Radiolab!

Did I ever post my shout-out on radiolab's blog??  I don't think so!  Click here!

Thank you for your amazing stories, Radiolab!!  

Colors and Colours and Mantis Shrimp

Radiolab's most recent podcast Colors is, first of all, Amazing.  I highly recommend listening to it if you have the time and desire. Which you should.  
In it, they talk about the....wait for it.....

BAM!
Mantis Shrimp!
They are

• Huge.  Up to a foot long and a strike from it's claw can inflict major pain and sometimes can even break through aquarium glass. 
• Aggressive.  Super territorial and into ritualized fighting.
• And  Soooo Pretty!!!

But the reason why they are talked about on Radiolab's Color episode is because of their remarkable eyes.  So, we have 3 color receptors in our eyes: blue, green, and red. And Mantis Shrimp have 16.  Yup 16.  They see all sorts of ulta-violet and god knows what else.  They have the most complicated visual system of any animal.  Pretty!!! 

There are a number of speculative reasons for this.  They're major hunters living in coral reefs where colour plays a huge role, especially if your a predator.  If you consider the iridescent quality of fish scales, being able to see more depth in colours would be helpful in distinguishing one fish from another.  So, ya know, it makes sense. No biggie.

But,
then I came across an article "Changes in the colour of light cue circadian activity" that kind of blew my mind.  In the article (I couldn't read all of it because I would have to pay a fee which I can't because I'm poor), researchers discover that behavior in underwater species is highly controlled through colour change, rather than from light to dark transitions like us.

The example they give is that fish are calm when the lighting is blue and aroused when the lighting is orange.  And night and day are not determined by light intensity but by color variations.  If this is true, then imagine the incredible increase in life complexity that the Mantis Shrimp must have if it's seeing more colours than anything else in the ocean. 

If color equals a specific mood or activity to lots of ocean animals, and most fish see (this is a guess) lets say 6 colors and Mantis Shrimp see 16 then by god! What are their days like?!  How many complex social and non social functions do they have?

Here's how it would work:

Normal Fish: "It's Blue outside. I'm tired"
Mantis Shrimp: "Dumbass, it's Blue-Purple-Green!  I was tired like 10 minutes ago and now the colors say it's dinner time and I'm going to eat you."

Or,

Normal Fish: "It's super Yellow today. I'm going to swim in circles.
Mantis Shrimp: "Yellow? Whatev. It's crazy neon Yellow-Orange with undertones of ultra-violet Green today! I'm going to become involved in a monogamous relationship then, if the ultra-violet green dies down, I'll swim around my property and fight anyone to the death that enters.



***For the record, I don't think the color-to-action effect is actually this literal...it's just interesting to think that life could be based on such a different time-line and concept underwater than above water.  So alien! Just wanted to clear that up so I don't look like an idiot.***

Forreal, these animals need to be studied more. 

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Pink Pigeon painting

Just posted my new painting of pink pigeons!

I read about the pigeons in Gerald Durrell's book Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons.  
Pink Pigeons are from the island of Mauritius off the west coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean.  It's the same island where the Dodo (another type of pigeon) lived as well as lots of other cool birds and reptiles such as the flightless parrot and some really colourful lizards whose names I've forgotten.  But, of course, then people landed on the Island, ate all the slow, fat, ground-dwelling Dodo's, released monkey's and other predators, and pretty much ruined everything.
According to the Durrell Conservation Wildlife Trust, by 1991 only 10 were left on the island and today, pretty much solely because of Gerald Durrell, there are 350 on the island. 

The reason I painted them them though, is because of the description of the Pink Pigeon in his book.  After describing their long necks, tiny heads, and pink feathers, Durrell says:

"As we approached the wire, they peered at us in the mildly interested, oafish way that pigeons have, and then, dismissing us from what passed for their minds, they fell into a doze. I felt that even though their rarity made them of great biological and avicultural importance, one could hardly say that they had personalities that inspired one."

Gahhh I love it!  The honesty!  I mean, really, some animals just aren't there to thrill.  And, unless you're a completely and constantly self-assured person, sometimes you may wonder, "ugh. is this thing really worth it?".  

That question was brought up in an episode of Radiolab that was somehow so troubling and confusing to me that I have never forgotten it.  To listen to the episode (which I really recommend) click here.  I won't ruin the story, but it's basically about the lengths people will go to in order to protect one species--even if that means killing another species.  But, if we believe in the "survival of the fittest" how can we tell which animals are "fit" and which are un "fit" if so many animal populations are struggling to survive?  Where do we draw the line? Or, should we just try and to save everything?  Or nothing? 

It really represents the uneasy question of prioritizing the existence of species--something no one wants to do, or can do.

I think Durrell's reaction to the Pink Pigeon is such a beautiful example of this uneasy and probably very guilty doubt that people in probably many fields face every now and then. 

Panda's (and art cards)

First, I'll start with a super cool animal fact I recently learned.

I'm reading this book called Dark Banquet by Bill Schutt about blood-feeding animals.  I'm not too big a fan of his writing style, but I do love the crazy information on Vampire Bats, Leaches(ew.), and other animals.  The info on blood-suckingers is, of course, very interesting (I'll probably write a post about that once I finish the book), but a quick tid-bit of info on Panda's is what really amazed me.

It was known for a long time that panda's have opposable thumbs that it uses to grasp bamboo stalks and rip leaves off and things like that.  This alone was odd, given that we like to tout opposable thumbs as a sign of a higher form of evolution and human success.  But, what's even more strange about panda hands is that they have 5 fingers in addition to their thumb. 

This lead anatomists to research and discover that the panda's thumb was not a finger at all, but actually an extension of a section of it's wrist bone that was so enlarged it ended up looking and functioning like a thumb.  Which...is crazy! 

The science world took notice to this discovery in an awesome essay by Stephen Jay Gould where he describes this quirky bone arrangement as "familiar bits of anatomy remodeled for a new function".  Even the muscles around the "thumb" are actually wrist muscles that just slightly adjusted their function to move more like the finger muscles.  Gould argues that  "odd arrangements and funny solutions are the proof of evolution".

So. Incredibly. Awesome.  I haven't stopped thinking about the panda thumb since I read this like a week ago...this just may be my #1 Favorite Animal Fact of the Month.  Congrats Pandas! You Win!


On an artsy note, I got my new business cards in the mail!! Check it out!

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Super special thanks to Corey for designing them for me. Thank youuuuu!

BWAC's Spring Show: Celebrate!

Saturday was BWAC's Spring Show opening.  It was lots of fun and an incredibly beautiful day to be our in the Redhook waterfront district.  I got to meet some other wonderful and talented artists and had great feedback on my work.

The show will be up until June 17th, but only open on weekends.  Fingers crossed, I hope it goes well!!

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A view of my panel.  I had these 2 paintings in the show, then 2 more in a silent auction.  It's a lovely gallery space. 

I'm really not angry!  I didn't know Corey was taking this picture and the sun was in my eyes.  But it's a beautiful view of Manhattan. 

After the show Corey, Sarah, and I sat by the water till sunset.  You can't see it, but to the right of this picture is the Statue of Libery and to the left is Staten Island.  It's a wonderful place to be on a nice day.



Now, time to get ready for the BWAC Summer Show in July!!

Dexter Part II -- The Final Chapter

Dexter, in his box, the day we found him.

Well...Dexter died at some point Friday night. 
I'm not sure how it happened, but I woke up Saturday morning and realized that I had slept in.  Dexter always woke me up at around 6:30 so I knew something was wrong when the clock said 10.   I woke Corey up, and after looking in the cage, he confirmed that Dexter had died.
 We were definitely confused.  The night before we were teaching him how to fly and he was such a trooper.  Jumping off the cage into blankets over and over again--he was getting really good, too. 
But also, the night he died he went to bed really early.  We had given him a bath, bundled him up in a towel, had the heater gently blowing on him, and put him in his cage with a blanket covering it.  He went to sleep fast.  I figured the bath wore him out and the cage being dark and cozy made him fall asleep.  That was around 9PM.  Then around midnight, I checked on him before going to sleep.  I pet him and stroked his wings, which woke him up.  He started walking towards my hand, and I noticed that he was walking oddly.  He leaned to his right against a towel in his cage so that his left food went sliding away from him with every step.  It was weird, no doubt, and I said something like "whoa, Dexter's walkin funny" to Corey, but then I passed it off as him being delirious after waking up from a deep sleep.  He may have died shortly after that.

---

The only other warning sign was that he was also pooping a lot.  Like, every 10 minutes.  For the past 2 days.  I'm not sure if that is normal or not, but on a few occasions I thought that he may have an intestinal issue.  He would first get into a fit of extreme panic-y hunger, then when I would feed him he would immediately fall asleep.  So immediate that he would only get 1 or 2 bites down. Then he'd wake up 10 minutes later, poop a lot, and then start the panic of hunger again.  This could all be normal, but it's my only idea of what could have been wrong with him.

The only thing I deeply hope, is that I did nothing to kill him.  Maybe he wasn't supposed to eat cat food...that's what I read and what advice I got, but maybe it was a bad brand or he was allergic to it.  Or maybe it was the bath...he was certainly fully feathered and we made sure to keep him warm, but maybe it was still too cold for him to handle.  Or maybe he was sick the whole time.  I might have to go with that theory just for my own selfish well being.

Rest in Peace Dexter! Although we only had 3 short days together, you will be missed.

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Dexter (5/8/2012--5/12/2012)

Groups

After reading a lot about European Starlings (Dexter's fam), I started thinking about the amazing things some animals do in groups.  There are countless incredible examples of this, but here's a little list I compiled of some that I didn't know about.

Asian Honeybees
There's this giant hornet in Asia that is about 2 inches long and has venom that can kill a person regardless of if you're allergic or not.  This hornet loves to eat honeybee larvae so when it comes up to a honeybee nest it goes around decapitating dozens honeybees with its huge sharp mandibles to get at the larvae.
Pretty terrifying.
But, Asian honeybees have discovered a defense. When the honeybees sense the hornets Hunting Pheromones, hundreds will guard the front of the nest and when the hornet enters, they swarm! The bees pack around the hornet, buzzing and vibrating denser and denser until the temperature around the hornet reaches 115 degrees Fahrenheit and the carbon dioxide level raises to a point that the hornet cannot survive.
What is also so incredible is that this defense is so successful that the bees give a warning sign, signaling that they see the hornet and are ready to swarm if needed. The Journal of Animal Behavior has a recent study that shows this. The bees give a shaking warning signal, then it's up to the hornet if he wants to risk it or not.



Ants (obviously)
Ants do pretty much everything with incredible group mentality. I know everyone knows that. But, but, I just can't resist this ant raft! It's crazy! Ooooo....and it'd make a pretty sweet painting...(this is why I research) 

Also, fun ant fact that I leaned watching the Lord of the Ants on NOVA; ants emit a decaying scent after about 3 days after one dies. Then the rest of the ants smell it, pick it up, and throw it in the trash pile. But, if you apply that same scent (it's some sort of chemical) onto a live ant, the other ants still pick it up and throw it in the trash pile. The live ant has to clean itself off, till the smell is gone, and then join the others. If it hasn't cleaned itself enough, it'll be picked up and thrown away again.
Oh ants, you're too funny.



Goats

In yet another study posted by the Journal of Animal Behavior, scientists found out that kid goats change their accents depending on social groups. And to this I say, "awwww!!" 

After recording the voices of young goats, scientist found that, "genetically-related kids produced similar calls...but the calls of kids raised in the same social groups were also similar to each other, and became more similar as the kids grew older." 

Meet Dexter

Yesterday, Corey and I were walking to a store in some really unpleasant weather when we saw a little baby bird on the sidewalk.  We watched it for a while, hopping around and such, then decided to keep going because it's mom was probably nearby.
On the way back from the store (45mins later), the lil birdy was still there. We sat and watched.
There were a few nests in the molding on top of a 3 story brownstone with birds flying in and out, but this lil fella was never going to be able to get back up there. He wasn't super young--he had some feathers--but definitely couldn't fly.
We watched for maybe 20 minutes. It's a busy sidewalk, and we kept having to alert people not to step on him.  Then he happily started hoppin' into the street.  Like Frogger. When Frogger's 'bout to die.

Needless to say, I freaked, grabbed the closest cardboard box (there are lots of stray cardboard boxes in Brookyn), and the lil fella rode the G back to my place!

Then Corey had to go to work.
This is when reality set in because, odd as this may seem given my paintings, I am afraid of birds. They poop a lot, they're too angular to be cuddly, their heads move too fast, their knees are backwards--ew, they're unpredictable, bony, fragile, Freak Dinosaurs with nasty rat-tail legs.


The lil birdy was going pretty crazy in the box.  So, I put bits of bread on a plate and gave him a dish of water and he promptly shat on both.
After running down the street to a very depressing "Pets In Brooklyn!" pet store, I came back with a cheap bird cage, grabbed the birdy with my gloved hands, and put him and his cage next to a window.

I had lots of trouble getting him to eat and drink. I asked my family (who know lots about nature and animals) and the internet about bird care and slowly he began to warm up to me and I began to warm up to him. 

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By the end of the night, I was researching the European Starling (thats what he is) and watching a basketball game and my new little friend found his favorite resting spot on my shoulder.


Today, he's eating (cat food) and drinking (water and egg yolk) and happy and comfortable.

Right now we're thinking that we'll keep him until he's able to fly and take care of himself, then we'll let him go. This, of course, is risky so only time will tell what will actually happen. It would be ideal for him to fly off, be free, and come back every now and then to say hi. Sounds pretty unrealistic though.

We decided to name him Dexter after the main character in the cartoon, Dexter's Laboratory...a cute, endearingly evil, tiny, mastermind.  I now call his cage, his laBORAtory.

---

evil gargoyle atop Corey's head

This is how he sleeps.....

Look! I can hold him without freaking out now!

BWAC SPRING SHOW!!!

Come to the Brooklyn Waterfront Arts Coalition spring art show this Saturday, May 12th, 1-6PM!!
There will be food, drinks, a band, and lots of beautiful artwork--including 4 pieces of mine!  It should be an excellent show!

Simple Species

Corey posted a reply to a posting of mine with this TED video where Theo Jansen talks about his "Strandbeests" made out of bamboo and water bottles and walk, use binary code for primitive logic, and evolve.  So, pretty amazing.  He basically made a self sufficient simple animal.
Simple animals are so odd.
Gerald Durrell wrote this about the Sea Slug in his book My Family and Other Animals:

"...they looked exactly like overgrown sausages made out of thick, brown, carunculated leather--dim, primitive beasts that just lie in one spot, rolling gently with the sea's swing, sucking in sea-water at one end of their bodies and passing it out at the other. The minute vegetable and animal life in the water is filtered off somewhere inside the sausage and passed to the simple mechanism of the sea-slug's stomach. No one could say that the sea-slugs led interesting lives."

But then....

 BAM!
Boring?  I think not!  Well,  yes they are in some respects, and yes some do float around ugly and brown in the water but, regardless, here's a few interesting tid-bits:

First, these Nudibranchs (hahhah!!)have a pretty ridiculous way to become poisonous. Apparently, they eat poisons then squirt them out their skin to protect themselves.  National Geographic says " Species that dine on toxic sponges, for example, alter and store the irritating compounds in their bodies and secrete them from skin cells or glands when disturbed. Other nudibranchs hoard capsules of tightly coiled stingers, called nematocysts, ingested from fire corals, anemones, and hydroids. Immune to the sting, the slugs deploy the stolen artillery along their own extremities."
Ingest dangerous thing to then push it out of your body to inflict pain on others. Genius!


Then there's this sea-slug that has done something that I have always always wanted to do--steal plant cells.  Scientists at the University of South Florida in Tampa say that the slugs managed to take some genes from the algea it eats and now produces chlorophyll and uses photosynthesis.  Damnit!


Conclusion: Sea-slugs, or Nudibranchs (hahahha!) are masters at stealing to achieve the ultimate life of relaxation without being bothered. 

Yup.

Chinese Water Deer (And Other Husked Animals)

My friend Kerry wrote to me saying "look up the Chinese Water Deer".  And yes, a deer with tusks is what I found.

Apparently, tusks were around before antlers, meaning it's a very primitive type of deer.  Here's a few fun facts from the internet:

They scream when chased and bark when alarmed

Their tusks are controlled by facial muscles and are pulled back when eating, and trusted forward and together when fighting

• Wikipedia tells me that there are a few small Water Deer farms in the Southeast U.S.!  WHAT?!
• I think it looks like a fat mouse with a llama-head. 
  Speaking of tucked, herbivorous, mammals look at this gem of an extinct species:

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  The Dicynodont--a walking turd with tusks.  This fetal piece of poo roamed Austrailia 250 million years ago.

I can't stop looking at it...
Whatever artists drew this rendition really nailed the old flesh look.  It'd make a great evil monster from a horror movie about botched boob implants.  Gnaws out from a low-cut dress during a dinner party....

Ok bedtime! Sweet dreams everybody