Martes Foina - Fouine aka Pine Marte

The Fouine is a small carnivorous weasel which lives in Europe. I first learned of them when my brother, who works at CERN told me a long involved story about how his advisor’s car was beset by animals called “Fweens.” Looked them up by searching for every French-sounding spelling of fween and discovered the Pine Marten, Martes foina is responsible for extensive car damage in Switzerland and France. So much so, in fact, that you can buy fouine insurance for your car and various fouine deterring devices. Apparently they like the warm engine and, if you drive the car into the territory of another fouine, they will chew and destroy wires, hoses and sparkplugs.  My brother was once driving home from CERN, when his car overheated.  The diagnosis? It had been Fweened.

This piece is acrylic on black illustration board with a colored pencil background.

Science Illustration Exhibit, April 27-June 16 Pacific Grove Natural History Museum