Trunks, Tusks, and Talons

Lately, I've taken a break from Mesozoic fauna to work on a large project focusing on the past 100 million years. Therefore, many of my recent drawings have focused on Cenozoic creatures, specifically proboscideans (elephants, mammoths, mastodons, and their close relatives) and South American creatures from the mid-Miocene.

 

Phosphatherium 

(55 million year old proboscidean from Morocco)

 Phiomia  

(35 million year old proboscidean from Egypt)

 Jousting bull Gomphotherium, draft 1

(based on Gomphotherium productum,

a 13 million year old species from New Mexico) 

 Theosodon family (draft 1)

A native South American mammal related to the later, better-known Macrauchenia (hence why the necks are too long).

 Theosodon family (draft 2)

 Sitting individual's neck is still too long.

 Theosodon family (draft 2, colored)

Markings based mainly on tapirs (including the horizontal stripes on the juvenile), but colors inspired by the maned wolf. 

Sketch of Kelenken, one of the largest known phorusrhacids, or "terror birds". The head alone is over 2 ft (60 cm) long!

 Digital painting of Kelenken (in progress)