Since finding this vintage watercolor, which I just thought was amazing looking, I've learned that dogfish are thought to have the longest gestation period of any vertebrate (up to 24 months) and practice a form of live birth called yolk sac viviparity--basically, the baby sharks hatch inside their mother and get nutrition from the attached yolk sac for an addition 17-19 months until being born as miniature sharks. So the watercolor here is of a dogfish embryo being nourished by a yolk sac, connected to its gut by the placental cord. I love the delicacy with which it all is rendered here, with the sac looking like a balloon or buoy and a bit like lung, too, extending the capacities of the gills. Plus the bright blue eye on the fish. Wonderfully surreal, just as biology can often feel!
7 3/8" x 4 1/2" watercolor on light weight card, very good condition.
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