And another good guess by @cuboose gives us our second parent for the mystery hybrid from a little while back! It’s a hybrid between two very closely related species, the Gray’s spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris longirostris) and the Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene). Interestingly it seems both species can act as the mother/Dam in this combination. The Clymene itself is the result of hybrid speciation, a fascinating process whereby hybrids happen so often they eventually start reproducing amongst themselves until they form a new species reproducitvely isolated from their parents. So while the average Clymene you’d scoop out of the ocean right now is not truly a recent hybrid anymore, they do deserve an honorary place on the poster. So you can see their half-finished rough face here too (spinner dolphins are apparently completely lacking from my illustrations so have stickman instead).
Look out for the full reveal of the finished illustration! There’s a different hybrid that first needs posting, then it’s this one’s turn.
