Brook Trout (Salvelinus frontinalis)

In 1975, the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) was named the State Freshwater Fish of New York. It is also the state fish of many other US states, including Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia. There are three variations of this adaptable fish: the large lake brook trout, the small lake brook trout, and a form that spends part of their year in salt water. The brook trout hybridizes with many other trouts and chars that share their habitats. Although there may not be anything about the brook trout that makes it stand out among other game fish, it is a popular catch among anglers, and many find their scale patterns interesting and beautiful.

Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a large freshwater gamefish. They can be found in rivers and lakes throughout North America, and have been introduced to several bodies of water around the world, where their adaptability in diet and temperature has caused many species of fish and waterbird to go extinct once the largemouth bass is introduced. Their size is often determined by the density of plant life in their habitat: reed-filled waters yield small bass due to the difficulty in finding prey. In open waters, largemouth bass can grow over two and a half feet long and become the apex predators of their environment.

Media: colored pencil

Time: 7 hours (1 for research, 1 for sketch and measurements, and 5 for final illustration)

Estuary Seahorse (Hippocampus kuda)

Because of it's wide geographic distribution and diverse range of habitats from open waters to dense mangroves, the estuary seahorse comes in an impressive variety of color morphs. Often a mottled grey, it can also be reddish, yellow, spotted, orange as above, or a blotchy combination of many of these.

Narwhal (Monodon monoceros)

Narwhal means 'corpse whale' and gets its common name from the mottled coloration that makes it look like a drowned sailor. It is a small whale, typically growing between 11 and 13 feet in length (not counting the tusk). It's scientific name, Monodon monoceros, means one-tooth one-horn; this is a reference to the tusks that grow from its upper jaw. Typically this tusk is the left front tooth in males, but sometimes females will grow a small tusk and on extremely rare occasions a male will sport a pair of spiraling tusks. The use of these tusks has been the source of tremendous debate in the scientific community, with suggestions ranging from sparring and spear-fishing to navigation and display. Recent footage shows a male narwhal spinning his tusk around a fish, making it dizzy and disoriented before swallowing it whole. The distinctive spiral of their tusks is considered one of the sources of the mythical unicorn. In antiquity, narwhal tusks were sold as 'unicorn horns' at great value, with claims that they could cure diseases and grant vast wealth and fortune.

Media: colored pencil

5 hours total (1 for research and sketches, 4 for final illustration)

Shortfin Mako

The shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) is a lamniform (fish of prey) shark. They average 10 feet in length and weight around 250 pounds. With bursts of speed before an attack exceeding 40 miles per hour, they are the fastest shark. It is one of the few endothermic (warm-blooded) sharks. With the largest brain to body ratio among sharks, the shorten mako is a rapid problem-solver. They primarily hunt by vision. Although they are confirmed man-killers, these instances are rare and always provoked; these intelligent and keen-eyed sharks know humans aren't prey, and often give ample warning. On the rare occasion that they do strike, it is with deadly results.

Tower Snail (Turritella communis)

The shell of a tower snail.  

Graphite

3 hours

Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera bonasus)

The cownose ray is a species of eagle ray. They are highly migratory. They feed on oysters and clams by crushing them with the dental plates that have replaced the teeth of their ancestors. As cownose rays handle captivity well and are not aggressive, they are often featured in 'touch tanks' at aquariums around the world.

Media: colored pencil

5 hours total (1 for research and sketches, 4 for final illustration)

Atlantic Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus)

The Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is an oceanic arthropod related to spiders and scorpions.  

Colored pencil

3 hours

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

The water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a plant native to the amazon basin. It is notorious as an invasive species, able to take over wetland environments worldwide with unparalleled speed and efficiency, devastating native flora and fauna. Within a few years of being introduced in the US, the water hyacinth was so populous that it clogged up the Mississippi and stopped river shipping in several states. Congress went so far as to almost import hippopotamuses to the US as a solution to both the hyacinth crisis and a meat shortage, which was stopped by a single vote. It was not until recent years that a combination of mechanical and chemical methods have controlled the hyacinth population.

Media: ink

1 hour

Swordfish (Xiphias gladius)

The swordfish (Xiphias gladius) is among the fastest fish in the sea. It uses its iconic bill to slash prey to injure and disorient them before feeding. They can grow up to 15 feet in length and weigh 1400 pounds. Although ectothermic (cold-blooded), they are one of the few fish to have a heating system in their eyes, improving their vision and thereby increasing their success as predators.

Media: ink

1 hour

Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musclulus)

Throughout the long history of this planet, the largest animal ever discovered is still alive today: the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). During the early decades of the whaling industry, blue whales were avoided, as their size, speed, and strength made them unrealistic targets. With the 1900's came harpoon guns powerful enough to kill blues and ships large enough to process them. Forty years later, they were nearly extinct. Since bans and regulations in the 60's, the blue whale has made a slow and steady recovery. However, their population remains around 1% of pre-whaling numbers. While I have had the privilage of seeing most whale species in the wild, I have yet to see a blue whale. It is a long-lasting hope of mine to have this opportunity some day.

Media: ink

1 hour

Krill (Order Euphausiacea)

Krill (Euphausiacea) can be found in all the world's oceans. They are small crustaceans that are best known for being the primary food source of baleen whales like blue whales. Krill swarms can be incredibly dense, having as many as 60,000 animals per cubic meter and the entire swarm numbering in the millions. They are used as ocean fishing bait and feed in aquariums. Although they are served as a delicacy in a few countries like Japan and Russia, krill are rarely consumed by humans.

Media: ink

1 hour

Manatee

When I first saw a manatee in captivity I was struck by how graceful he was in the water. Seeing photographs in books, I had always assumed they would be slow and clumsy.

Media: ink

1 hour