My peculiar collage for LMAC this week is based on @shaka's lovely winter scene;
Template Photo by @shaka
I was in the mood to do something irrational, to break rules and norms. It was relaxing to play around with a variety of eccentric ideas, mixing the ordinary with the extraordinary.
If you look at my collage you will see in the upper left hand corner a nimble animal darting to and fro. This critter is a weasel.
The Weasel
Image credit: Keven Law. Used under a CC 2.0 license.
Weasels are in the Mustelid family (members of the Mustela genus). This family includes badgers, wolverines, otters, polecats,and mink--among others. Weasels vary in size and coloration. The smallest weasel is also the smallest carnivore in the world (according to Live Science--although I find this hard to believe.) The 'least weasel' may weigh as little as an ounce.
Least Weasel
Image credit: SurreyJohn. Picture taken at the British Wildlife Center. Used under CC 4.0 license
Even the largest weasels, however, are not very big. According to Animal Diversity Web, the long-tailed weasel may be 1.3 feet long. They may weigh as much as 15.6 ounces, with males being larger than females and the average being much smaller than that.
Long-tailed Weasel
Image credit: I Am Weasel, USFWS. Copyright free.
Long-tailed weasels that live in the north shed their fur in winter and become snowy white, as illustrated above. This shedding does not occur in southern climes.
Long-tailed Weasel Range
Weasels are nocturnal. When they are awake they spend most of their time hunting, eating and storing food. They dig burrows in the ground, but are also prone to appropriating burrows dug by other animals...including termites.
Their prey consists of small, ground-dwelling animals such as rabbits, squirrels, moles, frogs, birds and bird eggs. The weasel's physique allows it to wriggle its way into small spaces in order to find food. However, the weasel's greatest ally in its hunting exploits is probably its ferocity. It is known to be fearless and will attack prey larger than itself.
Weasel Attacking Quail
Image credit: Popular Science Magazine. 1899. Artist unknown. Public domain
Mating occurs mostly in spring and summer. Weasels are promiscuous. When food supply is abundant, litters are larger and more frequent--as many as three litters a year with fifteen kits per litter.
Here is a YouTube video of weasel kits in action:
The longest recorded lifespan of a weasel is ten years. However, most kits don't reach adulthood and most weasels don't live longer than one or two years.
My Collage
Rather than describing how my collage took shape, I'll share some pictures. These will reveal the long and winding road to the final version.
Skating Animals
Then there was the mouth phase:
I made GIFs, and more GIFs. I really liked the beaver on skates, but that wasn't going anywhere. Finally I settled on my rather comical monster emerging from ice.
All the creatures in the collage came from Paint3D. I manipulated them by using the same program. My first GIF featuring the emerging monster had moving trees.
That didn't look very interesting. Then I changed the scenery, added snow-covered trees and animals that responded to the monster's movements. It took a bunch of frames for me to get the effect I was looking for. The last challenge was to get the timing right. That still can be improved, I think, but I'm done :))
In addition to Paint 3D I used Paint and Gimp to reconfigure the pictures. I used Gimp to make the GIF
Do I have to say I had fun? I think that's obvious. Every week @shaka gives me an opportunity to let my imagination roam. It's an enriching experience I recommend to all. Thanks @shaka.
#LMAC is a welcoming community. One of the best parts about participating is the people. Learn more about #LMAC at @shaka's blog. There's an #LMAC school to help participants achieve technical skills. Amazingly creative and patient @quantumg provides the lessons and answers questions. We even have a Discord Channel:https://discord.gg/6wSVQsZpuN. Check it out and meet the community.
