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Hollow Knight: Silksong

String identified: gt: g

Closest match: THIS YEAR GUYS I SWEAR ITS COMING OUT THIS YEAR GUYS GUYS THIS YEAR GUYS FOR REAL ITS GONNA COME OUT THIS YEAR FOR SURE

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Round 3 - Reptilia - Apterygiformes

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next order of paleognath birds are the Apterygiformes, commonly called “kiwi”. Apterygiformes contains one living family, Apterygidae, with all five living species falling under one genus: Apteryx.

Kiwis are the smallest flightless paleognaths, about the size of a Domestic Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). They have tiny, vestigial wings and wing-claws that are almost invisible under their bristly, hair-like feathers. Their bill is long, pliable and sensitive to touch. Kiwi eyes are the smallest, relative to body mass, in all birds, resulting in the smallest visual field as well. Their eyes have some specialisations for their nocturnal lifestyle, but kiwi rely more heavily on their other senses. They have long, sensitive rictal bristles on their face that are similar to whiskers, detecting tactile sensations. Unusual for birds, kiwis have a highly developed sense of smell, and are the only birds with nostrils at the end of their long beaks. Kiwi eat small invertebrates, seeds, grubs, and many varieties of worms. They may also eat fruit, small crayfish, eels, and amphibians. Because their nostrils are located at the end of their beaks, kiwi can locate insects and worms underground using their keen sense of smell, without actually seeing or feeling them. Kiwi are native only to New Zealand.

Kiwis form monogamous pairs, though they do not spend all their time together. During the mating season, the pair will call to each other at night, and meet in the nesting burrow every three days. These relationships may last for up to 20 years. Kiwi females carry and lay a single egg that may weigh as much as 450 g (16 oz), up to 1/4 the weight of the female, the largest of any egg in relation to its mother. Producing the huge egg places significant physiological stress on the female. For the thirty days it takes to grow the fully developed egg, the female must eat three times her normal amount of food. Two to three days before the egg is laid there is little space left inside the female for her stomach and she is forced to fast. Some species can lay up to 5 eggs in a single clutch, but most just lay 1 or 2. Kiwi eggs are smooth in texture, and are ivory or greenish white. Once laid, the male incubates the egg(s), except for the Great Spotted Kiwi, (Apteryx maxima) (image 3), in which both parents are involved. Males may leave the nest to forage for hours, during which they cover the egg(s) with dirt and leaf litter. Once a chick hatches, it consumes the remaining highly nutritious shell and egg contents. After hatching, chicks usually do not receive further parental care, as they are born precocious with near full senses and mobility. Chicks generally leave the nest within ten days of hatching and remain in their parent's territory, foraging and nesting independently, until they are large enough to establish their own territory.

Apterygiformes arose in the Miocene. One extinct Miocene species, Proapteryx micromeros, was smaller and probably capable of flight, suggesting that kiwis secondarily lost their ability to fly after their ancestors flew to New Zealand.

Propaganda under the cut:

Kiwis are the national symbol of New Zealand, so much that New Zealanders themselves are commonly called “kiwis”.

Kiwis are the closest living relatives of the extinct, flightless elephant birds (order Aepyornithiformes), which were native to the island of Madagascar. One species of elephant bird, Aepyornis maximus, is considered one of the largest birds to have ever lived, estimated at 3 metres (9.8 ft) in height and weighing 275–1,000 kilograms (610–2,200 lb). Research suggests that both elephant birds and kiwi were descended from small flighted birds that flew to New Zealand and Madagascar.

Four species of kiwi are currently listed as vulnerable, and one is near threatened. All species have been negatively affected by historic deforestation, but their remaining habitat is well protected in large forest reserves and national parks. At present, the greatest threat to their survival is predation by invasive predators like the Stoat (Mustela erminea) (introduced to control invasive rabbits), Domestic Dog (Canis familiaris), Domestic Cat (Felis catus), and Domestic Ferret (Mustela furo).

Before the arrival of humans in the 13th century or earlier, New Zealand's only endemic mammals were three species of bat, and the ecological niches that in other parts of the world were filled by diverse mammals were taken up by birds (and, to a lesser extent, reptiles, insects and gastropods). The kiwi's mostly nocturnal habits may be a result of habitat intrusion by invasive predators and humans. In areas of New Zealand where introduced predators have been removed, such as sanctuaries, kiwi are often seen in daylight.

The Māori traditionally believed that kiwi were under the protection of Tāne Mahuta, god of the forest. They were used as food and their feathers were used for kahu kiwi ceremonial cloaks. Today, while kiwi feathers are still used, they are gathered from birds that die naturally, through road accidents, or predation, and from captive birds. In most American and European zoos that keep kiwis, any shed kiwi feathers, and the kiwis themselves when they pass away, are shipped back to New Zealand to be utilized and buried by the Māori. Kiwi are no longer hunted and Māori consider themselves the birds' guardians.

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REAL !!!

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Round 3 - Reptilia - Testudines

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Testudines, commonly known as “turtles”, are a unique order of reptiles. They are divided into two major clades: Pleurodira (“side-necked turtles”) and Cryptodira (“hidden-neck turtles”), which differ in the way their head retracts. The are composed of the living families Chelidae (Austro-South American side-neck turtles), Pelomedusidae (African side-necked turtles), Podocnemididae (“big-headed turtles” and South American side-necked river turtles), Chelydridae (“snapping turtles”), Dermatemydidae (“Hickatee”), Kinosternidae (“mud turtles” and “musk turtles”), Cheloniidae (“sea turtles”), Dermochelyidae (“Leatherback Sea Turtle”), Platysternidae (“Big-headed Turtle”), Emydidae (“terrapins”), Geoemydidae (Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles), Testudinidae (“tortoises”), Carettochelyidae (“Pig-nosed Turtle”), and Trionychidae (“softshell turtles”).

Turtles are most known for their modified, fused ribs that form an armored carapace. They also have a flattened belly-plate called a plastron. Their shell is mostly bone, covered by keratin scales called scutes. They shed their scutes as they grow, with older scutes peeling off of the newer, larger scutes beneath. As defense, Pleurodirans draw their necks sideways, hiding their head under the overhang of their carapace. Meanwhile, most Cryptodirans can fold their entire neck inside their shell. Box Turtles (genera Cuora and Terrapene) also possess a hinged plastron which allows them to seal themselves tightly within their own skeleton. Due to their streamlined bodies, sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea) cannot retract their head and limbs into their shells for protection. Turtles are found in many environments, on most continents, some islands, and most of the ocean. Some are terrestrial, some are freshwater, and some are marine. Some are herbivores, most are omnivores, and some are pure carnivores.

All turtles lay eggs. They do not form pair-bonds or social groups, and have a wide range of mating behaviors. In terrestrial species, males are often larger than females, and will fight with each other for the right to mate. For most semi-aquatic species, combat happens less often, and males will pursue females. In fully aquatic species, males are often smaller than females and rely on courtship displays to gain mating access. All turtles lay their eggs on land, although some lay eggs near water that rises and falls in level, submerging the eggs and signaling them to hatch. Most turtles create a nest for their eggs, digging a chamber into the ground. Depending on the species, the number of eggs laid varies from one to over 100. Eggs can be hard or soft-shelled. Most mother turtles do not perform parental care other than covering their eggs and immediately leaving, though some species guard their nests for days or weeks. Most species have their sex determined by temperature. In other species, sex is determined genetically. Hatching young turtles break out of the shell using an egg tooth, a sharp projection that exists temporarily on their upper beak. Hatchlings dig themselves out of the nest and find safety in vegetation or water. Most species grow quickly during their early years and slow down when they mature.

Testudines are not closely related to the two major living clades of Reptilia, Lepidosauria and Archosauria, so their exact place on the reptile tree has historically been disputed. The most recent evidence points to them being closer related to archosaurs than to lepidosaurs, but their ancestors are estimated to have split 255 million years ago during the Permian. The oldest known members of the Pleurodira lineage are the Platychelyidae, from the Late Jurassic. The oldest known unambiguous Cryptodire is Sinaspideretes, a close relative of softshell turtles, from the Late Jurassic of China. Turtles began to diversify during the Cretaceous.

Propaganda under the cut:

The largest living species of turtle is the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), which can reach over 2.7 m (8ft 10in) in length and weigh over 500 kg (1,100 lb).

A turtle was the symbol of the Ancient Mesopotamian god Enki from the 3rd millennium BC onward.

If a female sea turtle does not want to mate, she has multiple ways of refusing a male’s advances. Her larger size and strength may allow her to simply swim away faster, or she may bite the male. She may take up a refusal position with her body vertical, her limbs widely outspread, and her plastron facing the male, keeping her rear away from him. If water is too shallow for the refusal position, the female may resort to beaching herself, as males are not adapted to come ashore.

In Hindu mythology, the World Turtle, named Kurma or Kacchapa, supports four elephants on his back; they, in turn, carry the weight of the whole world on their backs. The turtle is one of the ten avatars or incarnations of the god Vishnu.

There is experimental evidence that the embryos of Chinese Pond Turtles (Mauremys reevesii) can move around inside their eggs to select the best temperature for development, thus choosing their sex.

The Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is one of the most endangered animals in the world, considered to be functionally extinct. The species has a known population of only 1 in captivity and potentially 1 in the wild, with no remaining fertile females. Conservation teams continue to monitor lakes and ponds in China and Vietnam and interview local communities to gather more information about potential surviving individuals. Efforts are also underway to explore new areas of habitat that could support this species.

An ancient Greek myth told that only the tortoise refused the invitation of the gods Zeus and Hera to their wedding, as it preferred to stay at home. Zeus then ordered it to carry its house with it forever. Not the worst Zeus curse by far, tbh.

The oldest known living turtle, and land animal, is said to be a Seychelles Giant Tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa) named Jonathan, who is estimated to be 192 as of 2025. He lives on the grounds of Plantation House, the official residence of the governor of Saint Helena and is cared for by the government. The Saint Helena five-pence coin depicts Jonathan on one side.

Among vertebrate orders, turtles are second only to primates in the percentage of threatened species. They face many threats, including habitat destruction, hunting, the pet trade, pollution, light pollution, and climate change.

Chinese markets have sought to satisfy an increasing demand for turtle meat with farmed turtles, even turning to American markets to cover their decreasing supply, as harvesting wild turtles is legal in some American states.

Threatened species of turtles, such as the critically endangered Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata), Angonoka Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora), Philippine Forest Turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis), Yellow-headed Box Turtle (Cuora aurocapitata), Indochinese Box Turtle (Cuora galbinifrons), Golden Coin Turtle (Cuora trifasciata), McCord's Box Turtle (Cuora mccordi), and the Roti Island Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina mccordi) are in high demand in the exotic pet trade, and their populations have plummeted as poachers capture them from the wild.

Large numbers of sea turtles are accidentally killed in longlines, gillnets, and trawling nets as bycatch, or struck by boats. In Australia, Queensland's shark culling program, which uses shark nets and drum lines, has killed over 5,000 turtles as bycatch between 1962 and 2015, including 752 critically endangered ones. Light pollution at night threatens young sea turtles who use the moon to guide them toward the ocean, instead crawling into brightly-lit city streets where they are struck by cars or fall into storm drains.

Native turtle populations can also be threatened by invasive ones. The central North American Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), often kept as pets and then released into the wild, has been listed among the "world's worst invasive species", outcompeting native turtle species in eastern and western North America, Europe, and Japan.

As of 2021, turtle extinction is progressing much faster than during the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction. At this rate, all turtles could be extinct in a few centuries.

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Round 3 - Reptilia - Squamata

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our second order of reptiles is Squamata, commonly called “lizards” and “snakes” (though snakes are in fact a suborder of lizards). This is a highly diverse order, containing the families… *deep breath*… Dibamidae (“blind skinks”), Diplodactylidae (diplodactylid geckos), Pygopodidae (“snake-lizards”), Carphodactylidae (“southern padless geckos”), Eublepharidae (“eyelid geckos”), Sphaerodactylidae (sphaerodactylid geckos), Phyllodactylidae (phyllodactylid geckos), Gekkonidae (“common geckos”), Scincidae (“skinks”), Xantusiidae (“night lizards”), Gerrhosauridae (“plated lizards”), Cordylidae (“girdled lizards”), Gymnophthalmidae (“spectacled lizards”), Teiidae (“whiptails” and “tegus”), Alopoglossidae (“teids” and “largescale lizards”), Lacertidae (“wall lizards”), Rhineuridae (“Florida Worm Lizard”), Bipedidae (“Mexican Mole Lizard”, “Four-toed Worm Lizard”, and “Three-toed Worm Lizard”), Blanidae (also “worm lizards”), Cadeidae (“Cuban keel-headed worm lizards”), Trogonophidae (“Palearctic worm lizards”), Amphisbaenidae (“worm lizards”), Shinisauridae (“Chinese Crocodile Lizard”), Lanthanotidae (“Earless Monitor Lizard”), Varanidae (“monitor lizards”), Helodermatidae (“beaded lizards”), Xenosauridae (“knob-scaled lizards”), Diploglossidae (“galliwasps”), Anniellidae (“American legless lizards”), Anguidae (“glass lizards” and “alligator lizards”), Chamaeleonidae (“chameleons”), Agamidae (“agamas” or “dragon lizards”), Leiocephalidae (“curlytail lizards”), Iguanidae (“iguanas” and “chuckwallas”), Hoplocercidae (“woodlizards” and “dwarf iguanas”), Crotaphytidae (“collared lizards”), Corytophanidae (“casquehead lizards”), Tropiduridae (“Neotropical ground lizards”), Phrynosomatidae (phrynosomatid lizards), Dactyloidae (“anoles”), Polychrotidae (“bush anoles”), Liolaemidae (liolaemid lizards), Leiosauridae (leiosaurid lizards), Opluridae (“Malagasy iguanas”), Leptotyphlopidae (“slender blind snakes”), Gerrhopilidae (“Indo-Malayan blindsnakes”), Xenotyphlopidae (“Malagasy blind snakes”), Typhlopidae (typhlopid blindsnakes), Anomalepididae (“primitive blind snakes”), Aniliidae (“American Pipe Snake”), Tropidophiidae (“dwarf boas”), Uropeltidae (“shield-tail snakes”), Anomochilidae (“dwarf pipesnakes”), Cylindrophiidae (“Asian pipesnakes”), Xenopeltidae (“sunbeam snakes”), Loxocemidae (“Mexican Python”), Pythonidae (pythons), Boidae (“boas”), Xenophidiidae (“spinejaw snakes”), Bolyeriidae (“Round Island boas”), Acrochordidae (“wart snakes”), Xenodermidae (“odd-scaled snakes”, “Borneo Red Snake”, “Dragon Snake”, and kin), Pareidae (“slug and snail-eating snakes”), Viperidae (vipers), Homalopsidae (“Indo-Australian water snakes”), Colubridae (colubrid snakes), Lamprophiidae (“house snakes”), and Elapidae (elapid snakes).

As this order is so diverse it would be hard to summarize their anatomy and behavior in one paragraph. Squamates have 4 legs ancestrally, but many groups have secondarily lost one pair or all of their legs. Some of these groups retain vestigial hind limbs beneath their skin. They can be herbivorous or carnivorous, lay eggs or give live birth, be terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal, semi-aquatic, or fully aquatic. Some utilize a flattened body or flaps of skin to glide. Some lack teeth, some have one or more teeth, and some have teeth designed for injecting venom. Venom, used in hunting and sometimes defense, evolved early in ambush predators of the clades Caenophidia, Anguimorpha, and Iguania, before the three groups split. It can be delivered via specialized fangs or saliva. Squamates “smell” via chemoreception, taking in scent particles on their tongue and transferring them to the Jacobson’s organ on the roof of their mouth, which then sends the information to the brain. Thus, when a squamate flicks its tongue in and out of its mouth, it is “taste-smelling” the air.

Squamata and Rhynchocephalia form the superorder Lepidosauria, which is the sister group to Archosauria, the clade that contains crocodilians and birds. As rhynchocephalians first appeared in the Early Triassic, the lineage leading to squamates must have also existed at the time. The oldest known squamate ancestor is Megachirella, which existed in the Middle Triassic. The oldest unambiguous fossils of squamates date to the Middle Jurassic, with the first appearance of many modern groups during this period.

Propaganda under the cut:

Many groups, such as the blind skinks and blind snakes, have greatly reduced eyes covered by a scale. These eyes can only sense light and dark. They have little need for eyes though, as they burrow underground and utilize their sense of smell and hearing to perceive the world.

Male squamates have hemipenes (two penises linked together), which are usually held inverted within their bodies, and are everted for reproduction via erectile tissue like a mammalian penis. Only one is used at a time, and some evidence indicates that males alternate use between copulations. Stay tuned for more Penis Facts™.

Snakes, the most recent suborder of lizards, are thought to have evolved from burrowing lizards during the Cretaceous Period. One of the most basal known snakes, Najash rionegrina, was a two-legged burrowing snake from the Late Cretaceous. However, snakes are not the only lizards to have lost their legs, and many other families seem to be following in their footsteps… or lack thereof.

The smallest squamate, and the smallest known reptile, is the Jaragua Sphaero (Sphaerodactylus ariasae), also known as the Jaragua Dwarf Gecko. The Jaragua Sphaero measures 14–18 mm (0.55–0.71 in) from the snout to the base of the tail and can fit on a US quarter. It has an average weight of 0.13 g.

Meanwhile, the longest squamate is the Reticulated Python (Malayopython reticulatus), which can grow up to 6.5 m (21.4 ft), and weigh up to 75 kg (165 lb). This upper range is rare, however. It is surpassed in weight by the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) which can weigh up to 80 kg (176 lb), the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) which can weigh up to 150 kg (330 lb), and the Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) with a record weight of 182.8 kg (403 lb) in one captive individual.

The largest squamates in history were the mosasaurs, a clade of lizards within the suborder Anguimorpha, which also includes the beaded lizards, legless lizards, monitor lizards, and others. These fully aquatic lizards were adapted for a life at sea, and ranged from the 1 m (3.3 ft) long Dallasaurus turneri, to the 12 meter (39 ft) long apex predator Mosasaurus hoffmannii.

Though they survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, many squamate species are now endangered due to habitat loss, hunting, the pet trade, invasive species, and other anthropogenic causes. Because of this, some squamate species have recently become extinct. Breeding programs exist in many zoos, both to retain reservoir populations and to boost populations in the wild through releases. Unfortunately, not every species is charismatic, and it can be hard to get the public invested and involved in squamate conservation.

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We all heard of crack-ships. But what about crack-FRIENDships? I think Oro and Lemm would have a very interesting dynamic as an unlikely friends duo. Just two old men talking trash about everyone else together like two teenage girls

(transcript under the cut)

panel 1: Oro: Lemm, a question. As a friend to a friend. Lemm: M? panel 2: Oro: That Quirrel fellow... are you and him- panel 3: Lemm: I do not like where this question is going, so I'll say this: me and Quirrel are nothing more than colleagues, at BEST. While it's true I tolerate him more than most bugs here, it is born out of appreciation for his skills and knowledge, NOTHING MORE.

panel 4: Oro: ... Young Sheo, in Oro's memory: I- I just appreciate Hegemol's strength and skill, that's all!

panel 5: Oro: MHM. Lemm: DON'T "MHM" ME!

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has Tumblr discovered McPentagon yet. it will not leave my brain. I need it to spread

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Bumble buddies, another soft pile

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Round 3 - Mammalia - Artiodactyla

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our final order of mammals, and second order of ungulates is Artiodactyla, commonly referred to as “even-toed ungulates”. Artiodactyla is a large and highly diverse group which includes the living families Camelidae (“camels”, “vicuñas”, “guanacos”, and kin), Suidae (“pigs”), Tayassuidae (“peccaries”), Hippopotamidae (“hippopotamuses”), Balaenidae (“right whales” and “Bowhead Whale”), Cetotheriidae (“Pygmy Right Whale”), Balaenopteridae (“rorquals”), Eschrichtiidae (“Gray Whale”), Delphinidae (“oceanic dolphins”), Monodontidae (“Beluga Whale” and “Narwhal”), Phocoenidae (“porpoises”), Kogiidae (“Pygmy and Dwarf Sperm Whales”), Physeteridae (“Sperm Whale”), Iniidae (“South American river dolphins”), Platanistidae (“south Asian river dolphins”), Pontoporiidae (“La Plata Dolphin”), Ziphiidae (“beaked whales”), Tragulidae (“chevrotains”), Antilocapridae (“Pronghorn”), Giraffidae (“giraffes” and “Okapi”), Cervidae (“deer”), Moschidae (“musk deer”), and Bovidae (“cattle”, “antelopes”, “goats”, and kin).

Artiodactyls are typically defined by the fact that they bear most of their weight equally on two or four of the five original ungulate toes. However, all living members of the infraorder Cetacea have lost their toes, replacing them with flipper-like limbs. Many artiodactyls have a relatively large head, with an elongated and narrow skull. Some families have cranial appendages, which include true horns, antlers, ossicones, or pronghorns. True horns have a bone core that is covered in a permanent sheath of keratin, and are found only in the Bovids. Antlers are bony structures that are shed and replaced each year, only found in deer. Artiodactyls have a well-developed sense of smell and sense of hearing. Similar to many other prey animals, their eyes are on the sides of the head, giving them an almost panoramic view, so that they can keep an eye out for predators while grazing. This order is highly diverse, ranging in size from the rabbit-sized Java Mouse-deer (Tragulus javanicus) to the largest mammal, and possibly the largest animal to ever exist: the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Most are herbivorous, but many are omnivores or even carnivores.

Male artiodactyls are usually larger than females. In the majority of deer species, only the males grow antlers, and the horns of female bovines are usually smaller or absent. As this is a very diverse group, social and mating behavior vary between species. They have a tendency to form larger groups, but some live alone or in pairs. Species living in groups often have a hierarchy, both among males and females. Some species also live in harem groups, with one male, several females, and their common offspring. In other species, the females and juveniles stay together, while males are solitary or live in bachelor groups and seek out females only during mating season. Generally, artiodactyls tend to have long gestation periods, smaller litter sizes, and more highly-developed young (usually called a “calf”). Most deliver 1 or 2 calves at a time, but some pigs can deliver up to ten. Newborn artiodactyls are precocial and are born with hair and open eyes.

The oldest fossils of artiodactyls date back to the early Eocene (about 53 million years ago).

Propaganda under the cut:

More than half the species in the family Camelidae are domesticated, with the only living wild camelids being the Vicuña (Lama vicugna) (ancestor of the domestic Alpaca), the Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) (ancestor of the domestic Llama), and the Wild Bactrian Camel (Camelus ferus) (NOT the ancestor of the Domestic Bactrian).

Camelids have true canine teeth and tusk-like premolars, which are separated from the molars by a gap.

Both the Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus) (image 1) and the Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) were domesticated in ancient times for riding, transport, ploughing, and as a source of milk, meat, wool, and leather. Today, the wild ancestors of both of these species are extinct, and only feral populations of domestic camels remain. The only truly wild camel species left is the Wild Bactrian Camel (Camelus ferus), which is critically endangered.

The Wild Bactrian Camel can survive on water saltier than seawater, something which no other mammal in the world seems to be able to tolerate, including the domestic Bactrian Camel.

In Aymara mythology, Llamas (Lama glama) are sacred beings. The Heavenly Llama is said to drink water from the ocean and urinates as it rains. According to Aymara eschatology, llamas will return to the water springs and ponds where they come from at the end of time.

Babirusas (genus Babyrousa) are unique for their prominent, upwards incurving, canine tusks, which pierce out through the flesh of the snout in males. The upper canine tusks continue growing, curving backward over the front of the face and towards the forehead. If a male Babirusa does not grind his tusks (achievable through regular activity), they can eventually keep growing and, rarely, even penetrate the individual's skull.

The Domestic Pig (Sus domesticus) was domesticated from the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) beginning in the Neolithic, and is a result of two different domestication events in both the Middle East and China. They are mostly kept for meat and leather, but are also used in medicine and as pets. The Domestic Pig is one of the few omnivorous animals to be domesticated.

The endangered Chacoan Peccary (Catagonus wagneri) is the rarest of the 3 living species of peccary, with only around 3,000 individuals left in the world. It is a “Lazarus taxon”, as its genus was first described from fossil remains of the extinct Catagonus metropolitanus. The Chacoan Peccary only lives in hot, dry, thorny areas of the Gran Chaco.

While the semi-aquatic hippopotamuses were once more diverse, only two species of different branching lineages remain: the vulnerable Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) (see gif above) and the endangered Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis).

The Egyptian goddess Tawaret is depicted as a pregnant woman with a hippopotamus head, representing fierce maternal love.

Humans have hunted whales since prehistoric times, with depictions of whaling dating back to 6000 BC. Whales are hunted for their meat, blubber, and oil. Whale oil was in high demand for lighting lamps in the 18th century. The Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) was particularly prized for spermaceti, a dense waxy substance that burns with an exceedingly bright flame that is found in the whale’s spermaceti organ. Approximately 40% of Right Whales' (genus Eubalaena) (image 3) body mass is blubber, and thus they were known as the "right" whale to kill. Today, the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is the most critically endangered great whale, with around 372 individuals left in the world. While whale hunting has been significantly curtailed in recent years, whales still face threats from entanglement in fishing gear, boat strikes, underwater noise pollution, plastic and heavy metals build-up, and accelerating climate change. Cetaceans are still hunted in some countries.

The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is known to not only fight back against their main predators, Orcas (Orcinus orca), but also to interfere with Orca hunting parties, rescuing their prey.

The mysterious Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is known for the long tusk of the males, which is a protruding left canine thought to function as a weapon, a tool for feeding, in attracting mates, or for sensing water salinity. Some males may grow two tusks, occurring when the right canine also protrudes through the lip. Some females may grow a tusk as well, but it is usually smaller than the tusks of males.

The critically endangered Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is the smallest of all living cetaceans, reaching a maximum body length of 150 cm (4.9 ft) for females or 140 cm (4.6 ft) for males. The Vaquita is one of the most endangered animals in the world, with around 6-11 individuals remaining. They are endangered primarily due to bycatch in gillnets from the illegal Totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) fishery.

The Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) was a river dolphin, and the last surviving member of the family Lipotidae. It is classified as "critically endangered: possibly extinct", as no specimens have been seen in the Yangtze River in over 20 years. Heavy use of the river for fishing, transportation, and hydroelectricity were the likely causes of this unique species’ extinction. While some individuals may survive, their population is likely too low to recover. If indeed extinct, the Baiji's disappearance would be the first recorded extinction of a well-studied cetacean species to be directly attributable to human influence.

The Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) is the last surviving member of its family. While they are sometimes referred to as antelope, this is an example of convergent evolution, and their closest living relatives are the Giraffids. The Pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in the Americas, and the third fastest land mammal on Earth, with running speeds of up to 88.5 km/h (55 mph). This running speed was likely an adaptation to flee the Pleistocene American Cheetahs (genus Miracinonyx), which are now extinct.

Giraffes are the tallest living land animals, with the largest being the Masai Giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi). Bull Masai Giraffes can grow up to 5.5 meters (18 feet) in height, and weigh 1,300 kilograms (2,900 pounds).

Caribou (Rangifer tarandus), also known as Reindeer, are unique among Cervids in that females may have antlers, although the prevalence of antlered females varies by subspecies.

Cervid antlers are a controlled form of bone cancer. Antler growth is tightly regulated by the activity of tumor-suppressing and tumor-growth-inhibiting genes. The cancer-suppressing genes that keep growth in check also protect against cancer in general, and documented cancer rates in deer that are five times lower than rates in other mammals.

Musk Deer (genus Moschus) are not true deer belonging to the family Cervidae, but rather their family is most closely related to Bovidae. They are known for the enlarged upper canines, forming sabre-like tusks, grown by the males for display.

The family Bovidae is the largest of the artiodactyls, and ungulates in general, accounting for nearly 55% of the ungulates. They also contain the majority of domesticated animals.

The critically endangered Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) is also known as the “Asian Unicorn” due to its rarity. The first photograph of a living Saola was taken in captivity in 1993. The most recent one was taken in 2013 by a movement-triggered camera in the forest of central Vietnam.

The African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer), specifically the Syncerus caffer caffer subspecies, the Cape Buffalo, is known as one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. With nicknames like "the Black Death" or "the widowmaker", Cape Buffalos can be highly territorial and defensive, and wounded animals are reported to ambush and attack hunters. (However, Elephants, Nile Crocodiles, and Hippos are still responsible for more deaths per year than African Buffalos are. Not to mention mosquitoes and venomous snakes.)

Domestic Cattle (Bos taurus) and Zebu (Bos indicus) were both domesticated from the now extinct Aurochs (Bos primigenius) during the Neolithic revolution. While the Aurochs is now extinct, Domestic Cattle are the most successful members of their lineage, with over 1.4 billion cattle in the world.

The Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) is the fourth fastest land mammal, clocked at 88 km/h (55 mph). They are primarily known for their pronking behavior: bouts of repeated high leaps of up to 2m (6.7 ft) into the air. In pronking, the Springbok performs multiple leaps into the air in a stiff-legged posture, with the back bowed and the white fur on its rump raised. This behavior displays the fitness of males, both to attract mates and to ward off predators, who won’t waste time chasing a healthy, fit Springbok.

The Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries), domesticated from the Mouflon (Ovis gmelini) between 11,000 and 9000 BC in Mesopotamia, and the Domestic Goat (Capra hircus), domesticated from the Bezoar Ibex (Capra aegagrus aegagrus) around 8000 BC, were domesticated to provide easy access to meat, hides, dung (used for fuel), wool, and milk. It is thought that the birth of agriculture and domestication of livestock is what led to human civilizations, as it was hard to be nomadic with a large herd of animals. Villages popped up around pens of livestock, leading to towns, leading to cities.

[nochromity]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Carnivora

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next order of mammals is Carnivora, mammals specialized primarily in eating meat. A diverse order, Carnivora contains the living families Canidae (“dogs”), Ursidae (“bears”), Phocidae (“earless seals”), Otariidae (“eared seals”), Odobenidae (“Walrus”), Mephitidae (“skunks” and “stink badgers”), Ailuridae (“Red Panda”), Procyonidae (“raccoons”, “coatis”, “ringtails”, “kinkajous”, and kin), Mustelidae (“weasels”, “badgers”, “otters”, “Wolverine”, and kin), Nandiniidae (“African Palm Civet”), Viverridae (“civets”, “genets”, “Binturong”, and kin), Herpestidae (“mongooses”), Eupleridae (“Malagasy mongooses”), Hyaenidae (“hyenas”), Prionodontidae (“Asiatic linsangs”), and Felidae (“cats”).

As the sixth largest order of mammals, Carnivora is very diverse and exhibits a wide array of body plans, varying greatly in size and shape. They usually have large, conical, thick, stress-resistant canine teeth. Most species have eyes on the front of their face, pointing forward. They often have a very well-developed sense of smell. Some carnivorans have retractile or semi-retractile claws. Carnivora is separated into two suborders, Caniformia and Feliformia, with Caniforms containing canids and their relatives and Feliforms containing felids and their relatives. (Yes, even in taxonomy, there is a dichotomy between cats and dogs.) Caniforms have longer jaws and more teeth, with less specialized carnassial teeth. They also tend more towards omnivory and opportunistic feeding, while the feliforms, other than the viverrids, are more specialized for eating meat. Some carnivorans have secondarily evolved mainly herbivorous diets. They exist in almost every habitat, from the polar North to hyper-arid deserts to marine seas.

Male carnivorans are usually larger than females. Some species are social while others are solitary. Some species only meet to mate, some form family groups organized around a breeding pair, and some involve a single male or males leading a harem of females and their young. Carnivores usually invest a lot into their young, teaching and raising them to adulthood.

Carnivoramorpha as a whole first appeared in the Paleocene of North America about 60 million years ago, as small marten-like or civet-like predators of insects, lizards, and other small vertebrates. Feliforms and Caniforms split around the Middle Eocene, about 42 million years ago. The precursors to the living feliforms remained forest-dwelling, arboreal or semi-arboreal ambush hunters, while the caniform precursors were more mobile, opportunistic hunters.

Propaganda under the cut:

Canids tend to live as monogamous pairs. Wolves (Canis lupus), Coyotes (Canis latrans), African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus), and Dholes (Cuon alpinus) live in groups that include a breeding pair and their offspring. Wolves may even live in extended family groups. Living in family groups allows these animals to work together to take down prey larger than themselves.

The Domestic Dog (Canis familiaris) was the first species to be domesticated by humans, from the Wolf (Canis lupus), more than 30,000 ago when humans were still hunter-gatherers. Domestic Dogs have evolved alongside humans, adapting to better understand and communicate with us, read human body language and expressions, and smell human emotions. Both dogs and humans release oxytocin while spending quality time together, a sign of a strong social bond. Over 340 breeds of Domestic Dog have been selectively bred for tasks such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, detecting a variety of scents, protection, and companionship, with various breeds also filling roles in therapy, aiding disabled people, and assisting police and the military.

According to the Creation Myths of the Serer People, jackals were the first animals on Earth, and the first intelligent beings before humans, and will be the last. In some stories, the jackal is sent to Earth by Roog as a messenger, and in others as a fallen prophet for disobeying the laws of the divine. The movements of the jackal are carefully observed, because the animal is viewed as a seer who came from the transcendence and maintains links with it. Although believed to be rejected by the other animals and deprived of its original intelligence, it is still respected because it dared to resist the supreme being who still keeps it alive.

The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) is the largest land carnivore, with adult males weighing 300–800 kg (660–1,760 lb) and being 200–250 cm (6.6–8.2 ft) long. Females are smaller at 180–200 cm (5.9–6.6 ft) with a weight of 150–300 kg (330–660 lb). Adults may stand 130–160 cm (4.3–5.2 ft) tall at the shoulder. The largest Polar Bear on record, reportedly weighing 1,002 kg (2,209 lb), was a male shot at Kotzebue Sound in northwestern Alaska in 1960.

The word “panda” derives from the Nepali word “ponya”, which means “ball of the foot” and “claws”. The Nepali word for the endangered Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) is "nigalya ponya", which has been translated as "bamboo-footed", due to the animal’s adapted wrist bone which allows it to grip bamboo. When the Red Panda was first described in 1825, it was named an English shortening of this name: “panda.” For more than 40 years the Red Panda was known as simply the panda: the one and only panda. However, when the vulnerable Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) was described in 1869, it was also given the name panda. Historically, there was much debate over the taxonomic positions of these two species, as they were both carnivorans that had adapted to a very specific diet of mostly bamboo. However, we know today that the Giant Panda is indeed a bear and not closely related to the Red Panda, which is the only living member of its own family.

The endangered Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is a semi-aquatic predator of north-central South America, and is capable of bringing down animals as tough as a small caiman. Giant Otters live in extended family groups, and are highly social with each other, but extremely territorial of other groups. Battles between groups sometimes break out at the boundaries between territories.

Weasels (genus Mustela) have a behavior called the “weasel war dance”, which consists of a frenzied series of hops sideways and backwards, often accompanied by an arched back and a frizzed-out tail. The weasel war dance happens when the animal is excited or happy, and often occurs after they have caught or killed their prey, or are playing.

Ferrets (Mustela furo) were domesticated from the European Polecat (Mustela putorius) around 2,500 years ago. The Romans used ferrets to hunt rabbits, rodents, and moles, as they are specifically adapted to squeeze into holes after prey. Genghis Khan, ruler of the Mongol Empire, is recorded as using an army of ferrets in a gigantic hunt in 1221 that aimed to purge an entire region of wild animals.

The smallest carnivoran is the Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis). Average body length (not counting the tail) in males is 130 to 260 mm (5 to 10.2 in), while females average 114 to 204 mm (4.5 to 8 in). Males weigh 36 to 250 g (1.3 to 8.8 oz), while females weigh 29 to 117 g (1 to 4.1 oz). Despite their diminutive size, Least Weasels are still effective predators, and can take on prey up to the size of a rabbit.

The North American Black-footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes) declined throughout the 20th century, primarily as a result of declines of its main prey, Prairie Dogs (genus Cynomys). In 1979, it was declared extinct. However, a small wild population was discovered in Meeteetse, Wyoming in 1981! A captive breeding program was launched, using these ferrets, and a reintroduction campaign was put into play. Today, over 200 mature individuals are in the wild across 18 populations, with four self-sustaining populations in South Dakota, Arizona, and Wyoming. In 2008, the Black-footed Ferret’s IUCN status was changed from “extinct in the wild” to “endangered”. In February 2021, the first successful clone of a Black-footed Ferret, a female named Elizabeth Ann, was introduced to the public. She was cloned using frozen cells from Willa, a female Black-footed Ferret who died in the 1980s and had no living descendants. This exciting development opened the doors to a new option for introducing much-needed genetic diversity into the captive breeding population. Elizabeth Ann could not breed herself, due to a condition unrelated to the cloning process, but in 2024, two new Black-Footed Ferret clones, Noreen and Antonia, were also cloned from Willa’s frozen cells. Antonia has since birthed a male and female kit, and Noreen is waiting for a suitable match.

The Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis) is famous for its strength, ferocity, and toughness. It is known for being able to fearlessly fight back when cornered, sometimes even dissuading Lions (Panthera leo) and Spotted Hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) from attacking it. It often raids beehives in search of honey and larvae, and is unbothered by bee stings, which have trouble penetrating its thick skin. They have been observed to kill and eat Black Mambas (Dendroaspis polylepis). They are also highly intelligent, and have been observed manipulating tools and performing complex problem-solving. Despite all this, they are only dangerous to humans if provoked, and most of their reputation comes from their willingness to defend themselves.

There are three species of raccoon, and the small, critically endangered Cozumel Raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus) is the rarest of them. It is native only to Cozumel Island off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. It is estimated there are only around 192 mature individuals left in the world.

Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) have powerful, mobile lips that they can use to generate high-powered suction. They do this to feed on one of their favorite prey items: clams. A Walrus can suck the meat out of a clam by sealing its powerful lips to the animal’s shell and withdrawing its piston-like tongue rapidly into its mouth, creating a vacuum. They can also use their mobile lips to whistle in the same way humans do!

The Baikal Seal (Pusa sibirica) is the only species of exclusively freshwater seal. They are native only to Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. The most recognizable characteristic of the Baikal Seal is its large, dark eyes. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, and has varying levels of light intensity. The seal’s large eyes allow it to take in as much light as possible in this environment.

The African Palm Civet (Nandinia binotata) is the most genetically isolated Carnivoran, being the only species within its whole superfamily.

The Jaguar (Panthera onca) employs an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of mammalian prey, between the ears, to deliver a fatal blow to the brain. It does this with a powerful bite force of 1,500 PSI. This bite also allows it to pierce the shells of turtles and the osteoderms of caimans.

When Cecil the male African Lion (Panthera leo leo) was killed in July 2015 by Walter Palmer, an American recreational big-game trophy hunter, there was international uproar and a change in the atmosphere regarding trophy hunting. There was also worry amongst the scientists who had been studying Cecil’s pride that his cubs were now in danger. When one or more new male Lions replace a previous male(s) associated with a pride, they often kill any existing young cubs, to ensure that only their bloodline is produced going forward. However, Cecil had formed a partnership with another male lion named Jericho. When Cecil was killed, Jericho took over the pride but did not kill Cecil’s cubs, and also protected them from any rivals.

The Domestic Cat (Felis catus) was domesticated from the African Wildcat (Felis lybica) about 10,000 years ago. Ancient Egyptians revered the Domestic Cat, and families would take their dead cats to the sacred city of Bubastis, where they were embalmed and buried in sacred repositories. Cats eventually replaced Ferrets as the pest-controlling housepet of choice in Ancient Greece and Rome, as they were considered more pleasant to keep around the house. Like dogs, they have adapted to live alongside us, evolving new vocalizations, body language, and behaviors specifically for communicating with humans, and generally becoming a social species (the African Wildcat is typically solitary and territorial). Today, there are over 41 breeds of Domestic Cat, and they are kept mainly for companionship and pest control. Unfortunately, they have also become one of the most abandoned pets.

The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is regarded as the fastest-running land animal. It is capable of running at 93 to 104 km/h (58 to 65 mph) in a sprint.

The Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) is threatened by poaching and the illegal wildlife trade in Indonesia. They are captured for use in the production of kopi luwak. Kopi luwak, also known as civet coffee, is a coffee that consists of partially digested coffee cherries, which have been eaten and defecated by the Asian Palm Civet. The cherries are fermented as they pass through a civet's intestines, and after being defecated with other fecal matter, they are collected. What was once a traditional drink, made from coffee cherries collected from civet feces in the wild, has become increasingly commercialized due to international demand and curiosity. Now, to meet demand, Asian Palm Civets are captured, kept in battery cages, and forcefed nothing but coffee cherries. The civets in kopi luwak farms are kept in abysmal conditions which include isolation, poor diet, small cages, and a high mortality rate. Kopi luwak is one of the most expensive coffees in the world, with retail prices reaching US$100 per kilogram (2.2 lbs) for farmed beans and US$1,300 per kilogram for wild-collected beans.

In some countries, the African Civet (Civettictis civetta) (image 4) is threatened by capture for the perfume industry, as its pheromone civetone is often used as a natural musk. The Calvin Klein-brand male cologne Obsession utilizes synthetic civetone, making the cologne highly attractive to feliforms. Obsession is sometimes used in the field to attract wild cats to camera traps, and is also used in zoos and sanctuaries as scent enrichment.

Mongooses (family Herpestidae) are one of at least four known mammalian taxa with mutations in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that protect against snake venom. This makes them fierce and effective predators of venomous snakes.

The Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) lives in large clans which can consist of up to 80 individuals. These clans are typically led by females, though they can occasionally co-dominate with a male. Clans are run by a matriarch, and her youngest female cub will become the new matriarch when she passes. When a male co-dominates with a female or is otherwise able to lead, this is because the male was born to the matriarch of the clan and has taken the rank directly below his mother.

The Aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) is a small, basal hyena that mainly eats termites. Like other animals adapted for eating termites, it has a long, sticky tongue.

Carnivorans usually occupy a very important part of the ecosystem, and most apex predators are carnivorans. Apex predators can be considered ecosystem engineers, due to the huge impact they have on their environment. One of the most famous examples of this was the reintroduction of Wolves (Canis lupus) in Yellowstone National Park. In 1884, the state of Montana instituted a bounty on Wolves: one dollar per Wolf killed. Wolves were considered a “menace” to Yellowstone’s wildlife, and more concerted efforts mounted to exterminate them. The Elk (Cervus canadensis) population began to explode, and they grazed their way across the landscape, killing young brush and trees. As early as the 1930s, scientists were alarmed by the degradation and were worried about erosion and plants dying off. By the 1970s, there were no resident populations of Wolves in Yellowstone, and Wolves had been almost completely eradicated in the lower 48 states. In 1974, the Wolf was listed in the endangered species act.

Starting in January 1995, Wolves from Canada began to be relocated to Yellowstone National Park. In the years that followed, wolves brought the Elk population down and their presence protected the open valleys from overgrazing, as the fear of predators kept the herds on the move. Willows (genus Salix) began to grow larger, with an increase in size of 1,500% by 2020. With the foliage returning to the park, Beavers (Castor canadensis), Lynxes (Felis lynx canadensis), Wolverines (Gulo gulo) (image 1), and many other formerly reduced species began to rebound. Beaver colonies have grown from 1 in 1995 to 19 by 2015 with four active dams in use. The dams build wetland ecosystems, used by millions of other species. This is an enduring example of a Trophic Cascade: a powerful indirect interaction that can control entire ecosystems, occurring when a trophic level in a food web is removed or added.

Even though domestic carnivorans like the Domestic Dog, Domestic Cat, and to a lesser extent, the Ferret, are some of the most popular pets in the world, most wild carnivorans have been, and still are, unfairly demonized. Many species have been overhunted, resulting in extirpation in some areas. Even early “conservationists” did not understand the value of predators, considering it a boon to the ecosystem to wipe them out entirely. Bounties are still placed on carnivorans today, and many ranchers and farmers push to have them completely wiped out to protect their livestock. If you cross the border of Yellowstone into a nearby town, you must be ready to hear all about how Wolves are evil creatures who kill for pleasure, and are going to kill all the precious Elk. It is a constant uphill battle to reintroduce carnivorans who may have been extirpated from their historical ranges. Yet in some places, humans have learned to coexist with these important parts of the ecosystem. One of the best ways to support carnivorans is through ecotourism. Locals tend to see more value in the predators they have to share space with when visitors are both excited about and bringing in tourism revenue because of these animals.

[nochromity]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Pholidota

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next mammal order is Pholidota, commonly called “pangolins” or “scaly anteaters.” There is only one living family, Manidae, with three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia.

The most distinctive characteristic of pangolins are their large, protective keratin scales, made of the same material as fingernails and toenails, covering their skin. They can curl up into a ball when threatened, with their overlapping scales acting as armor, while they protect their face by tucking it under their tail. This biological armor superficially resembles that of armadillos, though the two are not related. Pangolins can also emit a noxious-smelling chemical from a scent gland, similar to the spray of a skunk, as defense. Their diet consists of mainly ants and termites, as well as other insect larvae, which they capture using their long tongues and sticky saliva. They have short legs, with sharp claws which they use for burrowing into ant and termite mounds, as well as for climbing. They have poor vision, instead relying heavily on smell and hearing. Most pangolins are nocturnal, with the exception of the diurnal Long-tailed Pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) (image 3). They are mostly quadrupedal, though some species may walk bipedally occasionally (see gif below). They are also good swimmers and, like armadillos, will fill their stomachs with air before swimming to aid in buoyancy. Terrestrial species dig burrows to live in, while arboreal species live in hollow trees.

Male pangolins are larger than females, weighing up to 40% more. They tend to have larger territories than females, with one males’ territory overlapping that of multiple females. Pangolins are usually solitary animals, meeting only to mate. Males generally mark their location and will wait for females to find him when they are ready to mate. If competition over a female occurs, males can use their tails as clubs to fight for the opportunity to mate with her. A female will produce a litter of one to three offspring, though one pangopup is most common, which they raise for up to two years. The plate-like, keratin scales are soft, white, and rubbery on newborn pangolins, and harden as the animal matures. The mother usually carries her pangopup on her tail, and can fold her baby under her belly if she feels threatened.

The split between pangolins and their closest living relatives, the carnivorans, is estimated to have occurred 79.47 million years ago. Asian and African pangolins are thought to have diverged about 41.37 Ma ago.

Propaganda under the cut:

Pangolins are considered the most trafficked group of animals in the world. Their keratin scales are in high demand in southern China and Vietnam because they are believed to have medicinal properties in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine. These beliefs hold that the ground-up scales can stimulate lactation or cure cancer or asthma. Their meat is also considered a delicacy. Around 100,000 pangolins are estimated to be trafficked a year to China and Vietnam, amounting to over one million over the past decade. All eight species of pangolin are now assessed as threatened by the IUCN, while three are classified as critically endangered.

Early speculation about pangolins being the source of the COVID-19 virus may have led to mass slaughters, endangering them further, which was similar to what happened to Asian Palm Civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) during the SARS outbreak. It was later proven that the testing which suggested that pangolins were a potential host for the virus was flawed, when genetic analysis showed that the spike protein and its binding to receptors in pangolins had minimal effect from the virus, and therefore were not likely mechanisms for COVID-19 infections in humans. Pangolins were also not one of the animals for sale at the Wuhan Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, the live animal and seafood market that is considered the most likely point of origin for the virus.

Large pangolins can extend their tongues as much as 40 cm (1.3 ft), with a diameter of only about 0.5 cm (1⁄5 in).

A single pangolin can consume 140 to 200 g (5 to 7 oz) of insects per day.

Some long-tailed species, such as the Tree Pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis), use their strong, prehensile tails to hang from tree branches and strip away bark from the trunk, exposing insect nests inside.

The Long-tailed Pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) (image 3) is the smallest of the eight living species of pangolins, even with its long tail. Its body can reach a length of 30–40 cm (1–1.3 ft) and weigh 2-2.5 kg (4.4-5.5 lb).

The largest living species of pangolin is the Giant Pangolin (Smutsia gigantea). Male body lengths are between 137-180 cm (4.5-5.9 ft) and females about 112.5-136.5 cm (3.7-4.5 ft). Average mass has not been measured, but one specimen was found to weigh between 30 kg (66 lb) and 40 kg (88 lb). Adult Giant Pangolins can use their weight to simply lean on termite mounds to break them open.

Male Chinese Pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) (image 2) have been observed allowing females with a baby share their burrow.

Most pangolins have not done well in human care, but some zoos have had luck with the Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata). Successful reproduction by Indian Pangolins has been reported in several zoos, including the Oklahoma Zoo and Nandankanan Zoological Park, providing some hope for this endangered species.

Mother Philippine Pangolins (Manis culionensis) sleep rolled into a ball for defense like usual, but with their pup cradled in a ball of their own, encompassed within the mother's ball.

Kadazans use the scales of the Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica) (image 4) to make special armour to protect their warriors.

[nochromity]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Chiroptera

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next order of mammals is Chiroptera, commonly called “bats.” Chiroptera is the second largest order of mammals after Rodentia. Bats comprise about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide, with over 1,400 species. They are divided into the families Pteropodidae (“megabats”), Rhinopomatidae (“mouse-tailed bats”), Craseonycteridae (“Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat”), Megadermatidae (“false vampire bats”), Rhinonycteridae (“trident bats”), Hipposideridae (“Old World leaf-nosed bats”), Rhinolophidae (“horseshoe bats”), Nycteridae (“slit-faced bats”), Emballonuridae (“sac-winged bats” and “sheath-tailed bats”), Myzopodidae (“sucker-footed bats”), Mystacinidae (“New Zealand short-tailed bats”), Thyropteridae (“disk-winged bats”), Furipteridae (“Smoky Bat” and “Thumbless Bat”), Noctilionidae (“bulldog bats”), Mormoopidae (“ghost-faced bats”, “mustached bats”, and “naked-backed bats”), Phyllostomidae (“New World leaf-nosed bats”), Natalidae (“funnel-eared bats”), Molossidae (“free-tailed bats”), Miniopteridae (“long-fingered” and “bent-winged bats”), Cistugidae (“wing-gland bats”), and Vespertilionidae (“vesper bats”).

Bats are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight, with their forelimbs adapted as wings. Their wings are a patagium of skin stretched between 4 fingers, with their thumbs pointing forward and supporting the leading edge of the wing. The wings of bats are much thinner and consist of more bones than the wings of birds, allowing bats to maneuver more accurately and fly with more lift and less drag. The surface of the wings is equipped with touch-sensitive receptors on small bumps called Merkel cells, also found on human fingertips. In bats, each of these bumps has a tiny hair in the center, making it even more sensitive and allowing the bat to detect and adapt to changing airflow. While bats are highly agile in the air, they can only crawl or drag themselves awkwardly across the ground, and most of their time not in the air is spent roosting upside down. However, a few species, such as the New Zealand Lesser Short-tailed Bat (Mystacina tuberculata) and the Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus) are able to walk or even run on all fours. Most bats are insectivores, and most of the rest are frugivores (fruit-eaters) or nectarivores (nectar-eaters). A few feed on vertebrates, such as the specialized blood-drinking vampire bats (subfamily Desmodontinae), the bird-hunting Greater Noctule Bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus), the fish-catching Greater Bulldog Bat (Noctilio leporinus), the frog-eating Fringe-lipped Bat (Trachops cirrhosus), and the Spectral Bat (Vampyrum spectrum) and Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas) which sometimes feed on other bats. Carnivorous bats make use of echolocation for navigation and finding prey, while herbivorous bats use their more well-developed eyesight. Apart from the Arctic, the Antarctic and a few isolated oceanic islands, bats exist in almost every habitat on Earth.

Some bats lead solitary lives, while others live in colonies of millions. In some, the females live in groups while the males are solitary, or males and females will live in separate groups. Most species are polygynous, where males mate with multiple females. Some species are promiscuous, where both sexes mate with multiple partners. A few species form monogamous pairs. Female bats use a variety of strategies to control the timing of pregnancy and the birth of young, to make delivery coincide with maximum food ability and other ecological conditions. In most bat species, females carry and give birth to a single pup per litter. The young emerges rear-first, possibly to prevent the wings from getting tangled, and the female cradles it in her wing and tail membranes. In social species, females give birth and raise their young in maternity colonies and may assist each other in birthing. A few species also assist in suckling other mothers’ young. Most of the care for a bat pup comes from the mother, but in monogamous species, the father will also play a role in childcare.

The fragile skeletons of bats do not fossilize well, but Chiroptera is assumed to have arisen in the Eocene. The oldest known bat fossils include Archaeonycteris praecursor and Altaynycteris aurora (55–56 million years ago), both known only from isolated teeth. The oldest complete bat skeleton is Icaronycteris gunnelli (52 million years ago).

Propaganda under the cut:

The eyes of most carnivorous bat species are small and poorly developed, leading to poor visual acuity, but no species is truly blind. Microbats may use their vision for orientation and while travelling between their roosting grounds and feeding grounds, as echolocation is effective only over short distances. Some species can even detect ultraviolet (UV) light.

The smallest mammal in the world is the Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), also known as the Bumblebee Bat (though the the Etruscan Shrew [Suncus etruscus] is smaller by body mass). An adult Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat is about 29 to 33 mm (1.1 to 1.3 in) in length and weighs around 2 g (0.071 oz).

On the other wing, the largest bat in the world is the Giant Golden-crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus) which can reach a weight of 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) and has a wingspan of 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in).

Bat dung is mined as guano from caves and used as a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Bat guano also contains fine particles of insect exoskeleton, which are largely composed of chitin. Chitin from insect exoskeletons is an essential compound needed by beneficial soil fungi, as chitin is a major component of fungal cell wall membranes. This fungi then improves soil fertility. However, unsustainable harvesting of bat guano may cause bats to abandon their roost. Many cave ecosystems are wholly dependent on bats to provide nutrients via their guano which supports bacteria, fungi, invertebrates, and vertebrates in the cave. The loss of bats from a cave can result in the extinction of species that rely on their guano.

The extinct bats Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon and Hassianycteris kumari, both of which lived 48 million years ago, are the first fossil mammals whose colorations have been discovered. Both were reddish-brown.

The fastest flying bat, the Mexican Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), can achieve a ground speed of 160 km/h (100 mph)!

Mexican Free-tailed Bats are one of the few species to "sing" like birds. Males sing to attract females.

Greater Bulldog Bats (Noctilio leporinus) “honk” to warn each other when they may be about to collide.

Carnivorous bats make use of magnetoreception, in that they have a high sensitivity to the Earth's magnetic field, like birds. These bats use a polarity-based compass, meaning that they differentiate North from South, unlike birds, which use the strength of the magnetic field to differentiate latitudes.

Scientists reported in January 2025 that they had discovered how some bats travel hundreds of miles in the spring to give birth in warmer temperatures: they surf storm fronts.

The Spotted Bat (Euderma maculatum) can travel as much as 38.5 km (24 mi) in one night in search of food.

Many species of plants depend on bats for seed dispersal. The Jamaican Fruit Bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) has been recorded carrying fruits weighing 3–14 g or even as much as 50 g.

Nectar-eating bats have acquired specialised adaptations. These bats possess long muzzles and long, extensible tongues covered in fine bristles that aid them in feeding on particular flowers and plants. These long, narrow tongues can reach deep into the long cup shape of some flowers. When the tongue retracts, it coils up inside the rib cage. The Tube-lipped Nectar Bat (Anoura fistulata) has the longest tongue of any mammal relative to its body size.

Around 500 species of flowering plant rely on bat pollination. Because of this, some of these flowers have adapted to only open their flowers at night.

Due to the specialized metabolism of Vampire Bats (subfamily Desmodontinae) they are highly susceptible to starvation if they fail to feed within 70 hours. To combat this, vampire bats engage in reciprocal altruism, and will feed each other by regurgitating blood. If a bat cannot find food two nights in a row, due to injury, illness, or simple unluckiness, one of its colony mates may feed it. Vampire bats who are more “popular” in the colony may be fed more often.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease in North American bats which has resulted in the dramatic decrease of the bat population in the United States and Canada, killing millions and causing a 90% decline in some areas. The condition is named for a distinctive fungal growth of Pseudogymnoascus destructans around the muzzles and on the wings of hibernating bats. It is likely the fungus was brought to North America from Europe by cavers who didn’t wash their equipment. Bats in Europe seem to be resistant to the fungus. The Forest Service estimated in 2008 that the die-off from white-nose syndrome means that at least 2.4 million pounds (1.1 million kg or 1,100 tons) of insects will go uneaten, possibly leading to crop damage or having other economic impact.

It has been estimated that bats save the agricultural industry of the United States anywhere from $3.7 billion to $53 billion per year in pesticides and damage to crops. This also prevents the overuse of pesticides, which can pollute the surrounding environment, and may lead to resistance in future generations of insects.

Homosexual relations have been observed in the Bonin Flying Fox (Pteropus pselaphon) and the Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus medius).

The Christmas Island Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus murrayi) was declared extinct in 2009. This extinction was likely caused by introduced, invasive species such as Domestic Cats (Felis catus), Black Rats (Rattus rattus), Common Wolf Snakes (Lycodon capucinus), and Yellow Crazy Ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes). The bats could have also been poisoned by the insecticide Fipronil, used to control Yellow Crazy Ant Colonies.

In China, bats have been associated with happiness, joy, and good fortune. Five bats are used to symbolise the "Five Blessings": longevity, wealth, health, love of virtue, and peaceful death.

A new threat to bats has arisen in the form of bat taxidermy. Bat taxidermy, where bats are either mounted in glass, encased in resin, articulated as a skeleton, or simply stuffed, is growing in popularity as “quirky” decor. However, many sellers will claim to be ethical when they are not, and are actually catching and killing bats to meet the rising demand of this new market. In some cases, entire caves will be gassed so that the bat carcasses can be harvested by the thousands. Many of the bat species used for oddity decor are declining or even endangered. The transport of bat carcasses overseas has also been linked to the spread of disease.

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I‘ve fallen in love with the Hive Knight immediately!!

The theme!

The fluffiness!

The buzzing!

The devotion!

GORB, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

[nochromity]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Rodentia

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next and last order of the Glires clade is the Rodentia. Rodentia is the largest order of mammals, with about 40% of mammal species being rodents. Rodentia is comprised of the families… *deep breath*… Anomaluridae (“scaly-tailed squirrels”), Zenkerellidae (“Cameroon Scaly-tail”), Pedetidae (“springhares”), Castoridae (“beavers”), Geomyidae (“pocket gophers”), Heteromyidae (“kangaroo rats/mice” and “pocket mice”), Ctenodactylidae (“gundis”), Diatomyidae (“Laotian Rock Rat”), Bathyergidae (“African mole-rats”), Heterocephalidae (“Naked Mole-rat”), Hystricidae (“old world porcupines”), Petromuridae (“Dassie Rat”), Thryonomyidae (“cane rats”), Chinchillidae (“chinchillas” and “viscachas”), Dinomyidae (“Pacarana”), Caviidae (“cavies”), Dasyproctidae (“agoutis” and “acouchis”), Cuniculidae (“pacas”), Abrocomidae (“chinchilla rats”), Ctenomyidae (“tuco-tucos”), Echimyidae (“Nutria”, “spiny rats”, and “hutias”), Octodontidae (“degus” and kin), Erethizontidae (“new world porcupines”), Dipodidae (“jerboas”), Sminthidae (“birch mice”), Zapodidae (“jumping mice”), Calomyscidae (“mouse-like hamsters”), Cricetidae (“hamsters”, “voles”, “lemmings”, “muskrats”, and “new world rats/mice”), Muridae (“true rats/mice” and “gerbils”), Nesomyidae (“Malagasy rats/mice”, “climbing mice”, “African rock mice”, “swamp mice”, “pouched rats”, and “White-tailed Rat), Platacanthomyidae (“spiny dormice” and “Chinese pygmy dormice”), Spalacidae (“mole-rats”, “bamboo rats”, and “zokors”), Aplodontiidae (“Mountain Beaver”), Gliridae (“dormice”), and Sciuridae (“squirrels”).

The distinguishing feature of rodents is their pairs of continuously growing, razor-sharp, open-rooted incisor teeth. These incisors have thick layers of enamel on the front and little enamel on the back. Because they do not stop growing, the animal must continue to wear them down so that they do not reach and pierce the skull. Some rodents have elastic cheeks or even cheek pouches for storing food. They usually have flexible fore limbs with five digits, including an opposable thumb, while the hind limbs can have three to five digits. The majority of species are plantigrade, walking on both the palms and soles of their feet, and have claw-like nails. Many rodents have well-developed senses of smell, hearing, and vision. Nocturnal species often have enlarged eyes and some are sensitive to ultraviolet light. Many species have long, sensitive whiskers for touch. Some have prehensile tails, some have vestigial tails or no tails at all. Rodents are highly diverse, having evolved to fill a large variety of niches and filling almost every land-based habitat on Earth. There are terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal, semi-aquatic, herbivorous, omnivorous, insectivorous, and carnivorous rodents. Rodent species use a wide variety of methods of locomotion including quadrupedal walking, running, burrowing, climbing, bipedal hopping, swimming, and even gliding. Many rodents have advanced cognitive abilities, and display advanced feats of memory and intelligence.

Sexual dimorphism occurs in many rodent species. In some rodents, males are larger than females, while in others the reverse is true. Rodents exhibit a wide range of types of social behavior ranging from the caste system of the Naked Mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), the extensive "towns" of the colonial prairie dogs (genus Cynomys), through family groups to the independent, solitary life of the edible dormice (genus Glis). Beavers (genus Castor) live in extended family units typically with a pair of adults, and both their recent kits and older young. Brown Rats (Rattus norvegicus) usually live in small colonies with up to six females sharing a burrow and one male defending the territory around the burrow. The Prairie Vole (Microtus ochrogaster) is monogamous and forms a lifelong pair bond. Female rodents tend to play an active role in choosing their mates. Factors that contribute to female preference may include the size, dominance and spatial ability of the male. Rodents may be born either altricial (blind, hairless and relatively underdeveloped) or precocial (mostly furred, eyes open and fairly developed) depending on the species. In many social species, young may be cared for by individuals other than their parents, a practice known as alloparenting or cooperative breeding.

According to the fossil record, Rodentia arose in the Paleocene, probably in Asia, shortly after the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs some 66 million years ago. Some molecular clock data suggest Rodentia had already appeared by the Late Cretaceous, although other molecular divergence estimations are in agreement with the fossil record.

Propaganda under the cut:

Many rodents are “ecosystem engineers”: species which have a huge impact on their habitat. Ecosystem engineers are important for maintaining the health and stability of the environment they are living in. Beavers (genus Castor) (see gif above) are often used as the prototypical ecosystem engineer example, because of the impact their dams have on channel flow, geomorphology, and ecology. Beavers can create entire wetlands, habitat which is then used by millions of other species. Ground squirrels such as Groundhogs (Marmota monax) and prairie dogs (genus Cynomys) perform substantial modifications by burrowing and turning soil. They are able to influence soils and vegetation of the landscape while also providing burrows that are used by other species. Many tree squirrels bury nuts over a widespread area (scatterhoarding), and often forget them, resulting in entire new generations of forest diversity being planted.

Two distinct, unrelated groups of rodents evolved the ability to glide with a membrane between their front and hind legs. These are the Anomalurids (“scaly-tailed squirrels”) and the Flying Squirrels (Sciurid squirrels of the tribe Pteromyini) (image 4). Sciurids are most closely related to the Mountain Beaver (Aplodontia rufa) and dormice (family Gliridae). Anomalures are most closely related to springhares (family Pedetidae) and the Cameroon Scaly-tail (Zenkerella insignis). The only other mammals to evolve this gliding ability are the colugos and the some possums. This is an example of convergent evolution, where arboreal, climbing mammals found a way to more easily travel from tree to tree.

Springhares (genus Pedetes) (image 1) sleep standing up, with their head and forelimbs bent down in between their hindlegs, and their tail wrapped around their feet.

Beavers hold territories and mark them using scent mounds made of mud, debris, and a vanilla-like musk called castoreum—a liquid substance excreted through the beaver's urethra-based castor sacs. Castoreum was historically used for a variety of medical purposes; Pliny the Elder promoted it as a treatment for stomach problems, flatulence, seizures, sciatica, vertigo, epilepsy, hiccups, toothaches, and envenomations. By the early 20th century, castoreum began appearing in some foods to add a vanilla-raspberry flavor. But its use had fallen by 1987, when the U.S. consumed about 250 pounds of castoreum per year. Since then, its use has decreased significantly, now mostly found in niche foods such as Swedish liquor and some perfumes.

The Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) was hunted almost to extinction for both its water-resistant fur and castoreum by the early 20th century. Beaver hats were fashionable across much of Europe between 1550 and 1850 because the soft yet resilient material could be easily combed to make a variety of hat shapes (including the familiar top hat). Demand was so high, that when Eurasian Beavers could no longer be found, the gaze of European fashion turned to the New World and the North American Beaver (Castor canadensis), which was then also hunted to near-extinction. A shift in fashion trends toward silk hats may have been the only thing that saved these two species. Today, after considerable conservation efforts and reintroductions, both beaver species have recovered from this severe over-exploitation.

Gundis (family Ctenodactylidae) can climb up almost vertical surfaces.

The Naked Mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is highly unique for many reasons, one being that it is the only mammal with an almost entirely ectothermic (cold-blooded) form of body temperature regulation. They also lack pain sensitivity in their skin, have very low metabolic and respiratory rates, are resistant to cancer and oxygen deprivation, and can live over 37 years. Naked Mole-rats are also eusocial, forming a complex social structure which includes a reproductive division of labor, separation of reproductive and non-reproductive castes, and cooperative care of young. The only other eusocial mammal is the Damaraland Mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis).

Another example of convergent evolution involves spines. Both Old World Porcupines (family Hystricidae) and New World Porcupines (family Erethizontidae) (image 2), as well as spiny rats (genus Tokudaia) and spiny mice (subfamily Deomyinae), are not particularly closely related to each other. We also see spines in the even more distantly related hedgehogs, tenrecs, and echidnas. Many groups of small animals around the world seemed to have turned their mammalian fur into this unique defense mechanism.

Chinchillas (genus Chinchilla) have the densest fur of all living terrestrial mammals, with around 20,000 hairs per square centimeter and 50 hairs growing from each follicle. This gives them some of the softest fur in the world. Unfortunately, this has made their fur highly desirable for the fur trade, and both species of chinchilla are now endangered. A single, full-length coat made from chinchilla fur may require as many as 150 animals. Domestic Chinchillas descended from the Long-tailed Chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) are sometimes kept as pets, and are also bred and raised on fur farms.

The largest rodent ever known to exist was the the extinct, bison-sized Josephoartigasia monesi. Today, its only living relative is the much smaller Pacarana (Dinomys branickii).

The Greater Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest living rodent, growing to 106 to 134 cm (3.5 to 4.4 ft) long, standing 50 to 62 cm (1.7 to 2 ft) tall at the withers, and typically weighing 35 to 66 kg (77 to 146 lb). Capybaras are highly social, and semi-aquatic, and can hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes at a time.

The Domestic Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus) was domesticated from the wild Montane Guinea Pig (Cavia tschudii) as early as 5,000 BC by indigenous peoples in the Andean region of South America. Originally bred for its meat, the Domestic Guinea Pig is bred today for scientific research, for various color and coat types in shows, and as a pet. Their docile nature, friendly responsiveness to handling and feeding, and the relative ease of caring for them have made Guinea Pigs one of the most popular pet rodents.

The agoutis (family Dasyproctidae) are some of the most gracile rodent species, having an almost antelope or deer-like appearance, complete with hoof-like toes.

The beautiful Norway Lemming (Lemmus lemmus) is known for being one of the most aggressive rodents, despite its small size. When cornered by predators (including humans), they have been known to go on the attack. This is thought to be an attempt to deter predation by using their bold coloration, loud calls, and aggressive behavior to advertise their ability to harm small predators.

The Maned Rat (Lophiomys imhausi) is the only known poisonous rodent. Its long hairs are spongy, fibrous, and absorbent with a honeycomb structure. The rat is known to deliberately smear these hairs with poison from the bark of the Poison Arrow Tree (Acokanthera schimperi), on which it chews. Its mane of hairs absorbs the poison, thus creating a defense mechanism that can sicken or even kill predators which attempt to bite it.

The Rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster) is a semi-aquatic rat native to Australia, and fills a similar niche to river otters, hunting a variety of aquatic animals including fish, crustaceans, shellfish, eggs, mammals, frogs, and small reptiles.

The Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) is one of the most successful rodents in the world, living wherever humans live. They have adapted to survive well in urban environments, a genius survival strategy in an increasingly human world.

Domestic Rats are also called Fancy Rats (Rattus norvegicus domestica), and were bred from Brown Rats in 18th century Europe, when rat-catchers who caught and bred rats for rat-baiting noticed that some of their rats were prettier and more docile than the others. These rats were dressed up in ribbons and sold as pets. It was said that people who kept pet rats were struck with “rat fancy.”

Brown (and by extension Fancy) Rats are highly social and groom each other, sleep together in “piles”, play fight, emit ultrasonic “giggles” when excited, and show empathy to both their fellow rats and their bonded humans. In laboratory tests they have been shown to have intelligence levels rivaling that of primates, remembering complex mazes months after completing them, problem-solving, using tools, learning by watching other rats, planning ahead, and recognizing when they know something vs when they don’t. In laboratories and in peoples’ homes, rats can quickly be taught to come when called, play fetch, do agility courses, sort recycling and trash, and drive cars.

Fancy Rats are the best “exotic” pets and I currently have 9 of them. Their names are Magpie, Blue Jay, Raven, Versace, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Nordstrom, and Porcini. I don’t have a photo of all of them together because have you ever tried to get a group photo of 9 rats? If Rodentia makes it to Round 3 I will Try.

As an adaptation to life in the desert, Australian Hopping Mice (genus Notomys) can concentrate their urine to as high as 10,000 mOsm/L (10-20 times higher than a human).

The Earless Water Rat (Crossomys moncktoni) is the most aquatically adapted rodent in the world. It has long hindfeet with completely webbed toes, strongly reduced forelegs, absent or invisible ears, very small eyes, and soft, waterproof fur. It resembles the Elegant Water Shrew (Nectogale elegans), another example of convergent evolution.

The Fancy Mouse is the domesticated form of the House Mouse (Mus musculus), which was domesticated in China sometime before 1,100 B.C. Today, Fancy Mice are available in dozens of different colors, markings, and coat types, and are popular for their small size and relatively inexpensive care.

Southern Giant Pouched Rats (Cricetomys ansorgei) are trained by the Tanzanian group APOPO ("Anti-Personnel Landmines Removal Product Development" in English) to sniff out land mines and detect tuberculosis with their highly developed sense of smell. The trained pouched rats are called HeroRATS. In 2020, a HeroRAT named Magawa received a People's Dispensary for Sick Animals Gold Medal, the animal equivalent of the George Cross, becoming the first rat to receive the award since the charity began honouring animals in 2003. Before retiring in 2021, Magawa detected 71 landmines and 38 items of unexploded ordnance, clearing over 2,421,880 sq ft (225,000 m2) of land in Cambodia during his 5-year career, preventing many deaths and injuries. Magawa died from natural causes at the age of 8 in 2022.

Prairie dogs (genus Cynomys) have a highly advanced language, with their alarm calls conveying information about not only the type of predator that’s been sighted, but also how big it is and how fast it’s approaching. Their calls contain information on whether a dog is a coyote, wolf, or domestic dog, with the colony changing their response depending on the predator. Their alarm calls even have language for the researchers studying them, and will change depending on the height and clothing color of the observing human.

168 species of rodent in 126 genera warrant conservation attention, but getting the public, and even scientists, to appreciate rodents is often an uphill battle, as many people associate rodents with the most familiar Brown Rats and House Mice. Since 76% of rodent genera contain only one species, much phylogenetic diversity could be lost with a comparatively small number of extinctions.

[nochromity]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Lagomorpha

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our Our next mammalian order and first of the clade Glires is Lagomorpha. Lagomorphs are separated into two living families: Leporidae (“rabbits”, including “hares”) and Ochotonidae (“pikas”).

Lagomorphs are characterized by having four incisors in the upper jaw (smaller peg teeth behind larger incisors), whereas rodents only have two. Like rodents, their incisors grow continuously, requiring constant chewing on fibrous food to prevent the teeth from growing too long. All lagomorph teeth grow continuously (for most rodents, only the incisors grow continuously). They have no paw pads, instead, the bottoms of their paws are entirely covered with fur. Rabbits move by jumping, pushing off with their strong hind legs and using their forelimbs to soften the impact on landing. Lagomorphs are almost strictly herbivorous. Pikas are known for making "haypiles" of dried vegetation which they collect and carry back to their homes to store for use during winter, since they do not hibernate. Lagomorphs are widespread around the world and inhabit every continent except Antarctica. However, they are not found in most of the southern cone of South America, in the West Indies, Indonesia, or Madagascar, nor on many islands. They are not native to Australia, but have been introduced there by humans.

Lagomorphs are unusual among terrestrial mammals in that the females are usually larger than males. Many lagomorphs breed several times a year and produce large litters. The young of rabbits and pikas (called kits, or leverets in hares) are born after a short gestation period and the mother can become pregnant again almost immediately after giving birth. Most lagomorph newborns are altricial (born with no fur and their eyes and ears closed), while true hares (genus Lepus) are precocial (born fully furred with their eyes and ears open). The mothers are able to leave their kits safely and go off to feed, returning at intervals to feed them with their unusually rich milk. In some species, the mother only visits and feeds the litter once a day but the kits grow rapidly and are usually weaned within a month. Most burrowing lagomorph species are colonial, feed together in groups, and have multiple large litters throughout the year. Non-burrowing species are typically solitary and have one or two smaller litters each year.

The evolutionary history of the lagomorphs is still not well understood. In the late 20th century, it was generally agreed that Eurymylus, which lived in eastern Asia and dates back to the Late Paleocene or Early Eocene, was an ancestor of the lagomorphs. Further examination of fossil evidence suggests that the lagomorphs may have instead descended from mimotonids, mammals present in Asia during the Paleogene with similar body size and dental structure to early European rabbits such as Megalagus turgidus, while Eurymylus was more closely related to rodents. The Leporids first appeared in the Late Eocene and rapidly spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The pikas appeared somewhat later in the Oligocene of eastern Asia. Today, lagomorph lineages seem to be declining, as they were far more diverse in prehistory.

Propaganda under the cut:

The smallest living leporid is the Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) (image 3) with adults weighing between 375 and 500 grams (0.8 and 1.1 lb), and having a body length between 23.5 and 29.5 cm (9.3 and 11.6 in). The Pygmy Rabbit is the only leporid native to North America that digs its own burrow.

Unlike many other rabbits, the critically endangered Riverine Rabbit (Bunolagus monticularis) has a low breeding rate of only one to two offspring per year.

The Riverine Rabbit provides a benefit to farmers by causing the riverine vegetation that it eats to bind to the soil and prevent soil erosion through flooding. Through this process, the vegetation allows for filtration of rainwater into groundwater. This benefits farmers, who rely on windmills to draw up water from the ground for their livestock.

The endangered Hispid Hare (Caprolagus hispidus) is only seen sporadically, and was thought to be extinct prior to its rediscovery in Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary in 1971. It was not seen between 1984 and January 2016.

Many rabbits and pikas rely on their burrows to escape from predators, but the long-legged hares (genus Lepus) rely on their speed and jinking gait to escape from danger. Hares can run up to 80 km/h (50 mph) over short distances.

Some hares turn white in the Winter, to better camouflage against the snow.

In the Spring, the normally shy and solitary hares can be seen congregating and members of both sexes will have leaping and “boxing” competitions. During the mating season, males will not only box to compete over females, but females may box to dissuade males they don’t want to mate with, or test a male’s determination and fitness. This sudden rise in chasing, leaping, and boxing behavior gave rise to the idiom "mad as a March hare".

The European Hare (Lepus europaeus) is one of the largest lagomorph species, with a head and body length of 60 to 75 cm (2 to 2.5 ft), and added tail length of 7.2 to 11 cm (2.8 to 4.3 in). Its body mass is typically between 3 and 5 kg (6.6 and 11 lb). It is rivaled by the Alaskan Hare (Lepus othus) which can measure between 50–70 centimetres (1.7–2.3 ft) in length, with the tail measuring up to an additional 8 centimetres (3.1 in), but weighing between 2.9 to 7.2 kg (6.4 to 15.9 lb).

The Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) and the Arctic Hare (Lepus arcticus) (image 1) have been known to occasionally scavenge dead animals. This is an adaptation to their Wintry environment, where nutrients are scarce.

Mountain Hares (Lepus timidus) are routinely shot in the Scottish Highlands both as part of paid hunting "tours" and by gamekeepers managing Red Grouse (Lagopus scotica) populations (who believe that Mountain Hares are vectors of disease that could affect the birds). Much of this activity is secretive, but investigations have revealed that tens of thousands of hares are being culled every year.

At the Yangjiesha site of Loess Plateau, there has been found evidence of neolithic humans taming local Tolai Hares (Lepus tolai).

One of the rarest lagomorphs in the world is the Sumatran Striped Rabbit (Nesolagus netscheri). It was so rare that locals did not have a name for it, or even for rabbits, as they had never seen it. It is rarely observed in camera traps and by scientists. Nevertheless, in 2022 officials scrambled when a farmer was caught attempting to sell a Sumatran Striped Rabbit he caught in a flash flood on Facebook. Kerinci Seblat National Park authorities confiscated the rabbit and returned it to the wild.

Domestic Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus) were domesticated from European Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) for their fur and meat by the Romans around the 1st Century BC, though “house rabbits” only began to be strongly promoted around the 1980s. Today there are hundreds of rabbit breeds originating from all over the world. Domestic Rabbits can be trained to use a litter box and taught to come when called, but they require exercise and can damage a house or injure themselves if it has not been suitably “rabbit-proofed”, because of their innate need to chew. Rabbits are the third most abandoned pet in the United States, especially after the Easter holiday. Domestic Rabbits, bred for generations by humans to be docile, lack survival instincts and perish in the wild if they are abandoned or escape from captivity.

The endangered Amami Rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi) (image 2) is often called a “living fossil”, as it is a remnant of ancient rabbits that once lived on the Asian mainland, where they died out, remaining only on two small Japanese islands where they live today. They are threatened by invasive Domestic Cats, Dogs, and Small Indian Mongooses (Urva auropunctata).

When threatened, the Swamp Rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus) can leap into the water and swim, sometimes keeping only their nose and eyes above the water.

Lagomorphs can process easily digestible food in their gastrointestinal tract and expel it as regular feces. But, in order to get nutrients out of hard to digest fiber, lagomorphs ferment fiber in their cecum (in the GI tract) and then expel the contents as cecotropes, which are then reingested (cecotrophy) or stored for later. The cecotropes are absorbed in the small intestine to best utilize the nutrients.

The Sardinian Pika (Prolagus sardus) went extinct sometime between 393 BC and the 6th century AD. It was the last surviving member of Prolagus, a genus of lagomorph with a fossil record spanning 20 million years once widespread throughout Europe during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. The Sardinian Pika was much stockier and more robust than living pikas, and it probably resembled a sort of cross between a large wild rabbit and a pika. Its extinction was possibly due to agricultural practices, the introduction of predators (dogs, cats, and ferrets), ecological competitors (rodents and rabbits), and/or transmission of pathogens by rabbits introduced to Sardinia and Corsica by the Romans. Today, only the pika genus Ochotona remains.

The Chinese Red Pika (Ochotona erythrotis) is one of the largest pika species, averaging a length of 18 to 29 cm (7-11.4 in). They have both a Winter and Summer pelt. In the Summer, the Chinese Red Pika has a coat that is rusty-red at the head and chest and fades into grey towards the tail. In the Winter, the pika is mostly grey with a slight tint of red in the ear region.

The Ili Pika (Ochotona iliensis) is also known as the “Magic Rabbit”. It is endangered, with approximately fewer than 1,000 left.

Collared Pikas (Ochotona collaris) have been known to store dead birds in their burrows for food during winter.

The Steppe Pika (Ochotona pusilla) has been called a relict of the Late Pliocene on the basis of its fossil record, molar structure, karyological traits, and mtDNA sequence data. During the Pleistocene its range was larger and included most of Europe.

The endangered Hoffmann's Pika (Ochotona hoffmanni) is not social, except for with its mate. Pairs will claim territory together and share a hay-storage, which they store together. They are very territorial of their claimed rock formation.

In the mountains of Eurasia, pikas often share their burrows with snowfinches (genus Montifringilla), which build their nests there.

[nochromity]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Pilosa

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next and last order of xenarthrans is Pilosa, the “anteaters” and “sloths”. Pilosa comprises the families Cyclopedidae (“Silky Anteater”), Myrmecophagidae (“Giant Anteater” and “tamanduas”), Bradypodidae (“three-toed sloths”), and Choloepodidae (“two-toed sloths”).

Pilosa is derived from the Latin word for “hairy”, and refers to these animals’ characteristic bushy, wiry fur. Most living pilosans are arboreal or semi-arboreal (the only exception being the Giant Anteater [Myrmecophaga tridactyla]), with long, strong claws for gripping tree branches, defending from predators, and/or digging up insects. Pilosans have thick necks and forelimbs adapted for gripping, climbing, and/or digging. Their eyesight is poor, but they have a good sense of smell which they use to find food.

Anteaters use a long, sticky tongue to lap up termites, ants, and other insects. As they have no teeth, they press their tongues against the roof of their mouth to smash the insects for swallowing. Their stomachs, similar to a bird's gizzard, have hardened folds to crush food, assisted by ingested sand and soil. They cannot produce stomach acid of their own, but digest using their prey’s own formic acid. Giant Anteaters walk on their front knuckles, similar to gorillas and chimpanzees, to protect their long, sharp claws from scraping on the ground, while tamanduas walk on the sides of their clenched forefeet when walking on the ground.

Two-toed sloths are omnivorous, with a diverse diet of insects, carrion, fruits, leaves, and small lizards. Three-toed sloths, on the other hand, are almost entirely herbivorous. Most living sloths mainly eat the leaves of Cecropia trees. They have made many adaptations for arboreal browsing. Leaves, their main food source, provide very little energy or nutrients, and do not digest easily, so sloths have large, slow-acting, multi-chambered stomachs in which symbiotic bacteria break down the tough leaves. Their digestive process can take a month or more to complete. Sloths are adapted for a life spent entirely in the trees. While they sometimes sit on top of branches, they usually eat, sleep, and even give birth hanging from branches. They sometimes remain hanging from branches even after death. Their limbs are adapted for hanging and grasping, not for supporting their weight, and they have very little muscle mass. Sloths descend about once a week to urinate and defecate on the ground. They cannot walk on the ground, but must drag themselves when needed. However, they are capable of swimming quite well, as are other pilosans.

Pilosans are generally solitary, though females tend to tolerate each other’s presence more than males. They come together only for mating, sometimes spending a courtship period of several days together. They give birth to one baby, once or twice a year (sometimes longer for sloths as their slow movement can make it hard to locate mates). Young pilosans are born with a full coat of fur. The young will ride on the back or belly of its parents until weaned, or are left in a nest or on a branch while the mother forages.

The biogeographic origins of Pilosa are still unclear, but they can be traced back in South America as far as the early Paleogene (about 60 million years ago). Anteaters and sloths diverged around 55 MYA, between the Paleocene and Eocene epochs. Both the Giant Anteater and the Southern Tamandua are well represented in the fossil record of the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene.

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The Silky Anteater’s (Cyclopes didactylus) (image 4) feet are highly modified for climbing. Its hind feet nearly encircle a branch while clinging, while it has a large third claw on each front foot. It also has a semi-prehensile tail to increase its grip on tree branches.

The Silky Anteater usually dwells in Silk Cotton Trees (genus Ceiba), curled up in a ball sleeping during the day. Because of its resemblance to the fluffy seed pod fibers of these trees, it can use the trees as camouflage and avoid attacks of predators such as hawks and Harpy Eagles (Harpia harpyja).

The largest living pilosan is the Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) (image 1), which is on average 182 to 217 cm (6 to 7 feet) in length, with weights of 27 to 50 kg (60 to 110 lb).

The Giant Anteater is the most terrestrial of the living anteater species. Specialization for life on the ground appears to be a new trait in anteater evolution, an adaptation to the expansion of open savanna habitats in South America, and the abundance of native colonial insects, such as termites, that provided a larger potential food source.

The Giant Anteater has poor eyesight, but a powerful sense of smell: 40 times that of a human.

When Giant Anteaters need to rest, they carve a shallow cavity in the ground. They then sleep with their bushy tail draped over their body like a blanket, both to keep warm and to camouflage from predators. Sometimes, they will sleep splayed out in order to sunbathe.

Male Giant Anteaters are territorial and will challenge each other by approaching and circling each other while uttering a "harrr" noise. This can escalate into chasing and actual fighting. Combat includes wrestling, slashing with the claws, and bellowing.

Giant Anteaters are not typically aggressive, choosing to run from danger. But when they need to fight, they can rear up and use their front claws defensively. The front claws of the Giant Anteater are formidable weapons, capable of potentially killing a jaguar. At least three humans have been killed by defensive Giant Anteaters.

Southern Tamanduas (Tamandua tetradactyla) (see gif above) are used as pest control, specifically for termites and ants, by Indigenous peoples, who sometimes bring the tamanduas into their homes to take care of these insects.

Southern Tamanduas avoid eating ant and beetle species that have strong chemical defenses.

The most famous extinct sloth is the elephant-sized Giant Ground Sloth, Megatherium americanum, but there were a wide diversity of not just smaller ground sloths, but also semi-aquatic sloths like Thalassocnus and large, omnivorous sloths like Mylodon. Today, only the slow-moving, arboreal tree sloths remain, showing that the best way to survive extinction (for a sloth) is to take to the trees, and be as inedible as possible.

The two living groups of tree sloths are from different, distantly related families, and are thought to have evolved their morphology via parallel evolution from separate terrestrial ancestors.

The shaggy coat of sloths has grooved hair that is host to symbiotic green algae which camouflage the animal in the trees and provide it nutrients. The algae also nourish sloth moths, some species of which exist solely on sloths. Sloths benefit from their relationship with moths because the moths are responsible for fertilizing the algae on the sloth.

Sloths are unusual among mammals in not having seven cervical vertebrae. Two-toed sloths have five to seven, while three-toed sloths have eight or nine. (The other mammals not having seven are manatees, with six.)

Sloths can hold their breath underwater for up to 40 minutes. They do this by reducing their already slow metabolism even further and slowing their heart rate to less than a third of normal.

Individual sloths tend to spend the bulk of their time feeding on a single tree. By burying their dung near the trunk of that tree, they also help fertilize it. Their symbiotic moths also lay their eggs in their dung at the base of the tree; the caterpillars eat the dung and then fly up to the sloth as adult moths.

Sloths are victims of animal trafficking where they are sold as exotic pets. However, they make very poor pets, as they have such specialized ecology.

The critically endangered Pygmy Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus) is found exclusively on Isla Escudo de Veraguas.

The Maned Sloth (Bradypus torquatus) is one of the only sloths which show any form of sexual dimorphism, with their mane of black hair being larger and darker in males than in females.

The Pale-throated Sloth (Bradypus tridactylus) is occasionally known as the “Ai”, due to its bird-like whistle described as an "ai-ai" sound.

The Southern Maned Sloth (Bradypus crinitus) is described as having a head that looks like a coconut, with its species name crinitus (meaning “hairy”) even being a reference to its coconut-like head.

Female Brown-throated Sloths (Bradypus variegatus) (image 2) are known to emit a loud, shrill scream during the mating season to attract males. Their cry is reported to sound like that of a woman screaming.

Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus didactylus) is the largest living sloths species, growing to lengths of approximately 53 to 89 cm (1.9 to 2.9 ft), and weighing approximately 4 to 11 kg (9 to 24 lb).

Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloths (Choloepus hoffmanni) (image 3) have actually been seen walking on their palms and soles, rather than dragging themselves across the ground like other sloths.

Sloths are not entirely defenseless, and can slash a predator with their long claws or bite with their sharp canines if threatened.

[nochromity]

been focused on other fandoms but I really wanted to get this down