A Post For Those Who Don't Think Spiders Are Adorable

It's wonderful to come across an animal that shuffles your image of a species.  I saw this video of a Peacock Spider online and it's really quite incredible.  The males are big-eyed and flashy and the females are like little fuzzy 8 legged squirrels.  So cute!  I like spiders.  I've converted. 

Manatee in California

Here's a photo of one of my manatee paintings hanging up in California! Thanks Matt!!

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!!