I work with clay and clay accessories

We have spent the past year working hard to discovering and writing down all the information for this years Animalia Almanac. Although we have collected all the information needed for it this year, we still have a few images we are waiting for to have it complete so you will have to wait a little longer!

To hold you over here is the cover for this past years Alamac! Our theme this year is stars and constellations and we have some amazing art work to go alone with it. We hope that the book we put together this year will inspire you just as much as the stars in the heavens have inspired us.

Access to our personal records of the Animalia Alamac pages can be found here. If you are interested in our research, please consider sharing the project around!

The Diastema(variable coral snake) can be hard to pick out from a crowd of Coral Serpentes due to the fact that they can be born with at least 5 different patterns. These stripe patterns are said to come from their ancient legend where they were given a worth in gambling chips that reflected their pattern. To this day, there are some circles that believe that some patterns are luckier to have than others. I even met a Diastema who painted their pattern every day to appear more ‘lucky’.

More information about the Diastema can be found in the Animalia Almanac.

The Nigrum (Ash Gray Lady Beetle) are known far and wide for their healing touch and medical practices. However, the other day I was traveling with a Nigrum and we were attacked by creatures. I thought that I would have to protect them, but no. They pulled out their syringes and started fighting with them! It was mind blowing to watch, but I do hope they cleaned them after.

More information about the Nigrum can be found in the Animalia Almanac.

The Naja (spectacled cobra) are part of the Cobra group leading them to have a strong, dangerous venom if it is injected into an Animalian. However, there are some that believe drinking this venom can cause an Animalian to have visions leading them to making a watered down drink with their venom that mixes it with milk to make it more tasty. This drink isn’t fatal to those with a working immune system, but it is still risky to drink as if you have a cut or ulcer in your stomach you will have a painful death. A risk not worth the hallucinations if you ask me.

More information on the Naja can be found in the Animalia Almanac.

The Zerda (Fennec fox) have a strong connection with the sand with them believing that their ancestor was raised by its spirit. Although I’ve never heard sand talk, I have met some dune guides that claim they can hear it speak from time to time with their large ears, the sand warning them of danger. More information about the Zerda can be found in the Animalia Almanac.

Have you ever danced in the rain? I used to think it was silly for Animalian to do, but then I saw the Erythroryncha (red billed blue magpie) do it and my mind was changed. The way they sway and move with the rain drops as they make trails down their feathers was breathtaking. But its not only that it's pretty, the Erythroryncha believe that their dancing can dictate the storm's path making the dance much more than just something done for fun. I didn’t have the courage to ask them to teach me how to do it last time I was in Hokkien, but one day I’d like to learn.

More information about the Erythroryncha can be found in the Animalia Almanac.

One of my favorite Autumn holidays is Evenguiest. This is a holiday that most Pumpkin Coleoptera celebrate that highlights the humble Pumpkin. Each subspecies has their own ways of celebrating it, but most end up carving pumpkins, having competitions to see who grew the largest pumpkin and food made out of the gourds found everywhere. The Nigripennis (black backed pumpkin beetle) subspecies specifically like to try to make outfits out of the gourds. These outfits are mostly just for decoration for the event and aren't made to last but can still be quite intricate and will cover the Coleoptera head to toe. This tradition is based on their legend where they believe that their ancestor came back to life, their body taking on the form of a pumpkin.  I tried one of these outfits once and it was quite slimy on the inside and not something I’d like to participate in again.

More information about the Nigripennis can be found in the Animalia Almanac.

The Regius(ball pythons) are known for their many different scale patterns. From the Banana pattern to the Clown morph it seems like there is no end to what surprises their scales can bring. However, only a small portion of the Regius find joy in these wild patterns as most feel shame associated with how they got their wild coloration. Many feel that those with fancy patterns owe all other Regius a debt leading some Regius to attempt to hide their patterning.

More information can be found in the Animalia Almanac.

Tracking down a Corsac is hard as they are always on the move. Its more of a ‘right time right place’ kind of thing rather than going out to find one. There are maps made that track a lot of the caravans groups, but I have never been able to make heads or tails of them and I think that's how they like it. After all - if I can't keep track of them then the darkness that chases them can’t either. More information about the Corsac can be found in the Animalia Almanac.