#816: Walrus

I am the walrus!
Coo coo cachoo!

The Walrus is a large marine mammal, characterised by the long tusks displayed by both male and female. The males' tusks are longer and used in fighting and territorial displays. They are also used to form and maintain holes in the ice, and to help the animal drag himself out of the water. He feeds on the ocean floor, dragging his tusks through the sediment and using his snout to dig up prey. For such a large animal, his prey is fairly small and generally sessile: tunicates, molluscs, soft corals, clams, although he will also eat crabs and, more rarely, other seals or sea birds.

#709: Snowy Owl

The Snowy Owl makes her home in the Arctic tundra of the Northern Hemisphere,  ranging across North America and Eurasia. An opportunistic hunter, she preys mainly on lemmings and small mammals, but will follow traplines to seek larger prey such as racoons or hare. She is active during both day and night. During breeding season, she selects a site with good visibility - perhaps a raised mound - and scratches out a hollow. Here she will lay up to 11 eggs over the course of several days. Despite the age and size disparity between the hatched youngsters, there is little sibling conflict.

#655: Ribbon Seal

If you are wondering why the alphabet is a bit out of order here - I was initially intending to draw a Ringed Seal today. However, when I googled for images, I stumbled upon this species, and her striking colouration (plus the fact she starts with R too), persuaded me to illustrate her instead.

The Ribbon Seal is a strikingly-coloured pinniped. She can  be found in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions, rarely coming to land but spending her life either on ice or in the water.  She will dive to depths of 200m to catch food in the form of fish, cephalapods and crustaceans.  In April, she comes up onto the pack ice to give birth and mate again. Pups are born pure white and are sometimes mistaken for harp seals. She remains with her pup for his first month, then returns to the sea, abandoning him. Over the next few weeks he loses his dense white fur, moults into his adult coat and loses a dramatic amount of weight, before heading out to sea himself.

#650: Reindeer

Only lineart today, I had a meeting to attend - surprised I got this much done, actually.
Colour it in yourself, if you like.

Creature Feature #487: Musk Oxen

... are extremely hard to draw.

The Musk Ox is a large Bovine, noted for his thick coat and named for the sharp odour of the bulls at rutting season. He makes his home in the Arctic tundra. Genetically, he is more closely related to goats and sheep than to other oxen species. His thick wool, which insulates him against the cold, is prized for its softness and length. Populations of Musk Ox have been domesticated for this wool and their meat.