The Art of Khik Weng Keat

  Amphibious Attraction , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 24" X 33" Amphibians are cold-blooded animals that have a "double life". They begin in water, as jelly-covered eggs which hatch into tadpoles that breathe through gills and swim with their tails. The tadpoles change shape as they grow into adults that breathe through lungs and walk on land on four legs. There are around 4000 species of amphibians which live all over the world except the polar regions.  The blue poison dart frog ( Dendrobates tinctorius "azureus" , top left) is a species of poison dart frog found in northern Brazil. Its bright, blue skin, usually darker around its limbs and stomach, serves as a warning to predators. It also secretes poisonous alkaloids from glands as a defense mechanism to potential predators. The black spots are unique to each frog, enabling individuals to be identified. Staying close to water sources, it spends most of its active time, during the day, hopping around in sh...

  Testudine Tranquility , acrylic on canvas, 2022. 24" X 30" There are about 250 species of turtles and tortoises, which are distributed in most warm parts of the world. They are easily recognized by the hard, rounded shell that protects the main part of its body. Land tortoises thrive in a wide range of habitats including deserts, woodlands and mountains. Pond turtles and terrapins live mostly in rivers and ponds, where they become strong swimmers. The Galapagos tortoise ( Chelonoidis niger ) is the largest reptile in the Galapagos islands, a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean close to the country of Ecuador in South America. The tortoises living on each of the islands vary in shell shape which suit their lifestyles on their respective islands. The dome-shelled variety (pictured) is more well-equipped for the islands with more even ground, while the saddle-backed variety had a flatter shell which enables them to survive in the dry lowlands. The dome-shelled tortoises gene...