Recently Extinct - Blog Posts

This is the last of the Lowland Tapir subspecies. It was a real joy to draw this animal, and I love the result. I actually animate this animal. If you want to see it moving, check out my Instagram by clicking here

Tapirus terrestris terrestris

Tapirs are like living fossils. They haven't changed much in years because they are well-adapted to this world. That was until we came into the picture. We, humans, move in this world at a pace that is hard to follow for many animals, and Tapirs are one of them. Their habits are just the opposite. Its reproduction is slow, making it very hard for them to recover once is decimated in some areas. They wander vast distances which means they need space and we are not providing that to them. Kill roads, fragmentation of the environment, crops in jungles, etc.

I think we need to understand that we are at the top of this world. Whatever we do is going to have repercussions on everything that surrounds us. We decide where the world is going and how it does it. That means also, that we are responsible for all living beings. Now is not like before, when animals extinguish because they couldn't adapt to the environment. Now they extinguish basically because they couldn't adapt to us. We will be gone at some point, so What are we going to leave? _______________________________________ Credits: Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Book 2. Lynx Editions. Lowland Tapir Photo Credits: vladimircech _______________________________________ Thank you, guys. Likes reblog, and follows are very much appreciated. Please spread the word. And check out my store, new items with a very different style of illustration.

The digital sticker album is almost done. I will begin with Perissodactyla order which contains the rhinos, horses, and tapirs families. Is looking good and the mechanics are working. More of it soon. Let's see the animal of this week. Māui Dolphin This is a subspecies of Hector's Dolphin (The one I showed you the last time). Also, live uniquely on New Zealand coasts, but more specifically in a very small range of the West of the North Island of the country. Sadly, less than 60 animals exist in the wild, making it the most endangered dolphin in the world. There are several programs that are in action in order to protect it from extinction and the results have been somehow optimistic. Fishing, Toxoplasmosis (an infection caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma), Brucellosis (a Bacteria), Oil and gas operations, and Climate change are the reasons why this dolphin is on the brink of extinction. It's always sad to see an animal fading away. I hope the programs that are working to recover their numbers work. Here is a link to one of them in case you want to know more. Maui63 ______________________________________________ Credits: Māui Dolphin _____________________________________________ Thank you guys for your love and support. Don't forget to give it a Like or reblogs if you like the content. You also can follow the page or check out my store if you want to give some support. See you next week.

I really enjoyed working on this one¡ It came up smoothly and accurately. I spent more hours than average thought but I feel it paid off. Malayan Tiger This is the last population of this subspecies (The mainland Asian one). It's a medium size tiger that is critically endangered. They used to be abundant in Singapore in 1830 when the country was basically a dense jungle. However, the expansion of plantations along the island made attacks on humans by tigers quite common, so tiger hunting became a sport. Tiger attacks were reported almost daily in the late 1840s, and local authorities organized bounties decreasing the tiger population significantly. The last tiger was shot in 1932. Today, some books estimate their numbers as less than 400 while others are less optimistic and estimate less than 150. __________________________________________ Credits: Felids and Hyenas of the World: Wildcats, Panthers, Lynx, Pumas, Ocelots, Caracals, and Relatives.  Dr. José R. Castelló Malayan Tiger ___________________________________________ Store Instagram Thank you guys for your support. If you like the content please like and follow. Reblogged is also very welcome. One new animal every week. The digital sticker album is almost finished and the setup of my Patreon is in the process too. I'll keep you updated on those ones. Cheers! y Adiós!

I think we take giraffes for granted. Studying its evolution must be really fascinating. How an animal evolved its neck in such a long size in order to reach food that no other could? And, Why is not strange to us an animal with such particular features? Still is great that an animal had developed weird characteristics to survive but I see some holes in its path of evolution. That will be when they have to go to the ground. I don't think there is any other animal in nature that have to put itself in such a very uncomfortable position in order to do something that is so vital and "simple" as drinking water. I would love to live millions of years more to see where the evolution of the giraffe will go. I would love even more that the giraffes last enough to keep evolving. Thornicroft's Giraffe It is also called the Rhodesian Giraffe. It is commonly seen as a subspecies of the Masai Giraffe but some scientists believe is a single species. This subspecies has a particularly long neck and is among the largest of all subspecies of Giraffes. It has been seen that the coat of giraffes darkens when they grow up which could be a way to know the age of an animal. However, further studies need to be conducted.

Is a giraffe exclusive to Zambia and its numbers are no longer than 550 individuals. No populations are kept in captivity and tourism has been a way to protect them since they are a very popular sight in Africa. 20% off in my store starting tomorrow and running the whole next week. Check it out here ________________________________________________ Credits: Rhodesian Giraffe Photo Credits: Harvey Sapir ________________________________________________ Thank you guy for all the love and support. As always, likes, reblogs, and comments are really appreciated. If you like the content please subscribe. New animals every week. Cheers!!

Working on this one took me forever. I’m very happy with the result though because I wanted a pose that portrays the animal with majesty and power.

Bengal Tiger

If you ever saw a tiger, 90% of the chances are that you saw a Bengal Tiger. It is the most famous and probably the one that has inspired us the most. The versatility that the tiger has to propel the imagination of humans is unmeasurable. From a cruel villain to a magnificent god, its charisma and beauty have made us dream for centuries, and are now just part of the whole human culture, regardless of nationality.

It is also the popular white tiger which is nothing but a lack of melanin, the pigment in charge of giving us color. Less popular but equally magnificent and extremely rare is the golden tiger which can be seen just in captivity. A problem! if you ask me because this means that has been humanly altered genetically to get the color. There is also the black tiger, which is not completely black. Its black stripes are thicker making the orange color less visible. However, there are some reports stating that completely black tigers have been spotted in the wild. No photographs have been taken though. 

India primordially is its homeland but now it can also be seen more often than in the wild in the backyards of United States homes. __________________________________________________ Credits: Felids and Hyenas of the World: Wildcats, Panthers, Lynx, Pumas, Ocelots, Caracals, and Relatives.  Dr. José R. Castelló Bengal Tiger __________________________________________________ Instagram Store Thank you guys for your support! If you like the contact please like and subscribe. Reblog is also very much appreciated. Any comments showing love or even hate are appreciated. Please help me spread the word! Cheers!!

Drawing giraffes is fun and somehow easier than others animals. Because they are so long, the amount of details somehow reduces considerably, and still, the animal will look great. Differentiating this one is probably the hardest so far. I felt that the spots and color of the giraffe aren’t so characteristic as other ones like the Niger or Reticulated Giraffe. On the other hand, the close relationship that has with the Rothschild’s Giraffe (you will see in the next giraffe post) make things a little harder.  Nubian Giraffe  According to what I read, this is the nominate subspecies which in other words means that was the first subspecies to be described. Therefore, its Latin name is repeated twice (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis). This giraffe is Critically Endangered. It is believed that there are less than 2150 in the wild. However, about 1500 are from Rothschild’s Giraffe, leaving the Nubian Giraffe with less than 650 individuals. It is extinct in the wild in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, and Eritrea. In captivity, is bred at Gia Zoo in Egypt and the Al Ain Zoo in the United Arab Emirates. ___________________________________ Credits: Nubian Giraffe Nubian Giraffe ___________________________________

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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.

I absolutely loved doing this one. I knew there were different subspecies of giraffes but I never put attention to them. I loved the fading light color spots on the very light skin tone of this one. To me, this giraffe is by far, the easiest to distinguish. Is the lightest giraffe in color, the patches are also pale, and is the only one that survives in the North West of Africa. Store Instagram Niger Giraffe / West African Giraffe Previously, this animal was found in Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Niger, and Chad. Today just can be found in Niger. By the 90s, the number of this animal decreased to mere 49 individuals. Today is protected and its numbers increase to about 600. This giraffe was confused by zoos in Europe. They thought they had this subspecies of giraffes, while in reality, they had the Kordofan one (the one I show in my last post on Giraffes). This happened because the populations that inhabit North Cameroon and Chad were thought to be Niger Giraffes while in fact were Kordofan. It was noticed after genetic studies were done. _______________________________________________ Credits: Niger Giraffe Niger Giraffe _______________________________________________ If you like the content please like, subscribe, and/or reblog, it will help me a lot. Comments are also very much appreciated. Next week, a new dolphin. One I didn't know existed.

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Eastern Sumatran Rhinoceros.

Also known as the Bornean Sumatran Rhino. According to scientists, this animal is functionally extinct, meaning that the population will be unable to recover. About only 15 individuals exist in the wild. It is the smallest of all three subspecies, making it the smallest among all species of rhinos. Its fur is denser when young but becomes sparse and darker when grows.

The difference between this subspecies and the Western Sumatran Rhinoceros is mainly genetic.

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Reference: Eastern Sumatran Rhinoceros

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And with this rhino, I finish all the rhino family. This is my favorite animal and it was so enriching to work on this project because allowed me to know them better and be aware of how close many of them are to extinction (if not already extinct), after having survived millions of years of adaptation through evolution.

Think how sad would be that an animal who has survived the most abrupt changes on earth for thousands of centuries and has shown how strong and adaptative is, will succumb in less than two centuries because of our fault. Thanks again for your appreciation. If you like the content please follow my blog. One animal every week.

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Northern Sumatran Rhinoceros.

When I approach to illustrate an animal I usually feel that I'm not in the right direction. Just after about an hour, I begin to see its shape. I always start with the head because is the hardest to resolve and is the one that takes me the longest to do.

The Northern Rhinoceros was the most widespread of all Sumatran rhinos. It was once found in the Indochinese peninsula, eastern India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Mongolia, and China. It has been declared extinct multiple times and there is little hope that there is a small population surviving in Burna and the Malaysian peninsula but the chances are very low.

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References: Sumatran_rhinoceros Photo Credit: Rasmus Worsøe Havmøller _______________________________________________

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Western Sumatran Rhinoceros

The first time I knew about the existence of this animal, I was 9 years old. It wasn't a photograph but an illustration and I was completely astonished that an animal that resembles prehistoric times was still among us. I finally saw a photograph when I was about 15. There wasn't any internet at that time so access to things was entirely through books. One of my wishes in life is to see one of these ones in person but knowing its precarious situation, the hope to see one fades a little every day. The Western Sumatran Rhinoceros is the most numerous of all the three subspecies with no more than 80 individuals. This subspecies was the last one to inhabit a zoo. The Cincinnati Zoo. The animal left the zoo in 2015 to return to Indonesia in order to start a reproduction program that has brought some success but nothing significant.

However, one female calf was born this year (2022), which brings some hope to the preservation of the species. ___________________________________________ References: Sumatran_rhinoceros Photo Credit: David Ellis.

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Instagram Store Indian Javan Rhinoceros Working on this one was very nice. My reference was an old and pixelated black and white photography so I had to figure out textures and colors. Working on these animals awoke my curiosity about them. Am I ever going to see one? What would it be the sensation of it? the feeling of the air around, the smell, its movements. How would I feel around him? I probably would never know because I am almost sure I will never see a Javan Rhinoceros but drawing them somehow pulls me closer to them. I really hope this animal survives extinction, it will be a great defeat to humanity. ____________________________ This animal never did well in zoos and hasn't been in one in more than a century. The oldest one lived to be 20 years while in the wild they can live up to 40 years old. There are registers of 22 Javan Rhinos in zoos but there were probably more because it was commonly confused with the Indian Rhino. The last Javan Rhino in a zoo was in Adelaide, Australia in 1907 and was thought to be an Indian rhino. This subspecies is extinct.

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