#frontalis

The Spots of the Atlantic

One latest reason for the quiet is that commissions have been picking up again! I've drawn a lot for SECAC (cetacean researchers in the Canary Islands) before, but they required some extra illustrations and I'm always happy to work with them. After the female and juvenile Atlantic spotted dolphin they requested some more variations and that resulted in this!

Ever since learning about the difference between coastal and oceanic spotties I've wanted to illustrate the difference. It's so cool to me that they evolved such different spotting patterns - would living in the open ocean with more predators lurking below perhaps select more strongly to keep the white belly/white surface countershading intact? I also love how you can see the spots developing, with the four oceanic illustrations together.

The Atlantic spotted dolphin - Stenella frontalis

This is without a doubt my favourite illustration for this project so far. I love Atlantic spotted dolphins, with their sociable personality, elegant faces and beautiful colouration - and these in particular. You see, while the Common bottlenose dolphin’s coastal and oceanic populations are best known, there’s more dolphins with a similar division amongst their ranks. Spotted dolphins (both the Atlantic and Pantropical) have offshore and coastal populations as well, which vary in colour. 

In case of the Atlantic, coastal animals - like those found in The Bahamas - are most heavily spotted. Adults can gain so many spots over the years that in the end, their colour pattern is reversed. White above, black below. Illustrated however, is an oceanic-type Atlantic spotted dolphin; and they hold on to their stark white bellies. The amount of spots varies between individuals, some are quite heavily spotted, others snowy white below the sides - but never is the belly covered. The white spots are also finer than those in coastal animals, and while I painted my animal with quite a lot, some have no more than a fine dusting of white.

“Foreign Traditions”

A young Atlantic spotted dolphin appreciates a rather mistletoe-shaped piece of Sargassum seaweed, unaware of its cultural value for us humans near the end of the year.