Thursday, December 22, 2011

Gently Smiling Jaws

Take the crocodile, for example. My favorite animal. There are twenty-three species. Seventeen of those species are rare or endangered. They're on the way out, no matter what anyone does or says, you know.
~ Steve Irwin

Having a reptilian day this Art Thursday:

The Crocodile from the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the four rivers)
by Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), Rome, Italy

Barmaley Fountain (Children's Khorovod)

Tiger striking down a crocodile
Auguste Caïn (1873), Jardin des Tuileries, Paris.

Statue of Buddha
Laos

Lizard
by Jean-Baptiste Debret (1768–1848)

Armsieraad (onderdeel)
Tropenmuseum of the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT)

Taishitamonja, the straw serpent
Links:

*What can you do to save reptiles? from Endangered Species International
*International Reptile Conservation Foundation
* Animal Conservation at the National Geographic site
* Other animal posts on The Opposite of Indifference
* The title of this post is from a poem by Lewis Carroll (How doth the little crocodile)

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1 comment:

  1. HighwayDecember 22, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    Alligators and crocodiles have been with me for a long time...mostly in my nightmares. But, even so, I realize their importance in nature.

    The poem by Carroll is a sweet little piece about how nature works...if we just look at it the right way.

    The Statue of Buddha is magnificent. Interesting counterpoint between the smiling, gentle Buddha and the angry fangs!

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