Whale of a Time

These pieces are for a commission as part of a (hopefully very lucrative and exciting) project I am embarking upon. And no, it's not the TCG! (Although you might see these guys in it.)

Sperm Whale

Humpback Whale

Blue Whale

Southern Right Whale

Creature Feature #401: Feral Cat

Today's critter is more-or-less by popular request, and also because I needed an "invasive pest" to introduce into the forest portion of my TCG. Hence why we are dropping out of the alphabet, temporarily.

A Feral Cat is not just a domestic cat that is living wild, and it is not a stray - when a cat truly "goes feral" she is like an actual wild animal. She has never been socialised with humans. This probably means that her ancestors were strays. Feral Cats can be found in urban environments, as well as woodlands, temperate forests and open countries - anywhere there is relevant prey. Whilst in urban areas and some suburban, she can do little harm, it is isolated habitats that suffer the most impact from her introduction. Many islands are home to birds and small mammals, but may lack in mammalian predators, and for these the addition of this feline - an apex predator - spelled disaster. The extinction of six New Zealand bird species can be attributed to cats. The most well known of which is the Stephen Islands Wren. A tiny bird, almost flightless, and the entire population lived on one small island. There are tales that suggest one cat was responsible, but it is more likely that it was a plague of feral cats, some related to the lighthouse keeper's cat who was probably not called Tibbles) or otherwise dumped on the island. Within a few months the birds were gone.

Domestic cats are interesting in that they are one of the few sociable cat species. Unlike their ancestors, the European wild cat, they will share territory, although unneutered males will fight for dominance. A colony of cats is called a clowder. In some countries, like New Zealand and Australia (where the felines have had a detrimental impact on native mammals) there is talk of banning cats, and hunting ferals is encouraged. However, many people adore our feline companions, even the ones that utterly shun human contact, and the idea of killing cats is anathema. Some countries, including New Zealand, run a trap-neuter-release program, in which ferals are captured, neutered and then returned to their initial habitat. This means that the cat can no longer breed, but can still kill millions of birds, reptiles and bats before eventually sucuumbing to disease, injury or death-by-auto. Sometimes feeding stations are set up in which volunteers feed the half-starved felines. Needless to say, there is a lot of controversy surrounding such projects.

Creature Feature #400: Kusimanse

Today is the 400th "Animal a Day"! How exciting is that? It is also the last of the Ks. Tomorrow we have a special random entry and then on tuesday the 25th, one month from Christmas, the Ls shall begin.

Meanwhile, here's a dwarf mongoose:

This is the Kusimanse, one of several Dwarf Mongoose species. He is a diurnal forager and an excellent digger, hunting for insects, rodents, crustaceans and other small prey.  Groups consist of related Kusimanse and follow a strict hierarchal structure. Only the primary members are permitted to breed. If subordinates produce offspring, these will be killed and eaten.

Creature Feature #395: Kouprey

The Kouprey is a species of wild cattle, once found throughout Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. Alas, uncontrolled hunting led the population into sharp decline and the last living specimens were seen in 1988. It is classified as critically endangered, possibly extinct. There is no captive population. In the wild, his natural habitat is forested areas. The cows form herds, led by a dominant female, and the bulls join them during the dry season.

Creature Feature #391: Kodkod

The Kodkod is the smallest feline of South America, with the smallest distribution. She is only found in central and southern Chile, occasionally crossing the border into Argentina. She favours evergreen temperate forest but will venture close to settled and cultivated land. During the day, she remains under the cover of the trees hunting for birds and rodents. Whilst an excellent climber, she tends to hunt on the ground. At night she may venture out into more open areas and has been known to raid chicken coops.

Creature Feature #388: Klipspringer

The Klipspringer is a diminutive antelope from South Africa. He makes his home in the rocky koppies of the woodland and savannah, where he leaps agily from rock to rock. He balances on the very tips of his hooves and can fit all four on a piece of rock the size of a coin. He forms a lifetime partnership with his mate, and the two of them forage together, sometimes with their young offspring. When one is grazing, the other will keep watch, whistling to alert the others of danger. His main diet is vegetation and he gets all the moisture he requires from consuming succulents  - he never needs to drink water.

Creature Feature #386: Kit Fox

The Kit Fox is a small fox living in North America. Here he occupies the arid areas in the south-west: from central Oregon down to southeastern California and across as far as southwest Colorado. Distinctive subspecies occur in San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. He leads a nocturnal lifestyle, coming out at night to hunt for kangaroo rats and other small prey. When prey is scarce, he has been known to eat tomatoes and cactus fruits. Towards the end of the year he forms a monogamous partnership.  Cubs are born around March and grow fast, within 5-6 months they are independent, and at 10 months they are ready to breed.

Creature Feature #383: Kinkajou

The Kinkajou is a small, arboreal mammal that makes her home in the rainforests of Central and South America. Although she falls in the the Order Carnivora, she favours a frugivorous diet and particularly enjoys figs. When eating fruit, she holds it in her paws, scooping out the pulp with her 12 cm long tongue. She uses her prehensile tail to assist her in climbing and will occasionally hang from it. During the day she sleeps in tree hollows, coming out at night to scramble through the trees, and thus does not compete directly with (most) monkey species for food.

Creature Feature #375: Kiang

The Kiang is the largest wild ass. She resides in the montane and alpine grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau. Herds can number up to several hundred individuals, but are not permanent groupings and are generally gatherings of young males, females and their foals. Older males lead a solitary existence, defending a territory. During breeding season he rounds up the females in his territory. Kiang are hunted by humans, and also by wolves. Members of the herd will form a defensive circle and kick and bite at any approaching canine predators. As such, wolves generally target lone animals.

Creature Feature #367: Kangaroo Rat

The Kangaroo Rat of North America is named for his method of locomotion. His long legs resemble those of a kangaroo, and help to propel him through his desert home. He is capable of leaps of over 2 metres, quickly changing direction between jumps. He is primarily a seed eater, caching the excess for leaner times. During the day he resides in his burrow, even plugging the entrance with dirt against the heat and to maintain humidity.   These burrows are complex, with chambers for sleeping, living and food storage. He lives alone, coming into contact with others for feeding and breeding.

Creature Feature #362: Jungle Cat

Today is the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of my "Animal-a-Day" project.
As you can see, the numbers do not *quite* add up, we should be on 365, but due to my April Fool's 'Dropbear' card, plus a two-day hiatus between Christmas and New Year, it has been an entire year of drawing and presenting an Animal-a-Day practically every day. And what a journey it has been - some days I have been organised in advance, but on at least one occasion I was racing to get the picture finished and uploaded before midnight!

The Jungle Cat is something of a misnomer for this fine feline, for she does not live in the jungle. Instead she makes her home in savannah, open dry forest and marsh lands, which leads to her other name the "swamp lynx". She is the largest of the living Felis species, standing about 36 cm tall. Her range covers southern Asia, from Egypt to Vietnam. She is solitary in nature, preying mainly on small rodents and birds. These she captures by making high leaps from the reeds and snatching them from the air. This species has been successfully crossed with domestic cats, producing the "chausie" breed. However, she is very much a wild cat and even if captured young, Jungle Cats are very difficult to tame.

Creature Feature 357: Jerboa

The diminutive Jerboa makes her home in the arid deserts of Northern Africa and Asia. Here she leads a nocturnal lifestyle, venturing out from her burrow at night to forage. She follows a vegetarian diet, but will partake of the occasional insect. Her large ears serve several purposes: they help to shed excess heat and  allow superb hearing. If danger threatens she will run, taking long leaps with her kangaroo-like hind legs. She can reach speeds up to 25 km/h. Her tail acts as a stabiliser, balancing her as she runs, and also props her upright when she is at rest.

Creature Feature #353: Jaguarundi

The Jaguarundi is a small feline, making her home in the forests of Central and South America. She is active during the day, preying on small mammals and birds. With her stout legs and elongated body, she prefers to hunt on the ground. Although she prefers a solitary existence, in captivity she will tolerate companions. She is surprisingly vocal, purring, whistling, yap and even chirping.

Creature Feature #352: Jaguar

The Jaguar is the largest feline in the Western Hemisphere. She prowls the forests of Central and South America. She is solitary in nature, and both a skilled climber and swimmer. An apex predator, she has an extremely powerful bite and will bite prey directly through the skull, piercing the brain. These jaws are also efficient on armoured animals such as tortoises and armadillo. Jaguar favour larger prey, and will even hunt caiman. She uses a stalk and ambush technique, lying in wait for prey to wander near. Females come in contact with males only for mating, raising their cubs alone.

Creature Feature #345: Island Fox

The Island Fox is closely related to the gray fox. Due to isolation, he has evolved into a new species - and several subspecies - on the Californian Channel islands. Smaller in size than his mainland counterpart, he is also more vulnerable to diseases, parasites and predation. The six subspecies all evolved independently of one another, but can interbreed. It is thought that the ancestors "rafted" across from the mainland 10,000 to 16,000 years ago. Island Foxes follow an omnivorous diet of rodents, fruits, insects, birds and eggs. Due to the small nature of their habitat and the limited resources, no population numbers greater than 1000.

Creature Feature #344: Irrawaddy Dolphin

The Irrawaddy Dolphin inhabits coastlines and estuaries around Southeast Asia. Despite her diminutive stature, she is closely related to the orca.  She lives in small pods, hunting for bony fish, cephalopods and crustaceans, using suction to consume it. Occasionally she will spit streams of water - possibly to herd fish - while "spy hopping". She is a slow swimmer and capable of deep dives lasting up to 12 minutes. Fishers in India once used to call out to the Irrawaddy dolphins, encouraging them to drive fish towards their boats and rewarding them with the bycatch. Now she falls prey to gillnets and dragnets, along with being captured and trained for the amusement of a human audience.

Creature Feature #338: Impala

The Impala is a medium-sized antelope found in the open savannah of eastern Africa, generally not far from water. His diet consists of a variety of plant matter, either browsing or grazing depending on conditions. Impala are an important prey animal, and feature on the menus of lions and other big cats, hyenas and wild dogs. To survive, he must always be alert and wary of danger. If alarmed, he can jump to heights of 3m, bounding over bushes and even other Impala, covering distances of up to 10m in a single leap. During the dry season, he will often intermix with others of his species, but with the wet season and the start of breeding, he may begin defending a territory. Younger males form bachelor herds. Territorial males will attempt to control any female herds that wander through his territory, whilst sending any potential rivals swiftly on their way.

Creature Feature #331: Ibex

The Ibex is a species of wild goat, found in the European Alps. Both male and female bear curving, ridged horns, although the male's are considerably longer and he is larger in size. He is an excellent climber, ascending above the snowline during the summer to feed on the alpine meadows and descending during the winter months. He has even been observed standing on the sheer wall of dams, licking the stonework for the mineral salts. Social in nature, groups are frequently segregated by gender and age throughout the year, with mixed gender groups most frequent during the breeding season. Male Ibex compete with one another to secure mates, sometimes just strutting and posturing, other times head-butting or bucking one another.

Creature Feature #329: Hyrax

The little Hyrax is not a rodent, despite her general appearance, but is in fact more closely related to the elephant and the manatee. She is a relatively primative mammal, with poor internal thermoregulartion and thus keeps warm by basking in the sun and sharing body warmth with her family. She has four toes on her front feet and three on the back, each equipped with hoof-like nails. The pads of her feet are rubbery and equipped with sweat glands to help her scramble over the rocks on which she lives. She follows a herbivorous diet and has a multi-chambered, complex stomach that allows the food to be broken down by symbiotic bacteria - in a similar manner to the ungulates.

Creature Feature #328: Hyena

There are four species of Hyena, all of which will receive their own separate entries, so for this one I will be focuing on the archetypical Hyena - the Spotted Hyena. A pack of Hyena is known as a "clan" and can contain up to 80 individuals. They are one of the few mammal species in which the females are the dominant members of the hierarchy. She is primarily a hunter, but is also an opportunistic scavenger. Her jaws are very powerful, stronger than a leopard's and capable of crushing bone. She is very efficient at disposing of carcasses. Females are promiscuous and generally favour younger males or those more recent to the clan. Cubs are born fully furred with open eyes and equipped with canine teeth. From the moment they are born, they will try to kill their siblings. This adds an additional level of challenge to the mother's job.