Flat Animals

While the outside is getting colder and colder, the sky turning washed out grey, my mind drifts to warmer places. My new subject is desert animals. The first one, a meerkat is just finished. A dromedary, a fennec fox, a jerboa and a Cape ground squirrel will follow. They are all part of the new series Flat Animals, soon to be followed by Fat Animals.

The desert is a harsh place to live. It lacks water and vegetation and the heat is unrelenting. No wonder desert animals stay so thin. But they are smart. They survive. All of them adapted to their unforgiving environment. The meerkat has dark circles around his eyes to prevent the sun from reflecting in them. The hump of the dromedary stores fat, which can be used both as food and water source. The big ears of the fennec fox are loaded with blood vessels, allowing him to quickly release body heat. The jerboa doesn’t need to drink water at all. He is able to extract enough liquids from its foods. Although he is tiny, bigger animals have a hard time catching him. He can hop faster than a person can run. The Cape ground squirrel takes shade with him wherever he goes. His fluffy tail acts as his private parasol.