Scientific Illustration

biomedicalephemera:

“Death”

Gaboon Viper - Bitis gabonica

Despite the fact that the Gaboon viper ends up on many of the lists of “World’s Deadliest” or “Most Dangerous” animals, it’s actually not anywhere near the threat that you might think. Similar to the Australian sea snakes (with some of the deadliest venom), its docile nature renders the fact that it produces the highest volume of venom much less of a threat than, say, an aggressive snake with a small amount of venom.

Granted, you shouldn’t go around picking these guys up or threatening them, but they don’t chase down intruders or threats.

Bitis gabonica is the largest of its genus (commonly known as the puff adders), and at 8.5 kg (19 lbs), is the heaviest viperid in the world. If they do manage to get a bite on someone, the hemotoxic venom can cause internal bleeding, shock, local blistering, and eventually necrosis and the need for amputation, if not treated immediately.

ETA: Apparently the Gaboon viper also has the longest fangs of any species, and that, combined with the fact that they produce the most venom and that when they DO bite, they inject venom about 3/4 of the time (as opposed to 1 in 4 times for most viperids), is why they end up on all of these “most deadly” lists. I guess it fits. Docile and chill creature overall, but don’t piss it off or you’ll be hurting.

The Uganda Protectorate. Sir Harry Johnston, 1902.

(via mudwerks)

aycarambas:

Tropical forest, antique print, at carambas on etsy.

biomedicalephemera:

Coracina cephaloptera [now Cephalopterus ornatus] - the Amazonian Umbrellabird

Bro’s got some wicked style. That wattle inflates when it calls, by the way. Just cause the ultra-hawk wasn’t bad enough.

Amazonian umbrellabirds are the largest passerines (perching birds/”songbirds”) in the world. Aside from their distinctly woodpecker-like flight, they resemble terribly stylish crows, rather than their closer cousins, such as finches and sparrows.

Bilder-Atlas zur Wissenschaftliche-Popularen Naturgeschichte der Vogel. Leopold Joseph Fitzinger, 1864.

joewardillustration:

Insects, 2012.

Two A3 pages from my sketchbook. Thought it’d be much simpler just to show them like this than edit and edit and edit. They take too long to do. 

joewardillustration:

Macaws, 2011

Quick Christmas doodle, I left my brushes in Chelt so had to make do with some of my old, thick bristled ones (shortly before I found Dad’s….). Ink. Mess. Progress in terms of speed and expression, putting work into a bit of a context, but still isn’t really anything other than sketchbook doodles.

(Copyright is mine, yack yack yack.)

joewardillustration:

Just some little beetles…. could lead to a hhhuuuggggeee piece with hundreds of insects?? 

biomedicalephemera:

Bucco tamatia - The Spotted Puffbird

One of the less-studied birds of the tropics. It was considered threatened for a time, but is now considered a species of least concern.

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: Part XXI. 1853.

biomedicalephemera:

Marvelous Spatuletail and Aechmea mertensii [current correct binomial for Aechmea mucroniflora] - a bromeliad from the rainforests of South America, specifically Columbia

Loddigesia mirabilis and Aechmea mucroniflora, John Gould - ca. 1840