#gior22skull

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Hawksbill Sea Turtle Eretmochelys Imbricata Facts about~ Sea turtles have existed for the last 100 million years. They have a narrow pointy beak like a bird to reach into small nooks in the coral to search for food. The main type of food for the hawksbill sea turtle are coral reef sponges, for most animals these are toxic making the competition very small. They also eat mollusks, marine algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, jellyfish and fish. They have a pair of claws on each flipper, with the males having longer claws than females. Males also have thicker tails and brighter colours than females. Threats against~ Since the times of the Ancient Egyptians the tortoise shell has been a prize for humans. The tortoise shell trade still illegally goes on today and is still used to make hair ornaments, jewellery and decorative objects. It is still frequently confiscated by the customs office. In Japan the shell is even used on traditional Japanese wedding dresses, the shell is called “bekko”. Plastic bags mistaken for jellyfish leave the turtle choking, those that survive eating the plastic, end up accumulating plastic in their stomach leading to a false sensation of being full and die of starvation or internal blockages and cuts by sharp plastic and eventually all lead to death. Hawksbill eggs are also still eaten around the world and even the flesh of the turtle in some occasions despite their protected status. Accidental capture in fishing nets is causing to be a problem, the turtles get caught up in the nets and then drown to death if not cut out in time. Other problems include coastal development leading to less beaches for them to nest on. Also climate change and coral bleaching which are destroying their habitats and killing corals, which is leading to less food abundance.

[gior22art]

Frontal view of aye aye skull I’m drawing this for a possible book on endangered wildlife and their anatomy currently focusing on skull and when I get comfortable enough I’ll start looking into the muscular structures if I can find enough references to work from of course! I’ll put up a mock up book spread or possible poster for the Aye aye in the coming month as a teaser. But for now enjoy this skull! Also I have posted a video on my instagram and the full video on youtube

[gior22art]

Golden-rumped elephant shrew Rhynchocyon Chrysopygus Threats: They are naturally hunted by snakes, lizards and birds of prey but they suffer major losses from deforestation including fragmented foresting and also getting caught up in traps and then discarded due to the foul taste of their meat making them undesirable as food. Cool facts: they are identified by their golden rump (lower back before the tail) they have long and flexible snouts they walk on their tippy toes otherwise called semi-digitigrade the golden-rumped is the largest of the elephant shrews growing a total of 56cms (20in) they are monogamous and only change partners if one of the pair dies they defend their territory by tail slapping (slapping their tail into the floor repeatedly)

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Galapagos Penguin Spheniscus Mendiculus

Threats: Natural threats are by land snakes, owls and hawks and by sea sharks, fur seals and sea lions. Getting unintentionally caught up in fishing nets Introduction of cats and rats by humans which attack adult penguins and eggs Avian malaria which is carried by mosquitoes and was brought to the Galapagos by humans El Niño which directly affects their reproduction by reducing the availability of food and causes a large portion of the population to starve and die. Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme El Niño events, making it harder for the Galapagos penguin to recover from the events Plastic pollution can cause them to suffocate from being strangled from plastic debris such as six pack rings or plastic ropes from boats What is El Niño? It is a ocean and atmospheric interaction which causes a periodic warming of the sea surface temperatures most likely occurring during the winter season and lasting anywhere from 6 to 12 months.

Cool Facts: It is the only penguin found north of the equator Is one of the smallest penguins in the world they live in crevices in coastal lava and caves Galapagos penguins mate for life have just one partner and can breed 2 to 3 times a year They have adapted some behaviours to try to keep themselves cool from the heat: standing with the flippers extended panting seeking shade and also have had some feather changes and have bald spots on their faces to help release heat.

[gior22art]

All about goats!

Although the goat is not an endangered animal I thought it would be nice to understand the importance of domestic animals and to show how they also play a crucial role in the plant.

First of all some cool facts: Some goats can have tufts of fur on their face, neck or ears these are called wuttles (often they are removed to help prevent injuries) Goats are born with teeth and are ready to go and graze soon after being born. Their upper jaw is larger than its lower jaw, so in order to chew their food they make the rotational movement with their that you can see whilst they eat. They have four stomachs like many other grazing animals and it can take as long as 15 hours for digestion to occur. Their square horizontal eyes (which are often considered scary) are evolved so they are not blinded by the sun whilst they graze or forage and also so they can keep an eye on predators. They were one of the first domesticated animals (after the dog) and were domesticated around 9,000 years ago. Goats can actually distinguish expressions of people and choose to respond to happy ones. They have a variety of names these are as follows:

Female - Doe / Nanny Male - Buck / Billy Castrated Male - Wether Young Male - Buckling Young Female - Doeling 1-2 yrs Young - Kid Giving Birth - Kidding A Group - Tribe / Trip Some other bits that I thought was interesting upon doing my research! Thor the god of thunder rode a chariot pulled by two goats called Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr (Norse for Teeth Bearer and Teeth Grinder) and has been referred to as "Lord of the Goats" The ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Cephranes loved goats so much he had 2,200 of them buried along with him!  

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Reindeer Caribou Rangifer tarandus Deer skull apart of a further art project