Formicephalos cruranis

Piece #3

Title: Formicephalos cruranis

Medium: pen, marker, watercolor paint, and pencil on paper board

Description: I decided to try my hand at creating a believable genus of animal without giving it explicit ancestry. The result was Formicephalos, drawing physiology from ants, brine shrimp, and trilobites. The etymological origin of Formicephalos, meaning "ant-head", is from Formicidae, the scientific name for ants, and from cephalos, which is Greek for "head". The species in question is cruranis, whose name is latin for "frog leg". Formicephalos cruranis would dwell in tidal environments, patrolling the waters languidly for small fish until threatened, whereupon it defends itself with powerful kicks from its large hind legs, and then using those same legs to make a speedy escape while its assailant is stunned.