I've been a fan of transitional species ever since I read about the desolate Flightless Cormorant. Hundreds and thousands of years after the common Cormorant found itself on the benign shores of the Galapagos, it slowly began evolving to accommodate its new home. It's feathers grew softer, thicker and more fur-like, its bone density increased and, most noticeably, it developed short, stubby, un-usable wings.
I painted the flightless cormorant standing with his relative, the regular, full-winged cormorant, in an unexpected encounter after thousands of years of distance. It's like when a gorilla raised by humans first meets another gorilla. The same, but completely different. Lucy, anyone?
Disclaimer: I need to update this photo because I've made some changes to the painting since it was taken. Woops!
Disclaimer: I need to update this photo because I've made some changes to the painting since it was taken. Woops!
Some naysayers claim that evolution isn't real because they don't see it. Well, I spend a lot of time looking at animals that are blatantly "in transition" because they tend to be some of the most bizarre and interesting creatures. It gives me a good healthy dose of time and space reality to see an animal and know that you are viewing a snapshot of it's evolutionary process. Take a look a few thousands of years later, and it will be something else.
The Glass Lizard. Head of a lizard, body of a snake. It still has the ear holes and eye lids that make it completely lizard-like, yet it lacks legs. It often gets mistaken for a snake, until you see it blink. Also, it still has bones under it's skin that decrease its' flexibility, something that snakes have adapted away from.
The "glass" part of it's name comes from the lizard ability to break off it's tail, allowing it to escape when attacked from behind.
Next!
The Arizona Pocket Mouse.
Clever little mice….when times got tough, they got tougher! And change colors! Most of these tiny pocket mice are the same sandy color as the harsh desert they frantically scurry around in. And that's good. Because they are every predators favorite desert snack.
Then some decided to wander over and make their homes in areas of lava rocks in the desert.
But, What?! Light mouse, dark rock? Snack be served, predators!
Over time and genetic mutation, the little tan mouse turned dark grey to blend into it's lava rock homestead. Keep in mind, though, just beyond the lava rocks little tan pocket mice still scurry around. University of Arizona scientist have studied this down to the specific gene caused for this color adaptation. Interestingly, because the dark lava flows are separated by miles of light desert, each population of dark Pocket Mice has presumably evolved separately. Ooooo, crazy!
There are so many examples of these that I eventually paint a series based on my original Cormorants. Hmmm…Dark Pocket Mouse, meet Light Pocket Mouse.
Then some decided to wander over and make their homes in areas of lava rocks in the desert.
But, What?! Light mouse, dark rock? Snack be served, predators!
Over time and genetic mutation, the little tan mouse turned dark grey to blend into it's lava rock homestead. Keep in mind, though, just beyond the lava rocks little tan pocket mice still scurry around. University of Arizona scientist have studied this down to the specific gene caused for this color adaptation. Interestingly, because the dark lava flows are separated by miles of light desert, each population of dark Pocket Mice has presumably evolved separately. Ooooo, crazy!
There are so many examples of these that I eventually paint a series based on my original Cormorants. Hmmm…Dark Pocket Mouse, meet Light Pocket Mouse.
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