dvmby2021 - Tumblr blog

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Safe space while going thru a life crisis

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clean slate.

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I love working with animal skulls. It's amazing being able to see their incredible natural adaptations in person!

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Is there any good news today?

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It gets a little bit easier once you realize you can accomplish things at your own pace and that’s okay

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me when feeling suspiciously relaxed: what responsibility have i forgotten

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Here are some graphics I made earlier this summer for an Undergraduate Research program I am helping run through my university’s office for undergraduate research! I put together some informational pages about my personal experience doing research (which was generalized a little because I’ll be presenting to students in a wide range of majors). Next week I’ll be leading a Q&A panel and group discussion!

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Lmao 😂

via @southessexwildlife

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i don't WANT to live in a society i want to live in a bookstore cafe

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Hey it’s ok to want a specific breed/species because you like how it looks...as long as you do your research and determine that it is actually a good fit for you. People get all up in arms for being drawn to an animal based on looks but there’s nothing wrong with it, unless you don’t do your research. I remember a study from a conference years ago that said when adopting shelter animals, people tended to look at a dog’s appearance first. Interestingly, for cats, people tended to look at personality first. We are a visual species, it’s just how we are.

I see borderline neglect probably every day with exotics, so believe me when I say I want people to do more research before getting a pet. But people need to chill out about the pet ownership gatekeeping. If people do their research and are honest about if an animal is a good fit for them, it’s not your place to tell them if their reason for wanting the animal is good enough. Aka all the Facebook pet groups need to calm down.

[dvmby2021]

A Deep Dive Into the Brain

“Glial cells of the cerebral cortex of a child,” a drawing from 1904.

“Retina of the lizard,” 1911.

Axon of Purkinje neurons in the cerebellum of a drowned man,” an ink and pencil drawing.

From “The Beautiful Brain: The Drawings of Santiago Ramón y Cajal” at Grey Art Gallery, “Tumor cells of the covering membranes of the brain,” from 1890.

Drawings by Santiago Ramón y Cajal (the father of neuroscience), Cajal Institute, Madrid

[dvmby2021]

gentle reminder: you are very capable and I’m excited for your future

slightly less gentle reminder: you do have to work for it

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Pelagic magic: The purple-striped jelly Chrysaora colorata

Photo: Joe Platko

Local beachgoers and divers have seen many of these jellies in recent weeks—these individuals were found along Cannery Row this week!

Photo: David Slater

Purple-stripes are magnificent magenta medusivores, filling their bellies with jellies and other gelatinous gastronomy ingested on the go—with a casserole of planktonic crustaceans for dessert.

Photo: Phil Lemley

Fueled by this diverse diet, C. colorata can grow to gargantuan proportions—nearly 3 feet wide and over a dozen feet long for the reigning purple champions! 

Photo: Joe Platko (July 2014)

Many of the purple-stripes we’ve seen recently are missing some or all of their frilly-mouth arms—a potential sign of a leatherback sea turtle attack! These jellies have been through a *lot* by the time they reach the shoreline…

Photo: Phil Lemley

The lifecycle of the purple-striped jelly was discovered by our very own jelly aquarists back in the mid-90s (shoutout to Freya Sommer, now Dive Safety Officer at Hopkins Marine Station!) and many of the C. colorata you’ve seen at the Aquarium over the years are home-grown!

Found from Southern California north to Canada, there’s some evidence they may be shifting their range to coolers waters—you can help scientists track them on iNaturalist and jellywatch.org! 

Thanks again to Joe, David and Phil for the photos, and thank you Ocean for sharing these majestic mauve marvels with us! Here’s some more C. colorata content to close this post out: Home-grown purple-striped jellies at the Aquarium!

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Who's jealous of the fact that i get to try to explain the bulbus glandis to a foster parent over email... (she thinks they're testicles)...