Comments on: Saturday Pachyderm Blogging

By: Scranton Zoo

Scranton Zoo — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:28:48 +0000

Great post. I really enjoyed it. I will have to bookmark this site for later.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sat, 05 May 2007 20:23:21 +0000

We just uncovered the complete skull and skeletal remains of a Rhynchotherium in the San Simon river basin in eastern Arizona. It will (once they figure out how to move the 1200 pound skul) be on display at the Mesa Arizona Southwest Museum.

Most of the rhychotherium’s bones have already made the trip to Mesa and are on temporary display in the museum’s “Paradise Lost: Arizona South of the Ice” exhibit.

Thanks for the painting, now I know what the heck they dug up out here!

By: Mishal

Mishal — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 01:13:44 +0000

Ahh, your art breathes life into them. I know I’m going to enjoy the work your going to be doing on Ice Age mammals/animals. Promise to do Dire Wolves sometime, we never see those anywhere, in painting or sketch form! (If you’re capable, I feel that Ice Age giant birds are also heavily under-represented as well.)

Finally, don’t forget to paint yourself in, to give us all an idea of how large these critters are. That’s another thing that’s not given often. Best wishes!

By: Hungry Hyaena

Hungry Hyaena — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 19:19:55 +0000

Wow, Carl, you’re even inspiring the creation of virtual worlds now!

Another great post. I just wanted to second DarkSyde’s comment. Please continue to included the sketches when you can. I find them equally as exciting as the paintings and, as a fellow artist, I like to see the work.

By: Tarliman Joppos

Tarliman Joppos — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 17:53:23 +0000

Thanks ever so much for starting this blog. Among other things, I write critters for roleplaying games, and am always looking for inspiration. Unlike some writers in the field, who specialize in it’ll-eat-your-head type critters, I construct food chain diagrams, and then work on filling in empty niches. Your work is very inspiring, and has already provided a number of pointers to an admitted dilettante in the field. Now I have to go learn about the LMAs.

By: Alan Kellogg

Alan Kellogg — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 06:13:02 +0000

I mentioned this in my email reply, but thought I’d bring it up here. There might be a third loxodont. The pygmy elephant. Supposed to be half the size of Loxodont cyclotis and living in swampy areas. An animal that, according to the stories, has actually been exhibited in American zoos.

But, Africa is not as well known as some think it is. It’s not that densely populated overall, and most of the people are concentrated along the Nile Valley, in southern Africa, and the Republic of Nigeria. It’s still possible to go for days without see anybody in parts. And even when we have specimens for study mistakes still get made.

Take the onza. A long legged cousin of the cougar. Identified through its genes as a sub-species of cougar. But, it was only one test, that test has never been verified by an outside party, and the man currently in possession of the one specimen’s remains (who did the testing) has, last I heard, refused to allow testing of those remains by outside parties.

Much the same thing very nearly happened with Flores Man, but pressure forced the release of those remains.

Politics and obstinancy make zoology and paleozoology much more diffifult than they really need to be.

That aside, continue with the good work, and I hope you get more visitors and commentors.

By: OGeorge

OGeorge — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 03:50:08 +0000

Alan: You are of course, absolutely correct. The really terrible part is that just last year I painted a comparison for a zoo project. The forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) and the bush elephant (L africana) apparently have been genetically isolated for 2 and a half million years.

One of the wonderful things about doing this “3rd graders dream job” that I have is that every drawing is still a learning experience. Please don’t be bashful about pointing out my inevitable miscues.

By: Alan Kellogg

Alan Kellogg — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 02:11:40 +0000

Both modern representatives? Oh, the poor African Forest Elephant, ovorlooked yet again. The Rodney Dangerfield of loxodonts, don’t get no respect.

BTW, Michael Blowhard sent me.

By: The Dreadful Porpentine

The Dreadful Porpentine — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 22:38:01 +0000

“I’m incapable of looking at extinct creatures as anything else but the living, breathing, animated marvels that they once were.” — That really comes through in your art, with long-dead animals looking like they walk our planet today and migth be seen at the zoo or on a bit of eco-tourism.

By: Hairy Museum Matt

Hairy Museum Matt — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 21:44:00 +0000

Georgeous Rhynchotheres! Glad to see this underrepresented probiscidean get such skilled treatment. Can’t wait to see the next installment.