Wild Mammals - Blog Posts

Turkmenian Kulan Ever heard of a wild ass that outruns jeeps and survives in places where even camels complain? Meet the Turkmenian kulan, a desert daredevil with a name that sounds like a punchline but belongs to one of Central Asia’s toughest mammals. With serious speed, serious stamina, and zero interest in being tamed, this wild ass is a master of dry-land survival—and yes, "kulan" really does mean wild ass in Turkic.

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Thanks for padding along with me! 🐾 If this post made your tail wag, give it a like, reblog to spread the paw-someness, and follow for more wild wonders! 🦊✨

Introducing the new Mammal Info Sheets. By joining the club, every week you will receive a PDF with exclusive information sheets about the animal I illustrate! You can learn facts and valuable insights about mammals from around the globe, stay informed about endangered species, and meet new ones. This week: the Numbat!

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We set out to cover the entire tapir family, but there's a debate about including the Kabomani Tapir. This newly discovered species hasn't been validated by all studies yet. Have you heard about the Kabomani Tapir? Do you think it's a distinct species or a subspecies of the Lowland Tapir? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Mountain Tapir

Family: Tapiridae Genus: Tapirus Conservation Status: Endangered Habitat: Mountain Forest Subspecies: 0 The Mountain Tapir, excluding the controversial Kabomani Tapir, is the smallest member of the tapir family. Unlike its tropical relatives, it thrives in chilly high-altitude environments within the Andes mountain range and is known for its thick, woolly coat. Unfortunately, decades of internal conflict in Colombia have both helped and hindered this species. While the instability has prevented hunting and habitat destruction in some regions, it has also made it difficult for researchers to study their habits and breeding patterns.

Despite the advantages and challenges presented by the conflict, the Mountain Tapir remains endangered. The species faces threats from hunting, habitat fragmentation, and the introduction of cattle. The current population of around 2,500 individuals may decline by 20% over the next 20 years, which is concerning given the species' already precarious situation. Protecting this unique species and their mountain habitats is crucial to ensure their survival. ________________________________ Credits: Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Book 2. Lynx Editions. Mountain Tapir ________________________________ Wild Walls Mobile & Cellphone wallpapers are available now!

Thanks for joining me on this journey of exploring the diverse animal kingdom. I've enjoyed sharing my illustrations and showcasing fascinating creatures. Now, I'm excited to introduce my new line of animal-themed wallpapers for cellphones and laptops. Brighten up your digital workspace and show your love for animals with these eye-catching designs. Check them out to support my project and stay connected with nature. Let's continue discovering the wonders of the natural world together! Click here: Wallpapers Store

This one took me forever! But I was really into it. I actually animated the illustration once I finished. Check it out and also part of the process and some close-ups of the drawing on my Instagram account.

Masai Giraffe

This one is the largest giraffe of all. 5.5 meters high! This subspecies of giraffe are the tallest animal on earth. That is incredible. They can weigh up to 1.3 Tons and one-third of that weight is in their neck.

Another interesting thing is their tongue which can be 50 cm long. It is prehensile and allows them to grab leaves graciously.

Its numbers have reduced by 50% in the last few decades. Although there are more than 22.000 in the wild, it is alarming that the numbers have plumbed so fast. There have been sights of albino giraffes (white) and also very dark ones (which are really beautiful).

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Credits: Masai Giraffe

Photo Credits: Terje Grimsgaard ______________________________________

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As you know my plan is to do all mammals and every time I finish one, I feel that I am closer to my goal. I don't need to rush. Step by step I will get where I want to. Soon, I'm releasing a digital collectible sticker album through Patreon. The idea is to find ways to support my work. What do you think of this idea? Please let me know. Rothschild's Giraffe This animal classification is a little bit tricky. Some consider it a subspecies while others consider it an ecotype of the Nubian Giraffe. An ecotype is a species that develops physical differences due to its surroundings. However, genetically is the same species. The term is a little ambiguous because I think describes in many cases, a subspecies or the beginning of one. Rothschild's Giraffe is also known as the Baringo Giraffe or the Ugandan Giraffe. It is known to be one of the largest subspecies. Also, its sight, smell and hearing is well developed and its body is specially built for speed. However, the easiest way to differentiate this giraffe from the other subspecies is that it has five ossicones. Yes, five! (Ossicones are the name for the horns of the giraffes). The normal two that all giraffes have, one in the middle of the head and one behind each ear. Incredible. Is critically endangered despite being one of the best-evolved giraffes. That just can mean that is not the environment the one that is putting in danger the survival of this animal but us. Nature takes over the weakest, we humans, take over the strongest. Dwarf Giraffes? Well yeah. I just discovered that these subspecies have Dwarf Giraffes. They are about 3 meters high, which is close to two meters less than the normal size of these animals. However, scientists speculate their size was caused more by inbreeding due to species decline. ______________________________________________ Credits: Rothschild's Giraffe Rothschild's Giraffe Dwarf Giraffes Photo Credits: Ellen van Yperen ______________________________________________ Thank you guys for all the support. If you like the content please like and subscribe. Rebblogs are also very much appreciated. Thank you to all of you who help me spread the word. Have a happy New Year and I wish all your projects come to fruition. Best!

Please let me know if you like the idea of making a collectible sticker album. I am already working on the book and creating the stickers. I think it will be digital first using my basic knowledge of that stuff but the goal is to have a team to make it an app.

Working on this one was simply amazing. I was able to catch the lighting and the shadows to make it as real as possible. Colombian Tapir

The Colombian Tapir is a subspecies of the Lowland Tapir and lives exclusively in Colombia. Colombia has three of the four subspecies of Lowland Tapir and this subspecies inhabits the lowlands of the North of the country. 

The species is ranked as Vulnerable but this subspecies is classified as Critically Endangered in Colombia. Extinct already in many areas where it used to be seen due mostly to fragmentation of its environment, some recent studies showed the reappearance of the subspecies in areas where hasn't been seen for decades. Some think that the animal was never gone. The land where the animal lived is mostly unpopulated and keep an eye. Either the harsh environment or the internal struggle of the country, somehow keep human populations away from the forest and make the study of this subspecies, or any other, difficult.  __________________________________________

Credits: Tapirus terrestris colombianus  Lowland Tapir _________________________________________

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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.

This is probably the most unknown Tapir for me because I always thought that this one and the Amazonic Tapir were the same. Now I can see how different they are. (And you will see as well when I post the Amazonic one). Store Instagram

Baird's Tapir it owns its name to a Naturalist called Fullerton Baird. It is funny how naturalists in general like to name "things" and they think that those "things" didn't have a name before. Well, this one had. Danta, Anteburro, Macho de monte and Mountain Cow just to name a few. It inhabits all of Central America. Not Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, or Missouri, no. I'm talking about real America where in this case, Central America will be that piece of land that unites South with North America and is divided into many countries such as Belice, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama, among others. Also can be found in Colombia and Ecuador. Baird's Tapir is mostly nocturnal and likes to live close to water because they love to take baths. In fact, they are great swimmers. One thing that I found cute about these Tapirs is that they are monogamous, which means that they mate for life. Both parents are in charge of raising their offspring. Because of its size, adults Baird's Tapir's only predators are Crocodiles and Jaguars. However, humans and its actions have put these species in constant decline. Now is endangered with about 3000 adult animals but if things don't change, is estimated that its decline in the near future can go down to 80%. _______________________________________________ Credits: Baird's Tapir Baird's Tapir Photo Credits: Klaus Rudloff ______________________________________________ Thank you, guys. If you like the content please like and subscribe. Reblogs are also very sweet and any comment is very much appreciated. See you next week

This is a family that has captivated me since I was a kid. Its strange shape and the resemblance to a kind of a little elephant, but also the fact that could be found in my country Colombia just fascinated me. I still remember the first time I saw a tapir and was able to touch it and feed it. However, a Malayan Tapir was an animal that I just could see a long time after, in the Singapore zoo. Store Instagram Malayan Tapir Is the only species that live out of America and the one with the most particular color palette. Its pattern is supposed to be used as camouflage but I don't really know if works. It is curious though, that the Panda shares the same pattern but they both aren't even far related.

Another curious thing is that the babies are very similar in coloration to the ones in America. Brownish color with white spots that are actually good for camouflage. They have very poor sigh but are compensated with a great sense of smell and hearing. Some scientist state that there is a subspecies of the Malayan Tapir (The Tapirus indicus brevetianus, Kuiper, 1926), with the particularity of being completely black. Registered for the first time in 1924, was captured and taken to the Rotterdam zoo, where died soon after. The second one was photographed in 2000. However, taking it as a subspecies because of its coloration is inaccurate since there are no further studies that demonstrate its validity. It is actually just a case of melanism. Still, both theories are yet to be confirmed. _____________________________________________________ Credits: Malayan TapirMelanistic Tapir _____________________________________________________

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Vietnamese Javan Rhino This one was very fun to do. I had a very low-quality photograph as a reference and I had to invent all the textures and wrinkles and also the color. Very challenging but I'm happy with the result.

There was a very small population of fewer than 12 individuals living in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam. The last Vietnamese Javan Rhino (a subspecies of the Javan Rhinoceros) was shooted by poachers in 2011 in Vietnam. This animal used to live around very poor populations of villagers that were very hard to convince not to kill them, knowing that its parts could be sold for good money. Let's don't forget that those who decimates the population was mostly European trophy hunters at the beginning of the 20th century.

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Reference: Vietnamese Javan Rhino | Vietnamese Javan Rhino

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North-Eastern Black Rhinoceros. This subspecies is not hundred percent approved by all scientists. Some state that there are four subspecies. The most widely alternative schemes adopted five subspecies, while older ones suggest eight. At some point, it was thought to be 23. This subspecies is extinct. Its distribution consisted of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somalia, which apparently vanished by the early 20th century.

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References: Black Rhino | Black Rhino Photo Reference: Susan Portnoy Susanportnoyphotography.com ___________________________________________

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For those who are been following me for a while, this post might be a little strange because the rhinocerontidae family was previously posted. However, I think this project has evolved so much that it was worth it to re-visit those old posts and update them.

Southern White Rhinoceros

This is the most common rhinoceros of all the family and the less endangered. However, this doesn't mean is in danger of disappearing.

The rhino horn is more expensive than gold making the rhino a very tempting target. On the other hand, in the countries where it can be found, many people struggle with poverty, forcing them to risk their lives trying to hunt them because rhinos are heavily protected.

Who is to blame? The people who hunt them? Definitely No. They are just a tool who is forced to hunt because they need the money to sustain their families, they have little choice. Besides, their revenue is very small. To blame someone will be the final client. The one that is eager to pay a lot for the horn. If there is no demand, there is no business. Anyway, is a tricky subject with many points of view. What do you think? _________________________________________________________

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Gray Whale

The last member of the balaenopteridae family: The Gray Whale. (you might wonder why the sperm whale is not included but that one belongs to another family closer to dolphins as orcas do. I didn't know that)

This one habitat is way more reduced but its number is fine. Also called the Evil whale because it was a fierce fighter when hunted. (I wonder if there would be any animal who wouldn't fight for its life)

It is a very distinctive whale and the only extant of its family with its last relatives seen in the Neogene era.

Maybe the most notable marks are the withe spots all around its body product of scars left by parasites that fall off when is on cold grounds.

Three specimens were kept captive through history. The first one called Gigi in 1965 died two months after. However, in 1972 another catch called Gigi II, was held for a year after grew too much and had to be released. A third one was kept captive in SeaWorld San Diego for 14 months and also was released because of its size.

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Whales are ugly, or not. Probably both. On one side they look like a deformed giant body with a massive mouth that when opens make the animal looks even weirder. But then a beautiful tale swipes with force and breaks the ocean's surface and is accompanied by a pair of powerful fins that make that weird body moves gracefully as if it's dancing. It's a perfect combination of grotesque and beauty that combined with its size made us fall in love with it. ______

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Right Whales:

The other genus of the Balaenidae family is composed of three species. The three of them are mostly distinguished from each other by distribution or genetic analysis.

The particularity of this genus is the callosities that grow below its mandible that provide the perfect habitat for colonies of whale lice, a form of crustacean, that cannot live in open waters and found this whale the perfect way to travel comfortably. It is a *symbiosis, however, scientists cannot explain concretely why.

Among the three, the Southern Right Whale is the only one that is not in danger, being the North Atlantic Right Whale the one in most critical danger of extinction. This is probably related to its whereabouts which is in areas where humans have been doing whaling for centuries.

I am actually not in total disagreeing with whaling. Not that I will ever participate in such an event or even try something that comes from a whale. However, in some cultures is ingraining for centuries and was extremely important for the survival of humans.

Whaling should be banned today? For us might be a big bold no as an answer because it doesn't affect us at all. But what about if the consumption of chicken or cow is banned? We might say that there is not a relation between both. However, some cultures see the consumption of whales in the way we see the consumption of chicken. Are chicken endangered? Of course not, but the way we are consuming it is putting in danger the whole planet.

Maybe whales are way more charismatic, mysterious and magnificent than chickens but in the end, they both are living beings and if we are going to advocate for one, we should advocate for both. Just to be fair.

*Symbiosis: interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both.

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Let me introduce you to one of the strongest family, the Camelidus.  I still remember vividly the first time I saw a camel in my life. I was no more than ten years old and I couldn’t believe my eyes how massive this animals are. Somehow I got amazed. How awkward it feels by its long extremities that seem they don’t have full control. Or the unmanageable long neck that is crowned for a head that I’m sure was the idea for many monsters of Star Wars. At first glance, it look like if many mistakes came together to create this animal. 

However, how wrong I was. If there is an animal that defy nature in its extremes conditions, it will be the camel and its relatives. They can live literally everywhere. From the coldest to the hottest, and can flourish even when abundance is limited. Excellent distance devourers and the best administrating water. Their sight is exceptional and can run at a formidable speed. Their bodies are made to take the best from the worst the environment can provide. 

If the horse was crucial in human evolution, the taming of the camel I’d like to think was rather smart. A living tank where locomotive transportation wasn’t even a coarse sketch, that provides more than the indispensable to survive in the worst conditions. ___

Wild Bactrian Camels where thought to be just feral Camels that escaped to the wild. However, further genetic studies proved that is a different species that diverged from the Bactrian Camel more than a million years ago. 

It is critically endangered and is recognized as the eighth most endangered large mammal in the world, remaining no more than 1400 specimens in the wild. Illegal hunting, habitat destruction, hybridization with domestic camels, and the competence for resources with domestic stock are some of the main threats for this animal.

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