Each animal featured on this card depicts an endangered Australian species.
Australia is home to an abundance of incredible native fauna and flora, but sadly has the highest mammal extinction rate in the world. Since European colonisation in 1788, there have been 100 Australian endemic species conclusively listed as extinct, but the actual number is likely to be far higher than what is recognised in formal lists.
The animals depicted are:
- Koala
- Hairy-Nosed Wombat
- Long-Beaked Echidna
- Black-Footed Rock-Wallabies
- Numbat
- Gouldian Finches
- Mountain Pygmy Possums
We often take for granted the many amazing species within Australia, so I wanted to feature some that don’t always get the spotlight on this year’s holiday card.
Many endangered Australian species are generally not well known in the public eye, and naming conventions such as “common” in the Common Wombat can also give a false impression of their conservation status, or even evoke negative connotations in species such as the Rat Kangaroo (now referred to as the Bare-Nosed Wombat and the Bettong, respectively, in direct countermeasure to this).
Both these groups are declining in number, with some species of Bettong already extinct.
As of 2022, Koalas have now joined the list of endangered species in NSW, ACT, and QLD. As one of Australia’s most iconic species, the effects of human-induced climate change, introduced species, and habitat loss are becoming more relevant.
For the Artwork Itself:
I used watercolour, gouache, and coloured pencil to evoke that vintage storybook vibe that I think is so characteristic of holiday cards.
I was inspired by hairy-nosed wombats and their warrens – large, complex, and insulated networks of interconnecting burrows housing multiple groups of wombats and occasionally other animals. The Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombats even dig their burrows in the red earth of southern Australia – that’s one festive colour catered for!
While claims of wombats ushering other animals to their burrows during the 2020 bushfires were somewhat exaggerated, small animals are known to take refuge within their burrows to survive an inferno. A 2015 study observed 11 other animal species making use of the warrens. Black-footed rock-wallabies visited the burrows the most – even more than the wombats themselves!
I thought it would be a fitting theme for a holiday card, as a reminder of the importance and value of community that enriches this festive period and our lives as a whole, while also bringing some of Australia’s threatened wildlife to the limelight.
For more information on these endangered species and others, click here. You can find out more about Australia’s wildlife or get involved through FAME, the AWS, WWF Australia, and Wires.