ailurinae

[ailurinae]

Guys they reintroduced Galapagos tortoises to espanola island and they’ve essentially terraformed their environment, knocking over invasive plants so that endangered albatrosses (who need space to take off using the ground as a runway) have returned and established nests!

https://www.popsci.com/environment/galapagos-giant-tortoises-ecosystem-conservation/

[ailurinae]

Snowdrops today, waiting out the cold.

[ailurinae]

I'm supposed to be cleaning my house so obviously instead I'm processing catnip to save seeds for next year. Problem: I forgot that this process makes the cats crazy just on contact high and all the good manners absolutely go away, and also turns my hands into bait.

She's not biting with force but sure is grabbing, which she knows she's not to do. Too high to think straight

[ailurinae]

Today is coelacanth day!

Marjorie Courtaney-Latimer found the coelacanth on this day in 1938 in the fishing bycatch, thanks to Captain Hendrik Goosen

[ailurinae]

Today is coelacanth day!

Marjorie Courtaney-Latimer found the coelacanth on this day in 1938 in the fishing bycatch, thanks to Captain Hendrik Goosen

[ailurinae]

#it would even be 46 states and four commonwealths. Pennsylvania Kentucky and Virginia. MA isn't alone in the title.

You are right, I was pretty sure there were more, but I didn't know off the top of my head and couldn't be arsed to look it up lol.

i think it's cute when americans talk about being from the 'great state of connecticut' or like 'the great state of wisconsin.' not when it's texas or new york or california obviously because then there's the fear that they're being serious. but when americans adopt that really earnest tone and are like 'god bless the great state of delaware' in response to a picture of a seagull swallowing an entire ziplock bag full of cheese-its. I think that's very endearing

[ailurinae]

[ailurinae]

Fast Fauna Facts #1 - Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

Family: Hoopoe Family (Upupidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Widely distributed across temperate Eurasia and western Africa, Common Hoopoes live specifically in areas which provide both plentiful open ground (which they need to feed, using their long beaks to poke through soil in search of insects and seeds) and a small number or large trees in which to nest. Hoopoes nest in naturally occurring tree holes and work in pairs to raise their chicks, with females incubating the eggs and guarding the chicks while males provide food. When threatened during nesting both chicks and adult females of this species will produce a strong and unpleasant smell that has been likened to manure or rotting flesh, but if this initial deterrent fails the mother will jab at threats with her beak's sharp tip.

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Image Source: Here

Next (Parrot Waxcap)->

[ailurinae]

[ailurinae]

Hey! You! Do you like girls?

Then, let me introduce you to: Being a Girl!

It’s fun! You’ll like it! Try it!

And, if you’ve liked Girl so far, you may want to try our new plan: Girl+, multiplicity edition!

Be even more girls than before! It’s even better!!

[ailurinae]

[ailurinae]

I really think salt marshes and farmland right up to the sea is an S-tier biome.

[ailurinae]

The calmest orange car ever 🐱🐱

[ailurinae]

why does tumblr keep trying to push communities so hard. I already have a perfectly curated community it's called my dashboard

[ailurinae]

I did wonder why he was so quiet this morning

[ailurinae]

Roccella phycopsis

Litmus

So you've probably heard of a litmus test. Ever wondered what that is? Well a litmus test is a chemical test used to figure out if substance is acidic or basic, and litmus (from Old Norse meaning "moss used for dying,") is derived from lichens!!! It is unclear exactly which Roccella lichens were originally used to make litmus (people weren't so careful about species ID back in the day, ya know?), but R. phycopsis is among the original litmus lichens. This fruticose lichen has terete, erect branches which grow in small tufts out of a basal holdfast attached to costal rock, cliffs, walls, and shrubs. It is pale gray-brown, and has bulging or spikey soralia producing white soredia. The basal holdfast has a characteristic orange or ochre medulla (internal layer of fungal hyphae). R. phycopsis is rather rare, likely due in part to overharvesting for its use as a source for purple dye stretching back to the Roman empire! And inevitably due to the destruction of suitable costal habitat. So yeah, I hope y'all learned something new today, and the next time someone mentions a "litmus test," interrupt whatever they are saying in order to share this fun fact, and encourage them to conserve costal habitats for the preservation of these special little guys.

images: source

info: source | source | source | source

[ailurinae]

what the hell man