Cartoons for the Mediterranean Monk Seal Project

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to draw cartoons on one of the most desired mammals on my wildlife wishlist- the Mediterranean Monk Seal. The cartoons are meant as commuication resources for SPA/RAC's Mediterranean Monk Seal Project, to unite biologists, conservationists, funders, governments, fishers and citizens in the conservation of the Mediterranean Monk Seal. 

Thanks to Julie Belmont and SPA/RAC for this fun commission!

The Great African Seaforest

(Click on the image for a larger view)

In one of my lengthiest and most detailed illustration projects yet, I got the honour of working closely with the fabulous team at The Seachange Project (creators of the Oscar winning documentary 'My Octopus Teacher')- to create a vision of hope for the Great African Seaforest, a vast expanse of kelp forest in the Atlantic Ocean along the western coast of South Africa. From the glamorous Cape Fur Seal, Cape Clawless Otter and the African Penguin to little known klipfish and limpets, the Great African Seaforest is home to a myriad marine organisms that make the kelp a living, breathing, and a dancing ecosystem! Many of these creatures are threatened by overfishing and anthropogenic disturbances today, and conservationists at the Seachange Project are working towards establishing safe, undisturbed habitats for these species to bounce back.

The illustration is available as a freely downloadable resource on the organization's website here. A massive thanks to the Seachange team (Swati Thiyagarajan, Craig Foster, Carina Frankal, Dani Ehrlich, Jannes Landschoff) for trusting me with the illustration, for having me at Cape Town for a field visit, and for their patience through the project!

Wildlife Map of Denmark

The Wildlife Map of Denmark: now available on my Redbubble store, shipped worldwide! Order here. 

False Bay : Illustration for Save Our Seas

(click on the image for a larger view)

Wedged between the Cape Peninsula and the Hottentot Hollands Mountain of Western Cape, South Africa, the False Bay is a magical ecosystem, teeming with some spectacular and endemic marine life! From African Penguins and Fur Seals to Right Whales and Great White Sharks, this star studded bay is a jewel of the Great African Kelp Forest.

Illustration for Save Our Seas Foundation's gorgeous Shark Education Centre at Kalk Bay, Cape Town. The illustration can be downloaded on their website here. Thanks to Jade Schulz and the team at SOSF for the opportunity!

New Year Resolutions for Better Mental Health from Wild Animals

Some new year resolutions for better mental health from wild animals from around the world! Which ones are you adopting? Comic for DW Environment's social media.

Elephant Seal Sexual Dimorphism

On the extreme sexual dimorphism among elephant seals from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. 

Jonah's Icefish Breeding Colony in Antarctica

The largest breeding colony of fish in the world, comprised of the Jonah's Icefish, was recently discovered in Antarctica's Weddell Sea. A Weddell Seal brings presents this segment in my Sunday Mid-Day column. 

The Antarctic Peninsula : Illustration for Save Our Seas Foundation

(click on the image for a larger view)

Commonly perceived as uninhabitable and desolate, the Antarctic Peninsula is actually teeming with south polar wildlife, most of which is threatened by climate change today. A unique ecosystem where all food is derived from the sea, the biome harbours creatures as tiny as krill (that form the core of the food web) and as large as the Blue Whale! The terrestrial wildlife of the Antarctic Peninsula is no less splendorous, with five species of penguin, and seal diversity that ranges from the penguin-hunting Leopard Seals, to the gigantic Southern Elephant Seals that can dive upto 1550m to hunt squids! The illustration focuses on how life in Antarctica revolves around krill: Humpback Whales bubble net them, Blue Whales lunge-feed on them, Crabeater Seals have evolved specialized dentitions to hunt them, penguins dive after them, and storm petrels skim the sea surface with their feet in search of them! And if you're wondering why the ice at the penguin colonies looks pink, that too is from the colour that a krill based diet imparts to their poop!

A huge thanks to Save Our Seas Foundation for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to illustrate Antarctica in conjunction with scientists from Penguin Watch working in the region. The illustration will soon be auctioned to Antarctic tour ships to raise money for conservation efforts by SOSF and Penguin Watch. Read the article on the Antarctic Peninsula on their website here. 

Pinnipeds of the World

This World Oceans Day, know the Pinnipeds (seals and walrus) of the world in this brand new poster! Pinniped prints and merchandise are up on my webstore (for international orders). 

For orders within India, the range of goodies available is as follows (email me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com to order):

A1 Posters (loose)- Rs. 2500 each

A2 Posters (loose)- Rs. 1200 each

Loose Posters (A3- Individual species and compilation)- Rs. 500 for the first copy and Rs. 200 for the second copy onwards

Coffee Mug (Compilations)- Rs. 850

The orders can be placed by e-mailing me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. Payments are accepted by NEFT and cheque.

Hawaiian Monk Seal and Climate Change

A cartoon I drew live as a demonstration for my cartooning session with the

East-West Center

Hawaii. Thanks to the institute and to Ms. Vaibhavi Dwiwedi for having me as a speaker!

Russian Oil Spill

Russia's gift to the world on World Environment Day this year: An oil spill of 20000 tons in the Arctic city of Norilsk in Russia that has turned water bodies in its path red. Nornickel, a Russian Diesel company responsible for the spill has been sacked by the government and the city of Norilsk is under an emergency. Cartoon from my Gocomics page.

Killer Whale

The Killer Whale wasn't born a Killer Whale. Society made it one. 

I personally prefer the name Orca. Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Great Bear Rainforest Habitat Illustration

One of the most unique landscapes on earth where temperate rainforests meet the sea, Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada, is a mystical forest.  And this mystique transcends boundaries between land, water and air, and those between wildlife and native communities. The First Nations People of Canada that call the rainforest their home, have been fiercely safeguarding the forests from industrial logging and oil and gas companies. The rainforest is inhabited by many animals sacred to the First Nations People, such as the Spirit Bear (a rare sub-species of the American Black Bear in which some individuals are coloured white!), the Raven, the Bald Eagle, many species of Salmon, and of course, cetaceans like the Humpback and Fin Whales, and Orcas. As a result of rainforest meeting the sea, various interactions that are usually unheard of are witnessed here, such as enormous tracts of cedar and spruce meeting waters ruled by kelp forests, bears and wolves preying on spawning salmon, seals and sea otters bumping into wolverines and minks!

Other than its myriad flora and fauna, the illustration also depicts a First Nations couple in ethnic attire that celebrates the spirit of the animals they worship, veteran whale biologists Janie Wray and Hermann Meuter, who run the Cetacea Lab at Great Bear. Thanks to the Save Our Seas Foundation for commissioning the illustration.

Arctic Diseases and Climate Change

Arctic diseases are on the rise, with pathogens like the seal distemper virus spreading a lot easier because of melting ice caps. Comic from my column with The Hindu.

And before one of you smartypants tells me that penguins aren't found in the Arctic: that bird is a Common Murre. 

Netflix and Krill

On Netflix, 'Our Planet' and overpopulation, from my column with Sunday Mid-day.

Seal Shows

On seal shows from my page with Arastirmaci Cocuk Merkezi, a Turkish children's magazine from Ankara. The comic originally appears in Turkish, in its January issue.

Seals and Walruses

Some cartoons on seal species done for Arastirmaci Cocuk Merkezi, a Turkish children's magazine. The cartoons originally appear in Turkish along side a story that explains the differences between the different seal species and Walruses.

The Life of a Harp Seal

Life's tough being a Harp Seal! Here's a comic from my page with Arastirmaci Cocuk Merkezi, a Turkish children's magazine, that takes you through the life cycle of a Harp Seal. The Harp Seal is a earless seal native to the northern Atlantic and the Arctic Oceans.

The comic originally appears in Turkish in the January issue of Arastirmaci Cocuk Merkezi, brought out from Ankara. Prints on my webstore here. 

Sustainable Travel Tips from the Arctic Tern

Be a responsible tourist; learn from the world's most experienced traveler- the Arctic Tern! (The Arctic Tern is the world's longest distance migrant, flying from the Arctic to Antarctica and back, each year!)

The compilation appears on my page with Saevus magazine this month. And just so you have these reminders at your disposal, the tips are available as a poster that you can get from my webstore here. (Orders within India can be placed on e-mail: rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com)