Endangered creatureALPHABET

Published by

www.creaturemag.comForeword by John Farndon

An illustrated collection of threatened species.

1-2. Foreword by John Farndon3. International Union for Conservation of Nature - IUCN Categories

A - African Elephant

B - Blue-throated Macaw

C - Caspian Seal

D - Dugong

E - Eastern Imperial EagleE - Eastern Imperial Eagle

F - Fish-eating Bat

G - Giant Panda

H - Haddock

I - Iberian Lynx

J - Jewelled Chameleon

K - Kakapo

L - Leatherback TurtleL - Leatherback Turtle

M - Mandrill

N - Northern Spotted Owl

O - Okapi

P - Peacock Parachute Spider

Q - Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly

R - Royal Penguin

S - Sea OtterS - Sea Otter

T - Tiger

U - Undulate Ray

V - Velvet Worm

W - White Rhino

X - Xinjiang Ground Jay

Y - Yellow-spotted Salamander

Z - Zebra DuikerZ - Zebra Duiker

Back - Thanks and credits

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Emily May

David Blatch

Kerri-Ann Hulme

Alex Woollam

Polly Alizarin Harvey

Jess Marshall

Gareth BarnesGareth Barnes

Fiona Purves

Leila Shetty

Anna Jane Searle

Chris Margerison

Julia Broughton

Paul Shinn

MadiMadi

Poonam Mistry

David Litchfield

Jenny Robins

Julie Vermeille

Melanie Chadwick

Sean Wàrs

Kathryn CorlettKathryn Corlett

Martyn warren

Kate Eggleston-Wirtz

Tom Moore

Teresa Eastwood

Christina Bretschneider

Contents

Perhaps uniquely in the Universe, our planet teems with life. As human exploration penetrates to the darkest corners of the Earth, life is being revealed in every nook and cranny, in every environment no matter how extreme. The recently completed Census of Marine life discovered over 6,000 previously unknown species in the ocean alone. Bacteria pulsate in solid ice and rock. Countless as yet unidentified insects crawl in obscure places. Strange fish lurk in the deepest ocean. Hardy little birds soar above the highest peaks.

The sheer variety of life is astonishing – swimming, flying, slithering, crawling, running in every conceivable way, in every conceivable place. More than 1.25 million species of animal have been named so far, and most way, in every conceivable place. More than 1.25 million species of animal have been named so far, and most zoologists are certain many, many more are yet to be identified. Estimates vary from 3 million to 100 million species altogether, and the chances are there are at least 10 million. There over 5,400 known mammals, over 8,000 reptiles, over 6,000 amphibians, nearly 10,000 birds, nearly 30,000 fish, nearly 1 million insects, and 250,000 or so other mostly tiny creatures that go by the name ‘invertebrate’.

We owe this rich diversity of life to billions of years of subtle changes, generation by generation, as some creatures survived to pass on their individual quirks to their offspring, and others with their own quirks died creatures survived to pass on their individual quirks to their offspring, and others with their own quirks died out. Creatures best equipped for the prevailing conditions survived, but those with less suitable equipment passed into the oblivion of extinction.

Conditions change, of course, and through time, many, many creatures have gone the way of the dinosaurs – those fantastic creatures once so well adapted they were lords of the Earth for 150 million years, but then rapidly found themselves has-beens as a meteor struck, so the theory goes, and the world showed them an icy shoulder.

The intoxicating, bewildering variety of species alive on Earth today is now brought home to us as never before The intoxicating, bewildering variety of species alive on Earth today is now brought home to us as never before by photography and video that captures their lives in often breathtaking intimacy and beauty. Yet it is a sad fact that even as you read this, some species are vanishing forever.

Today we are witnessing what may be one of the greatest waves of extinction since the demise of the dinosaurs, as more and more species fall victim to rampaging human activity. Nearly 8000 animals are on the IUCN’s Red List of threatened species, including a fifth of all mammals. Some experts predict that more than a third of all species will be lost in the next 40 years, and although some argue that this is an overestimate, the die-off is still species will be lost in the next 40 years, and although some argue that this is an overestimate, the die-off is still likely to be on a massive scale.

Continued...

THE BEAUTY OF THE BEASTSForeword by John Farndon

Many things are to blame for this impending tragedy. The loss of habitats as forests are cleared by farmers and loggers. The relentless spread of cities. The poisoning of the land and the sea by pesticides and other pollutants.The deadly gun of the hunter, and rapacious maw of the industrial fishing boat. Changes in the atmosphere that are warming the air and turning the oceans acidic...

Why does this matter? Do we actually need all these species? Only a tiny minority such as cows and chickens are of any direct use to us. All the hundreds of thousands others, we might conceivably manage without, and some such as mosquitoes we may actually prefer to be without.some such as mosquitoes we may actually prefer to be without.

Many scientists argue that diversity is a kind of emergency box – a vital toolkit to provide stability against future shocks. But it is not just future shocks that matter. The interactions in nature are so complex and so finely balanced it is hard to be certain that the loss of even the most obscure species might not spread devastating ripples throughout the ecosystem.

But maybe there is a simpler and even more powerful reason. The richness and variety of life is what makes the Earth a place of wonder and pleasure. Every single one of these threatened creatures, from spectacular big cats to weird little worms, has its own special beauty. They may have no practical utility for us whatsoever. They may to weird little worms, has its own special beauty. They may have no practical utility for us whatsoever. They may not even be of scientific import. But they are each and all part of the dense fabric that makes life worth living – and just because many may die off without us noticing, slipping into extinction in some remote corner of the world, it doesn’t mean we won't feel their loss. In some ways that are tangible, in some that are not, their quiet vanishing makes the world a poorer place.

In this book, we celebrate just 26 of the many thousands of the species under threat with 26 illustrations, one for each letter of the alphabet, by 26 different artists. Each illustration is the artist’s own personal response to for each letter of the alphabet, by 26 different artists. Each illustration is the artist’s own personal response to the creature – sometimes funny, sometimes decorative, sometimes querky, sometimes beautiful, but always unique. It is a reminder that there are things in this world worth cherishing...

International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN - www.iucn.org

Also known as the The World Conservation Union, the IUCN maintains the official Red List of threatened species, both plants and animals, and gives the following risk status categories:

EXTINCT - There is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.

EXTINCT IN THE WILD - Known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalized population (or populations) well outside the past range.

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED - At very high risk of imminent extinction in the wild.

ENDANGERED - At high risk of extinction in the wild.

VULNERABLE - May soon be at risk of extinction in the wild.

NEAR THRENEAR THREATENED - May become threatened with extinction in the future.

LEAST CONCERN - Widespread and not likely to be threatened with extinction in the future.

<EX>

<EW>

<CR>

<EN>

<VU>

<NT>

<LC>

Aa

African ElephantEmily May

Size has not protected the largest animal on land, the great, grey African elephant. Its savanna habitat still shrinks and hundreds a year fall to the guns of poachers covetous of the ivory in their tusks.

<EN>

Bb

Blue Throated MacawDavid Blatch

Until 40 years ago, only locals in its Bolivian lowland home knew of this gorgeous blue-gold bird. But then the world discovered it, and so many have since been caught to become pets that there are now barely 300 left in the wild.

<CR>

Cc

Caspian SealKerri-Ann Hulme

A century ago, the Caspian’s shores teemed each summer with vast nurseries of the sea’s own unique species of seal. But 90 per cent of the seals have now gone, victims of the demand for their soft skins, and the heavy pollution gathered in this enclosed sea.

<EN>

Dd

DugongAlex Woollam

Even the ban on hunting may not be enough to save these placid cows of the sea. Their sea grass pastures dwindle by the day, boats smash into them in shallow waters and entangling fishing nets drown them.

<VU>

Ee

Eastern Imperial EaglePolly Alizarin Harvey

The silhouettes of these great birds are now a rare sight in the skies of Eastern Europe. Many have ended their lives electrocuted by power cables, and many more have simply been poisoned by those who can’t abide them.

<VU>

Ff

Fish Eating BatJess Marshall

Who’d have thought that bats would hunt fish, but that’s what these Californian bats do, swooping down like a bird of prey to grab them when they come to the surface. But the bat itself may fall victim to cats and rats, and the loss of its habitat.

<VU>

Gg

Giant PandaGareth Barnes

The dark-eyed poster bears of the conservation movement, China’s giant pandas are still in trouble after half a century of effort to protect them, and there are less than 2500 of them in the wild altogether.

<EN>

Hh

HaddockFiona Purves

Richly tasty staple of fish suppers and chowders, the haddock has been scooped up in such vast numbers by industrial fishing vessels that populations have plummeted. Only line caught haddock from Icelandic and Faroes waters should stay on the menu.

<EN>

Ii

Iberian LynxLeila Shetty

The lonely Iberian lynx may be the first cat species to go extinct in 2,000 years. There are barely 100 of them left, and both their woodland habitat and their preferred food (rabbit) are diminishing fast in Spain.

<CR>

Jj

Jewelled ChameleonAnna Jane Searle

Like a ruby and emerald studded objet d’art, the jewelled chameleon lives up to its name, which may be why people still persist in making pets of them, despite the danger the loss of their Madagascan rainforest home has put them in.

<VU>

Kk

KakapoChris Margerison

Millions of these green parrots once waddled through New Zealand’s forests, so safe here they lost the ability to fly. But then Europeans arrived, and cats and rats. Now there are just 90 birds left, removed to offshore islands for their own protection.

<CR>

Ll

Leatherback TurtleJulia Broughton

Turtles are at their most vulnerable as eggs and hatchlings left on the beach – easy targets for predators both human and animal. But even as adults swimming the open ocean, they are in danger of becoming by-catch, the collateral damage of the fishing industry.

<CR>

Mm

MandrillPaul Shinn

Party-faced and party-buttocked, west central Africa’s mandrill is no longer having a good time. Its evergreen forest habitat is being attacked, and local people kill it for bushmeat.

<VU>

Nn

Northern-spotted owlMadi

“Kill a Spotted Owl—Save a Logger” and “I Like Spotted Owls—Fried” read bumper stickers of aggrieved loggers when Canada introduced the first measures to protect this owl. But it seems the owl has a more persistent enemy, the invading barred owl.

<CR>

Oo

OkapiPoonam Mistry

Stripey legged and stylish, the okapi has a zebra look about it but is actually a giraffe relative. Although not yet officially endangered, it has been severely reduced by assaults on its equatorial African rainforest home.

<NT>

Pp

Peacock Parachute SpiderDavid Litchfield

After going missing for a century, this surprisingly beautiful Prussian blue spider was finally seen again in 2001 – only to be in grave danger of vanishing for good as its tiny Andhra Pradesh forest home shrinks, and ‘collectors’ collect.

<CR>

Qq

Queen Alexandra’s birdwing butterflyJenny Robins

A body as big as a thumb and wings wider than a dinner plate make this aptly named birdwing butterfly the world’s biggest. But the Mt Lamington eruption in the 1950s and now oil palm plantation have taken their toll on its Papua New Guinea rainforest habitat.

<EN>

Rr

Royal PenguinJulie Vermeille

All the native creatures of Macquarie Island south of New Zealand, the Royal penguin’s sole home, have been plagued by cats, rats, rabbits and mice introduced by humans. But drastic plans are afoot by conservationists to eradicate all interlopers...

<VU>

Ss

Sea OtterMelanie Chadwick

Sea otters are not just endearing creatures, they dine on the urchins that would destroy the kelp forests on which so much marine life off the North Pacific coasts depends. A ban on hunting has brought them back from the brink, but their future is still precarious.

<EN>

Tt

TigerSean Wàrs

Despite decades of campaigns to save the tiger, this majestic animal is slipping away. Three of the eight subspecies – Bali, Caspian and Javan – have already been lost, and there are no more than 7,700 tigers in the wild at very most.

<CR>

Uu

Undulate RayKathryn Corlett

Patterned like a richly embroidered cushion, the undulate ray is one of Britain’s prettiest sea creatures, but it’s been fished into danger. A ban on commercial fishing in 2009 seems to be helping, but it’s best to avoid skate suppers.

<EN>

Vv

Velvet worm (Speleoperipatus spelaeus) Martyn Warren

Caterpillar-like velvet worms have become popular pets because of their odd look and the way they capture their insect prey with a slime squirt. But the biggest threat to their future is the erosion of their damp forest habitats.

<CR>

Ww

White rhino, northernKate Eggleston-Wirtz

Four northern white rhinos live in zoos. Four more were reintroduced to the wild in Kenya in 2009 and are still thought to be alive. These eight are the sole survivors of the vast numbers of rhinos that once roamed the savannas of northern Africa.

<CR>

Xx

Xinjiang Ground JayTom Moore

Living close to the harsh and remote sands of the Taklamakan desert has not saved the Xinjiang ground jay from the impact of human activity, as camels and goats graze the desert fringes bare and people snatch wood for fuel.

<NT>

Yy

Yellow-spotted SalamanderTeresa Eastwood

Like all amphibians, the shy and secretive yellow-spotted salamander needs water for breeding in as well as the land it lives on, and intensive farming may be robbing the ground of the moisture the salamanders need.

<LC>

Zz

Zebra DuikerChristina Bretschneider

With its zebra-striped back, West Africa’s tiny zebra duiker antelope seems to have stolen the okapi’s jumper, but camouflage isn’t saving it from poachers, or the destruction of its forest habitat.

<VU>

Thanks and Credits

A big thank you to all who collaborated on this project, your work is something to behold. A thanks also goes to all the people who listened to me banging on about this project... there’s more to come! A special thanks to David Blatch and John Farndon for your ongoing support and involvement.

Matt Witt - creaturemag

In order of appearance

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Emily May

David Blatch

Kerri-Ann Hulme

Alex Woollam

Polly Alizarin Harvey

Jess Marshall

Gareth BarnesGareth Barnes

Fiona Purves

Leila Shetty

Anna Jane Searle

Chris Margerison

Julia Broughton

Paul Shinn

MadiMadi

Poonam Mistry

David Litchfield

Jenny Robins

Julie Vermeille

Melanie Chadwick

Sean Wàrs

Kathryn CorlettKathryn Corlett

Martyn Warren

Kate Eggleston-Wirtz

Tom Moore

Teresa Eastwood

Christina Bretschneider www.peppig-illustration.de

www.tiaeastwood.blogspot.com

www.tommoore.eu

www.eggwirtz.com

www.velcrocows.co.uk

www.kathryncorlett.co.uk

www.wwrrssddrrwwss.co.uk

www.melaniechadwick.com

www.julievermeille.com

www.jennyrobins.co.uk

www.davidlitchfieldillustration.com

www.poonam-mistry.com

www.madiillustration.co.uk

www.paulshinndraws.com

www.juliabdesign.tumblr.com

www.chrismargerison.blogspot.com

www.flickr.com/photos/annajanesearle

www.leilashetty.com

www.fionapurves.co.uk

www.garethbarnes.com

www.jesscatdraws.blogspot.com

www.pollyalizarinharvey.blogspot.com

www.alexwoollam.com

www.kerriannhulme.co.uk

www.davidblatch.com

www.emilymayillustration.co.uk

Endangered CreatureALPHABET

Curated by Matt Witt

Published by

www.creaturemag.com

All rights are reserved by the artists

Contact - creature@creaturemag.com