The Project
Adventurous artists Sylvia Causer and Sheila Wetton have teamed up with biologist Dr Gavin Thomas to highlight the plight of endangered species and the price we all pay when biodiversity is threatened.
As well knowing a thing or two about biodiversity, Gavin is the curator of the University’s Alfred Denny Zoological Museum, a treasure trove of weird and wonderful specimens, including some creatures you may never have heard of.
With Gavin as their expert guide, Sylvia and Sheila embarked on a project of painstaking detail, learning the science of bone, feathers and fur to produce a series of 30 closely observed drawings. These astonishing artworks bring rarely seen animals and birds to vivid life.
The illustrations
Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) 
Flying Fish (Exocoetus sp.) 
Seahorse (Hippocampus sp.) 
Vertical swimming shrimp fish (Centriscus sp.) 
Dogfish (Squalus sp.) 
Sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) 
Central American Coral Snake (Micrurus nigrocinctus) 
Chameleon (Chamaeleon sp.) Blue tongued skink (Tiliqua rugosa) 
Giant zonure (Cordylus giganteus) 
Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus) 
Mascarene Grass Frog (Rana mascariensis) 
Great Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx haasti) 
Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) 
American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) 
Rhea (Rhea sp) 
Lesser bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea minor) 
Spear Nosed Bat (Phyllostomus sp.) Giant Golden Mole (Chrysospalax trevelyani) 
Duck Billed Platypus (Ornithohynchus anatinus) 
Opossum (Didelphis sp.) 
Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) 
Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu) 
Leopard (Panthera pardus) 
Fur Seal (Arctocephalus sp.) 
Bushbaby (Galago demidovii) 
Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus) 
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) 
Aye Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) 
Blind mole rat (Spalax sp.)
The team
- For more information about Dr Gavin Thomas’s work, visit his staff page
- For more information about the Alfred Denny Museum collection, visit admuseumguide.weebly.com
- To see more of Sylvia Causer’s artwork, follow her on Instagram
- To see more of Sheila Wetton’s artwork, visit her Facebook page
See Also
-
Salmon of Steel
A celebration of the return of the iconic salmon to Sheffield after 220 years of absence. Dr Deborah Dawson, Sally Hyslop, Jason Heppenstall, Sophie Carter, Dr Ed Shaw -
Uncertain Awareness
Art work shows the damage that extreme weather events cause to Arctic ecosystems including biodiversity, climate and societal impacts. Professor Gareth Phoenix, Arantza Pardo, Virtual Pixel -
Whisper Drifter Trickster
An interactive installation exploring climate change and the effects of ocean acidification on marine organisms. Dr Luis Hernan, Katja Peijnenburg, Carolina Ramirez-Figueroa -
Whisper Drifter Trickster – Podcast
Luis Hernan, Katja Peijnenburg and Carolina Ramirez-Figueroa discuss their installation exploring climate change and the effects of ocean acidification on marine life
