Scott Musgrove's Paludosus Volaticus stands as a quintessential example of the artist's imaginative and surreal exploration of extinction and forgotten creatures. This painting, part of the show Fame: Who Wants to Live Forever, encapsulates Musgrove's distinctive style, marked by his ability to blend humor, melancholy, and ecological awareness.

The creatures depicted in this work—small, wide-eyed beings with exaggerated features—represent a fictional species, the " Paludosus Volaticus," highlighting the artist's recurring themes of rediscovering forgotten or imagined fauna. These whimsical beings are imbued with a sense of vulnerability, as if they belong to a bygone world that has been irrevocably altered or lost.

Musgrove’s characteristic visual language is evident in the undulating landscape, muted earthy tones, and almost caricature-like realism of the creatures. The large, expressive eyes of the figures evoke an emotional connection, underscoring their fragility and the inevitable tension between nature and human impact—a subtle critique of our collective neglect of endangered species.

Paludosus Volaticus acts as a mirror to humanity’s fleeting memory of ecological diversity, where Musgrove's mythical creatures take on a symbolic role: they are both a warning and a nostalgic ode to what has disappeared. This landmark painting showcases not only his extraordinary imagination but also his commitment to addressing larger environmental themes through the lens of his surreal, personal mythology.