Collection: Unusual Yet Unique

 UNUSUAL YET UNIQUE

Among the freaks of nature came those that look ordinary to others. Although they may look like their close relatives, they also sport unusual features that make them stand out from the rest of their kin. These adaptations are the products of their evolution in order to survive and thrive in their changing environment.

Unusual Yet Unique, acrylic on canvas, 2021. Set of 9, each piece 8" X 8" 

Aardvark

Aardvark Eating Ants, acrylic on canvas, 2021.

The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a nocturnal burrowing mammal that lives in sub-Saharan Africa. Its closest living relative is the elephant. Its name comes from the Afrikaans word for "earth pig". The aardvark has an elongated head and small mouth, typical for an animal that feeds on ants and termites. It slurps up its prey using its long tongue that measures 30 centimeters long.

Lungfish

Aqua Lungs, acrylic on canvas, 2021.

Lungfish are a group of fish that are able to live out of water and breathe air. They belong to a primitive group called the lobe-finned fish due to their well-developed internal skeleton and fleshy fins. There are six species of lungfish, ranging throughout the Southern hemisphere in Africa, Australia and South America, and two are pictured in the painting: the West African (Protopterus annectens, top) and Queensland (Neoceratodus forsteri, bottom) species. Lungfish have a highly specialized respiratory system characterized by modified gas bladders that contain smaller air sacs and function as primitive lungs. Most lungfish have two lungs; while the Queensland lungfish from Australia has only one.

Babirusa

Babirusa, acrylic on canvas, 2021.

The babirusa got its name from the Malay word for "pig-deer". It is a genus of wild pigs found in  Indonesia, particularly in Sulawesi, some of the Togian Islands, the Sula Islands and Buru. The babirusa can be easily identified by the long upper tusks which are present in males. Females also sport tusks but they are either shorter or absent. The tusks of the male are generally used in combat, and if a male babirusa does not grind them regularly, they can continue to grow to the point of penetrating its own skull. Like all pigs, babirusa have an omnivorous diet, feeding primarily on nuts and bugs, due to their intestinal tract being similar to that of the domestic pig.

Uakari

Hair or No Hair, acrylic on canvas, 2021.

The bald uakari (Cacajao calvus) is a species of monkey from South America known for its short tail, bald head and a coat of long, golden-brown fur. It is mostly vegetarian, with a majority of its diet consisting of seeds and fruit. The bright red facial skin on the bald uakari is a sign that the animal is in good health. Another species of monkey is pictured at the top right: the emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator), a member of a group of smaller South American monkeys called tamarins. The emperor tamarin is named for its resemblance to German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II, and both males and females possess the species' signature long white mustache.

Sloths

Slothing Around, acrylic on canvas, 2021.

There are two types of sloths: the three-toed (Bradypus, left) and two-toed (Choelopus, right) sloths, and despite the name, two-toed sloths also have three toes on each of their hind feet. Living in the tropical rainforests of South America, they spend most of their lives hanging from tree branches. Having a low metabolism, they move slowly on the ground but are excellent swimmers when the forest floor is flooded with water. The fur of a sloth is usually covered in symbiotic algae which camouflage the animal in the trees from natural predators such as jaguars and harpy eagles (above the two-toed sloth in the painting), one of the world's heaviest eagles.

Frilled lizard

Frilled Lizard, acrylic on canvas, 2021.

The Australian frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii) is a species of agamid lizard that is named for the large frill on its neck. It spends most of its life on the trees and is omnivorous, feeding on insects, small vertebrates and occasionally plants. When the lizard is threatened, it opens its characteristic, brightly-colored frill on its neck which is supported by long spines of cartilage connected to its jaw bone. This display is used by the lizard for territorial display, to deter predators and during courtship. Its main predators are birds of prey like the wedge-tailed eagle (above), larger lizards, snakes and dingoes. The snake pictured is an inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), one of the most venomous snakes in the world. However, the taipan does not hunt lizards but primarily eats small mammals. 

Crested Porcupine

Prickly Pincushion, acrylic on canvas, 2021.

The crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) is a species of porcupine commonly found in the African continent and in Italy, and is one of the largest porcupines in the world. The spines on the back of a porcupine are called quills, which are actually modified, hardened hairs made of keratin, the same material that makes up human fingernails. The quills that run over its head, nape and back can be raised to form a crest, which led to its naming. When frightened, the porcupine shakes its tail, causing the sturdier quills on the back to vibrate and produce a rattling sound. The alert also serves as an additional warning to predators beside the sharp quills which drop out when the porcupine shakes its body. The quills may also get stuck on a predator's body part (such as the leopard's paw in the painting), causing injury.

Aye-aye

The Ayes Have It, acrylic on canvas, 2021.

The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a member of the lemur family, relatives of monkeys native to the island of Madagascar. It is the world's largest nocturnal primate, which hunts insects at night. The aye-aye has rodent-like teeth that continually grow; and a special, elongated, thin middle finger which it uses to pull grubs out of trees to be eaten. The individual pictured is pursuing a giraffe weevil, a long-necked beetle from the same island. Another mammal seen in the bottom left of the painting is a lesser hedgehog tenrec (Echinops telfairi). It resembles a regular hedgehog, but is actually more closely related to elephants and aardvarks. Tenrecs are only found in Madagascar.

Shrinking Frog

The Incredible Shrinking Frog, acrylic on canvas, 2021.

Pseudis paradoxa, or more commonly known as the shrinking frog, is a species of frog that lives in the Amazon rainforest in South America. It is named for its unusual life cycle: the tadpoles of this species grow very large - up to 27 centimeters long - making them the longest tadpoles in the world. As they grow, the tadpoles gradually shrink into ordinary-sized adult frogs, only about a quarter or third of its former length. The salamander-like amphibian in the lower left is a mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus), which is native to North America. Like their close relatives the axolotls, mudpuppies retain their gills in the adult stage.