"Underdog" is a realistic illustration of one of the biggest underdogs of the freshwater fish world- the burbot. The burbot (Lota lota) is unlike any other freshwater species you know. In fact, their appearance and behaviours have striking similarities to their marine cod cousins.  For years the burbot was underappreciated, and villanized, due to its unusual eel-like appearance and myths about its purpose and edibility. They even earned the name "dogfish" for many decades. Humans have since come to their senses, and now understand that the burbot is integral component to the coldwater foodwebs they still inhabit. They have also become a popular sportfish species, and continue to gain admiration from anglers.
 
As a biologist, Becca has always admired this species. When she was a little kid, she saw her first burbot in the middle of the night, while watching the Northern Lights off of her grandfather's pier on Katepwa Lake. She remembers this large elongate fish, with "leopard-like spots" gliding slowly through the shallows. She watched it strategically hunt crayfish, plucking them from in between the rocks and weeds with great success and skill.
 
Burbot vary greatly in their appearance but can be recognized by a single barbel on their chin, which helps them sense movement and prey on the bottom, as well as a rounded tail at the end of a very long body. They also have elaborate light-colored patterns on their darker-colored bodies, which are unique to each individual.
 
Original digitally painted at 16" x 24" and inspired by a burbot from the South Saskatchewan River system in Saskatchewan, Canada.