Now we are moving to a small but vey charismatic family: The hippos. I think this is an animals that is loved by the majority. Looking at its massive size combined with its features is understandable why.
However don’t get mistaken. This animal is a fierce and the one to blame for the most fatalities in Africa. it is a very territorial animal that won’t hesitate to charge if threatened or feeling its territory invaded. The biggest problem with humans happens usually at nights, when the animal leaves the rivers to graze moving various kilometers away from river basins, encountering unaware humans. Running it’s the only option but not a sure escape since despite its weight, hippos can reach up to 50km/h.
Hippos depends on rivers because it’s skin, which is actually pink, cannot resist the sunlight and will dry fast. And despite living its majority of time in water, they are unable to swim.
5 subspecies have been named but just three are recognized nowadays and they are still subjected to changes.
Male hippos fights are barbaric and they mostly happen to get the best spot in the river which will attract the most females. Once a male is dethrone, the new king won’t hesitate on killing the offspring of the old king in order to began leaving its own genes.
Hippos in Colombia? Unfortunately, yes. Not because I don’t like them (I’m Colombian) but because they have become a threat to other endemic species of the country. Hippos were brought to Colombia illegally by narco’s most famous Pablo Escobar and were put in its private zoo. When he was killed, the zoo closed but the hippos and some other animals were left in the area. While some animals died, the hippos however, flourished. Today, they occupied a vast area of the country and they begin to clash with other animals such as the inoffensive manatees.
While they yet don’t represent a threat to humans (some attacks have been registered) because they are not as territorial as in Africa. (It is believe because they have a larger area to develop) if the quantity keeps growing, they will become as dangerous as in Africa. For now, people greeted in towns because of its natural charm and can become touristic attraction. There are some possible solutions to this issue. One will be to sterilize all males, which is kind of unthinkable because of how expensive this could be. Other will be to send them to various zoos around the world, which is still not enough and the last one will be to kill them all. I have an opinion about it but I would love to hear yours.
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New design, Better Illustrations! I was thinking for a while in a way to improve the layout of this blog and I feel that this way is much better. I think the layout should highlight the drawings so I decided to remove many other elements that somehow stole its attention. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Thanks again for your support, likes, reblog and follows, means a lot. If you like this content it will help me a lot if you follow my Tumblr or if you share it. Also, every comment is very welcome. I am not an expert in the topic so if you have something to add, or something you thinks is incorrect, I will be more than happy to discuss it with you. Thank you!
Posters in my store: Here Follow my Instagram: Species of the World
Przewalski's Horse Equus ferus przewalskii Family: Equidae Genus: Equus Subspecies: 03 Feed: Herbivorous Habitat: Temperate Steppe Status and Conservation: Critically Endangered This is the only remaining species of wild horse. The other two wild horse species have already become extinct. One of them is the Tarpan (which was mentioned in a previous post), and the other is the European Wild Horse, which went extinct during the Pleistocene era. The other horses that roam in the wild are considered feral, which means they were once domesticated horses that have reverted to a wild state.
The Przewalski Horse was also extinct in the wild at one point. However, thanks to various breeding programs and the efforts of different zoos, it has been successfully reintroduced to its natural habitat in Mongolia and China. It is still classified as Critically Endangered." ________________________________ Credits: Handbook of The Mammals of the World. Hoofed Animals. ________________________________
Thank you for being here. Likes, reblogs, and follows are very much appreciated. See you next week with more mammals. A new family to show! Huuuuuuuuu
This one was a total challenge. This tiger got extinct in the 70s, and there are not so many photographs of it, making it hard to draw. Actually, the one I based the pose on was a not-so-common and pixelated photograph of a dissected tiger in a museum that I found on the internet. I had to use various different pictures of tigers for the head, legs, tail, etc., keeping an eye on the characteristic features of the actual Caspian Tiger. Caspian Tiger This tiger was found in the middle east. From Ukraine to Western China. Its extinction began with the colonization of Russia by Turkestan in the late 19th century. Tigers were hunted by sportsmen and military personnel, their habitat was replaced by extensive croplands, and their nature was already vulnerable because of the abrupt of their environment. Until the 20th century, the Russian army cleared predators around settlements or potential agricultural lands. Also, deer and wild pigs (Tiger's prey) in the area was decimated by the increasing human population in the area. There are allegedly some sights of the animal but nothing has been confirmed. I think this is a clear example that every action that we make has an impact on nature. I hope one day we finally learn to live in harmony with what surrounds us. We lost a loved one but imagine how many unknown animals we have lost. Store Instagram ____________________________________________
Credits: Caspian Tiger ____________________________________________ Thank you guys for your support. If you like the content please, help me spread the word by following my blog and reblogging my posts. It will help me a lot. Until next week.
The Bryde's Whale has been a kind of puzzle for scientists because three species use to fall into its category. This is called complex in taxonomy. In other words, three (or maybe four) species of whales were thought to be subspecies, (or just the same species) as the Bryde's whale.
I wonder why not just name all four species the same if they are so closely similar? The devil is in the details. Those little differences that make one species become different from others can be the starting point for a completely new animal in million years. On the other hand, those tiny changes also may be the ones that make the animal adapt better than its relatives and therefore survive the changes of the environment.
So if is similar in appearance, as it seems in the cetaceans, there are movements and changes that are only perceptible in millions of years of evolution.
Can I suppose that the Balaenopteridae family is a young one, therefore many of its members are closely similar? Could be...
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Drawing process on my Instagram Nice posters on my Store
Southern White Rhinoceros
The name of the White Rhinoceros is attributed to a translation error. In Dutch, "white" is pronounced as "widj," which actually means "wide," referring to the rhino's mouth width. A more precise, albeit unused, name for this species is the square-lipped rhinoceros. The White Rhinoceros is a genus comprising two subspecies. This is one of them. Wallpaper is available here.
The last species of the Equidae family, The zebras! Zebras have three distinctive species and 10 subspecies. It is probably the most beloved of the equines, (apart from the horses of course) and it is indeed a very particular animal.
On the other hand, to solve the mystery of the color of the zebras once and for all (if they are white with black stripes, or black with withe stripes), I can assure that these ones are black with white stripes.
Grevy’s Zebra or Imperial Zebra: The largest and the most threatened. Its population has declined from 15000 to 3000 since the 70′s. Although since 2008 it’s population has been stable. It differs in behavior from the other species because it doesn’t form big harems. It has narrower stripes and bigger size. Its main problem was hunting since its skin was highly appreciated in the market. Today the Grevy’s Zebra is protected in Ethiopia and Kenya making a decline in the hunting. However, habitat loss and competing for natural resources with livestock became its main issue. Posters in my store: Here Follow my Instagram: Species of the World
Antilocapridae Family, Species & Subspecies. A unique species of this family with five subspecies. As I mentioned in other posts, some people believe subspecies aren't important, but I think they are crucial to the evolution of the species and the beginning of a new potential family in the future.
Changes are always subtle, and they can only be seen through time. With nature, changes can take millions of years. An elephant wasn't an elephant millions of years ago. It was another animal that eventually became what we see today. Everything moves, everything must evolve, because the earth is always changing, and those who cannot adapt to those changes are destined to perish.
If this is your favorite animal (which I think qualifies to be a favorite animal. Fastest in America, unique, particular, etc.) this is a poster you should have. All five subspecies (See detail of the illustration below) with their conservation status and family lineage. Just click here.
-------------- Thank you for the love, follows, reblogs, and shares.
The next pages of the book are ready! Now talking about the Black Rhinoceros and its subspecies. Considering joining the club to be part of this amazing project. All Mammals of the World illustrated, included its subspecies which makes it unique.
If you feel that this speaks to you check out the club options by clicking here. Giving a like and sharing this post is also very helpful. Thanks all for the attention and see you soon.
All the whales including the subspecies The poster includes the size and weight of each whale. You can purchase this poster on my store, just follow the link below and acquire this amazing piece of science. Perfect for animals lovers of any age. It comes in different sizes so anyone can afford it. If you get one, please let me know in the comments how you like it. I will take some time off but I will be back soon with more amazing illustrations and curiosities of the wonderful world of mammals. Thank you for your love and support.
Best! Ricardo Nunez Suarez
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A poster with all the Tayassuidae species and subspecies along with the conservation status of each of them.
Follow my blog of all the Species I am moving to Instagram eventually: Species of the World
I am selling the poster of the Tapirus (Tapir) family along with the Rhinotermitidae (Rhinoceros). Soon I will put this poster on sale but I want to make some posters for some of the genus of this family.
Have a look following the link: Red Bubble store
Eastern Kiang Equus kiang holderreri Least Concern Process here
By Ricardo Nunez Suarez. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to reblog. For collaboration or liscensing please contact rhinunez@gmail.com
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