I've been making sculptures using materials I find at the beaches near my home in Venice, Florida. I decided to build an animal bust series, with the challenge of not using any paint. So, strictly natural materials. One of the animals I really wanted to build was a Saiga Antelope. This unusual deer lives in Mongolia and Russia, and has the distinction of having a trunk-like nose. It has been called a "Star Wars deer" because of its alien like appearance. The Saiga also somewhat resembles a Camel. As Christmas is approaching, I think a Saiga would be a funny choice for a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer type Santa Claus story. Hence, "Saiga, the Trunk-Nosed Plains Deer."
The first animal in this series that I built was a Lion. Since he's made of shells, he's a Sea Lion.
I call this "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Sharkteeth". The sharkteeth are hidden in plain sight.
Florida's beaches are home to some Starving, Starving Hippos.
While Hippos are a cute, but dangerous African animal, it is somewhat surprising to learn that wild hippos do exist in Colombia. They can be found around the Rio Magdalena. They are descendants of escaped hippos owned by drug lord Pablo Escobar.