A chorus of trumpeting calls announces the arrival of a herd of Dunska, which wobble unsteadily on thin legs as they approach a sun baked shoreline. The Dry season has arrived along the shores of the Hanasi River in the southern reaches of the Scorchedlands, and what was a powerful force in earlier months has dwindled to a string of stagnant, muddy pools.
During the river's seasonal prime, these animals spend most of their time standing over the shallow water course with their heads partially submerged, and often remain in a single spot for days.
Dunska feed on the multitudes of small invertebrates they collect in the fibers on their lower jaw as water passes through their open mouths. This relatively sedentary lifestyle serves them well for most of the year, but when the river ceases flowing in the driest months, they are forced to journey for minutes at a time from one pool to another.
As exhausting as these journeys are, more effort is still required of them. in the still water, plankton do not simply rush into the waiting mouths of the dunska as they should, and the poor creatures must actively push their heads through the water to strain for their meals.
During the wet season, no sound ever leaves the throat of a Dunska. Clans that roam along the Hanasi call the Dunska 'The Great Complainers', because from the time the river begins to dry to the time it flows once again, nothing can be heard over the racket of Dunska herds moving reluctantly from one pool to another.
9" x 12" graphite on bristol, 2016
Jordan Walker is a fine artist and illustrator currently living in western Oregon, and is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design.
He has spent his life roaming through deep woods and rugged coastlines exploring the wonders of the natural world. His life-long fascinations with natural history and ancient civilizations, as well as worlds of fantasy and science fiction have lead him to create work of his own that explores strange new worlds, as well as the one that we know.
His work has been shown in national galleries, and many of his paintings are ...
This is a gallery-quality giclée art print on 100% cotton rag archival paper, printed with archival inks. Each art print is listed by sheet size and features a minimum one-inch border.
