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Wildlife Paintings
Carnivore
Carnivore
The definition is determined by an animal's diet.
The word 'carnivore' is derived from Latin words:
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Carnivorus, meaning "flesh-eating, feeding on flesh"
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Vorare, meaning "to devour or eat"
A carnivore is any member of the mammalian order Carnivora (literally, “flesh devourers” in Latin), comprising more than 270 species. In a more general sense, a carnivore is any animal (or plant; see carnivorous plant) that eats other animals. https://www.britannica.com/animal/carnivore-mammal
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Carnivore Paintings: Click on each image or scroll down to see larger images of the paintings and to read interesting facts about each animal and the conservations efforts that are currently underway.
Snow Leopard - Silent Guardian
(Soft Pastel)
Snow Leopard - Silent Guardian
(Soft Pastel)
The snow leopard is unable to roar but puffing, hissing, growling, screaming, yowling, moaning, and even purring are enough for this elusive and mysterious cat.
The strikingly beautiful but endangered snow leopard remains one of the world’s most mysterious cats. Rarely sighted, it inhabits the high mountains of Central Asia over an expansive twelve-country range.
CITES is the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. CITES bans or strictly limits trade of animals or their body parts. Since 1975, the snow leopard has been listed by CITES in Appendix I, which includes species that are threatened with extinction. This means it is illegal to internationally trade in snow leopards or their body parts.
IUCN “Red List of Threatened Species” classifies the snow leopard as Vulnerable (Decreasing).
Reference photo for this artwork is licensed royalty-free from Shutterstock.
Information about the snow leopard can be found on the official websites of Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), Snow Leopard Conservancy, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Copyright © 2023 Karen Conger All Rights Reserved.
Unlike other large cats, they cannot roar. Instead they growl, shriek, hiss and purr, similar to house cats. Mountain lions are territorial and solitary. They use pheromones and physical signs (like claw markings or feces) to define their territory.
The mountain lion—also known as the cougar, puma, panther, or catamount—is a large cat species native to the Americas.
Mountain lions are an "umbrella species" for conservation because their conservation depends on the preservation of large amounts of habitat. A mountain lion usually requires about 13 times as much area as a black bear or 40 times as much area as a bobcat to thrive. By preserving enough wilderness to support a stable mountain lion population, countless other species of plants and animals that share mountain lion habitat benefit.
The eastern cougar, a subspecies of mountain lion, was declared officially extinct by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2011, although individuals from western populations have been confirmed to wander as far as the East Coast. Florida panthers, the other U.S. subspecies of mountain lion, are listed as critically endangered on the endangered species list. There are less than 160 Florida panthers left in the wild.
Mountain lions are legally classified as "specially protected species". In July 2019, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the Fish and Game Commission to list mountain lions as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) within a proposed evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) located in Southern California and along the central coast of California. In April 2020, the Commission found that listing of this ESU may be warranted and designated mountain lion within the ESU as a candidate species under CESA.
CDFW is now completing a 12-month status review of mountain lions within the proposed ESU. Upon completion, CDFW will make its recommendation on listing to the Commission. Under CESA, species classified as a candidate species are afforded the same protection as listed species. As a result, mountain lions in this proposed ESU are CESA-protected during the review period.
Elsewhere in California, mountain lion numbers appear to be stable.
IUCN “Red List of Threatened Species” classifies the puma as Least Concern (Decreasing).
Reference photo for this artwork is licensed royalty-free from Shutterstock.
Copyright © 2023 Karen Conger All Rights Reserved.
Amur Leopard – Elusive Power
(Digital Pen)
Amur Leopard – Elusive Power
(Digital Pen)
Stealthy, nimble, solitary. Strong and fearsome.
Speeds up to 37 mph,
Leaps 19’ horizontally and 10’ vertically.
Hunting at night and never giving up the fight.
Pound for pound, the leopard is the strongest climber of all the big cats. Their shoulder blades even have special attachment sites for stronger climbing muscles.
They spend much of their time in trees even when stalking prey and for eating. Both lions and hyenas will take away a leopard’s food if they can. To prevent this, they will often store their kill high up in tree branches where it can feed in relative safety. They are cunning, opportunistic hunters.
AWF and the IUCN “Red List of Threatened Species” list the leopard species as Vulnerable with a Decreasing population of fewer than 100 individuals. The primary threat to the leopard is human activity.
Reference photo for this artwork is licensed royalty-free from Shutterstock.
Information about the Amur leopard can be found on many official websites including World Wildlife Fund (WWF), African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Copyright © 2023 Karen Conger All Rights Reserved.
Cheetah Cub – Your Cheetah Eyes
(Digital Pen)
Cheetah Cub – Your Cheetah Eyes
(Digital Pen)
Cheetah cubs are born with all the spots they’ll ever have, but when they’re tiny those spots are very close together making their fur a darker, ash gray color. Cheetah cubs have a thick silvery-grey mantle down their back that helps camouflage the cubs by imitating the look of an aggressive animal called a honey badger. This mimicry may help deter predators such as lions, hyenas, and eagles from attempting to kill them. Cubs lose their mantle at about three months of age.
Adult cheetahs have undercoats ranging in color from light tan to a deep gold marked by solid black spots. These spots are not open like the rosettes found on a leopard or jaguar’s coat, which is one way to quickly identify the cheetah. Distinctive black tear stripes run from the eyes to the mouth. The stripes are thought to protect the eyes from the sun’s glare. It is believed that they have the same function as a rifle scope, helping cheetahs focus on their prey from a long distance by minimizing the glare of the sun.
Unlike other large cats and pack predators, cheetahs do not do well in wildlife reserves. These areas normally contain high densities of other larger predators like the lion, leopard, and hyena. Predators such as these, compete with cheetahs for prey and will even kill cheetahs given the opportunity. In such areas, the cheetah cub mortality can be as high as 90%. Therefore, roughly 90% of cheetahs in Africa live outside of protected lands on private farmlands and thus often come into conflict with people.
CCF works internationally and maintains a field base in Namibia, the country with the largest population of wild cheetah. Employing a holistic approach that balances the needs of people, wildlife, and land, CCF’s success has inspired a nation that once viewed this species as vermin to proudly claim the title, "Cheetah Capital of the World.”
IUCN “Red List of Threatened Species” classifies the cheetah as Vulnerable (Decreasing).
Reference photo for this artwork is from WCN/CCF. National Geographic has rare photos of cheetahs in the snow in South Africa.
Information about cheetahs can be found on the official websites of Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), National Geographic, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Copyright © 2023 Karen Conger All Rights Reserved.
Amur Siberian Tiger – Territorial - I’m Watching You
(Digital Pen)
Amur Siberian Tiger – Territorial - I’m Watching You
(Digital Pen)
They roar, rumble, and purr.
Siberian (or Amur) tigers may be the world's largest cats. They live primarily in eastern Russia's birch forests, though some exist in China and North Korea. Though their northern climate is far harsher than those of other tigers, these animals have some advantages.
*New Subspecies Classifications
Since 2017, IUCN has recognized two tiger subspecies, commonly referred to as the continental tiger and the Sunda island tiger. All remaining island tigers are found only in Sumatra, with tigers in Java and Bali now extinct. These are popularly known as Sumatran tigers. The continental tigers currently include the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese and Amur (Siberian) tiger populations, while the Caspian tiger is extinct in the wild. The South China tiger is believed to be functionally extinct.
The Amur (Siberian) tiger is the biggest tiger of the tiger species and is the only subspecies of tiger that has learned to live in the snow. They have the longest fur of the tigers and they need it.
Adult male tigers are at the top of the food chain. They hunt alone and can run while holding a 100-kilogram (220-pounds) prey in their mouths, reaching speeds up to 50-mph.
After a century of decline, overall wild tiger numbers are starting to tick upward. Based on the best available information, tiger populations are stable or increasing in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia and China. About 4,500 tigers remain in the wild, but much more work is needed to protect this species if we are to secure its future in the wild. In some areas, including much of Southeast Asia, tigers are still in crisis and declining in number.
In 2010, the 13 tiger range countries committed to TX2—to double wild tiger numbers by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger. In pursuing TX2, WWF and its partners have taken a comprehensive approach to tiger conservation. Achieving TX2 requires expanding support for site-based programs across priority landscapes and ensuring key populations endure long after the TX2 goal is met.
Global Tiger Day is observed on July 29th to reinforce concern and to inform of the ecological role of the Siberian Tiger.
IUCN “Red List of Threatened Species” classifies the Amur tiger as Endangered (Decreasing).
Reference photo for this artwork is licensed royalty-free from Shutterstock.
Information about the Amur Siberian tiger can be found on the official websites of Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), National Geographic, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Copyright © 2023 Karen Conger All Rights Reserved.
African Lion Cub - Born with Spots
(Soft Pastel)
African lion cubs are born with spots and bright blue eyes. The leopard-like spots eventually disappear as they grow older and their eyes eventually change to a permanent golden hue.
Lionesses in a pride often have cubs around the same time as each other. They look after them in a group, known as a ‘crèche’. This helps to keep them safe from predators – meat-eating animals, such as other lions and tigers – and also large animals such as elephant and buffalo.
They remain hidden for one to two months before being introduced to the rest of the pride.
Are lion cubs dangerous? Yes. They are wild animals.
IUCN “Red List of Threatened Species” classifies the African Lion as Vulnerable (Decreasing).
Reference photo for this artwork is from pixabay.com.
Information about African lions can be found on the official websites of Life Science; Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) and conservation partners in Kenya and Mozambique; and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Copyright © 2023 Karen Conger All Rights Reserved.
African Lion Cub - Born with Spots
(Soft Pastel)
Black Jaguar Mother & Cub - Insight
(Digital Pen)
Black Jaguar Mother & Cub - Insight
(Digital Pen)
The name Jaguar comes from the ancient Indian name “yaguar” which meant “the killer which overcomes its prey in a single bound.” If a black jaguar has a target animal 'in sight', that animal will probably not get away. That is the 'insight' which inspired the name of my painting.
Black jaguars are sometimes misidentified as black panthers, which are not actually a species but a term popularly used for melanistic leopards and jaguars which have dark pigmentation. Both black big cats are part of the genus Panthera but leopards are found in Africa and Asia while jaguars are found in the Americas. A rare variant within the jaguar species, it’s estimated only 11 per cent of jaguars have this dark colouration. But while the black jaguar may appear to be all black, it has spots like other jaguars called “rosettes.”
Jaguars are the third largest cat in the world — after the tiger and lion — and the biggest in the Americas. They can grow up to 170cm long, not including their impressive tails, and males can weigh up to 200 pounds. Their size can vary a lot between regions depending on the size of the local prey. They can kill just about any type of prey they encounter but prefer large animals such as capybaras, alligators, deer and armadillos.Unlike many other cats, jaguars do not avoid water; in fact, they’re quite good swimmers.
Deforestation and poaching are just a couple of the threats contributing to their decline. The black jaguar’s range once spanned from the southern United States down to the tip of South America, but they have been virtually eliminated from half of their historic range. The average life span of the Jaguar in the wild is 15 years. This is one of the highest rates of all felines. They are able to live up to 20 years with the right conditions in captivity.
Jaguar populations are listed as Near Threatened (Decreasing) by the IUCN "Red List of Threatened Species".
Reference photos for this artwork are licensed royalty-free from Shutterstock.
Information about Black Jaguars can be found on the official websites of Big Cat Rescue, Feline Worlds, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Copyright © 2023 Karen Conger All Rights Reserved.
Bobcat in the Mist
(Digital Pen)
The Bobcat (Lynx Rufus) is the most successful wild cat species in North America, and more easily recognized than many other small wild cats. Their soft, dense coat is light grey to reddish brown, and they are randomly barred and spotted with black or dark reddish brown. The fur along the middle of the back is usually darker, while the underparts are whitish, and also spotted.
Bobcats are short stocky cats with muscular legs, their hind legs being slightly longer than their forelegs. Their relatively high shoulder height and thick fur make them appear much larger than they really are. The large ears are black on the outside, with a white central spot, and their eyes are a yellowish brown. Their ear tufts, if present, are much smaller than those of the Canada lynx Lynx canadensis, as is the ruff framing their face. The largest Bobcats are found in Canada and the western USA, while the smallest are found in Mexico.
On a regional level, the Bobcat is totally protected in ten USA states.
IUCN classifies the Bobcat (Lynx Rufus) as of Least Concern and Stable.
Reference photo for this artwork is from my personal photos.
Information about the North American Bobcat (Lynx Rufus) can be found on the official websites of WildcatConservation.org/, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Copyright © 2023 Karen Conger All Rights Reserved.
Bobcat in the Mist
(Digital Pen)
Bengal Tiger - White Tiger Blues
(Colored Pencil, Ink)
White tigers are Bengal tigers. They’re not albino or their own separate species, as many people think. A White Bengal tiger cub can only be born when both parents carry the unusual gene for white colouring. The double recessive allele (a viable DNA coding that occupies a given position on a chromosome) in the genetic code only turns up naturally about once in every 10,000 births. For unexplained reasons it seems to occur only in the Bengal subspecies.
Due to the small size of the gene pool, many White Bengal tigers suffer from health problems due to inbreeding. For this reason, responsible zoos refuse to breed two White Bengal tigers together.
Bengal tigers live in India and are sometimes called Indian tigers. They are the most common tiger and number about half of all wild tigers.
Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage (no two have exactly the same stripes).
Females give birth to litters of two to six cubs, which they raise with little or no help from the male. Cubs cannot hunt until they are 18 months old and remain with their mothers for two to three years, when they disperse to find their own territory.
IUCN “Red List of Threatened Species” list the Bengal tiger species as Endangered (Decreasing).
Reference photo for this artwork is from pixabay.com.
Information about Bengal tigers can be found on the official websites of National Geographic, WildAid, Wildcat Sanctuary, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Copyright © 2023 Karen Conger All Rights Reserved.
Bengal Tiger - White Tiger Blues
(Colored Pencil, Ink)
African Lion – Sunday Afternoon
(Soft Pastel)
African Lion – Sunday Afternoon
(Soft Pastel)
This was a really good hair day for this young African lion.
Conservation partners in Kenya and Mozambique are playing a large role in teaching lions and people to coexist.
With less than 2,000 lions left in the whole of Kenya, the region serves as an important habitat for the big cats. When lions kill and eat livestock, herders often retaliate with guns, spears or poison. Confined to parks, the lion population dwindled and was on the brink of disappearing in 2007 with only 11 lions found in protected areas. Ewaso Lions is working with communities to reverse this trend, creating one of the few places in Africa where lions exist outside protected areas, allowing community lands to once again serve as an important habitat for big cats. The area population has increased to over 50 lions making permanent residence in community lands.
A growing human population of 60,000 in Niassa that needs food and income poses challenges to the reserve’s 800 lions. With few opportunities for education and employment, many families rely on the use of natural resources—particularly fish, skins, ivory, and bushmeat—to support their subsistence lifestyles. The greatest threat to lions in Niassa comes from snares that are set to capture bushmeat and a growing trade in lion skins, claws, and teeth.
IUCN classifies the African lion as Vulnerable (Decreasing).
Reference photo for this artwork is from pixabay.com.
Information about African lions can be found on the official websites of Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), WildAid, Ewasso Lions, Niassa Lion Project (NLP), Lion Recovery Fund (LRF), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Copyright © 2023 Karen Conger All Rights Reserved.