ANIMAL ART OF THE DAY for Appreciate a Dragon Day: A tale of two Dracos (and four Ursas)

For #AppreciateADragonDay, here are two versions of an illustration depicting Draco the dragon with the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor bear constellations. The first is from a medieval Carolingian illuminated manuscript known as the Leiden Aratea: Centuries later, Dutch humanist Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) acquired this manuscript and proceeded to publish…

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ANIMAL ART OF THE DAY for International Land Snail Day: Snail gathering ritual on an ancient Moche vessel

“The figures on this Moche vessel hold gathering sticks that collect snails depicted in sculpture relief. The snail gathering ritual is taking place on a mountain suggested by the serpentine lines that arc across the top and front of the vessel. The snails absorbed mescaline-based chemicals while feeding on San…

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