day twenty-six - pygmy hippopotamus

such a cute genre of hippopotamuses... (hippopotami? i think it's both).

© jem barratt

just like real life, the baby one is much cuter.

i would like to request that all two of my readers please watch 'the great rift: africa's wild heart' on abc tomorrow because then i won't have to link to it all the time. speaking of which, go here to see some horrific hippo-teeth-tearing-up-gums-action.

yum!
xj

p.s. i have officially dubbed the pgymy hippo at adelade zoo pygmalion, so please address him accordingly

day twenty-three - bee-eater

if there's one thing i like, it's birds (you may have noticed). i also like words. but if there's three things i don't like, it's counting.

here's a hilarious anecdote: i used to be extremely disinterested in birds (except finches). and now i like them a lot. what a riot.

but it is true. one such object of my liking is the bee-eater:

© jem barratt

this guy is eurasian, but i was most excited by the carmine bee-eaters in the latest ep of "the great rift: africa's wild heart". they were so 80s. i simply frothed with excitement.

in a good way.

they're so bright, and weird and like little birdy banditos. they BATHE in DUST. they have BEARDS. my only regret is that i didn't draw all 26 species at once.
xj