This gallery contains 17 photos.
Happy #WorldDonkeyDay! Here are the perfect party cups to celebrate with… The Donkey-Head Drinking Vessels of Ancient Greece Ceramic animal-head rhyta and similar drinking cups created by Attica potters were popular novelty items in Classical Greece (c. 480-323 BCE). These amusing mugs gave users the appearance of wearing an animal…
This gallery contains 9 photos.
Today is not only a #MarsupialMonday, but it’s also the first annual International Tasmanian Devil Day! The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is an endangered marsupial species endemic to Australia. Although it once ranged across the mainland continent, since its extirpation some 3500 years ago, it is now only found on the…
This gallery contains 12 photos.
Vincent Willem Van Gogh was born #OTD (Zundert, Netherlands 30 March 1853 – Auvers-sur-Oise, France 29 July 1890). And since today is also #Caturday, here is a closer look at the cats found in his art — including one that got painted out of a second version! Van Gogh’s Lost Cat…
This gallery contains 6 photos.
Happy #NationalAardvarkWeek! Besides being one of my favorite mammals, the Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is also the most evolutionarily distinct one, which makes it very special indeed: The aardvark…has the highest score for being the most evolutionarily distinctive (ED) using the EDGE scientific method. Species such as the aardvark are much…
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Happy International Polar Bear Day! This conservation holiday was founded by Polar Bears International and celebrated annually on the 27th of February, “to coincide with the time period when polar bear moms and cubs are snug in their dens. As part of our celebration, we focus on the need to…
This gallery contains 12 photos.
For #LoveHornbillsDay, here are examples of kenyalang figures from the Iban people of Borneo. These carved and painted wooden figures are stylized representations of the kenyalang bird, aka the Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros). It is the official state bird of Sarawak and national bird of Malaysia. GALLERY The largest sculptures…
This gallery contains 10 photos.
Happy Word Numbat Day! The first published image of a numbat accompanied its 1836 scientific description; see it and other 19th century plates in this gallery.
This gallery contains 13 photos.
November 3rd is World Jellyfish Day! To celebrate, here is a dozen of Ernst Haeckel’s “medusae” plates from Kunstformen der Natur (1899-1904) as well as the cover art that features a bonus one.
This gallery contains 5 photos.
English sisters Mary & Elizabeth Kirby were prolific producers of books dedicated to popularizing science & nature study in the Victorian era. Their 1874 book Humming-birds included 6 color plates…
This gallery contains 8 photos.
June 1st is World Reef Day! Here are some vintage travel posters with artwork featuring underwater scenes of the Great Barrier Reef.
