#Maned Sloth

[twilightofthesandwiches]

[chimeracryptid]

Some sonic oc sketches ft. Sugar the Sloth Bear, the latest addition to Team Disaster who’s Claw’s roommate and the only person who’d ever do Cheer’s nails

[daily-xenarthra-posting]

would you vote for them?

this is their presidential portrait

Southern Maned Sloth, photographed by Henrique Bitencourt (Source)

[unyor-payn]

THE RED CASQUEHEAD BEAR

NATXANTSIN - MAGNUS FODIENS MONTANUS

The Red Casquehead Bear is a Pandoran predator, found in the Spires of the Clouded forest. The beasts are commonly seen traveling alone, or in mated pairs along the Circling Peaks biome.

Their common prey consists of both moonscarab and kite manta eggs and their young, fish, and echo stalker meat. The casquehead bear uses its leaf-like whiskers to sense the faintest shifts in the air and to locate potential prey. When having located a burrowing echo stalker den, the casquehead bear has been observed to mercilessly dig its way into the mouths of the burrow, and use its great claws to try and exhume the inhabitants. Even when faced with the echo stalker's aggression, the casquehead's tough facial plating negates most attempts at trying to deter the beast.

As the creature matures, its coloration shifts to more deep and vibrant colors, much like most Pandoran fauna. Mature individuals can be identified easily by the vibrant rust-colored mane upon their shoulders - the species' English namesake.

Unlike most Pandoran fauna, the red casquehead bear doesn't exactly use its second pair of forelegs for movement. The pair is mostly used for finer coordination whilst hunting or gathering, and for carrying their young. The limbs can essentially lock in place - not unlike the Terran sloth - and create a sort of cradle along the soft underbelly and strong chest of the beast.

The Ke'awa Kame'tire clan holds the beast in great regard. Hunting it is seen as an almost ritualistic occasion, and cause for great celebration amidst the clan. The red casquehead bear's titular mane and faceplates were commonly used in ritualistic occasions and ceremonies, though with the rise of the RDA, the materials have been rather crafted into vestments for accomplished warriors. When coming across a hunter who carries cloth with the casquehead's mane, it is customary to greet them with crossing one's arm across one's chest - imitating the casquehead carrying its young.

[mammalidentifier]

all kidns of strange and wonderful beafts in the world. how do we even know them all. wh

That’s the beauty of it: we don’t know them all! We’re constantly discovering new species! Granted, some of these discoveries weren’t completely unknown to science and were only misidentified as a different animal, but they’re still pretty cool nonetheless. Here are some mammals that were discovered in the past few years:

The Popa langur (Trachypithecus popa), first described in 2020.

The northern greater glider (Petauroides minor) and the central greater glider (Petauroides armillatus), upgraded from subspecies of the southern greater glider (Petauroides volans), to their own species in 2020.

The Ramari’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon eueu), described from a single beached specimen in 2021!

The striking Halloween colored Nimba myotis bat (Myotis nimbaensis), described in 2021.

The southern maned sloth (Bradypus crinitus), first described in 2022.

The Benin tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax interfluvialis), first described in 2022.

The eastern Mindanao gymnure (Podogymnura intermedia) and the Kitanglad gymnure (podogymnura minima), first described this year, in January 2023.

And the Talpa hakkariensis mole, described just last month in August 2023!

[artechoceneexplorer]

I had a lot of fun with the dryad piece, so I'm making another piece similar to that one, featuring another creature I really like from it, the Kelpie

Full piece view

It's definitely not the most realistic design, as the legs of a horse are not adapted for underwater movement in the slightest, and would create much more drag than the small propulsion force they would generate.

So I chose an approach to make it a bit more realistic. Similarly to a hippo, they have bones so dense they don't float, and instead mainly move by walking on the floor of whatever body of water they are in. Still, its hoofs are flattened to help it move on muddy substrate and to help slightly with propulsion whenever it does swim.

But I also had to make it able to swim, that's what the tail is for, to propel it when swimming, so I used a bit of information from the manga. Its organs are said to be able to be used to make flotation devices, so they must play some role in buoyancy control. Some places where normal horses already produce and keep gases produced by symbiotic bacteria are their fermenting chambers in their intestines, mainly the colon and caecum.

So, since they are no longer mainly herbivorous, they could instead develop a symbiotic relationship specifically with hydrogen producing bacteria (which are a thing and hydrogen is a very light gas that could lift up that much weight in those conditions) and house them in expandable chambers derived from one of these fermenting chambers, that they can control the capacity of by expelling gas via their mouths, or regulating the activity of the bacteria inside the chamber. This would allow it to go up into the water column and swim up to the surface.

I would imagine they would also curl their legs as close to the body as possible to reduce drag and mainly use their tail when swimming, even though the bubbler and hair probably makes them more hydrodynamic than a normal horse.

The skull is probably my favourite part of the original design, I don't know a horse head but with sharp carnivore teeth is just so cool to me, so it was also very fun to design for this piece. For inspiration, apart from the images from the anime and manga themselves, I used not only primitive horses like Palaeotherium, which had teeth much less specialised for herbivory, and the quintessential large hoofed predators of the Cenozoic, the entelodonts, or "hell pigs", mainly Archaeotherium.

Palaeotherium skull | Archaeotherium skull

The frontal incisors, like the original design, are extremely sharp and guillotine-like, which I would imagine would be mainly useful for cutting food, either meat or plants, and passing it down to the rest of the mouth. The canines, long and robust, I would imagine are for holding down and subduing prey as shown by the original design, locking the jaw and lowering its buoyancy to take it under. The premolars could act as a sort of teeth of flexible use, being able to aid in holding onto pret, but also be used for further shredding food inside the mouth. The molars I'd imagine would be robust and blunt, especially towards the back of the mouth, to not only chew plants and other general food stuff, but crush the shells of invertebrates it finds on the substrate or the bones of unlucky terrestrial prey...

Now onto my other favourite feature of the Kelpie, its algae mane. It is specifically said to be kelp, so I didn't change that, but I'd imagine they wouldn't have only kelp growing on that mane, and that other algae would be present, for how this would happen, it's not that difficult to imagine, specially if we consider that Kelpies probably stay still while waiting for prey for a long time, because there's an aquatic mammal that grows algae on top of it, manatees! Sloths are also an example of a mammal that grows algae on top of it, specifically on top of its fur, so I took those as inspiration.

The reason for that horse mane like shape the kelp takes also has a reason I came up with that I think is pretty fun. Since Kelpie are omnivores, they probably can and do eat algae, and they need to keep themselves hydrodynamic enough to kill prey, so they regularly graze on themselves to keep that algae short so it doesn't become a hindrance. But because they self-groom they can't reach their neck and head kelp until it gets long enough for their heads to reach, so it keeps that characteristic horse mane shape.

And because this mane is established algae, and not part of the actual hair, they're not born with it, and develop it over time as they grow, so the foals are completely smooth and seemingly bald (however they are still covered by a short layer of hair).

The scientific name is pretty simple this time. The genus name, Abyssohippus, means "horse (-hippus) of the abyss (Abysso-)", and the species name, fallaciter, is Latin for "deceiver". So its full name means "Deceiving horse of the abyss", which I think is very fitting for this creature...

I Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the creative process to create this design and see you soon! :>

[elevenmonsterart]

Laughing Jack December Day: 6

For today we got another Sketch of my Creature ver. of LJ based off one of my original designs from like 9 to 10 years ago lol.

The animal/creature inspirations are: Spinosaurus, Megatherium(type of giant ground sloth), gharial(relative of crocs and gators), moray eel, brown hyena, liger, lion, maned wolf, moon bear, komodo dragon, titanoboa, japanese dragon moray eel, stripped hyena, northern tamandua(type of ant eater), thylacine, Oreamnos americanus(mountain goat) and the three toed sloth.

Hope you enjoy this sketch ☆

[baptaincarnacles]

Hullo! Could you share hcs for wild kratts x octonauts pt. 2? If you'd like, that is.

Hi!! Of course!

(Sorry for taking so long to answer)

These AUs are always super fun to do. So, last time I spoke about if they- the Octonauts- ended up in the Wild Kratts Dimension, this time I believe I’ll discuss if the Wild Kratts ended up on the Octonauts Dimension!

So, starting it off quickly, I am going to go ahead and just list the creatures I believe the crew would be:

Martin and Chris: Clouded Leopards (because not only are clouded leopards great swimmers, they also excel in climbing!)

Aviva: Owl (Intelligence!)

Koki: Ring-tailed lemur (Sassy and classy :>)

Jimmy: Maned Sloth (Due to his friendly and lazy nature)

-

Now, how would they get there?

We all know Aviva’s inventions can sometimes go… wrong. There’s the time travel device that she has- and that’s where I’m going with this. Let’s say that this traveling device was capable of more (knowing her, it is), and they traveled dimensions. And where do they land? In the world of Octonauts!

New bodies- and certainly a lack of understanding of what’s going on. But, the portal is open between the two worlds and they’re free to leave whenever they want.

Cue Chris and Martin with the wildest grins known to man and creature-kind. First thing they acknowledge is the fact they ARE a creature and not just wearing a power suit. They quickly deduct what creatures they are before even bothering to look at the others.

Aviva is trying to make sense of just HOW they changed bodies. Biologically, that is impossible, right? Even with inter-dimensional travel, they should’ve stayed themselves. But, on the other hand, Koki is enjoying herself! She loves the new look, and they retained their minds so what’s the worst that can happen?

Jimmy… is a bit anxious. He’s in a new location and does NOT understand what is happening. Of course, everyone had been anticipating traveling through time, not dimensions, so this was a shock factor to the poor ginger man.

Big question of the day! Where were they?

They would likely end up in a tropical location; on a beach with tall palm trees and sands littered in seashells. The two Kratt brothers would immediately look for an adventure, cracking open two coconuts as they walk the sands- which is when they realize that they’re still bipedal.

Cue surprise number 2.

Not only were they animals, but the animals of this world were evolved to be bipedal and fully conscious (most, anyway). Or… to the best of their knowledge, the animals were Anthro.

It is very likely they run into the Octonauts crew on the beach while exploring. Chris is first to spot them because Martin is busy clawing the rest of the coconut meat out of the coconut. Of course- a, “what is a Polar Bear doing on a tropical island?” kind of snaps Martin out of his snack.

And sure enough- Captain Barnacles notices them standing there and offers a friendly smile.

First things first, Barnacles walks over to assess the situation, with Kwazzi not following too far behind, and Peso somewhat hidden behind the two.

Kwazzi is very… quizzical of the two Kratts, lifts his eye patch and everything to get a better look.

After introductions, however, the two teams would happily work together. And, because the Octonauts’ universe lacks actual antagonists, it would be far more simple for the two sides to hang out.

(I could include the Wild Kratts’ antagonists, but I feel that would be good for another post lol)

Martin, Chris, and Kwazzi would enjoy swapping stories. After all, the brothers have plenty of stories about stopping bad guys- and Kwazzi has his old tales about the sea (which the brothers deduce to whatever creature may cause the legend).

Barnacles lingers nearby in order to keep an eye out for his First Mate- after all, Kwazzi can be a bit… zealous. However, he makes casual- and very awkward- conversation with Chris (poor Polar Bear has no volume control).

The Octopod would eventually surface nearby- and the rest of the crew would swarm out to meet the new friends; including the Vegimals, who offer over fish biscuits.

Aviva would geek out- not only does she have an invention called the ‘Octopod’ so did the Octonauts! And theirs was rather advanced. She would definitely figure out Tweak made the Octopod and ask a ton of questions- especially about functionality, the depths with which it can withstand, and just so many nerdy questions.

And Koki, I feel, would definitely show some interest in what Dashi and Shellington do. She would occupy herself with listening to the two chatter- while Dashi is taking photos of their new friends.

Jimmy and Peso would get along well- a shared bond over their anxiety. Though, it would be hard for a conversation to strike up between the two, Jimmy would eventually start it- asking about video games.

—

Thinking about an episode like this is silly, because it’s likely it would take place on either a tropical island, or the creature alert would be sounded (by one of the secondary characters, like Natquick or Tracker- even Paani, etc…).

And the Wild Kratts crew would get to experience first hand what kind of chaos this team of anthro animals goes through.

Barnacles- being the way he is- isn’t so sure about dragging the Wild Kratts into the mess, but the Kratt bros are insistent on letting them go. Aviva would stay aboard the Octopod with Tweak, discussing tech and how to improve it. Koki would join Dashi in the HQ- and Jimmy would laze around the library, where Professor Inkling is somewhat bemused by his presence.

Chris and Martin would join Barnacles and Peso in the Gup-A. Kwazzi would take the Gup-B to show off a bit to his new friends (and probably somehow crash it into a nearby reef).

Overall, it would be so funny- and at the end of the adventure, the Wild Kratts crew can hop back through the portal and go home.

Win-win for both parties.

—

Next Part:

Previous Part:

[thatwobblychair]

CoD Baddies as Bears!

What if the bad guys were also bears! Part 3

See part 2 and 1 for 141 and good guys as bears

Even more bear facts because bears are love, bears are life. 🐻🐻‍❄️🧬

Makarov: Ussuri Brown Bear "Russian Grizzly Bear"

Ursus arctos lasiotus

Also known as the Ezo Brown bear or Black Grizzly bear, this subspecies of Eurasian Brown Bear is one of the largest, with some individuals approaching the Kodiak Bear in size.

Similar to the Kamchatka Brown Bear, it differs with an elongated skull, longer nasal bones, elevated forehead and is darker in colour with some individuals being pure black.

Siberian (Amur) tigers and other bears are it's only natural predators, with documented tiger and bear interspecific competitions. Ussuri brown bears will often scavenge tiger kills and or kill smaller tigers, while Tigers are known to hunt young and sub-adult bears (bears making a significant portion of their diet).

Graves: Louisiana Black Bear

Ursus americanus luteolus

A subspecies* of the American Black Bear (U. a. americanus), the Louisiana Black Bear has been historically found in Louisiana, Mississippi, East Texas and Arkansas.

It is not substantially different from the American Black Bear, though it has a longer, flatter, narrower skull and larger molars in comparison. It's colouration is typically black, though some individuals have been known to be brown/red-brown cinnamon. It is Louisiana's official state mammal.

*The validity of this subspecies has been repeatedly debated.

Valeria: Sloth Bear "Indian Bear"

Melursus ursinus

A native species to the Indian Subcontinent, this medium sized bear feeds on ants, termites and fruit. It is also called the "labiated bear" due to its long lower lip and palate which is used to eat insects.

It's fur is pure black aside from the white "Y" or "V" patch on its chest though this can be absent in some individuals. They are similar in size with the Asian Black Bear though distinguished with it's shaggy mane, white 'sickle' claws, and rangier build.

This species is the most aggressive to humans with the largest number of recorded attacks due to a combination of close human cohabitation and a theorised predisposition to aggressive behaviour from constant attacks by tigers, leopards, rhinos and elephants.

Captain Williamson in his Oriental Field Sports (1819) wrote of how sloth bears rarely killed their human victims outright, but would suck and chew on their limbs till they were reduced to bloody pulps.

They are not known to be man eaters despite attacking humans. One individual in Mysore (Mysuru), India was recorded to have killed at least 12 people and mutilated 24 before it's death in 1957.

Shepherd: Koala "Koala Bear"**

Phascolarctos cinereus

**not a bear

An arboreal marsupial native to Australia that feeds primarily on Eucalyptus leaves. Koalas are asocial with bonding only taking place between mothers and dependant offspring. They are largely sedentary and will sleep upwards to 20 hours a day.

The word "koala" came from the Dharug word "gula" - no water. The 'u' sound was originally written phonetically as 'oo' and then became 'oa'. The three syllable pronunciation may be erroneous as a result.

White settlers adopted the 'koala' indigenous loan word in reference to the animal, where it was also referred to as, the "native bear", or the "koala bear" due to its supposed bear-ish resemblance.

+

Info from Wikipedia. Please let me know if I screwed up somewhere. 🐻

[emma-is-swaggy-and-epic]

Expanding on my MLP next gen AU "shipping is magic" except i let too many ideas marinate in my head at once and now my wrist hurts from drawing so much :)

BASES USED:

X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X

I would say "ships and lore under the cut" but tumblr ALWAYS likes to fuck up my post layout whenever i post SPECIFICALLY MLP base art for some reason soooo.......idk

As some of you may know: i included fluttershy x tree hugger into my next gen but recently i've decided that in this AU: fluttershy is actually now in a polycule with tree hugger and quarter hearts (that one background pony that looks like link from the legend of zelda) because i saw it be included in one of dragonairlover (or SodaSurfer97, depending on where you follow it)'s old youtube videos back when it did next gen requests for people as part of someone's next gen and i really liked that idea so i included the ship in mine, the mostly-yellow pony with the triforce necklace is named canary crescent (he/him) and he's the son of all three (biologically, i mean) while the blue-haired pony next to him is named navi (she/her) and she's just flutter and quarter's kid. Obviously, navi is based on navi the fairy from the actual zelda games though i wanna say that she's got some inspiration from the blue fairy from pinocchio as well

The next five are gonna take a while to explain....so y'know how i had two lunacord kids already? Well....i decided to expand it into 7 and base them all on the 7 deadly sins because i thought it'd be cool (the ones i already made represent pride and sloth now), the pink one represents lust and is named "after dark" (she/her), the red one represents wrath and is named "wild side" (which TOTALLY isn't because i had the beastars opening theme which coincidentally is also titled "wild side" stuck in my head while drawing, what are you even TALKING about!??!?....anyway, she/her) The purple one represents greed and is named "hypebeast bling" (god, remember when hypebeasts were a thing? He/him) the brown one represents gluttony and is named "midnight snack" (they/he) and lastly the blue one represents envy and is named cendrillon (who TOTALLY isn't named after the vocaloid song AT ALLLL!!!!!! She/her) cendrillon wants to be like her older siblings, thus why she's envy

These next ones: well....idk how many people know of this nowadays, but when the episode "baby cakes" first came out, people theorized that rarity ALSO had a baby in that episode alongside mrs cake because in the opening scene: she was seen looking at a baby with a VERY similar color palette to her. I actually really like that theory so i decided to incorporate that into my next gen, with rarity having a kid with stony pony before eventually getting with braeburn and having rosemary and having to give the kid up for adoption because she couldn't take care of her (and also because stony's a fucking deadbeat lmao) ......so yeah, i named her heloise (she/her) and she's very spiritual and cool......probably has an AWESOME crystal collection. The blue pony next to her is named "birthday cake" and she's pound and pumpkin cake's younger sister. Lastly there's prince corium, chrysalis and tirek's 14-year-old son. I imagine that he's not really evil in the same way his parents are, but he's moreso an edgy fuck who thinks saying slurs and making fun of furries is peak comedy....also he has some SERIOUS beef with pastel dream (my flashlight kid from another post)

Moving onto equestria girls, i didn't want it to JUST be the next gen from the pony universe but just in the EG universe so i decided to be a little creative. So for EG's mane 5 we have rarity and applejack's identical twin daughters praline punch (who's a graphiti artist and is into amekaji) and frou-frou (who's super ditzy and into hime gyaru), fluttershy and bulk biceps' daughter sunny sunflower, sci-twi and sunset shimmer's daughter pasadena (who has a crush on sunny and TOTALLY isn't named after pasadena from crash bandicoot I SWEAR!!!!) And flash sentry and timber spruce's daughter happy camper (who is a trans girl, but is still a lil early into her transition and she's into cryptozoology)

[theeldritchdarling]

All Tomorrows/Killer Folk AU: Areian/Killer Folk Types - Traits and Facts about each group

Plains/Grasslands - The most common type. Mix of Nomadic/migratory and settler lifestyles. Both Nocturnal (Nomadic/migratory) and Crepuscular (Settler). Closest eyesight to 20/20, 20/15 on average. Acute sight, hearing, and smell compared to a human. Height range: 7-8 ft.

Tundra - Completely nomadic group. Only lives along the arctic coastlines. Semiaquatic lifestyle and build; Webbed hands and feet (nearly plantigrade as a result), can hold breath up to 3 hours, bodies hold fat for insulation and fur is oil-slicked to prevent hypothermia. Completely nocturnal lifestyle. Posses nicitating membrane (third eyelid) to protect eyes from debris and allows them to see underwater. Best eyesight of all Areian/Killer Folk types; can see in detail underwater (20/3 vision). Worst hearing however; deafness is rather common. Height range: 9-10 ft. Triple coated fur and mane for insulation.

Mountains - Completely settler lifestyle. Live in the highest mountain points; along the cliff sides/mountainsides. Highly windy areas = nutrient poor environment. Bodies adapted to process nutrients far better than other animals; multi chamber stomachs with unique gut biomes in each and slow digestion process to remove all nutrients and water from food. Gain most of their water from their food (similar to cats). Minimal loss of nutrients through waste (similar to wombats). High body fat content; insulation and preserves in times of scarcity. Second most acute eyesight (20/5) compared to Tundra (20/3). Has the most clarity because eyes are designed to see the most detail at lowlight. Drawbacks: chronic sensitivity to high light and uv rays, Rod monochromatism/achromatopsia (total color blindness), and severe congenital farsightedness (everything up close is just a messy blurr). Nicitating membrane/third eyelid to protect eyes from debris and wind. Also adapted highly acute hearing (16-200,000 hz range) via echolocation and ear ridges along the ears. Height range: 5-6 ft. Triple coated insulating fur and mane. Nocturnal lifestyle; sleeps upwards of 12-18 hours because of digestive system (reserve energy for digestion).

Desert - Migratory lifestyle; regular stops at specific watering holes. Lanky and thin builds, designed for endurance and running. Best endurance hunters: can go multiple nights without food or water (Food - 2 months, water - 1 year).

Hairless/Island - Elusive and solitary group. Only Areian/Killer Folk type that is Diurnal (active during the day) and solitary. Almost completely hairless; Alopecia common genetic trait. Sloth-like lifestyle; spends their time in trees and rarely interact with the ground. Shortest group: 3-4 ft. Large ears to disipate heat and maintain cooling.

@rosetta222

@corvlth

@astrocorvus

@paintbrushfrog

@parrybarry

And any other Killer Folk enjoyers are free to come here and add on or critique anything for any of the Areian/Killer Folk types of my au! I'm open to any ideas for the different groups.

[slothprince]

Wearing the waters of her ring is Baphomet, princess of Sloth! The young heiress has styled her mane down with the latest brand of TRESenvii, donning accents of silver and rubies, a custom dress reflects and heeds others to be cautious when approaching her: get too close, and your skin may melt off!

@qveenofgluttony

[adobe-outdesign]

Can you do a moehog review? I feel loke they are one of those forgotten pets that don't get a lot of attention

Moehogs are one of those pets that pretty much just fall into the "regular animal" category, along with pets like the Lupe and the Mynci. In this case, they're more-or-less warthogs, with the only real differences being a mohawk-style mane and a few stripes. Their name would imply that the mohawk is supposed to be their main feature, but it's so small and non-descript that it really doesn't make them stand out at all. I would've loved to see the Moehog actually rocking a super tall mohawk, really leaning into that punk look to help it stand out a bit more.

One thing that I really do like about Moehogs though is their expression. I don't know why, but they always just seemed so chill and happy compared to other Neopets. They would 100% ask you how your day went and genuinely want to know the details.

Color-wise, the default Moehog has an orange mane, which looks a bit out-of-place (though less so on the yellow one). I feel like the mane either needed to be black to match the hooves and stripes, or have all three be a darker version of the base color.

The Moehog has basically remained completely unchanged via conversion except for a few shading tweaks and the odd decision to move the back foreleg up.

Favorite Colours:

Halloween: I'm not usually that big on the Halloween pets that look like they're just wearing costumes, but the UC/styled Halloween Moehog is absolutely fantastic. Not only is the Dr. Sloth concept great, but the post and expression are all fantastic, as is the dull green, black ,and red palette.

The converted version is... okay, I guess, but you should be able to see the inside of the cloak from this angle, especially because the loss of it results in the color palette losing the much-needed red. Also, the far right eye is really jacked up for some reason.

Darigan: The converted Darigan Moehog is honestly really boring and it wouldn't even be on this list if not for the fact that the UC/styled version absolutely slaps. The body shape has been adjusted to make it look far more bulky and threatening, and there are some really nice tweaks there as well, such as making the mane run all the way down the body to the tail, adding stripes to the legs to match the ones on the back, and changing the ear shape. I'm not usually big on the more muted-looking Darigan pets, but it works well for the Moehog given the warthog inspiration.

Island: The island Moehog really goes the extra mile all around. The white, tan, and green palette looks very nice and is complimented by a op of red with the flowers. I love how the usual stripes are seamlessly integrated directly into the tan markings, and how the grass skirt and bracelets match the green mane—not to mention things like the shell necklace and earrings, which didn't need to be included but are much appreciated. By far the best detail are the tusks, which have a super subtle carved look to them.

BONUS: The chocolate Moehog has banana tusks and this delights me. That is all.

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Results -- Narngreg

All right, time to look at this week's critters. (Sorry it's a few hours later than normal, it's been a busy few days and I'm behind on everything.) This one is not only breaking the bird streak, but it's also one of the handful of animals that gets a color scheme. The entry our artists are working from is here, if anyone wants to check:

As per usual, the art is under the cut in roughly chronological order.

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) has again demonstrated their ability to create these with an impressive turnaround time: this went up the same evening I posted the entry. I like the design -- the high, muscular back there gives it a good silhouette and a threatening appearance, and the way the black fur is patterned looks really cool -- but what really caught my attention was something in the linked post's description of their design rationale. Apparently binturongs smell like buttered popcorn?? Learn something new every day.

@sweetlyfez (link to post here) has given her Narngreg an interesting low-slung design, like if you built a hippopotamus on a crocodile frame. (She's also provided her own alt text, thank you.) We can see the characteristic claws, and also the fun decision to give the creature an extra-large mouth for its scented breath.

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) has again done some fantastic medieval stylization. I really like the decision to go literal with the "eye-shaped circles" description -- makes me wonder if this fur pattern just coincidentally looks like eyes, or if it's meant to ward off predators. Which raises the question of what this friend-to-all-other-animals, dragons-are-scared-of-it beast is trying to ward off. Also, if you check out the linked post, in addition to discussing design decisions, coolest-capybara has another version of this art where a number of the other beasts they've drawn for this project are indeed gathered to follow the Narngreg's scent -- except for the Choglaem, which is hidden in a cave in the earth.

@karthara (link to post here) notes that big cats are probably the sort of beast that can hold their own against dragons, and they fit the physical elements of the description, so here's a big cat species for you. I really like how the coat pattern turned out; the stripes on the end of the tail are a nice touch. Excellent cats all around.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) has taken an interesting (and very cool-looking) direction here. (And has also provided alt text, thank you.) In their explanation of their design decisions, which is quite detailed and worth checking out in the linked post, they explain that a lot of the influence on the design came from trying to reconcile "gentle animal" with "dangerous claws". What kinds of animals have large claws but aren't predators? Well, there are a few, but the ones they are primarily drawing on are the extinct chalicotheres and ground sloths -- large herbivores that nevertheless possess sharp claws. I think it's a clever direction to take. Additionally, I appreciate the stylized eye spots. And the mane-plus-goatee situation. They've also included some previous Beaſts following the Narngreg's sweet breath, and the Choglaem hiding from it in the upper right there. And, of course, Stylized Plants that they made sure to point out to me. :)

@pomrania (link to post here) had a similar thought to cheapsweets: what creature is gentle but has large claws? a sloth! And since there's no mention of it being arboreal, it can be a ground sloth. (Ground sloths are cool and I like that they came up more than once here.) This little guy is frankly adorable; I love the ear tufts and mane. I can see why other animals would be friendly to it -- it just looks like it would be pleasant to be around. There are a number of non-sloth influences happening here, which pomrania lays out in detail in their post, so go see that.

(P.S. Pomrania: I have no idea what, if any, pattern there is to whether the bestiary authors cite sources for a specific fact. I kind of suspect that the difference is "whether they know where that information came from" and possibly "whether they think a particular source is prestigious enough to be an impressive citation".)

@strixcattus (link to post) is also of the opinion that the Narngreg is clearly a feline, or at least similar to a feline -- they also note the "sleeping in caves" thing as inspiration for the "feline equivalent of bears" approach they took, so we might be drifting back to the binturongs again. Anyway, let's all take a moment to enjoy the incredibly cute scene here. Now, go read the linked post. Strixcattus's practice of turning the bestiary entry into a realistic modern naturalist's description of the animal is on point as always, and you owe it to yourself to read this and the other entries they have written. They're fascinating, especially in the context of the Bestiary Telephone situation.

They also express a suspicion that the cave thing is a Biblical allegory, and... ding ding ding!

On the third day the [Narngreg] rises from its sleep and gives a great cry, emitting a sweet odour, just like our Lord Jesus Christ, rising again from the dead...

Granted, bestiary authors turn pretty much everything into a Biblical allegory. You may also be interested to know that dragons retreat from it because the dragon represents the devil.

Anyway, the Aberdeen Bestiary version, which I have to say is particularly nice this time around:

Yep, this artist had the same idea as coolest-capybara and cheapsweets: the drawing should show other animals following it and a dragon... um... hm. Let's just assume that dragon is supposed to be hiding in a cave.

(I assume the critter is blue in this image because painting it black would make all that shading more difficult, so we're using a dark blue to indicate "black".)

And everyone who thought "feline" was indeed correct, because this is the panther.

Some of you may be thinking, "hey, I don't remember learning any of these facts about panthers."

Some others of you, who are up on your taxonomy, may also be thinking, "hang on, panther isn't a species. what animal did the medieval bestiaries think they were talking about?"

I am delighted to inform you that the answer to that question boils down to Bestiary Telephone! See, classical authors wrote about leopards, as you might expect from people who were kicking around northern Africa and southwestern Asia back when there were still leopards there. But Latin had two different words for "leopard", and as a result people from Europe assumed those were two different animals and panthera must be a separate, non-leopard thing. (How would they know, after all? It's not like they have any Leopard Experience.) The confusion created by this simple mistake continues to reign even to this day: the existence of a "panther" as a distinct species of big cat remains a common misconception, and I bet at least one person reading this was in today's lucky 10,000.

(This is not the only etymological absurdity that comes out of medieval Europeans dealing with What Is Big Cats, but we'll get to that when we get to it.)

[neorefsproject]

Character: Ozzy

Book of Ages Page: https://bookofages.jellyneo.net/characters/9453/

Dr. Sloth's Image Emporium Page: https://www.drsloth.com/search/?tagged=Ozzy

Design notes: - At first it looks like Ozzy has two collars around his neck, but if you look closely, it is actually his Yurble mane tucked into his collar. - Ozzy is pretty short, and has been shown to be shorter than his sister, Nyx.

(Updated 11/16/2024)

[carlos-in-glasses]

Thank you for the tags @tellmegoodbye @alrightbuckaroo @thisbuildinghasfeelings @strandnreyes @catanisspicy @three-drink-amy @rmd-writes @welcometololaland 💚

I have another TK/Owen moment from Flashback Fic because it involves a certain moose that I told @goodways about in this ask and now, much like Carlos after he hooked up with TK, I can't get Monty Morgan out of my head.

Owen cups TK’s left heel in his palm and moves the flashlight over it again, inspecting close. “God. I see another piece of glass. You’ve stepped in who-knows-what. When was your last tetanus shot?”

TK, who can barely recall his own name, wails at his dad to take a chill pill, and he’s so ridiculous it actually makes Owen laugh.

“There’s my boy,” he says, “You’re going to be okay.”

Owen finishes patching up TK’s feet quietly and helps him hobble across the living space to his bedroom. TK hasn’t spent the night here since he moved into his own rented apartment, and it’s pretty much the same it’s been since his late-teens:

Off-white walls are decorated with posters of Nirvana, Death Cab, Eminem, Muse, and shirtless Brad Pitt.

A bright yellow comforter covers the bed in the corner, the foot of which meets the window. TK has often sat at the end of this bed, staring at the street below, people watching, alone but not lonely.

The pinewood desk is long-free of schoolwork, neat now with a mug from the Guggenheim that is full of colorful pens, and a few old books about photography, human biology, and twentieth-century American literature, with a battered copy of The Catcher in the Rye on top.

A rug of muted rainbow squares remains on the hardwood floor.

And here is his shelf of well-squeezed plushies.

Mr. Bear the polar bear, missing an eye.

Rory the lion, whose mane he trimmed short with the kitchen scissors.

Montgomery ‘Monty’ Morgan the Moose, a gift from Aunt Elinor, who moved to Montreal to work at a research station when TK was eight. She mailed the silky-soft, sweet-faced moose with floppy antlers to Gwyn – a lifelong lover of perplexingly cute giant creatures like moose, manatees, walrus, sloths. Gwyn named him Montgomery ‘Monty’ Morgan and gave him to TK; TK took Monty Morgan with him to Owen’s because he helped with his homesickness when he was away from her.

TK grabs Monty Morgan for something to press against his sore stomach and crashes onto his old bed, his face twisting. He’s felt so unwell since he had to stand up again. To Owen, his son might as well be the colicy baby he once was, the way he’d thrash and his face would contort with pain. The way his tongue would jut in and out of his mouth. His mouth is dark red today. The skin around his lips blotchy as if zits lie below the surface, ready to erupt. His tongue is cracked like sun-dried earth, and earthish in tone, just a hint of its former pinkness. Slowly – yet it's strikingly apparent – TK lies before his father and drains to gray.

Tags below (and open tag too!)

@louis-ii-reyes-strand @mikibwrites @wandering-night19 @noxsoulmate @theghostofashton @freneticfloetry @taralaurel @rosedavid @lemonlyman-dotcom @chicgeekgirl89 @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @liminalmemories21 @heartstringsduet @never-blooms @ladytessa74 @lightningboltreader @goodways @paperstorm @reyesstrand @bonheur-cafe @tailoredshirt - if you want to share/ haven't already! No pressure ever! I hope you're all having the best days!

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜