Any coffee lovers out there? If so then raise that virtual hand in the comments below and let me know what your favorite coffee is.
This is your fellow coffee lover, the Asian Palm Civet and its coffee of choice are the sweetest and ripest of coffee cherries. You may know the Asian Palm Civet more by its controversial poop that contains Kopi Luwak, or partially digested coffee cherries that are used to make the most expensive coffee in the world (about $35-$100 expensive). This coffee is not just controversial for being poop coffee but also because of the inhuman ways that people get the Kopi Luwak from the Asian Palm Civet. The Asian Palm Civets are captured, caged, and fed only coffee cherries which is only one small part of its omnivorous diet. If I was stuck in a small cage with only coffee cherries to eat, then that caffeine or sugar high energy would drive me crazy. Unfortunately for the Asian Palm Civet, this inhuman treatment does cause them to go insane. More details on the Asian Palm Civet in next week’s close ups.
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Today is close up day for my Key Deer design and some of my favorite fun facts about Key Deer. A fully grown Key Deer is about 2 to 3 feet tall and 55 to 80 pounds. That is about the size of a medium sized dog. Their fawns are about the size of a house cat. Because of their size, they are nicknamed Toy Deer. They are the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer but are the largest herbivores on the Florida Keys. They are the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer but are the largest herbivores on the Florida Keys. About ¾ of the Key Deer population is located on the Big Pine and No Name Keys islands. Key Deer eat at least 150 types of native flora including mangrove leaves and thatch palm berries. Thatch palm trees, red mangroves, and black mangroves are depicted in my design. Fresh water sources are very important to their survival but they can handle drinking a little brackish water. (Brackish water is in-between ocean water and freshwater in the amount of salt it has). For more Fun Facts Check out my References below:
Key Deer Facts
Mangrove Species Brackish Water March 11th was Key Deer Awareness Day. My Key Deer is a little late but it is always a good day to spread awareness.
Found on the Florida Keys, Key Deer were hunted to near extinction with about 25 deer found in 1951. They were listed as endangered on March 11th, 1967 and were one of the first animals “protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1973.” (https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Key-Deer). Key Deer do not have any natural predators except humans. Over the years, Key Deer have been conditioned to approach humans from people feeding them. Although this seems like a harmless act of kindness, this causes Key Deer to wander into more human populated areas. This makes them vulnerable to their number one threat of getting hit by cars and other vehicles. To help conserve the Key Deer population, keep the Key Deer wild and do not feed them. It’s Close Up Day! I’m trying out Tuesdays as a new day. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Southern Mountain Viscachas are found in the Andes Mountains from southern Peru and western and central Bolivia to central Chile and western Argentina. They live in colonies at altitudes as high as “4,800 m asl [above sea level]” (IUCN Red List). These areas are very rocky with thinly scattered vegetation so they are very opportunistic herbivores. The food they can find includes lichen, grass, and moss. They sleep in the rock crevices at night and come out at sunrise. During the day, they find a nice spot to sunbathe and groom each other. During sunrise and sunset, they are very active looking for food. According to the IUCN Red List, they are animals of least concern with a stable population. They are locally hunted for meat and fur but have mostly avoided the fur train due to their constant molting. References
Videos of Viscacha in Wild https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI6AyMt5IKM&feature=emb_logo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA1zBdC6mxg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5WvwTrgNaE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzp8vrrlAFc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzp8vrrlAFc Southern Mountain Viscacha Facts https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lagidium_viscacia/ https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/11148/22190789 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8bljb9zFwY&feature=emb_logo http://animalia.bio/southern-viscacha Chinchillidae Family Facts https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Chinchillidae/ Happy Tuesday Everyone!
March always reminds me that spring is on its way. As we move toward longer sunny days, I thought I would introduce my Sunbathing Southern Mountain Viscacha. I first discovered Viscachas while researching my Maned Wolf (pictures of 2020 Maned Wolf below) I knew from the moment I saw their chill sunbathing face, I needed to create a Mountain Viscacha design. This bunny looking animal is in the family Chinchillidae with its only living family member being the Chinchilla. I hope you enjoy and close up pictures and fun facts next week! |
Artist and Blogger
I'm just a doodling artist. My current style started in a lecture class at MCLA where I began doodling in my notebooks. Now I've started a new series focusing on animals. Archives
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