Northern Muriqui (Woolly Spider Monkey) (Brachyteles hypoxanthus)

Ted requested a spider monkey, and then we had to narrow it down because there are several species. The muriquis used to be called woolly spider monkeys, but that name is out of favor now, and muriqui, the monkey's Indian name, is in. Muriquis live only in Brazil. The northern species has a mottled pink-and-black face (as well as mottled pink-and-black genitals!), while the southern muriqui has a plain black face (and, yes, plain black genitals). Go here to listen to muriquis in the wild. Sometimes they sound like horses.

Puku (Kobus vardonii)

I've started to worry that I will draw all the mammals that I know or that I find interesting or that other people like in the first couple years of my project, leaving me with more than a decade of obscure, never-photographed mammals and lots of rodents. I checked out a book from the library called Mammals—Their Latin Names Explained by A.F. Gotch, and I'm trying to "randomly" choose mammals I've never heard of to draw. The puku is one of those, as is the edible dormouse from a couple of days ago. (I put randomly in quotation marks because in fact, I'm choosing them based on their names.)

The puku is an antelope that lives in central southern Africa. The males, like this one, have these lovely ridged horns. The vardonii part of the puku's Latin name is a tribute to Major Frank Vardon. A.F. Gotch tells us that Vardon was "an English elephant hunter, and a friend of Livingstone when in Africa about the year 1850; he wrote the first scientific paper on the Tsetse Fly."

Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii)

Until the 1990s, scientists thought there was only one species of orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, with two subspecies, the Sumatran and Bornean orangutans. Well, DNA testing meant they could check to be sure, and what do you know? The Sumatran and Bornean orangutans turned out to be separate species. They're pretty much indistinguishable unless you can inspect their genes, but I think the Sumatran ones have slightly longer hair.

Edible Dormouse (Glis glis)

This poor little guy gets his common name from the ancient Roman delight in eating him. In fact, they kept him in special terracotta jars to fatten him up, making him all the more delicious. The Glis glis is also known as a fat dormouse because of how it pads itself out for hibernation. These dormice—which are around the size of a squirrel—were introduced into Great Britain in 1902 when the Baron Rothschild accidentally let six of them that he had brought over from the continent escape. Now, they're a bit of a scourge, an invasive species that commandeers attics and barns, making both a great ruckus and a nuisance of itself. But since the introduced Glis glis is rare in England, it's a protected species, which means that only licensed pest-control professionals may kill or trap it. In other words, unless you're willing to put up the pounds sterling, you're stuck with the little buggers.

Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

My mom also wanted a chipmunk. There are some 25 species of chipmunk, all but one of which live in North America. The most common by far is the Eastern chipmunk. Did you know that most rodents have five toes on their back feet and four on their front? And the chipmunk is no exception. Also, if you want to tell the difference between a golden-mantled ground squirrel and a chipmunk, look at the face: the ground squirrel will never have stripes on its face, while the chipmunk always will.

(White) Tiger (Panthera tigris)

My mom asked me to draw a white tiger. White tigers are not a separate species or even subspecies of tiger: they're exactly the same as the more common orange tigers, but with a gene mutation that makes their fur white. They also have light eyes, usually blue like this guy's.

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

Capybaras live in South and Central America. They are my favorite rodent, as well as the world's largest, weighing 150 pounds or more. They're about 3–4 feet long and 2 feet high. The colder their climate, the darker and coarser their hair. Capybaras' feet are webbed and they spend a lot of time in the water. Sometimes they hide there with only their noses sticking out. Because of their aquatic nature, capybaras were the subject of a strange ruling by the Vatican, which agreed to classify them as fish. This means that South and Central American Catholics can eat them during Lent, when other meat is forbidden. In fact, some 80 tons of capybara meat are sold annually. Capybara leather is also sought after, and the capybaras are facing the destruction of much of their habitat, but their fast rate of reproduction means that they aren't endangered.

Golden Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)

Here is a hamster for Joe Hall. It turns out that the hamster species kept as pets is just one of several kinds of hamsters, so tune in for the next 14 years and you're sure to see some more! This is a golden hamster. My sister and I had one when we were kids. We went to Jerry's Pets in the mall and picked out a cute female one, colored just like the one in this drawing. We named her Peachy. Well, one morning less than a week later, we woke up to find seven strange-looking little pink eraser bugs in the cage with Peachy. She ate one, the rest grew fur and opened their eyes, we gave four away, and we kept two: a light brown one I called Kisser and a spotty one my sister named Pinto Bean. Pinto Bean later became a proficient pianist (really!), but I think all three of them ended up escaping, never to be found again.

Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps)

I hadn't heard of sugar gliders until Jeanne and Victoria told me about them last week. These nocturnal little guys—and they are little—live in Australia and New Guinea, where they glide from tree to tree. I think they look like they're wearing capes. They are also fairly popular as exotic pets, but I don't think I would want one, despite how adorable they are.

Naked Mole-Rat (Heterocephalus glaber)

Between the echidna and the naked mole-rat, it's safe to say that we have now probably covered the two strangest species of mammals in the world, and in the first month of mammals!

The naked mole-rat lives in the desert of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. What's downright amazing about these rodents is that they live more like insects than like mammals. A colony of naked mole-rats comprises about 80 or so creatures, including one queen and her harem of one, two, or three males. These males and the queen are the only members of the colony that reproduce. That's okay with the others, though, because all the mole-rats in a particular colony are extremely closely related, so everyone's genes get passed down. The mole-rat who becomes queen creates more space between her vertebrae, allowing her to carry litters of babies.

The non-reproducing mole-rats are workers, and they're divided into castes: they're either diggers or soldiers protecting the colony. The mole-rats live in a huge network of underground tunnels. They only barely have eyes at all, and often keep them closed while they're scurrying around. If they have to leave the tunnel—which happens extremely rarely—they'll only go under cover of night. They have no way to regulate their body temperature, so it fluctuates with their environment. Since they're underground, it's relatively cool, but they do sleep during the hot days. They're about three or four inches long, and almost hairless.

So many more amazing things about these mammals. You really should learn more about them!

The Naked Truth About Mole-Rats

(Baby) Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

This one is for Raecheleia! Asian elephants, also called Indian elephants, are smaller than the African ones, with smaller ears, too, and they're easier to train, so they are frequently used as beasts of burden. They are endangered in the wild. This one's a baby with fur on his head and wrinkles all over.

I'm moving across the country in about six hours. I've got mammals drawn for the next several days, and I'll post them as I can this week, depending on the Internet access in my motels. If I miss a day, please forgive me, and I will catch up as soon as I can!

Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)

May I introduce the monotremes? They are an ancient order of mammals, now including only the duck-billed platypus and a few species of echidna. Monotremes are very strange creatures, mammals that lay eggs and nurse their young (which are called puggles!) after they hatch, although they don't have teats and instead secrete milk from their pores! This one, the short-beaked echidna, is the most widely distributed animal in Australia, and appears on one of Australia's coins. Echidnas don't have teeth—they suck up insects through their long noses, like anteaters and armadillos do. My pal Dana requested an echidna drawing.

Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)

This really is how they sleep! My dictionary says the red panda is native to high bamboo forests. It's related to the raccoon, and is also called the lesser panda, which seems to diminish its beauty a bit. Laura wanted a red panda, and here it is.

Groundhog (Marmota monax)

Happy Father's Day! In honor of the occasion, here is a groundhog, requested by my father-in-law, Steve. Groundhogs are also called woodchucks, but the tongue-twister "How much ground could a groundhog hog if a groundhog could hog ground?" never really took off. Like almost half of the mammals in the world, groundhogs are rodents. (If you wanted to draw only all the rodents, at the rate of one rodent drawing a day, it would take you about 6 years to finish.)

Jack Rabbit (Lepus californicus)

Maleta also wanted a rabbit, but instead, she's getting a hare! Several varieties of jack rabbits live in western North America, but they're not really rabbits. Hares are different because their babies (called leverets) are born with fur and open eyes, while baby rabbits (or kits) are born hairless with their eyes closed. Also, rabbits make nests in which to give birth, while hares don't.

Javelina (Tayassu tajacu)

Javelinas live in the desert southwest, just like me. They travel in herds, and members of a herd smell alike, thanks to the javelinas' habit of rubbing against their friends to mingle musks. It helps them remember who's who and keeps them from getting lost, as their eyesight is quite poor. Javelinas, which are also called peccaries, have coarse fur, small hooves, and tough, leathery mouths, which means they can eat prickly pears without hurting themselves.

From what I can tell, although a lot of people think that the javelina's name comes from the word javelin, the two words are actually unrelated. (This javelina is for my dad.)

Living with urban javelina on the Arizona Game and Fish website.

Jaguarundi (Felis yagouaroundi)

This one is for my dad. This beautiful cat lives in South and Central America, as well as south Texas, and perhaps other parts of the southern and southwestern US. The jaguarundi is just one of the animal species that could be harmed by the government's proposed fence along the US/Mexico border.

Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

Ah, skunks. They are so cute, yet so smelly. Maleta asked for this skunk drawing, along with a few other animals native to her home of Tatum, New Mexico, which I will be drawing in coming weeks.

Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus)

Here is Ashley's hoary bat! Ashley writes:

My favorite mammal is a little guy called the Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus), the most widely distributed bat in North America. They are even in Hawaii. They have a lovely hoar of white.

Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

I had never heard of these elegant guys until my mom requested a drawing of one. They look like very long-legged foxes. They live in South America, and apparently, they smell like skunks.

The Secret Wolf

Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)

You probably already know that the blue whale is the largest animal known to have ever existed on Earth. According to the American Cetacean Society, from 1868, when technology allowed whalers to kill the blue whale, until 1966, when the hunting of blue whales was banned internationally, up to 99 percent of the blue whale population was killed. In 1931 alone, whalers killed 29,000 of the giant creatures. Whereas there once were some 350,000 blue whales in the world, now there are 8,000-14,000 or so. (Ted requested the blue whale drawing.)

Ring-tailed Leighmur (Lemur catta)

For Leigh's last mammal, he branched out from western North America and requested a lemur. Apparently, there are 50 species of lemurs (many of which are endangered). I chose a ring-tailed lemur. Several websites about lemurs say that the word lemur comes from the Latin lemures, meaning "nocturnal spirits," but my dictionary widget says it means "'spirits of the dead' (from its specterlike face)," which I prefer. I sort of fell in love with lemurs, researching them today. They are simultaneously so hilarious-looking and beautiful. It took me several tries to draw their face shape reasonably accurately—they kept coming out looking like cats.

Moose (Alces americanus)

Here is Leigh's moose. Leigh has only one more mammal coming to him! I read this on Animal Diversity Web: "Moose are limited to cool regions because of their large bodies, inability to sweat, and the heat produced by fermentation in their gut."

Aren't you glad you don't have fermentation in your gut that produces uncomfortable heat? I assume you don't, anyhow.

Wolverine (Gulo gulo)

The wolverine is another request from Mr. Leigh, and it has a scientific name that's very fun to say. It lives in Europe and Siberia, as well as in the northernmost parts of North America (and just barely down into the northwest U.S.). Just like me, the wolverine is solitary and needs a lot of space. I drew the wolverine several times today, and even painted it with watercolors once, but here are just two of them—same pose, different style. (Also, this is Thursday's Daily Mammal, even though it's technically Friday am.)

Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis)

Leigh also wanted a bighorn sheep! We have the female on top, and then the male. I love how their horns make mounds on their heads. You can see how if the female's kept growing, her flesh would mound up and she wouldn't have that elegant divot in the middle of her head anymore. I wonder if the horns hurt when they're coming in. Also, there is a subspecies of bighorn that's only in the desert, including west Texas, but I didn't really research what the differences are.

Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)

Representing the brown bear (Ursus arctos) species today is the grizzly bear subspecies (the Kodiak is also a subspecies of the brown bear). In the 19th century, there were tens of thousands of grizzlies in the lower 48 (of course, there weren't 48 then...), but now there are only a couple thousand. The good news is that there are still plenty of them in Alaska, and the bear was recently taken off the federal threatened species list. The grizzly bear's hump is pure muscle. It helps them dig and otherwise use their front legs. (This is another one for Leigh!)

Hoary Marmot (Marmota caligata)

Hello, hoary marmot! These guys live in northwestern North America from Alaska down into Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. They're also known as whistlers, and they hibernate from fall to spring, which I could do, too. This is another of Leigh's requests from his trip through the west a few years ago.

Hoary marmot on Animal Diversity Web.

Rocky Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus)

In 14 years, I will have drawn every mammal there is! Or something! So to get started, I'm going to be filling some years-old requests from my friend Leigh, beginning with the Rocky Mountain goat. Both sexes have the horns. This guy here has his summer coat.

Rocky mountain goat on Animal Diversity Web.