn't mean they don't have a way to hear. Ever seen ears on a bird???????? How do they hear????

i dont really think so

Well there were recent discoveries of a ancient crocodile species having external ear bulges, it could have a similar inner strucure. Depending on how high/precise it can "feel, the the acuity of vibrational senses can be extremely high, with those ridge structures it could have billions of concentrated protected sensory nodules to detect air currents,pheromone changes,etc. Their body design does actually have a lot of possible sensory options that could all work together. A simple example for how high it could go would be the sensitivity of a spider, who can feel to the microscopic movments on nano threads.

Gojifan2014 well it has 2 very small eyes on each side of its head though if you look at the ailen vs predator game case really close you can tell

Diana Davidson Hmm, never notice that…

Gojifan2014 yeah never noticed it either until I got the alien vs predator game on Xbox 360

The more specific term is "kairomone", since the emitted substance would be detected by a _different_ species to its relative benefit. Anyway, how would an alien detect these chemicals through a solid wall? Unless there's enough ventilation and circulation between the two spaces, there's no way for those odors to reach the alien's sensory organs all the way from the person's body, especially if the person is far away and blocked off... unless xenos have special psychic powers or something. Of course, it's just fiction and logic doesn't fully apply. Still, chemical messengers aren't enough to totally explain in-universe how aliens "see".

Diana Davidson I don't think they're eyes, because if so they would have really poor vision due to them being on the sides of the head, making it nearly impossible to see directly in front of them. I thought of them as sensors or just details of the head

I would interpret this as "cinematic liberty". It would be hard to visualize sensing heat signatures, molacular changes due to smell(fear), pressure etc for humans. I feel like they have a "classic visual sense" depending on the host, but i always believed in a "special" sense on the specimen. (Combination of terestrial animal senses, shark/snake etc. can feel slightes changes in molecules, pressure, heat etc.)

Yes the dog alien from alien3 has eyes because it is a different type of alien

@@DrMikkel_yz54 But it wouldn't make sense for "the perfect creature" to have eyes in one version and no eyes in another. This would mean major changes in the "base model" of the alien and would mean some versions have significant disadvantages. I would argue that based on at least numerous actions in the movies that it definitely does have eyes yet the phenotype (besides vision) is actively changing. This would make sense in an evolutionary theory of gaining traits that would better the alien, not remove senses.

True, I forgot about that when I was typing my response. Thank you for the reminder 🤘😎🤘

@@wussel3647 yes it would because their species adapt to the enviorment

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Alien Theory it doesn't have any eyes in Predator 2 when you see the alien skull there are no eye sockets

They sense prey by pheromones, this was a canon explanation in books/games/comics and more. =\

I know how it sees.....The guy in the prosthetic suit has a small opening he can see out of and have a cigarette between shooting action scenes

Mintberry Crunch 😄

Bronwyn Corgi Lovah it also has a nose hole, I think those holes don't actually do anything, just a trait they got from a human host

I believe their colorblind and will only see the heat off of a human

Turtle Person Thirsty. Very.

Zoltan Csikos​ I guess we know why Ripley was so scared of em'

Turtle Person they're probably just really really horny and their aggression is stemming from extreme sexual frustration.

***** I'd be mad too if the only female runs away from you and tries to set you on fire with a flamethrower.

Turtle Person word

CrniWuk Like a shark. It would also explain how the xenomorphs are likely capable of differentiating human hosts from synthetics. I was surprised this theory wasn't in the video, I always felt this was one of the xenomorphs primary methods of detecting prey. No matter where you hide, it's likely to perceive exactly where you are. Note: it would also hint as to why the xenomorph warriors were able to cut the power in Aliens, and deduce exactly where the marines were in the complex. Outstanding hypothesis. Now all we need is a deck of cards.

I would assume, that it is more a form of short range location though, considering the fact that air is not very good when it comes to conductivity. But yeah, as you say it would explain a hell lot of stuff. The larger the elctrical power souce the easier for Xenomorphs to spot it. Like power lines, large structures. As far as further ranges goes, I do think they might use echolocation, or somehthing else in combination with it. If they see something interesting, they get closer, if it has electrical charge (live), they will attack/capture/love what ever.

CrniWuk Exactly. In all probability, the xenomorph as the perfect organism would host an immense array of sophisticated sensory perceptive capabilities. Perhaps that domed skull is like a giant transceiver full of many sensory organs. Whereby homosapiens rely on 6, they may utilize dozens, with Magnetoperception and electroperception being chief among them. The species could likely be sensitive to radio frequencies or microwaves. Remembering that the xenomorphs are no mere biological organism, but seem to be some ferocious hybrid of both the organic and inorganic. Not just a silicone-based lifeform, but biomechanical. Something purely... alien. For example, in the xenomorphs behaviour, we witness them retreat from danger in Aliens Special Edition as they attempt to siege the marines' Turrets in the bottleneck of the Hadley's Hope service-tunnel. Is retreating behaviour a primitive, simple pheromone reaction, like Great Whites retreating from the carcass of another of its kin, or the swarm mechanics of ants becoming agitated en mass at a threat? Or are they governed by a radio frequency transmitted amongst themselves (and in the instance of a Queen, from the tactical oversight of the matriarch herself? Like a special forces team, only with inbuilt communications technology, instead of comms.) If they communicate in this way, this would be a most efficient method for detecting Prey. Such a hypothesis also raises further questions regarding xenomorph intelligence. IE, in Aliens did they cut they power merely because they can "see" power (and the brilliant latticework of electricity supporting the complex) instinctively knowing to deprive their hosts of the elements of their environment they require. Or, are the xenomorphs innately intelligent, with say an inbuilt familiarity with technology tempered only by a fierce animals savagery. It's more interesting when you can't deduce exactly what they are. The threat is magnified by this factor of that which is not easily knowable. Alien Covenant will perhaps give us some answers, revealing that the Aliens perhaps are in fact a biological and artificial hybridisation of life and artificial life. Unnerving. Wholly familiar, and comfortable in any of their innate environments from a biological ecosystem, to our technological world, and perhaps even void. As Charlie Holloway says to David in Prometheus: "David, why are you wearing a suit, man?" David: "I beg your pardon?" Charlie: "You don't breathe, remember? So why wear a suit?"

Yeah, why should Xenomorphs only use one or even two 'sensory' inputs. Good point. I wouldn't be surprised if Xenomorphs might even have the ability to actually somehow detect electromagnetiv waves, but not just like infrared or visible light, but the whole spectrum. Could you imagine that? One could actually 'see' radiowaves, gama rays, x-rays and infrared! I would also argue, that Xenomorphs are more intelligent as a swarm, who knows? Maybe they can put their input and informations together to form a swarm intelligence. Even humans do that in many cases, when we build networks of different grops, opinions and people working together for a single goal, where the sum of everything is more intelligent than one single beeing. As far as Prometheus goes, well I don't get my hopes TO high, I found the first Prometheus ... already lacking, even though I think it is visually a great movie and it had a lot of potential. We have to wait and see, I am glad that there is a new movie, but I want to see it first, before I judge it as either really great or bad. Hopefully it will be more than just a slasher movie in space. I mean when you look at it, the appeal of Alien and Aliens came for me mostly on what you didn't saw or knew and that the actors played normal people, the Nostromo crew felt like simple truckers in space, the Marines like 'normal' soldiers and so on. And that is what makes science fiction for me, having 'normal' people thrown in exceptional situations.

I had a college roommate who read the novelization of Alien, and said that was the answer there. Electroreception would have the advantage of being able to spot stationary, silent people in hiding. Which would kill the main game mechanic of the game Alien Isolation. But would make sense for a creature designed to survive in a vacuum when necessary. He did try to get back into the shuttle in the first movie. A perception like that would also be ideal for navigating in metal structures, being aware of power lines in walls to avoid them, moving through air ducts, and so on. An active field from the head could sense walls and so on in complete darkness, and communicate with other aliens at short range. It could also partly explain all the organics in the Engineers ships - they would be non-conductive and effectively "blind" the aliens if they got loose. Then again, a lot of this just goes back to Geiger and his artwork. It's a composite of mechanics, skeletons, darkness, insects, and feminine sexuality in a disturbing yet slightly alluring mix. Think of the xenomorph head as a 1970's Corvette designed by a cockroach and you hit three points. Stick it on a skeleton, paint it black, and you are most of the way to the original xenomorph. These are horror movies, after all. I just realized that a xenomoph attack is the exact opposite of a housecat. A cat will stay perfectly still and flick its tail to distract an opponent and lure it to attack the motion. Then when the other cat pounces for the tail, it hits from the side. A xenomorph makes a big noisy show with its face, then sneaks the tail around to stab or trip the person who is staring at it in horror. Also adds to the horror movie mechanic of the audience seeing the knife coming but the actor missing it. Trite but it still works after all these decades. It probably dates back to stage plays.

That was more to be like an Easter egg/reference. Unfortunately it made a fraction of the fan base think that aliens and predators are in the same universe which made turned the franchises into utter dogshit.

NecromanticPancakes it was a setup for movies down the road just like in Jason Goes to Hell when Freddy reached up and grabbed his mask that's also the only time that we ever actually see an alien skull like that

the only reason you couldn't see the eye sockets in the first movie was because the thick glass dome made it hard to make out under dim lighting, which the film used frequently. James Cameron chose to change a few things around about the design for easier fast moving action scenes as opposed to a fragile glass prop used in the original. I personally like to think that the species scene in alien and aliens are separate but they have never gave a canon answer. AVP and AVP R were poorly written and directed. If you honestly think they were good then I respect your opinion but I strongly disagree.

NecromanticPancakes they use a from of sensory perception if you study them close you'll notice them using the top (the whole ) head to hunt similar to the way humans have "eyes" in the back of there heads (it been proven in tests on the blind and people with sight by neurologist they are in the back of your head those little bumps) that and a type of echo location but not exactly the way you would think of it a combination of those to forms of sight would give them a great advantage that's why they are so good in the dark and explain the elongated skull it's a sensor

Comics are non-canon. Personally I'd like to think they do exist in the same universe, but AVP and AVP:R have been retconned from continuity, which is a good thing.

it actually hasn't done that in a movie... yet

Kaneonuskatew Well it does in the new covenant trailer.

Lol

come again?!? xD

Johan Dale nah it just has a fetish

It probably also has "smelling ports" all over its body like many insects have, which they use for respiration and gas exchange, or maybe they just respirate through the skin like amphibians, as opposed to lungs that can decompress in space. Also likely that if a xeno has any pheremone sensors, they are on the body or on the inner mouth or upper nasal passage area, and the reason it moves that inner mouth in and out is to function like a snake tongue, i.e. move air over the organ that senses pheremones. I believe humans have a rudimentary pheremone sensor in the top of nasal cavity, so this would probably be synonymous with what they have. The whole topic is fascinating like no other movie "monster."

@@saintjackula9615 They likely do have smell, but they aren't an oxygen based species, they're anaerobic.

Will Hammer Because the way it was originally designed in 1979 was to literally make it a dick-head

forrestgumball Lol

He's not wrong in a sense. H.R Giger who designed the alien is well renowned for his sexualised artwork. There is a video on youtube that goes in depth explaining his work but if you just look at some of it yourself you can see there are a lot of penis and vaginas in the creatures but mainly a lot of penis... read into that how you will .

Luke Dovey Yeah Giger was a weird one

Yeah, just look at Giger's painting at 2:25. It doesn't get anymore straight forward than the back of that head. Lol. Good thing they toned down the design a bit for Alien. Otherwise no one would have probably taken the movie seriously and it would have ended there.

Ya how creepy is that?!

No, if that were the case, Ripley would be dead already because it would be impossible to hide from the Xenomorph when it could map its environment using echolocation, especially in tight spaces in the first Alien movie

No, because in that case no one could hide from it and it would not sense the scientist pressing the button in Alien: resurrection

Anne Boleyn I think it would be be way more scary if the sockets are just visible. It's creepy as shit.

Caleb Mayfield lolol yeah I know right! I have the collector's edition statue of the original H.R. Giger Alien and creepy is definitely a good word! lol I actually really love Giger's artwork and all the work he did on Alien as well!

Anne Boleyn The adult Alien in the first film always had a skull visible beneath the dome, that much was never rejected. Originally they were going to use worms inside the dome to resemble wriggling brains, but that idea was tossed. The Alien's concept began with Giger's painting Necronom IV, where the creature had large round eyes. Giger painted further concepts and eventually replaced the eyes with the dome in the design process, because he thought something without eyes was scarier. Once he moved from canvas to sculpture, he used a real human skull to build upon the creation of the head. So yes the eyes were removed while the designs were still on paper. The skull was never rejected, it'd be odd to do so that far into physical production since Ridley already approved Giger's latest design.

In that game, the Xenomorph can also see from behind, a mechanism created by the developers to prevent you, the player, from sneaking up behind the Xenomorph. I wouldn't use any Alien game as a preference because those are all gameplay mechanics to make the Xenomorph distinct from other species for gameplay variations in tactics.

It also knows to stay in your area even if you don't move for an hour.

@@rickysmyth lol

Makes you wonder who that particular skull belonged to.....

That makes sense. I remember hearing that they mostly hunt at night, which they would do if they had such an advantage in this situation.

Yea, at night, or dark spaces.

Fucking Dr Church

Man i could not agree more. The opaque/slightly translucent dome with the semi-visible skull behind it is honestly so haunting. To me it’s part of what makes the creature so terrifying and strange. As much as i love the sequel Aliens it did go a little overboard with the over-designing of their version of the xeno. I think they were probably trying to make it look more animalistic and “spiny” but in my opinion that took away from what makes the xenomorph so unique and what gives it that appearance of a great hidden intelligence behind that massive, opaque skull covering.

MaxSpider2000 just like the spleen in humans its useless, but could be the byproductional form from its original host's dna. a full autopsy would prove what compares to that of the human host, but just like in Resurrection, its acidic blood would disolve any internal organs thus an autopsy would be impossible to conduct

MaxSpider2000 forgot to add that just like humans with varying skin colours and tones, a xenomorph's head namely the facial area could vary in transparency

Chieftain84 yea you have a point. it's just weird how the host's DNA would affect the xenomorph but that's going too far. "they" did a great job making this alien come to life and feel so credible and have depth as a race.

The spleen is certainly not useless; your immune system would likely fail without it, please do not attempt remove your spleen (or anyone else's) without first consulting a doctor.

Lachlan Raidal lol i wasn't going to. I know it's sort of a filter for the dead or aged blood cells which are then destroyed and reused somehow, i'm not sure. Thanks for the message ;)

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Morrius07 people keep commenting 'horns*' but I do feel they have something to do with electric sense like sharks do

Morrius07 I thought that was more like "Breathing Tubes,"

I always thought they were antennas to communicate by telepathy across the hive.

I think they are for breathing.

I have another idea, similar to the breathing theory. Perhaps the Alien can alter its own biochemistry to adapt to its environment, and the dorsal tubes sample the air and tell the Xeno how to best benefit from it.

Ah, yes my friend. "Used to". I and so many others are right there with you....

Mandalorian bring you back?

They have telepathic sight. They're able to see the world around them based on smell, temperature and brainwave activity. The only one with actual sight but still holds all those traits on an even higher scale is the queen. She even communicates to the hive telepathically.

Nah man, they have eyes, if you pay close attention you can see them, sunken into what looks like a human skull, set far back into the head behind the thick translucent layer on top, look closely.

Its not even a theory but a fact that they can also see you. The original H. R. Giger Alien model from the first movie have eyes.

Pretty sure Alien 3 also did this...

Not really proof as it could just be artistic license... Either way, it was previously done in Alien3!

but if you just stand there, it attacks..

echolocation is out due to Resurrection

Maybe they have electroreception, like how sharks can sense the bio electricity in all living animal's within a certain range. The xenomorphs may have something similar to this so they wouldn't need eyes to see like us, and with their heightened sense of smell and hearing, they could track their prey in pitch black environments and through obstacles like walls (maybe)

Since they are adapted to survive in ANY environment (even friggin space) it makes sense they’d use multiple ways of seeing like using electroreception when it’s dark and using basic eyesight when their is light present

well hr giger used penis symbolism (and not only symbolism^^) often in his art just type hr giger art in google images and you will already find some examples or look at the art at 2:25 in this video (wich is the first image ever drawn of the xenomorph) the end of the head on the left looks really suspicious ^^

It's totally intentional. Giger was a major sex fiend, willies and fannies all over the shop.

Adam Power the eggs were initially designed by Giger to look like vulvas, but the studio rejected it as too graphic.

Sigourney Weaver thought exactly the same thing when she first saw it

This is all correct.. all if not most of Giger’s was very sexual in nature. Look at the reproductive anatomy of a woman in 3D and you get the face hugger. It’s crazy.. nonetheless he designed one of the best alien organisms of all times.

Amos Ísarr Edana if it used echolocation it couldn't see through glass which they can

Ridley wouldn't have the answers, for that you would have to ask HG Giger or more accurately, consult his notes if he left any behind.

Ксения Ковалевская No, as far as I know.

Zoltan Csikos I used to get way worse comments than those on that vid you saw.

Ксения Ковалевская He likes to leave more questions than answers in his movies, but I believe it's by pheromones if I remember correctly.

Acuraintegraman1 He show how the Xenomorph see on the last movie.

That’s definitely more likely than echolocation. But, since sharks and platypus also have eyes in tandem with their electroreception, it’s likely they also have functioning eyes. I always thought it was a combination. Pheremones, electroreception, and eyesight

Eris how is that not a legit question? We're bloody talking about every other thing a xenomorph does. I asked just about the most basic question about a species... Guess I should have asked, "how do xenomorphs poop?" Or, "do xenomorphs poop acid?"

Tiger H. Lore if they poop acid they poop thier blood

Meat and all other tissue/living organism it might eat, will always have toxins and compounds other than nutrients that need to be removed from the body. Actually, a completely healthy human should in theory take up nutrients with close to 100% efficiency. Homo Sapiens Sapiens is a real life efficient organism. It would be biological perfection without the years of degradation due to unhealthy diet and lifestyle coupled with constant exposure to harmful (DNA damaging) chemicals.@robert20351

They may poop the resin like substance that they use to build their nests. Similar to termites. This would only add to their efficiency, and it may need to be mixed with their drool to take form, or could oxidize in environments at a certain temperate level, as xenomorph hives are usually found in warm places.

Xenomorphs are like giant batteries, that's why they have acid blood. Anything which is not digestatable by acid is probably spat out

Oh! Just remembered this to [SPOILER WARNING ⛔️]. There was this one scene in AVP where a Predators, as they are hunting down the main character, use their invisibility tech. And surprisingly the Alien still manages to see through their camouflage and kill them. I think this may support the theory that they may not just use regular vision but a “sixth” sense as someone pointed out in the comments. Anyways, since it is the “perfect organism” I think it uses a multitude of senses that allow it to track prey.

Its been covered pretty frequently, in the games and the movies I think... The Aliens have an incredibly advanced form of hive mind intelligence that goes beyond traditional telepathy