Without a doubt, Subnautica's real protagonist is the planet where the game takes place. By exploring this new world, players learn about the game's story and what happened there years ago.
At first glance, Planet 4546B looks like an ordinary planet filled with water. But upon further exploration, you'll see this place has unique creatures, a wide arrange of biomes, tons of resources, and even some similarities with things that exist on Earth. So go ahead and see for yourself all of the things you didn't know about this planet.
10 Thirty-One Aggressive Creatures Are Living On The Planet
While playing Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero, you will encounter lots of flora and fauna indigenous to Planet 4546B. You should learn how to set apart friends for foes, as some species have aggressive behavior and will attack you on sight if they see you.
In Subnautica, you'll have to deal with 19 aggressive species scattered all over Planet 4546B different biomes. In Subnautica: Below Zero, the number goes down, with only 12 species having an aggressive attitude towards the player.
9 There Were Bigger Creatures Living There
In the game, the biggest creatures any player will encounter are the leviathan class organisms. There are seven leviathan-type species in Subnautica, with the smallest one being around 20 meters long and the biggest one being 112 meters long.
And while these guys look like big boys (especially when compared to the player's size), there were more giant creatures on the planet. Around 3,000,000 years ago, a super predator of about 1,000-1500 meters long roamed the place. Nowadays, you can only find the gargantuan fossil lying in the Bone Fields, and only the head is 100 meters in length.
8 The Planet Has 64 Different Biomes
In order to survive Planet 4546B, you'll have to explore it thoroughly to gather the resources you need to eventually escape from the place. And just like on Earth, this planet is booming with ecosystems (called Biomes) for you to exploit.
In Subnautica, you'll find 15 surface biomes, two islands, 18 cave biomes, and four mini-biomes. With Subnautica: Below Zero taking place on another part of the planet, you'll get to explore different biomes from the original game. You'll encounter four above water biomes, ten underwater biomes, and 11 underwater caves in Below Zero.
7 Fauna On 4546B Has Yellow Blood
On Earth, some animals, like the sea cucumbers, have yellow blood. This happens thanks to a high concentration of vanabin, the yellow vanadium-based pigment. This pigment isn't involved in oxygen transport, but sea cucumbers use the hemocyanin that's in their blood to sustain their oxygen needs.
However, it isn't clear why these creatures have yellow blood, just like it remains a mystery why all of the fauna in Subnautica has it.
6 What The "B" Stands For
This planet's name is 4546B; that B isn't random. It means that Subnautica's planet was the first planet discovered orbiting around the star 4546, making this star 4546A.
In case you're wondering, both Planet 4546B and the star 4546A are located in the outer reaches of the Ariadne Arm. In that same system, you'll find ten other celestial bodies; all of them are larger than Earth's moon.
5 There Are Three Major Ecosystems On Planet 4546B
Planet 4546B is an ocean planet, which means the vast majority of it is covered in water (except for two islands). However, it being an ocean planet does not mean a lack of variety. In fact, this planet has three major ecosystems, each one with tons of biomes for you to explore.
The three major ecosystems are:
- The Crater: a tropical area where Subnautica takes place. This ecosystem has that name because it is the crater of a dormant undersea volcano.
- Sector Zero: this arctic area is covered in ice and has freezing temperatures; it's also the place where Subnautica: Below Zero takes place.
- The Dead Zone: this is the area surrounding the crater. This area isn't meant for players to explore, as you can see by the three leviathans that will spawn in the place when you enter the zone.
4 You Can Breed The Planet's Fauna
While exploring 4546B, you'll encounter friendly and aggressive creatures scattered all over the place. What not many people know is that you can actually breed them for your own benefit.
Edible fauna, like fishes, can be placed inside the Alien Containment. If you place two fishes of the same species inside this container, they will breed, resulting in another fish spawning in the place. However, non-edible fauna, like Bonesharks, work a little differently. To breed those, you'll have to find the egg from the species you want and then place it inside the Alien Containment. After a few days, the egg will hatch.
3 Day And Night Cycles Are Shorter Than Earth's
In order to have what we call "day" and "night," planet Earth has to rotate on its axis. So when a part of the planet is facing the sun, people there have daylight, and when that part is facing away from the sun, it is nighttime. This rotation takes Earth around 24 hours. However, there are planets on our solar system that are slower or faster than this.
For example, the day and night cycle takes 24.6 hours on Mars, while a day in Mercury can last 176 Earth days long. As you can see, each planet is different, and when it comes to Planet 4546B, the time is way shorter when compared to Earth's; each cycle lasts about 20 minutes of Earth time.
2 Planet 4546B Is In The Habitable Zone
In real life, the Habitable Zone is the area around a star where liquid water can exist on a planet. This zone is also known as the Goldilocks zone because the area has to be not-too-hot nor not-too-cold to be habitable.
The presence of liquid water is so pivotal because water is a key ingredient for life to thrive. With all of this being said, Planet 4546B has liquid water on its surface, can support life, and even has oxygen sources, so it is most likely located inside the star 4546A Habitable Zone.
1 Planet 4546B Is Very Similar To The Real-Life Planet Gliese 1214B
Gliese 1214B is a planet discovered in December 2009; this one is a super-Earth that orbits around the star Gliese 1214. Subnautica's fans tend to call Gliese 1214B a real-life 2546B, because just like the planet in the game, this one is a water world, meaning that it is entirely covered by water.