[Art] North American Porcupine as Totem

qilora, do you want to flick me an email at ophelias.diary@gmail.com to yay or nay this piece? :D

North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)

Porcupines are awesome, we have echidnas here, but I like all sorts of spiny animals. Anyway, porcupines are large rodents with characteristic hardened hairs growing along their back and sides which form spines. They are sometimes considered pests (personally I think they're awesome), and their quills are used for decorative purposes in jewellery, clothing adornments and so on.

The North American porcupine is skilled at remembering 'mazes' or complex routes to find food, as it is a very picky eater. It would be a good companion if you were lost! Except that it can't talk... and it probably wouldn't care for memorising the roads you were interested in.

( Go on, give it a hug... )

[Art] Leafy Sea Dragon as Totem

erynn999, I've sent you a Livejournal message regarding this one. :)

Leafy Sea Dragon as Totem (Phycodurus eques)

Information on Leafy Sea Dragon as totem can be found here:

http://www.wildspeak.com/vilturj/totems/wseadragon.html

The leafy sea dragon is a fish closely related to the seahorse, and they're actually quite large (growing to 45 centimetres or about 18-19 inches). They are found in the coastal waters along Australia.

The leaf-like fins and protrusions they have are used solely for camouflage. Sea dragons live in the shallows among the seaweed, moving with the currents, and tend to shift and sway much like a praying mantis does when it is perched on a leaf.

Leafy sea dragons are under threat as they are often collected by people who wish to keep them as pets and perhaps - more dangerously - are commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

( these are one of my all-time favourite animals. )