New work. This time it is an aquatic diapsid Hovasaurus boulei from the late Permian-early Triassic of Madagascar.

Hovasaurus was described in 1926. It is known from more than three hundred specimens representing almost all stages of growth. This allowed not only to study the anatomy, but also to identify the changes that occurred in the process of ontogenesis. Hovasaurus has a very long, vertically flattened tail that took up approximately two-thirds of the total length. In large individuals, the tail length could reach 60 cm. The shoulder girdle is massively constructed in the lower part, the ribs have thickened walls. The forelimbs could be used as handlebars. An interesting feature is the finding of gastroliths in many specimens. Apparently, the animals swallowed rocks to regulate buoyancy. The hatchling's limbs were shorter than those of adults: in the early stages of ontogenesis, Hovasaurus led a more aquatic lifestyle. Fossils are described from the Permian-Triassic strata, this taxon was one of the survivors of the Great extinction.

In this drawing, I tried my hand at drawing an underwater scene with pens. The surface of the water is inspired by the beautiful black and white works of Steve White. In addition, I tried to make a smooth transition from almost no pronounced detail to fine-grained scales in accordance with the perspective. I hope the result justified my efforts.

Black ballpoint and gel pens, with the addition of white ink pen, 2020.