Critically Endangered
These little rodents have the smallest range of any mammal with not even 10 acres. Wikipedia says they have about 15 acres, but most other sites I looked at say smaller. They were discovered in 1999. With only about 42 of them left, they are also one of the rarest mammals. There is a protected area for them, but nobody enforces it, so they are still hunted. Unlike most other wild guinea pigs (cavies) mammalian predators, other than humans, are not a problem. There aren't any mammals on the island that hunt them except for people. There are a few raptors that occasionally hunt them, and because of their small habitat, natural disasters could be devastating. Unfortunately though, it is almost entirely humans hunting them that has brought them so close to extinction. They have a lower reproduction and slower maturity rates than mainland cavies. They only have one or two offspring, with 78% having one. They have longer scruffier fur than other wild guinea pigs. They remind me a bit of our terrier if he was smaller, rounder, and his nemesis...a rodent.
Goodness gracious, I have reached 100 daily paintings in a row, not skipping a single day and not getting bored! I have never managed to do a blog before which is kind of a bad thing as an artist. I hadn't updated my facebook art page or my website in well over a year, actually a few years for my website. I get distracted too easily and forget things. I am one of those who literally forgets what I was saying mid-sentence, and who forgets what I was walking toward the kitchen for on the way there. Doing something on a daily basis beyond things like brushing my teeth has never been something I'm good at. This really is a HUGE accomplishment for me. I decided to go with an animal that most people would never imagine is facing extinction. I also wanted to have it be a bit cheerful or goofy after yesterday's painting.