Mola Mola

People often ask me which are my favorite fishes to illustrate. Hands down: the weirdos and oddballs. Fishes that don't look like your average Joe fishes, don't behave like your average schooling Joe fishes, fishes named after other animals! Batfishes, Frogfishes, Squirrelfishes! Fishes that walk, crawl, croak, and otherwise do their fishy thing in their weird fishy way. See: Searobins. (So cool.) I also love illustrating fishes that mimic bottom glop, or sponges, seaweeds, or... other fishes. Colorful, crazy, messed up fishes.

Then there is the Mola. It's super boring in terms of color. It's body and fins are not challenging to render. No crazy scale rows, no intricate patterns. It's kind of dull. Except... it's NOT!
This is one of the coolest and most highly evolved fishes in the sea.

Here's an amusing little primer on this super cool fish:

Fishy Friday! Evolution of Cichlids

Cichlids are one of the most successful and diverse family of fishes (eclipsed only by Gobies and Cyprinids) with roughly 112 genera, and at least 1,350 species. In Africa, there are at least 900 species alone, with concentrations in the three African lakes that contain more species of fishes than any other lake in the world! Their diversity is mind-blowing.

Some are mouth-brooders, others lay eggs and defend nests, and others combine both methods of reproduction. While primarily a freshwater fish of the tropics, some live in brackish waters.

Because they are small, easy to capture, observe, and test, they have been the subject of much research.

Here now, a superb presentation given by Axel Myer:

OMG! Science Geeks Rock!

This made me laugh so hard, tears ran down my face. Totally relate. I still regularly put my patient and nature-loving sons through a "fact check" in the most embarrassing places: grocery store, gift shop...restaurant... 
"Ahi Tuna is a fake name. It doesn't exist, boys. And don't get me started on the bycatch or Salmon." 
"Mom, we know. Can we just order?"
Love this!

Fish Geeks: a Primer

There's a thing about Fish Geeks: only Fish Geeks really "get" other Fish Geeks. We are a large and diverse tribe of obsessive, compulsive, and driven students, professors, researchers, divers, snorkelers, fishermen, and... artists :)

Our closets are stuffed with T-shirts, Hawaiian shirts, baseball caps, and shorts emblazoned and embroidered with fishes on them. Bumper stickers, drink coasters, keys fobs? Only fish related. Tattoos? Fishes.

Our homes are decorated with fish mounts, fishing memorabilia, fish-related awards, fishing and diving photos, and other fishy decor. If the Geek has it real bad, even his mailbox is in the shape of a fish.

We read and write and blog about fishes. We photograph, film, and illustrate fishes. We attend meetings about fishes. Our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds are fully of fishy news. Who bothers with the New York Times when we've got the Underwater Times?!

We all know the words to the songs "Fish Heads" and the zippy, rappy "Rockfish Barotrauma." We've all seen video "Fish Guys - 48 hour Challenge"––multiple times!

And who can forget the super cute and classic "Barber Lab Quartet - Coral Triangle"?

And we even cover classic songs with lyrics about fishes!

Say Croppie from Donald J Orth on Vimeo.

I think I've made my point.

Want to join the club? New members are always welcome! But be forewarned––it's a life-long addiction. And, there are no Fish Addiction Treatment Centers... yet. ;)