Animals as elements: 73-74 Tantalum Tantulum elegans, Tungsten Rhinoceros

Tantalum is rare transition metal that your almost certainly using now. It’s used in capacitors in almost every modern computing device. This it is one of the metals most prized in the recycling of such devices. It’s not very toxic at low levels but can easily become so in high doses. It’s tied with the Tantulum elgans a sea bound slug that shares a similar name.

Tungsten is a very hard transition metal. It’s used in heating elements, mining and aerospace. It’s getting harder to source and mine and has become rarer in recent years.

Rhinoceros are large megafauna herbivores that are unfortunately endangered. It’s tied to Tungsten as they both have increased rarity and hardness.

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Animals as elements: 71-72 Lutetium Hen Harrier, Hafnium Danish Landrace Ram

Lutetium is the last of the lanthanides. It’s another not so rare “rare-earth” metals. Being almost as common as silver in the earths crust but significantly more difficult to process and thus expensive. It’s main use is in determining the age of other minerals, as its isotopes decays in a very predictable pattern and length that gives it an edge over other isotopes. It’s paired up with Hen Harrier as they both share naming issues, the Hen Harrier called many different names throughout Europe, it’s the same with Lutetium which also had many different names in Europe until recently.

Hafnium is a return to the transition metals, it’s used in computing and neutron capture rods in nuclear reactors. It’s resembles Zirconium and is often mistaken for it.

The danish landrace goat bread out of domesticated and wild goats in Denmark. It is often mistaken for other breeds of goat. It’s tied to Hafnium as they both get mistaken often.

Animals as Elements: 69-70 Thulium Idiacanthus Atlanticus, Ytterbium Tench

The black dragonfish (Idiacanthus atlanticus) is one of the weirdest looking of the dark sea hunting fish that we know of. It’s likely many more exist that we don’t know about that are just as if not more weird. It almost exclusively hunts in the dark of the ocean and it’s bioluminescent light is almost invisible to human eyes, it however is able to see and use it to hunt its prey.

Thulium is a fairly rare “earth” element, it maintains this name despite being available in sufficiently detectable quantities in the ocean. It’s mostly used in lasers and X-ray machines. All this makes it a suitable candidate for being tied to the black dragonfish.

Ytterbium (not to be confused with Yttrium, it’s one of four elements named after the same Swedish Town) is the second last lanthanide. It’s mostly used to help form stainless steel, in lasers, and as a source of gamma rays. It will react fairly readily with oxygen outside of an alloy and forms a white salt.

Tench are a fresh water fish, though “fresh” is stretching it as they tolerate very low oxygen environments that even Carp has trouble surviving at. This is why it’s paired with Ytterbium.

Animals as elements: 65-66 Terbium Western Spade-foot, Dysprosium Water Buffalo

Terbium is probably one of the weirdest elements in the first 100 elements besides Mercury. It reacts with pretty much everything including water. Its ability to react readily means it often needs care in its handling, but it is handy as an alloy being used in the production of tungsten, fluorescent tubes, phosphorescence paint, sonar technology, and even in the detection of certain nasty strains of bacteria.

The Western Spadefoot is an arid area toad that lives in the California region. A nocturnal toad that mostly lives in small ponds and has one of the quickest known metamorphosis of any toad, in that it will transform form spawnling to tadpole, to small toad in a matter of 12-13 days if conditions are optimal.  This is why I related this strange looking toad with Terbium, they both transform quickly in the right circumstances.

Dysprosium is probably one of those elements most people wouldn’t even pay much attention to. Mostly as it is not exceptionally useful as a separate element. Though its use in ultraviolet LED’s has led to it being in broader use in your remote controls in recent times as LED’s replace earlier ultraviolet light emitting means. It is also used as in nuclear reactor control rods as it is able to perform very well for neutron capture.

Water buffalo are large bovine (bovid) from South-Southeast Asia. It is a partially domesticated animal with many feral populations within countries throughout the world. Both its milk and meat are eaten, and it is also used as a beast of burden for the tillage of fields and cropping. It mostly likes to live in wetland and grasslands ranging as far as tropical savannah.  It is connected to Dysprosium as it current main source is in Southeast Asia, but it may be sourced from the others such as Australia in the not too distant future as well.

 

Animals as elements: 63-64 Europium Moon Jellyfish, Gadolinium Ruddy Shelduck

Europium is a element that is liquid at room temperatures, and often can look like a silvery metal. It can oxidize fairly easily so care is taking in its handling. It’s used in lasers, lights, CRT monitors, and computing.

The moon jellyfish is a odd little creature that is only about 25-40 cm round when full grown. It’s capable of a small range of movement and can swim to a very small extent. It generally follows currents to feast on plankton. It’s tied to European as its a water creature that likes lukewarm environments.

Gadolinium is a fairly rare, rare earth metal, that has applications in medicine for radiation therapy and as a neutron absorbing elements that can be used in fission nuclear reactors.

Ruddy Shelducks is a duck that has amazingly orange coloured feathers that lives all over Europe and Asia. It’s usually nocturnal and like most ducks is an omnivore. It’s tied to be Gadolinium as when it’s in it’s mineral form as Gadolinite it’s an amazing orange-red colour like the Shelduck.

Animals as Elements: 59-60 Praseodymium Igauna, Neodymium Crow

Praseodymium is a lanthanide with the unusual ability to have a +5 oxidation state. Though it generally is happy with just forming +3 oxides. Pure praseodymium will develop a lovely green shaded +3 oxide on its outside given time. It is one of the most useful lanthanides, used in everything from optics to magnets, lights, construction, catalysts, aircraft engines and even has helped get us the ability to chill things down to within a few thousandths of a degree of zero. It was hiding in plain sight for many years, often being confused with silver due to its very similar lustre and hardness. There is no doubt that some ancient silver vessels probably have some praseodymium in them.

Iguana makes a good match for praseodymium as they both tend to form the same green and tend to hide in plain sight and are surprisingly useful.

“Neodymium will make lovely glass.” As the song goes. Ok maybe only I heard that song. Or made it up? Neodymium is also a non-rare “rare earth metal” being no rarer than no rarer that cobolt, nickle or copper. It is, as you probebly guessed mostly used to make glass in a verity of colors, especially blues and pinks. It is also used in ceramics. The existance of neodymium will possibly help us achive fusion power in years, from its us in high powered lasers.

Crows are where the name Corvid comes from. They are one of the most talented birds, being able to form patterns and predict how things will happen. Some crows have been seen picking up nuts they have cracked using cars on pedestrian crossings. Others have used the same tactics to help kill prey. It’s tied with Neodymium as they are both exceptional.

Animals as Elements: 57-58 Lanthanum Goat, Cerium Blue Mud Dauber Wasp

Lanthanum is a element that has a entire group of 15 similar metallic elements that share similarities to it. The Lanthanides. It’s a very sharing element, giving a +3 electron charge to its shell, it will react with oxygen, the halogens, and most acids. It’s the strongest and hardest base (alkaline) element in its group.

Goats are one of the animals longest domesticated by humans. A very versatile animal, of the bovines, it is able to live in most environments with human assistance. Breading has led to making of goats suited to some of the more hostile environments humans will endure to live in. This versatility has led me to match goats with Lanthanum.

Cerium is a very well used element, though not biologically important it isn’t toxic. Its main use is now in catalytic converters, gas lamps, in TV screens and as a additive in glass. It also may see future use in water splitting and soil state fuel cells. Alloys of cerium have been used in paints to produce both red and blue colors.

The blue mud dauber wasp, is much like other mud dauber wasps only, unsurprisingly, blue. Mud dauber wasps often have a specific prey item, be it spiders, crickets, ants or any number of insects. The blue mud dauber specially hunts the black widow spider. It’s color likely comes from the need to surprise it’s prey. Mud daubers play a very critical part in the environment in keeping insect species in check. Much much cerium keeps many of our fabulous inventions safer.

Animals as elements: 55-56 Cesium Brown Bear, Barium Barramundi

Cesium is a highly reactive alkali metal. It’s high toxicity generally means its use is limited to atomic clocks and as a drilling lubricant (as a liquid alloy). It will react with water at even very low temperatures, which means care has to be taken in its use.

Brown Bears are large omnivorous mammals. They are capable of putting on a huge amount of weight to hibernate through winter months, eating almost anything. Encroachment of human habitation has led to more encounters with the creatures in the search of enough calories to last the winter. They can easily kill a man, if so inclined. Their hunger and danger makes them a good match for cesium.

Barium is a highly reactive element that is in general not found in nature. It’s mostly used for processing esters, x Ray contrast and making endothermic reactions. It’s actually often forms insoluble salts that don’t react with water, which makes pairing it with water creatures a little unusual. I couldn’t though go past the silly pun, so.

Barramundi also known as Asian sea bass and Australian sea bass. It’s a very highly sought after fish for fishing and as food. Though it is flakey and often has low flavor it’s often cooked with various flavors such as lime and garlic, and is a favorite fish for curry. It’s a undergoes sequential gender variation, changing gender often after one or two seasons as a adult male to adult female.

Animals as Elements: 53-54 Iodine Red Lionfish, Xenon Goose

Iodine is a slightly rare halogen element that is highly reactive and somewhat toxic. Though it is also essential to life, is required for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. It is also heavily used in the treatment of endocrine and thyroid cancers and in antiseptic treatments.

The red lionfish is the largest of the lionfish. Its toxin relates it to iodine, as it’s not fatal to humans necessarily. The red lionfish is invasive in the Caribbean and other tropical Atlantic environs. It’s become a major pest in some areas, its capacity to breed quickly and lack of predators makes it particularly hard to control.

One of the most famous Nobel gasses Xenon is actually uncommon in Earths atmosphere. It’s mostly used in lighting, lasers and as a propellant in ion thrusters.

Geese are one of the largest birds species. Most are capable of flight and are migratory, though there are a few exceptions. There used to be giant flightless geese, most are now extinct. It is connected to Xenon by its flight and slightly uncommon nature.

Animals as Elememts: 51-52 Antimony Yellowhead Catfish, Tellurium Latrodectus tredecimguttatus

Yellowhead catfish (Tachysurus fulvidraco) also known as the Korean Bullhead can be found throughout most of northern Asia. It’s not to be confused with the American Yellow Bullhead. The former being a scaled bagrid catfish.

Antimony is a silver colored metal that behaves very much like lead and phosphorus though it is less explosive and as a used as a halogen as a fire retardant. It’s also used in the production of batteries, soldiers and bearings. It’s connection to the Yellowhead catfish is to do with the local of its main source, being mostly found in China and Korea.

Latrodectus tredecimguttatus is a spider that is related to the Black Widow and the infamous Red Bellied Spider. Though its main place of home is in the Mediterranean coastal grasslands and forested area in Europe. It’s name literally means of thirteen spots, and has 13 red, white or orange spots on its body.

Tellurium is a silvery metalloid that can be somewhat toxic. Mostly used for copper and steel alloys and the production of solar panels. It’s now in far higher demand than ever and as it is a rare metal its likely to become even rarer. It’s relation Latrodectus tredecimguttatus is through its relative rarity and usefulness, but mild toxicity.

Animals as Elements: 47-48 Silver Fox & Cadmium Golden Eagle

Silver is an uncommon metal element that is mostly used decoratively and in jewellery. Though it is used in solar panels, water filtration, circuitry, and in radio and radar technologies. It has the lowest contact resistance and highest electrical conductivity of any known metal, and its applications are getting more widespread within the computer electronics and electric generation industries.

Foxes are a versatile candid like animal, though some are more closely related to voles than dogs they are my favourite creature bar none. The common phrase “a silver fox” is pretty much all it took to get its association with this element but I’m sure you can find plenty more.

The Golden Eagle is a common bird of prey that lives all round the northern hemisphere. It’s much like Cadmium in its commonality. It preys small rodents, occasionally other birds and carrion.

Cadmium is often a byproduct of the zinc refining process and is used in glass plating and used to be used in batteries. Cadmium is somewhat toxic and has some long-lived isotopes and can be bio reactive causing damage to cells and cancer in fallout post-nuclear bombs or meltdowns.

Animals as Elements: 45-46 Rhodium Beewolf & Palladium Horse

Rhodium is a rare earth metal that is often used to keep various other more volatile silver colored metals from corrosion. It also plays a part in catalytic converters in cars and other petroleum based engineers. It’s also used to measure Neutron Flux in nuclear power plants.

The Beewolf is a wasp species that specifically feeds or lays it’s eggs specifically in bees. It’s hunting is not very much like the wolf, mostly being a solitary wasp. It’s similarity to rhodium is mostly in this behaviour to be a loner, rhodium doesn’t really react and is very none corrosive.

Palladium is similar in its use in catalytic converters. It’s also a metal with heavy investment stock and interest in capture by recycling. It is the first part of a car to be recycled due to its rarity.

The Horse is another animal that attracts heavy investment an attention. Almost completely domesticated, the horse is now bred to race but it used to be humman’s main beast of burden. Though often bred selectivity for multiple purposes. Like Palladium they are a considerable resource that we may not treat in the most humane way at times.

Animals as Elements: 43-44 Technetium Doractoma Dresdensis & Ruthenium Rufous Whistler

Technetium is a weird element that only exists in very very small quantities on earth. Mostly in amongst high concentrations of uranium. It’s a very unstable in general and the only elements that has to be produced artificially (its name means artificially made). Dorcatoma Dresdensis is a specific beetle that lives in dead wood, much like Technetium lives in “dead” uranium until it decays further.

Ruthenium is a metal mostly used to harden and stop other metals from tarnishing. It’s also often used in such things as forensic science (fingerprint dust) and electroplating. It only oxidizes under the right conditions due to its unusual electron shell configurations.

The Rufous Whistler is not a Robin, being a slight example of convergent evolution. It can be migratory in Australia but isn’t in New Caledonia. Like Ruthenium it travels only under the right conditions.

Animals as Elements: 41-42 Niobium Sardine & Molybdenum Highland Brush Mouse

Sardines are sometimes a little hard to define. There are 200 or so species of Clupeid that make up what are generically called Sardine. Originally named columbium, Niobium is so named after Niobe the daughter of Tantalus. She eventually turned into stone, weeping for her children whom almost all Artemis and Apollo killed after she boasted how lucky she was to have so many blessings (daughter of a goddess with 14 children and apparently a very well endowed and virile husband, whom also built Thebes). What the hell does this have to do with sardines? Well, Niobe had a cult in Sardinia and in Turkey (where she was turned to stone). There was a temple to her in Sardinia but I can’t find any reference to its continued existence in the modern day. These cultists existed well before the documentation and authorization if the Greek religion let alone the roman one. Both civilizations conquered each other a number of times over the centuries. However, Niobes tie to Sardinia and sardines seems relevant to this day.

The Highland brush mouse is a species of mouse native to Papua New Guinea, it and the other Brush mice of New Guinea are in naming mythology somewhat how the island nation got it’s name. It’s completely untrue as the name actually comes from a Spanish explorer who remarked on the similarity between the native population and those belonging to the Portuguese colonised areas of Guinea. Similar confusion got Molybdenum its name, first thought to be lead, and given the greek word Molybdos for its name until its full separation as a pure element in the 18th Century.

Animals as Elements: 39-40 Yttrium Apollo Apollofjäril & Zirconium Zebra

Yttrium is a rather odd element, like many rare earth transition metals its ability to form alloys and hide in large bonds with other more common elements is legendary. Once you finally do get it by itself it’s used in LEDs and cathode ray tubes makes it a very useful to modern technology. Of course now LEDs are more common, cathode ray tubes are now being melted down to source an otherwise elusive element. It’s named after the town Ytterby in Sweden, which is were the Apollo Apollofjäril comes in as a match. This purple loving butterfly is one of a huge number of varieties in its family, but this one lives in Sweden near the town of Ytterby.Zebras are large herbivores related distantly to the Donkey and Horse. Living in savanna and grassland in Africa has made this beast flighty and difficult. Zirconium not to be confused with Zircon or Zirconia (both to do with crystals containing this element) is a ductile when pure, but brittle when dilute and highly flammable metal. It’s used in crystals, an alloy and as a coating but not without consistent care and handling. It’s difficult nature makes it a perfect candidate for the Zebra.

Animals as Elements: 37-38 Rubidium Carp and Strontium Whale Shark

Carp is both an important food fish as well as an invasive pest; it can live for months in very muddy, low oxygen or iced water using a different metabolic channel, often able to outlive and outlast the native fish. It can grow to reasonably large sizes and is usually a predator of native fish and other smaller aquatic creatures as well as eat other available food. Rubidium is a room temperature, liquid state alkali metal that also boasts the longest living isotope of 87 Rb that has a half-life that is longer than the life of the known universe (49 billion years!). They are a match as both are useful in their way but also potentially dangerous and destructive.

The Wale Shark is a filter feeder shark that has grown to massive sizes. Like other large animals it’s size requires it to be close to constantly eating food.

Strontium is often absorbed in animals and plants like Calcium and it can be substitute it in some cases. When radioactive material has been released isotopes of Strontium is often one of the biggest issues for cleanup and containment. In the past it and isotopes of Iodine are the hardest to get rid of and the most concerning as they are readily absorbed by the body from eating contaminated foods. Here they do untold damage, causing cancer and deformities.

A Wale Shark then matches with Strontium as a filter feeder, it eats a little bit of radioactive material, if this increases we are likely to no longer see them.

Animals as Elements: 35-36 Bromine Krill and Krypton Kestrel

Bromine is a trace element that is very closely related to its sister element Iodine, the one can often be mistaken for the other. It often was used a part of pesticides but as it causes ox one depletion is was banned. It is now used in anti-convulsion and anti-seizure drugs. As it is found in small amounts in ocean water, but also in high concentration in salt lakes, Krill is a good match. Krill isn’t really one species, but a series of different very small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea. They do however seem almost diluted within the oceans they are so small.

Krypton might seem like its the weakness of superman (that was Kryptonite) it is in reality a inert gas, mostly free of radiation and unable to react with other elements unless under very specific circumstance. Like all of the noble gasses thus far Krypton is depicted as a bird. The kestrel is bird of prey that feeds often on small rodents and lizards and sometimes larger prey. I matched it with Krypton because they both start with the letter K.

Aquasoliverium

Milk of the talisman has dripped

Dripping / sudden wet

Splashed with dark red

Blood / essence warm

I blow on it once

Then you twice

Sprinkle the salt and sugar

Crystals of / cubiform California

Then we set

Clasp the way

Horse and the hay

It’s a Thursday

Week day / am I insane?

I start to see the new

And death the old

Cold mountains fold

Hooves heavy and thunder

Storms plunders

Juxtapositions a sundered

Boutique / Monique

Neigh whiny

I am now your Philly

Animals as Elements: 31-32, Gallium Dodo, Germanium Boar

The Dodo is famous for being the bird that became extinct. Gallium does not occur as a free element (only as an alloy, usually with zinc or aluminium in bauxite) and is a reasonably soft pliable metal. It’s used in most consumer electronics in semiconductors. Why do they belong together? Gallium is also used to keep the crystal structure of plutonium stable. Plutonium has limited uses, expect in nuclear medicine and thermonuclear bombs. Without gallium, we wouldn’t be able to keep thermonuclear weapons stable. Also, we would likely be less close to mutually assured destruction.

Germanium is a hungry element much like oxygen or carbon; it forms binds to a high number of other elements. Thus a boar is a good match for this element.

Animals as Elements: 29-30 Copper Orb Spider, Zink Tiger

Orb spiders are one of my favourite spiders. Often make large majestic webs, usually a new one every day to catch insects and other invertebrates. The spider from Charlotte’sweb is an orb spider. They have adapted well to urbanisation. Copper is often a very versatile and useful element, though usually as an alloy in brass and types of steel, it colour us very much like that of many species of orb spider.

Tigers are a rather big carnivore that lives on most of the Asian continent. Bengal Tigers clearly being the most famous, followed by the Siberian Tiger. Zinc is a fairly common post transition metal and its use is frequent in everything from aerospace products to sunscreen. Zinc was discovered first in India at some point before recorded history (before 1000 BCE) and this of course is the reason for my choice of Tiger as the representation of this element.

Animals as Elements: 27-28 Cobalt Hyacinth Macaw, Nickel Proboscis Monkey

Cobalt (as a oxide) is a metal that is often used in tinting glass jewellery and other products to make a brilliant blue color. Often mistaken as the result of bismuth by early chemists and alchemists. I chose the to depict it as a Macaw as its bright blue is so much like that produced by cobalt oxide.

Nickel is a metal often used as an alloy or a plating for more corrosive metals. Usually, as destructive oxidation is less likely to affect it. It’s also often referred to as “old nick” in German miner slang to its resistance when coupled with copper, and thus a “devil” to refine and spot. Nickel is also one of the most widely used elements for implants, though often in an alloy with Aluminium, Titanium and Osmium and until recently Lead (which stopped due to leads high toxicity). Its use in dental fillings is extraordinarily widespread, as a mixture is enlarged, especially so. An enlargement of something is often called a proboscis in biology although many invertebrates and vertebrates have such feature the renowned “naughty” nature of the Proboscis monkey led me to depict them as Nickel.

Animals as Elements: 25-26 Manganese Rhinoceros and Iron Mouse

Manganese is a strong element that helps with muscle growth. It is a trace element in many vegetables and plants often consumed by herbivores in their food, and Carnivora from the herbivores they eat. Rhinoceros is a animal renouned for its strength and it’s rather brustish way of keeping itself safe using its brute strength and it’s hard horn. Much like the behavior of manganese if it’s misused.

Iron is one of the most important and used elements in the world. Used in most large construction projects, transport projects and in many household items. It wide use and strength led me to draw it as mouse. Mice are a very widely spread animal, on every continent (except Antarctica). They have the ability too breed very quickly and eat everything in sight in the right conditions. Their strength in numbers makes up for their small size and are very worthy of being the representative of iron. 

Blue Fairy Wren

The rush, the push and fuss

Brindabellas ancient and old

Long stories they tell and have told

Crush, crush the leaves of late summer fuss

Dry mould, blue fairy Wren, oh gush!

Comfort speaks of me and my red cloak

Under those hills she sometimes yerns

When she’s angry, they burn

I can find her then, just like the Wren.

Will she be ready to join me? Travelling this mortal place?

Not till the oceans boil, and the dark wolf throws his muzzle and gapes

It’s taken all I’ve lost and all I’ve earned to find peace in those words

In the meantime, perhaps I will spend some time

As a blue fairy wren

Animals as Elements: 23-24 Vanadium Mayfly, Chromium Mantis Shrimp

Vanadium and chromium are a set of a pair in a way. They both produce colourful salts. But vanadium tends to be a bit more uniform, and thus I chose to use the mayfly as it’s animal. They come in all sorts of colours and sizes and often live short lives. Chromium has even more different salts and is commonly used in paint, stains, tanning, plating and many other uses. The mantis shrimp is one of the most curious creatures in the ocean. It has eyes that pick up colours well beyond the red, green, yellow and blue we can perceive. They can also produce  an almost bullet-like snap with their claws that they use to stun their prey. 

Animals as Elements: 19-20 Potassium Termite, Calcium Dougong

Potassium is another one of those reactive elements. It’s often used to create some pretty spectacular explosions. Termites are usually harmful to trees and also to wooden houses. So much, so that homes in termite-prone areas are made of aluminum or steel to stop them from destroying them.

Dugongs are one of my favorite animals. They are closely related to dolphins. They are herbivores and mostly eat seagrasses in tropical and semi-tropical waters. They are often quite slow but can make quick escaped from predators if need be. They are an indicator species, and their mas death usually indicates problems with the environment.

Calcium is a unique little element, often associated with bones as it makes up a considerable amount of bones and shells. It is also an indicator of problems with the environment of their is to much or too little for the soil type. It’s also something to watch out for in a nuclear fallout as radioactive calcium is often present in the weeks after a human-made atomic explosion. Its presence in the environment will mean it attaches to our bones and potentially causes cancer.

Animals as Elements: 17-18 Chlorine Alge and Argon Finch

Chlorine is often used to kill bacteria in our pools, homes, hospitals, etc. It has nothing to do with Chlorophyl which is a set of organic chemicals that help plants and bacterias photosynthesis process. Other than of course the horrible pun.

Finches are of course Birds and have a vast variety of subspecies. It was Finches of the Galapagos that helped Darwin formulate the Origins of Species. Argon is the second Nobel gas we have got to with this series. As with most of the novel gasses, it’s inert and doesn’t react with anything unless under certain conditions. We have a not insignificant amount of it in the air we breathe every day. It was by the discovery of Lord Rayleigh that we found out that Argon existed. Lord Rayleigh studied birds, finches, seabirds, etc. in his studies of how the atmosphere moves. Thus we have the connection to the humble Finch.

Animals as Elements: 15-16 Phosphorus Firefly & Sulfer Crested Cockatoo

Phosphorus is an element that is very reactive. When it was first discovered, with the purification of urine, the green, yellow glow given in a low light gave it the name it now holds. Phosphorescence now also hold this name too, even though the light produced by phosphorus belongs to the broader chemiluminescence. Though truly fireflies produce their light using a luciferin chemical which contains no phosphorus at all. Some luciferin chemicals do though. Fireflies were, however, the ones to give fame to Bioluminescence and Phosphorescence and the study of producing light without flame or electricity.

Sulfer Crested Cockatoos are another Australian animal. It is also the first animal in the series to have an elemental name in its common name. The yellow crest though just looks like crystallized Sulfer, though this was how the common name for the cockatoo came about. It pretty much reacts with most elements, and though the cockatoos are not as harsh, they have been the bane of farmers, eating grain sowed in soil or from crops. They make what is regarded as the worst calls in the bird kingdom. Thus the element is a good name for them. Despite this, they are a fairly intelligent and like budgerigars have made it into homes as a pet.

Animals as Elements: 13-14 Aluminium (European) Cockroach, Silicone Dragonfly

Aluminium is a fairly common but reactive element. The cockroach is one of the most abundant species of beetle. Though in this case, we are talking about the European cockroach as I accidentally realized that cockroach was also a perfect match for Lead. Why? Well, we will get to Lead at another stage in the future (32 posts away). So Aluminium is an unforgiving element… Kindof. It is very malleable, changeable and if you treat it right, it will do the same for you. Treat it wrong, and it rots to the core. Much like what will happen if you leave European cockroaches alone!

Silicone is a rather interesting metalloid being one of the most abundant metals in our crust, its use in computing, glass, and many clays and ceramics is now well known; its separation as a single element, however, is relatively late in 1823.
Dragonflies often have four transparent wings, which often reflect the light iridescently giving them an almost seemingly magical glow. It is because of this glow that Dragonflies hold a significant place in some mythology and culture. Wetland loss, however, means they are now less common. Silicone and dragonflies both have this iridescence in the natural form, and thus they belong together.

Animals as Elements: 9&10 Fluorine Cane Toad and Neon Budgerigar

Fluoride as a Cane Toad is pretty much the best comparison I can make as an Australian. Fluoride is highly toxic halogen, and almost everything reacts with it. Cane Toads (also known as Marine Toad or the giant neotropical toad have become a highly invasive species in Australia. Mostly introduced to get rid of another introduced pest (Irony if the highest order) the Cane Toads made a quick beeline to eat as much as they could wherever they went. Being coated in a highly toxic mucus, the predators quickly learned to stick clear, though some have learned to flip the bodies over and attack their belly. Fluorides toxic nature and its ability to become attached to


Neon is the first “noble gas” if you don’t count Helium (which some don’t). Budgerigars are another Australian connection through this time a native. Budgerigars are recently domesticated birds, and usually, live in flocks in outback Australia. Though they are threatened by foxes and cats, who were introduced by the settlers early on in settlement.

Budgerigars usually have a bright array of feathers on the male. A lot of dimorphism in nature sees the male of the species be the “prettier” more colorful one. The dimorphism is often to show the health of the male. The heavier, the more bright and nice looking his coat. Neon is often used in colorful lights by humans, along with other noble gases and colored glass or additives to make them shine a particular color and brightness. This is how for me Budgerigahs fit in with Neon.

Animals as Elements: 5&6 Boron Acidobacteria, Carbon Scarab Beetle

Again older art. Done with my old signatures.

I may do the art again at some stage.

Boron is rare and can become Boric Acid in which some Acidobacteria have learned to live. This artwork contains probably one of the few animals that are almost directly related to the element I’ve artistically assigned it as. Most Acidobacteria is either harmless to humans, but considering it often lives in very acidic areas it’s likely you would have other concerns.

Carbon is essential for life. It’s pretty much the element that helps create all life on our planet. It’s maybe possible that Silicon based life might exist, but this has never been adequately proven or disproven. Carbon makes better stronger long chains and creatures create chemicals readily from using its ability to be transformed. Scarab Beetles are one of the most important agricultural animals in the world. Transformating scats, into good soil often quickly and readily; using the scat as a place to lay their young as a good food source. They are one of the chief transformation agents of the insect world and we would be up to our necks is cow shit, and other shit without them!