The unsettling animation showing humans crossed with birds, frogs, dogs and spiders

These unsettling images show how humans might look crossed with a range of other creatures.

The series of artworks, named Hominid, are photo composites based on paediatric and veterinary X-ray films by San Francisco-based artist Brian Andrews.

They form the basis for an even more unsettling animation which shows how they might interact together in the an imaginary wildlife setting.

Unsettling: This still from the Hominid animation shows a human-bird hybrid being chased by a hungry human-spider hybrid

Mr Andrews said: ‘The original photo-composites were developed with the intent of creating an artwork that would make the audience feel a personal and uncanny connection to the image in front of them.

‘Each photo needed to contain a sensation of humanity which someone could intimately relate to, yet also provoke something unsettling and alien.

‘Fusing human and animal anatomies is not a new idea – almost every mythology has hybrid creatures.

‘By using X-rays as source material I was able to make the images contemporary in their form, as well as directly challenge the viewer by taking them inside their own bodies.’

Mr Andrews told MailOnline how he approached hospitals in order to gather the X-rays from which he made the artworks. Most were unusable films rejected by doctors because of improper exposure or operator error, and so could not be put onto the patients’ records.

The original artworks were put together using Photoshop, with Mr Andrews explaining that he paid special attention to the densities of bones and using as much anatomical reference as possible.

‘Once the skeletons were in place, the skin and organs were combined, and a proper silhouette was painted in,’ he added.

Skin crawling: This grab from the Hominid animation shows the bizarre anatomy of the spider-human cross

The frog-human hybrid lets out a croak: The animation is based on a series of photo composites created from human and veterinary X-ray films in 2005

The video, which makes for uncomfortable viewing, shows a bird-man hybrid landing next to a pond, where frog hybrids sit on rocks by the water.

On the other side, concealed by a bushes, however, lurks an arachnid-human hybrid looking for its next meal.

The original arachnid hominid: Mr Andrews created the artwork by making composites based on paediatric and veterinary X-rays

Sensing danger, the frogs slip into the water, as the oblivious bird-man dips its head into the water to take a drink.

It’s only at the very last moment, as the spider pounces, that the bird realises the mortal danger it is in. Turning on its heels, it attempts to take to the air – as the spider gives chase.

The bird gains height, and for a moment it seems to have escaped. But, with a tremendous leap, the eight-legged monster closes the gap and uses an outstretched leg to dislocate the bird’s wing.

As the spider stands above its grounded prey, the desperate bird tries in vain to hold it off with an outstretched arm. But its attempts at self-preservation are futile. The arachnid sinks its jaws in to the bird man’s neck, dragging it from the ground and pumping its body with venom before slinking away to devour it.

It was the ‘visceral’ nature of the original artwork which led to the plot for the video, Mr Andrews said.

‘When translating the photo-composites into the animation, it was essential to use the unique view of the creatures’ anatomies to be the motivation of the story,’ he said.

‘That’s why the narrative is so physical and visceral – it needed to emerge directly from the bodies of the hominids themselves.’

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