Marbled Salamander, Ambystoma opacum - painted in Photoshop.

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 I haven't had much time for illustration these days, but I felt inspired by the time of year and all the autumnal migrations happening right now in the salamander world, so I made some time for this one. Fall breeding salamanders are among my favorites. Marbled salamanders breed this time of year and the female lays her eggs in a dry Ephemeral pond basin. She then waits for the autumnal rains to fill the pond and inundate the eggs with water. She must leave the eggs then because Marbled Salamanders are poor swimmers and run the risk of drowning. I enjoy illustrating in Photoshop and it has helped me experiment with color - my line drawings by hand are always simply pen and ink.

#ScientificIllustration #Illustration #Photoshop #MarbledSalamander #Ambystomatidae #Ambystomaopacum #Ambystoma

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