Start of the series: Biology meets Design: THe Red-headed- Poison Frog

One of my goals for this year was to share my love for biology and design with you. I want to start this new years resolution with this "Red-headed- Poison Frog" (Ranitomeya fantastica), and as the Latin name suggests- he really is fantastic- isn't he? 
The designer in me is drawn to the color palette and patterns on his skin that literally scream, "I am poisonous!" but the biologist in me is most fascinated by the fact that the frogs carry out a kind of parenting behavior. The male frog carries each tadpole on his back to their own water source since they are cannibalistic and would each other otherwise. This way, he ensures that even though the world is full of dangers for his offspring, his brothers and sisters won't be one of them.

I tried something new in this illustration and combined a vector and pixel approach in one. I drew the left side with Illustrator and the right side with Procreate.
(Illustration is based on a foto from Ignacio Yufera)
I wish you all a fantastic week!
Until next time
Melanie