dougdimmadodo

[dougdimmadodo]

Cool Zoology Stories of 2024

Happy new year! As we head into 2025, here's a few fun zoology highlights from the last year.

The Iberian Lynx is no longer endgangered

Species Concerned: Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus)

Source: Here

Image Source: Here

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the organisation responsible for compiling information on the size and trends seen in species’ wild populations and assigning them a “conservation status” based on how threatened they are determine to be. There are three increasingly concerning categories a species may be sorted into (vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered, in that order,) and while species may be classified as increasingly threatened if their populations continue to decline they can also be raised to a less threatened category should their population increase. In the summer of 2024, the IUCN made an exciting announcement; based on an assessment carried out throughout 2023 the Iberian Lynx (the most threatened of the four lynx species, and among the world’s rarest wildcats) had done just that, being upgraded to vulnerable from endangered!

Easily distinguished from other lynxes by it’s the distinctive pair of “beard-like” fur tufts on its chin, the Iberian Lynx, as its name suggests, is found only in the southern Iberian Peninsula which stretches across Spain and Portugal. Its already small range has shrunk further due to rapid declines in its primary prey, the European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), further aggravated by habitat loss, disease outbreaks, conflict with humans and the addition genetic pressures that species with small populations experience. By 2001 the species’ population had declined to as few 62 adults, but since then intensive efforts to increase the populations of European Rabbits, protect remaining Iberian Lynx populations, introduce captive-bred individuals and encourage land owners to reduce impacts on any lynx populations on their land has allowed for a steady increase – as of 2023 the population was believed to have risen to 648 adults, and members of this species have returned to long-vacant regions of their former range! While the Iberian Lynx remains threatened and continued efforts are needed to maintain these increases, the species’ new conservation status shows that these efforts are working, and that there may yet be hope for this beardy big cat’s future.

Big News on Baby Sharks!

Species Concerned: Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

Source: Here

Image Source: Here

Despite its large size, near-cosmopolitan distribution and status as easily one of the most famous and recognisable fish on earth, there’s a lot we don’t know about the Great White Shark. In particular, there are some major gaps in our understandings of the mating habits of adult Great Whites, and in the early development of their pups. This year, however, progress was made in filling some of these gaps; in April an article published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science described activity within a “creche” of young (1-6 year old) Great Whites off the coast of California, demonstrating that (among other things) they moved between deeper and shallower coastal waters throughout the day and seemed to carefully position themselves within the water column in order to maintain a healthy body temperature and thereby facilitate growth and development (unlike many fish adult Great White Sharks are able to regulate their body temperature through metabolic activity much like mammals can, but it seems that younger individuals have a reduced ability to do so and are more reliant on environmental conditions to regulate their body temperatures. This is particularly exciting as an article published this January to another journal, Environmental Biology of Fishes critically examined footage recorded by wildlife photographer TheMalibuaArtist of a small, round-featured Great White Shark off also found near California’s coast that had an odd, pale film attached to its skin and concluded that (while it is possible that the film is the result of some previously undocumented disease or mutation) it may represent the first ever video footage of a newborn Great White Shark, with the film being debris that attached to the potential pup during live birth. The Great White Shark, despite its dreaded reputation, is itself classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, so gaining greater understanding of how members of these species live in their earliest years may prove invaluable in protecting wider populations!

The 200th Anniversary of the First Dinosaur Getting Named

Species Concerned: Megalosaurus (Megalosaurus bucklandii)

Source: Here

Image Source (excluding some...minor additions): Here

On February 20th 1824 the geologist and palaeontologist William Buckland became the first person to give a formal scientific name to a (non-avian) dinosaur, describing a set 160 million year old reptile-like bones found in Oxfordshire, England as “Megalosaurus”, which can be translated literally to “big lizard” (though is more often translated as the more dignified-sounding “great lizard.”) This means that this February marked the 200th anniversary of Megalosaurus getting its name and, in some ways, the beginning humanity’s long-standing love of and obsession with dinosaurs.

Based on the incomplete remains that had been discovered Buckland originally imagined Megalosaurus as being an enormous, slow-moving, lizard-like animal (kind of like an iguana crossed with an elephant.) However, further studies into the fossils of Megalosaurus and of numerous anatomically similar and therefore likely related animals have since demonstrated that it was a large, likely relatively fast-moving carnivorous biped, and a relative of modern birds (which, like Megalosaurus, are therapods.) Megalosaurus lived in what is now northern Europe throughout the mid-Jurassic period, while its closest relatives, the Megalosaurids, could also be found across Africa, Asia and North America and survived until the very end of the Jurassic. 17 years after Megalosaurus got its name it, alongside the early cretaceous ankylosaur Hylaeosaurus and the iconic spiky-thumbed ornithopod Iguanadon (all still imagined to be iguana-like at the time) would be recognised as relatives of one another based on similar anatomical features, becoming the first three genera to be classified as part of the clade that today contains all dinosaurs, the Dinosauria.

The Golden-Crested Helmetshrike was Photographed for the First Time

Species Concerned: Golden-Crested Helmetshrike (Prionops alberti)

Source: Here

Image Source: Here

Between December 2023 and January 2024 a collaborative team of researchers from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the USA set out to document the wildlife living in the Itombwe mountain region of South Kivu, DOC. Records of the species present in an around Itombwe are limited and every observation made during the trip was valuable, but perhaps the most exciting was the several sightings of the Yellow-Crested Helmetshrike, marking the first time this species has been formerly recorded in nearly 20 years and allowing for it to be photographed for the first time ever!

While several potential sightings have been reported elsewhere in central Africa, the Golden-Crested Helmetshrike is believed to be endemic to the DOC, making its home mainly in humid forests at high altitudes. Immediately distinguished from other birds in their range by the titular crests of bright yellow feathers that runs across their heads, members of this species live in small flocks and are extremely agile in flight, using their agility to hunt airborne insects. A lack of internationally available documented sightings of this species since the early 2000s had led to fears of its potential extinction, but as at least 18 individuals were sighted during the team’s expedition the species is now known not only to be surviving, but potentially to be more abundant within its home range than previously thought!

Frogs and Wolves got in on Pollination

Species Concerned: Izecksohn's Brazilian Tree Frog (Xenohyla truncata) and Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis)

Sources: Here and Here

Image Sources: Here and Here

Insects are by far the most important pollinators on earth (with some 80% of plants relying on insect-based pollination to reproduce,) but there are also many important vertebrate pollinators (most notably nectar-drinking bats and birds.) Pollinating vertebrates are important not only to wild plants but also to crops, wit mangos, durians and bananas all relying heavily on vertebrates to spread their pollen. 2024 saw two surprising new additions to the list of potential vertebrate pollinators; the unusual Izecksohn's Brazilian Tree Frog and the endangered Ethiopian Wolf!

Found only in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, Izecksohn's Brazilian Tree Frog is unusual among frogs in that while almost all frogs are carnivorous members of this species prominently feed on fruit and nectar. Like other nectar-feeding animals, as they move between flowers they carry pollen with them, making them the only known amphibian pollinators. The Ethiopian Wolf, native to high-altitude regions of Ethiopia, is among the rarest wild dogs on earth and has typically been thought of as a strict carnivore. In November of 2024, however, members of this species were recorded feeding on the flowers of the Red Hot Poker Plant (Kniphofia foliosa), transferring pollen on their muzzles in the process. While further studies are needed to determine quite how important either species is in pollination, it still suggests that the number of pollinating vertebrate species in the world may be greater than previously thought!

--------------------------

Have a great new year!

[dougdimmadodo]

Nēnē (Branta sanvisciensis)

Family: Goose Family (Anatidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Near Threatened

Unusually for a goose, the Nēnē shows clear adaptations to life on land - its legs and claws are better developed than in many related species, and its toes are only lightly webbed. These adaptations make members of this species capable climbers, allowing them to clamber across rocky terrain and cooled lava flows in search of food (primarily grasses, flowers and leaves) and nesting sites (with females typically laying eggs at or near the site they were born at.) Once widespread throughout all of the larger islands of Hawai'i, habitat alteration and predation by invasive rats, cats and mongooses once reduced the population of wild Nēnē to as little as 30 individuals found only on Hawai'i island itself. However, captive breeding programs and extensive efforts to control invasive mammal populations have allowed this species to be re-introduced to Kaua'i, Moloka'i and Maui, with a breeding pair later returning to O‘ahu without human intervention. With an estimated population of around 2,000 individuals today further action is needed to safeguard the future of the Nēnē, but its story shows that with sufficient research, funding and action even the most threatened species may have shot at survival.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

[dougdimmadodo]

A Shelled Amoeba (Arcella vulgaris)

Family: Arcella Family (Arcellidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

The otherwise soft, squishy single-celled body of this common amoeba is enclosed in a concave brownish-yellow hemispherical shell known as a test, which is made up of chiton (the same material that forms the exoskeletons of insects) and protects it from both predators and adverse environmental conditions. Found in stagnant freshwater and damp soil throughout much of the world, a single hole in the shells of members of this species allows them to extend long, flexible "false feet" known as pseudopods out into their environment, which they use both to catch and ingest food (mainly algae and other smaller motile protists) and to drag themselves along surfaces, although when in water they are also capable of floating along by filling a bladder-like vacuole in their main cell body with gas. Like almost all single-celled organisms Arcella vulgaris reproduces asexually through binary fission (with a single adult cell dividing in two to produce "daughters". "Newborn" members of this species may initially lack shells, and if the shells of adults are too badly damaged they have been found to be capable of crawling out and surviving without protection for short periods as they grow a new one.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

Already included above, but a very cool little shell study: Here

[dougdimmadodo]

Rufous-Tailed Jacamar (Galbula ruficauda)

Family: Jacamar Family (Galbulidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Though somewhere between hummingbirds and kingfishers in appearance, jacamars like the Rufous-Tailed Jacamar are believed to be cousins of woodpeckers and have historically been placed alongside them in the order Piciformes, although more recent genetic evidence suggests that alongside their close relatives the puffbirds they may actually be distinct enough to warrant being reclassified as part of entirely new order, the Galbuliformes. Found mainly in forests and well-vegetated shrublands across northern South America and southern Central America, Rufous-Tailed Jacamars, like most members of their family, are agile insect-eaters that use their extremely long, narrow bills to catch small insects such as butterflies and wasps straight out of the air.

-----------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

[dougdimmadodo]

Dear friends ❤️🇵🇸

Thank you very much from my heart for your donation and support 🙏🏼

I want to say that I only have 700$ left to reach my short-term goal of 8000$. Please help me reach my goal today 🙏🏼😔. I ask those who can donate to donate so I can reach my short goal today Thank you very much ❤️🇵🇸🇵🇸

https://gofund.me/59e9578a

Donation Link Here:

[dougdimmadodo]

Ross Seal (Ommatophoca rossii)

Family: True Seal Family (Phocidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Distinguished from other Antarctic seals by its small size, large eyes and short muzzle, not much is known about the Ross Seal; while the closely related Weddell, Crabeater and Leopard Seals are relatively commonly sighted along Antarctica's coasts Ross Seals seem to be naturally rare and are exclusively found on or around pack ice (large, drifting masses of sea ice that are not connected to solid ground,) making observing them in the wild difficult. What is known is that members of this species feed mainly on soft-bodied fish and squids and likely breed in early December but are able to delay the development of their embryos until the early Antarctic winter (around March) in order to give birth in November when pack ice is most abundant; during and shortly after the pupping season females seem to rarely leave the safety of the ice, and as their young pups are unable to swim they rely heavily on the ice for safety during their early development. Even when not seen the presence of Ross Seals in an area may be determined by their elaborate and somewhat eerie calls, which are often produced underwater and are presumably used to locate mates and establish territories.

------------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

[dougdimmadodo]

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)

Family: Duck Family (Anatidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

This small, rotund species of duck is most often seen in oceans off the coast of eastern Eurasia and western North America (with smaller populations off North America's eastern coast,) but migrates inland during around April to breed and nest near cold, fast-moving rivers and streams. Pockets of air trapped in a Harlequin Duck's feathers provide insulation and make it extremely buoyant even by the standards of other ducks, allowing it to safely float on the surface of choppy water and quickly re-surface after diving for prey (feeding mostly on crustaceans and molluscs while at sea but taking aquatic insects as prey when in freshwater.) Like many waterfowl adults of this species are loosely monogamous and re-unite every year to mate, although its not uncommon for one or both partners to also seek out other mates after pairing and even "divorce" their partner upon finding a preferred mate. Female Harlequin Ducks (which are a dusty brown colour) build their nests along the banks of the fast-flowing streams they favour and typically incubate their eggs and raise their chicks alone, but on occasion the more flashily coloured males may also contribute to the early care of their young.

----------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

[dougdimmadodo]

URGENT HELP🚨🚨🚨🍉🇵🇸

Hello,

How do you do ? I hop to be in a good condition.

This is my special campaign

We hope to help us by donating or sharing to others.

Every donation makes a different even if it a small.

As you know, the war began on October 7 and lasted ten months. During this period, we were unable to obtain food, drink, or treatment because we did not have money.

There is no source of income for the family at the present time, so we are unable to buy food, clean water, and medicine, especially after we are afflicted with the ongoing infectious diseases spread in the north like Hepatitis C disease.

Our house has been damaged a lot since the beginning of the war. We are from the north of Gaza and we are still in the north and have not displaced to the south. We displaced 10 times from place to another seeking to safety .

We hope for your help and support, even if only a little.🙏🙏

Vetted by Femme intifada on telegram.

Also, vetted by gazavetters on tumbler and my number is #60

My campaign was recently vetted by butterfly effect group on Instagram and my number is #964

This is the link if you would to read our story well 👇👇

https://gofund.me/4e896ac1

Thank you all

Fundraiser Link:

[dougdimmadodo]

Reindeer Lichen (Cladonia rangiferina)

Family: Cladonia Lichen Family (Cladoniaceae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

Like all lichens each “individual” reindeer lichen is actually a colonial organism formed from members of at least two separate species; the main body of the lichen, the mycobiont, is a tough branching fungus that gives the lichen shape and stability, while the lichen’s greenish-blue colour come from colonies of one or more species of algae or bacteria which live on the mycobiont and produce nutrients through photosynthesis, transferring some of these nutrients to the fungus to sustain the whole colony. Found mainly on the ground in open habitats in and around the arctic circle, Reindeer Lichens are slow-growing but extremely hardy and able to remain active in much colder and darker conditions than many plants with which they coexist. This element of their biology makes them extremely ecologically important; many Arctic herbivores rely heavily or even exclusively on members of this species for food during the winter when many plants are dormant, and certain birds and small mammals may also use their branches to build or line their nests.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

[dougdimmadodo]

Common Atlantic Ribbon Worm (Tubulanus polymorphus)

Family: Tubulanus Family (Tubulanidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

Like other ribbon worms, this brightly coloured marine worm has a relatively long but extremely thin unsegmented body, and is an active predator; after locating prey using a set of chemical-sensing pits on its head it extends a sticky, flexible, tube-like appendage known as a proboscis (although unlike the proboscises of some insects this structure is separate from their digestive system) from just above it mouth, ensnaring prey and injecting it with paralysing venom. After prey (mainly smaller marine invertebrates, especially other worms) has been subdued the proboscis either passes it into a simple mouth or, if its too large to be swallowed whole, secretes fluids that break food down externally to accommodate for the worm's lack of an ability to chew.

--------------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

[dougdimmadodo]

Sweetsop (Annona squamosa)

Family: Sweetsop Family (Annonaceae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Growing as a large bush or small tree, the Sweetsop is native to tropical regions of Central and South America but is now grown in warm, humid regions worldwide for its large, scaly-looking fruits. Sweetsop fruits (also known as Sugar Apples) are sweet, aromatic and nutritious, and their flesh is said to resemble custard in both texture and taste. A closely related species, the Soursop (Annona muricata) produces similar-looking fruits, though as the name suggests while still considered pleasant-tasting by many the flesh of the latter is considerably more sour.

--------------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

[dougdimmadodo]

Fast Fauna Facts #30 - Ghost Flower (Mohavea confertiflora)

Family: Plantain Family (Plantaginaceae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

Native to the Mojave and Sonoran desert regions, the pale white flowers of this odd plant rely on small bees (especially sweat bees of the genus Xeralictus) but don't produce any nectar in order to attract their pollinators. Instead, they rely on two different forms forms of deceptive mimicry to get their attention; the overall shape and colour of the flowers are similar to those of the nectar-producing Sand Blazingstar (Mentzelia involucrata) with which it shares most of its range, and the spotted patterns on the inner surface of the petals are thought to mimic the markings on the abdomens of female Xeralictus bees in order to trick male bees into approaching them. Nectar production requires plants to use of some of their internal stores of sugar and water, so by relying on mimicry instead of nectar to attract its pollinators Ghost Flowers are able to spread their pollen and reproduce without wasting these nutrients.

------------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

<- Previous (Tarantula Wolf Spider) l

[dougdimmadodo]

Fast Fauna Facts #29 - Tarantula Wolf Spider (Lycosa tarantula)

Family: Wolf Spider Family (Lycosidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

Before the name "tarantula" became associated with the family of large, hairy spiders we know as tarantulas today it referred to this similar-looking but only distantly related southern European species, which is itself named after the town of Taranto, Italy, near which it is fairly common. Not unlike many true tarantulas Tarantula Wolf Spiders are solitary, nocturnal, ground-dwelling predators that spend the day sheltered in burrows and emerge at night to hunt, but unlike tarantulas and like other wolf spiders members of this species do not rely on ambushing or webbing to subdue prey and instead actively chase down smaller invertebrates. After constructing a burrow female Tarantula Wolf Spiders will often remain in the area around it for the rest of their lives, but males are nomadic and travel in search of females; after mating females carry their eggs in a silk sac on their abdomen, and continue to carry and protect their young for a short period after they have hatched.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

<- Previous (Horned Land Frog) l Next (Ghost Flower) ->

[dougdimmadodo]

Dear Supporter,

I hope this message finds you and your family in good health. My name is Eman Zaqout from Gaza. I am reaching you out to seek your urgent help in spreading the word about our fundraiser. I lost both my home and my job due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and we are facing catastrophic living conditions. 💔

I kindly ask you to visit my campaign. Your support, whether through donating or sharing, will help us reach more people who can make a difference. Thank you for your continued support for the Palestinian cause. Your dedication brings us closer to freedom. 🙏🕊

Note: Verified by several people as 90-ghost and aces-and-angels. ☑

Fundraiser Here:

[dougdimmadodo]

Emergency📢📣🚨

Help me and my family evacuate from Gaza 🍉🇵🇸How are you my🍉🍉 dear, I hope you are well, I am Hani Hamid from 😪😭Gaza, Palestine, I am talking to you with a sad heart about what happened to us, please read my story in the link on my personal page, if you are able to donate, this would be kind of you and I hope you share the link on your social media sitesIf you please , thank you 🙏🌹https://gofund.me/37d18e4dEmergency📢📣🚨

Help me and my family evacuate from Gaza 🍉🇵🇸

Fundraiser Here:

[dougdimmadodo]

‏Hello, can you please reblog or publish a post for my campaign? Due to the weakness of donations, they pass slowly as ice. I hope you can help me. A small amount like $10 will be more than useful to help me and my family. Thank you for everything💔🙏

‏Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundrais‼️💔🍉🍉🍉

Farah is #310 on the Vetted Fundraisers List‼️

‏Right now, donated money is being used to help us survive this war. Food is very expensive and my family has to pay rent for the land that our tent is on. However, I want to save up enough money to evacuate my family to a safer place where we can rebuild our lives. I dream of returning to university to finish my computer science degree. I want to provide a better life for my family than is possible in Gaza. My family and I have many dreams we would like to fulfill after this war. We are grateful to everyone who donated and helps us during this time of suffering. Thank you for reading

‏https://gofund.me/73d4b003

Fundraiser Here:

[dougdimmadodo]

Fast Fauna Facts #28 - Horned Land Frog (Sphenophryne cornuta)

Family: Narrowmouth Frog Family (Microhylidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

As its name suggests the Horned Land Frog differs from almost all other amphibians in that it doesn't require a water source to breed; females of this species lay their eggs among damp leaf litter, and following external fertilization a male will guard the eggs until they hatch. Instead of beginning life as aquatic tadpoles young Horned Land Frogs hatch as tiny but otherwise fully-developed frogs complete with functional limbs and lungs, and for a short period following their hatching they will continue to be protected by their father (often riding on his back until they're large enough to fend for themselves.) Endemic to the island of New Guinea, Horned Land Frogs primarily inhabit rainforests (although they may also be found in other forest habitats and occasionally in urban areas) and are mainly active at night, spending the day sheltering beneath logs and rocks or buried under leaf litter.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Image Source: Here

<-Previous (Royal Penguin)