Tuns of Fun

Click to enlarge is so last week. All the cool kids are clicking HERE to enlarge! (And then clicking the image to zoom in.)

Nature fact "Sunday" comic? And a vertical one no less! What madness is this?!

At first, it was the result of poor planning. Nature fact comics are typically easier to make and plan around. But in the end, I'm glad I chose this one, I'm happy with how it came out.

So, okay, wow. Tardigrades. I don't know when I'll ever get another opportunity to talk about them again, so I'd better go for it.

Last week, I told you about Bullsnakes and did my best to make them interesting. Don't get me wrong, I like them a lot, but save for a few clever behaviors, they're pretty unremarkable. But Tardigrades. Oh man. Oh man oh man. Where do I begin.

ANIMAL ESSAY #02 - Tardigrades, Tuns of Steel.

Tardigrades are little microscopic alien-potato-dachshund things that can slow their metabolism to less than 0.01% of what it normally is. This is known as Cryptobiosis, in which they dehydrate and turn into this thing called a 'tun', which looks a bit like a wad of old chewing gum. Thanks to this ability, some tardigrades are able to survive the following:

• 304 °F (151 °C).*
• Near absolute zero.*
• The vacuum of space.**
• Six times the water pressure present in the Mariana Trench.
• Almost a decade of dehydration.***
• Absurdly salty water.
• A thousand times the radiation needed to kill a human.
• Scientists subjecting them to a lot of insane stuff.

* For a few minutes.

** For over a week.

*** For ten years, although there is a report of one that may have survived being dried out for 120 years.

They feed on the fluid of plant and animal cells, and can be found in all sorts of places that would normally suck to live in, including polar regions, the Himalayas, and even the deep sea.

Some tardigrades are parthenogenetic, meaning they can squirt out little microscopic alien-potato-dachshund clones without the hassle of mating. With all of these traits combined, they are the perfect candidate for a low-budget movie monster. 

At the end of the movie, when the human race's existence hangs by a thread, and not even the deadliest weapons in humanity's vast arsenal have made the terrifying tardigrades so much as flinch, the protagonist will save the day upon discovering the beasts' one true weakness - being smooshed by cover slips.

Sources:

http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Love-Weird-Facts/897740

http://sun.iwu.edu/~tardisdp/tardigrade_facts.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

If you want to learn more about these crazy buggers, check out those links above. If you want to see what they look like, just do an image search. There's tons of pictures of them. If we ever find alien life, I hope it's as interesting and weird as Tardigrades.

Next week I'll try to kick off another series, so stay tuned!

- Nolan P.

Fish Have Been Dealt a Bad Hand in Life

Click to enlarge! Or just sit there and strain your eyes. I'm not in a hurry.

I did a little shading this time to make up for the lost "Sunday" last month. That, and I just kinda felt like doing it.

I had no difficulty deciding on which species of salmon to draw. Sockeyes are colorful, weird, and interesting.

Next week, back to the normal swing of things!

  -  Nolan P.

Fish are Lazy

Click to enlarge while supplies last!

The factoid format doesn't do it justice. It's called estivation, it involves a mucous cocoon (with lungfish at least), and it's really cool and weird. There's a good video of it HERE. Along with that, you also get to see several lungfish burst forth from a clay brick wall, reborn from their muddy crypt and ready to terrorize the villagers.

I started too late to make the "Sunday" comic happen, sorry. I don't know how noticeable it is, but I experimented with this one. Instead of using the pencil tool for the lines like I normally do, I went with the brush tool instead. It makes the lettering a lot easier. But for the overall look, I'm not sure I like it. I think I'll go with thicker lines next time, and if that doesn't do the trick, I'll go back to the pencil.

Oh, and worth noting, Possum Tails finally has a Facebook page! Throw it a like if you want to stay updated.
 - Nolan P.

Tourist Trap

It's the fad that's sweeping the nation - Click to Enlarge!

Next week's comic will be a "Sunday", so don't touch that dial!

- Nolan P.

NOTE: I messed up and accidentally deleted an older post while trying to fix a spelling error in it. I guess I can't undo it or put it back where it was, so I'll just put it here for now.

Misplaced 9-20-13 Post: "Possum Tails Pool Party!"

It's not so hard - just click to enlarge!

I had a lot of fun with this one. This comic made me discover that I had no clue how to draw a Western Painted Turtle, and that Red-Eared Sliders are much prettier (and more green) than Western Painted Turtles. I don't even care a little that I've got some anatomical inaccuracies on Fiona - I love how this comic turned out. I'm especially happy with Rontu's expression. This was one of the few comics where I could sit back and laugh at it after drawing. I guess it's because the humor is in the action instead of the words.

You should look up Red-Eared Sliders. They've got beautiful coloration, and they always have this content little smile on their faces.

Tune in next week for the special Like-Sunday-But-Not-Really edition of Possum Tails!
  - Nolan P.

The Closest You Can Get to a Possum Tails Animation

Click to enlarge - It's what separates us from the beasts! Or at least the ones without computers.

My first ever animated GIF.

If I'm not mistaken, almost all (if not all) lizards do this territorial head-bobbing thing. If they start bobbing at you, give them some space. Especially if they have a knife.

And since this is a Nature Fact comic, I must lazily link you to the Wikipedia article for Bearded Dragons. The articles never do the animals justice though - if you want to learn more about them, I suggest googling it or binging it or youtubing it or whatever - they're awesome creatures. Of course, some of you may already know quite a bit about them because you have one in your life, in which case... lucky.

Also, I've known the hand gesture that Groucho's making up there all my life as 'Rock on', but apparently to some it means 'Devil horns' or some other rebellious teenager-y thing. So I'd like to take the time to clear this up and say that I do not work for the scary evil goat-person who lives beneath the earth's crust and pokes people with a big fork. I just wanted to illustrate that Groucho is really rockin' out to whatever he's got on that tiny little MP3 player.

See you next week!

  - Nolan P.

Emergency Landing

c1ic|< +0 3n1@rg3

And by flight I mean gliding. They're really neat creatures. HORRIBLE pets, but neat creatures.

You can learn more about them here on the Pedia of Wiki. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_glider

Also, I hardly ever draw Rontu and Remus' gliding membranes, but they do have them. I've found that they get in the way, like Spot's second pair of tentacle-fin-wooglywoogly-thingies.

Next week - another Nature Fact mayhaps?

Hugs and lungfish!

- Nolan P.

To Sleep, Perchance to Squee

Fact: Clicking this image will enlarge it.

I adore Western Hoggies, and they are easily the best pet I have ever taken care of. I find it bizarre how something so comically cute and harmless is so widely feared.

I've never had one play dead for me. Come to think of it, I've never had one mock-strike at me either. They have a whole arsenal of harmless defenses, most of which can be very funny to watch, but they kind of make you feel bad for the snake.

You can learn a bit more about them here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodon_nasicus

If you want to learn more after that, I dunno, Google it or something. Look up some youtube videos. I'm not a tour guide.

Hugs and Lungfish!

- Nolan P.