#Antelope Range

[thorsenmark]

Grabbing the Reins to Find Things Wondrous in the Utah High Desert by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at a roadside pullout along U.S. Highway 50 with a view looking to the northeast across the Utah high desert at this location with a view beyond to more distant ridges and peaks of the House Range. While seemingly a wide angle view with the look across the mountain range, I actually zoomed in with the focal length to this one portion of that range. I used some high ground I was located on to include some nearby foreground of the high desert leading up to the more distant ridges and peaks. The rest was later making adjustments with control points in DxO PhotoLab 5 to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

[killthefuhkinglights]

i need to speak my truth

[cassowariess]

"A sexist mythology has been baked into biology, and it distorts the way we perceive female animals.

In the natural world female form and role varies wildly to encompass a fascinating spectrum of anatomies and behaviours. Yes, the doting mother is among them, but so is the jacana bird that abandons her eggs and leaves them to a harem of cuckolded males to raise.

Females can be faithful, but only 7 per cent of species are sexually monogamous, which leaves a lot of philandering females seeking sex with multiple partners. Not all animal societies are dominated by males by any means; alpha females have evolved across a variety of classes and their authority ranges from benevolent (bonobos) to brutal (bees).

Females can compete with each other as viciously as males: topi antelope engage in fierce battles with huge horns for access to the best males, and meerkat matriarchs are the most murderous mammals on the planet, killing their competitors’ babies and suppressing their reproduction. Then there are the femme fatales: cannibalistic female spiders that consume their lovers as post- or even pre-coital snacks and ‘lesbian’ lizards that have lost the need for males altogether and reproduce solely by cloning."

-Bitch: A Revolutionary Guide to Sex, Evolution and the Female Animal by Lucy Cooke

[katydoodles]

More Azula x Aang content xD

Thanks @ig-korrasamishipper for editing my little blurb 🙏🏼💓 ur the best🖤

Aang leaned down toward Azula’s ear before speaking in a low and husky voice. “I will start at the other end of the hall.”

The heat from his breath tickled Azula’s ear and a blush grew on her ears and cheeks. He then placed his hand on her upper back which made her stand straighter. She refused to believe that he had any affect on her. She forced herself to pay attention to the group of young giggly girls on the opposite side of the hall. Foolish unsuspecting fox-antelope.

That's when his voice rang through her eardrums again, “Play nice and gather information from the noble ladies. The scandal will spread fast through gossip and the Dai Lee will find us soon after.” Aang looked around the other earth kingdom nobles were not yet aware that the avatar was among them.

Azula looked to her side and the Avatar was clearly annoyed at the nobility in the room.

Aang turned and caught her eyes. For whatever reason, his eyes softened before he spoke in a soft voice. “I know this will be uncomfortable for you.” He reached for her hand with his other hand.

“Don’t assume what I can and can not do,” Azula bit back, annoyed that he could sense her hesitance about socializing with the bubbling girls and despite her jerk back, he did not let go of her hand.

Aang gave her hand a small squeeze. He then shifted his eyes toward the small blush on her ear. As he breathed in, the scent of fire lilies soothed his nerves. He brought her hand up before giving her a small push away from him, ready for their plan to take action. Azula’a fingers lingered in his grasp until the last second.

[blignick]

Antelope hare 🐰

Ears help to normalize the animal's heat exchange in hot climates. The range of the antelope hare covers the state of Arizona in the USA and the northern states of Mexico

[mutant-distraction]

photograph: Michael Moss

Bushbuck male - Sabi Sands South Africa

The Cape bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus), also known as imbabala is a common, medium-sized bushland-dwelling, and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa.[2][3] It is found in a wide range of habitats, such as rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaic, savanna, bushveld, and woodland.[3] It stands around 90 cm (35 in) at the shoulder and weigh from 45 to 80 kg (99 to 176 lb). They are generally solitary, territorial browsers. -Wikipedia

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Tiger (Panthera tigris)

Habitat & Distribution

Historic range extended across southern Asia, from Afghanistan to China and Indonesia; its current distribution has been broken up into parts of Russia, China, parts of Southeast Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent

Most commonly inhabits forests, both deciduous and tropical, but can also be found in grasslands and some wetlands

Physical Description

Weight: 200–260 kg (440–570 lb) for males, 100–160 kg (220–350 lb) for females

Height at shoulder: 90–110 cm (35–43 in) on average

Tigers are famous for their distinctive orange and black striped coloring, with a white underbelly

The body is lean and muscular, with large paws and a long tail that acts as a balance; the head is round, with powerful jaws

Behaviour

Both males and females are solitary, only encountering other tigers for either courtship or territorial defense

Tigers are large carnivores, and feed primarily on ungulates like deer, antelope, and gaur; they may also feed opportunistically on monkeys, large fowl, and fish

Though they have no natural predators, tigers may be killed in encounters with larger prey, other tigers, or rival hunters like leopards and wild dogs

Key Advantages

The tiger's sharp claws and powerful jaws are capable of taking down extremely large prey, like water buffalo and boars

Their coat is colored to blend in seamlessly with their natural environment, making them incredibly hard to spot when stalking prey

Tigers can sprint in bursts of 50 to 65 kph (31 to 40 mph)

See where they stand in the May Mammal Madness Tournament here!

Photo by Mark Newman

[buriedpentacles]

Collective Reading from Mother Nature

Card: The Mirror (no. 12 in the Wildwood Tarot Deck)

Just one card for this message because I didn't need any more. The mesage rang loud and clear.

"The world is not pretty. Nature is not pretty or pure and humans are not evil. Morality is something that Man made up because of our social needs, because of our evolution. Good and evil, right and wrong exist not because of some divine intervention, or some secret knowledge only we are wise enough to use, but because our evolution created a need for social groups and rules to maintain them.

Nature can be cruel and unforgiving. Animals are well aware of what death is, of pain and suffering - a lion knows that the antelope it hunts will hurt and die, but still the lion must eat. Cats play with their food, cause them stress and panic as entertainment. Foxes often kill more than they need, simply because they enjoy it.

To call humans evil as whole, to call us parasites and villains, is no better than claiming we are special and important. It is still placing us apart from the rest of the natural world. We are animals. We are beasts with instincts and fears. Look to the world around you and see yourself reflected.

Do not give up on humankind. Do not give up on community and altruism. Do not give up on yourself and your capacity to be kind and helpful. "

A smaller, more actionable message:

Allow yourself to feel "evil" feelings. Feel hatred and anger and sadness if you must. If you cannot let it go, learn to live with it. You are not lesser than others because you hold darker feelings in your heart. Accept that you will hurt people, that people will hurt you and it isn't always forgivable. Accept that there are no clean decisions, no easy right or wrong. Accept that the world is ugly and chaotic and despite all of Man's efforts, nothing will ever fit neatly in artificial boxes. Accept these things but do not let them stain your world view. All of this is true, but people are still kind, they are still trying, and you must try too.

Find a stream, an ocean, a lake and look inside it. See yourself as you were meant to, huddled and head bowed as you make out your reflection in the moving, muddy water. See that you are no different than the other creatures who have seen this water.

Be kind where you can and forgive yourself where you can't. Accept your primal instincts and your cruel desires, know that they do not make you "evil" and move on. Do not be cruel unnecessarily, do not harm others for your entertainment or take more than you need, but do not linger on the times where you did or hate yourself for feeling the desire to do so.

[thorsenmark]

Grabbing the Reins to Find Things Wondrous in the Utah High Desert by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While at a roadside pullout along U.S. Highway 50 with a view looking to the northeast across the Utah high desert at this location with a view beyond to more distant ridges and peaks of the House Range. While seemingly a wide angle view with the look across the mountain range, I actually zoomed in with the focal length to this one portion of that range. I used some high ground I was located on to include some nearby foreground of the high desert leading up to the more distant ridges and peaks. The rest was later making adjustments with control points in DxO PhotoLab 5 to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

[thatmexisaurusrex]

Hiiii!! 🏠 pretty please

SamBucky Summer Ficlet Prompts

Ooooh good choice, Cee! Enjoy 🥰

The Cabin on the Mountain

Sam had heard rumors.

He had.

Through his network of friends and ex-coworkers, Sam had been piecing together the location of a certain James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. In the Southern Carpathian Mountains, or more specifically the Piatra Craiului Mountains near the city of Brasov, was a climb to a cabin midway to the peak.

King's Rock.

Sam, after fully stocking up in Zărnești before beginning his ascent, had been warned about possible vertical climbs and exposure; about the challenge of the mountains in the area.

But, well. If Sam was anything, he was an adrenaline junkie. And he really did love a challenge.

What he hadn't expected were the chamois - a goat/antelope hybrid that seemed to roam the range with an annoying ease. Beautiful, but after hours of climbing, very annoying to Sam.

Sam had almost given up.

He had searched most of the area he had been told would have Bucky before he found it.

The cabin.

Sam.

Froze.

He didn't actually know what he was walking into. His satellite phone was acting up again (he really needed to ask Tony to give him a new one. Sam was owed a working satellite phone). He didn't know what state Bucky would be in.

But.

But.

Sam had a feeling.

He had one ever since Bucky chose to save Steve from the river.

Like someone should have tried to save Bucky.

He felt like Bucky wouldn't hurt him. Not now. Not in his right mind. Not when he was away from the forces that had molded him into a puppet of mass destruction.

It was also really fucking cold.

So, Sam was taking the risk. He was going to give Bucky a chance. He scrambled over to the cabin, the sun starting to set on the horizon.

And.

He knocked on the door.

Bucky Barnes was an unshaven mountain man of a mess. He stood before Sam, a little baffled; a little - a little something else Sam couldn't quite put his finger on as Bucky breathed, "Sam Wilson."

Oh.

He looked Sam up.

"Bucky Barnes," said Sam as Bucky allowed Sam into his cabin, "Glad I could finally find you."

"So, you were actually looking for me," said Bucky, a little stunned as he closed the door.

The cabin wasn't as sparse as Sam expected. There was a warm fire in the corner; several warm blankets that must be from visits to Zărnești; piles of books, magazines, and newspapers as if Bucky had been trying to absorb everything about the 21st century that he possibly could; about a dozen or so carved animals sitting on any surface Bucky could put a figurine down on.

"I have been," said Sam as he picked up a wood-carved falcon and inspected it fondly, "Is it okay if I stay the night?"

Sam glanced and - was it just the cold blotching Bucky's skin or was he blushing?

"If - if you'd like. Yeah. You can stay the night."

Sam grinned.

"Thank you," said Sam as he took off his hiking backpack and sat on Bucky's couch, feeling like this was the start of something more than just a check in.

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

African Wild Silk Moth

Gonometa postica

The African wild silk moth is a part of the family Lasiocampidae. It was first described in 1855 by Francis Walker. It is also known as the Brandwurm in its larval stage in Afrikaans, Kweena in its pupal stage in Tshwana, and Molopo moth/mot in English and Afrikaans.

Description The female of this moth is much longer and larger than the male due to having to carry eggs. The male is about half the size of the female and much thinner.

The female has a light brown abdomen with a dark brown thorax and head. The female’s forewings are striped light brown, dark brown, and gray. The hindwings are a yellow-brown with a dark brown edge.

The male has a dark body and wings with a transparent portion of the hindwing.

Female Forewing Range: 35–42 mm (

Male Forewing Range: 21–25 mm (

Diet and Habitat Larva of this species eat Acacia erioloba, A. tortilis, A. melifera, Burkea africana, Brachystegia spp., and Prosopis glandulosa. The larva will feed from the same tree it’s entire life unless there are two many other caterpillars. When there is a large number of caterpillars, they may defoliate the whole tree and the larva must move in order to not starve.

This moth mainly inhabits savannas with many Acacia trees, especially in drier areas. These moths contribute to the Acacia environment by providing food to predators and nutrients to plants through feces. Cocoons are usually found on Acacia tees.

Mating Males detect females’ mating pheromones with their antennae. Males fly to the females because the females are weighed down by the eggs. The female contains about 200 eggs which are laid on the food plant after fertilization. Eggs hatch in about two weeks. Eggs are laid in clumps and the newly hatched caterpillars grow as a group and become more solitary with time.

Predators This moth is preyed on by parasitic wasps and flies. These insects lay their eggs on the caterpillar and feed off of its resources until the moth larva cocoons. The parasites live off the cocoon and grow to adulthood while killing the pupa. Specifically, these larva are subject to parasitism by Diptera and Hymenoptera, the most common parasitoids being Palexorista species from the Tachinidae and Goryphus species from the Ichneumonidae.[6]

To combat external predators and weather, the caterpillars build a tough cocoon. Caterpillars and their cocoons are also covered in stinging hairs to deter predators from touching them. Female cocoons are larger than male cocoons.

Fun Fact In Madagascar, wild silk has been harvested for centuries, and this knowledge has been introduced to southern Africa. The cocoons are harvested commercially in Namibia, Botswana, Kenya and South Africa, and the species also occurs in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. They are difficult to harvest due to the cocoons being covered in calcium oxalate. Oxford University discovered and patented a method known as demineralizing using a warm solution of EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) that soften the cocoons by dissolving the sericin. This lets the silk unravel without weakening it.

- Wild African silk moth cocoons are also used as ankle rattles in southern Africa by San and Bantu tribes. They are filled with materials such as fine gravel, seeds, glass beads, broken sea shells, or pieces of ostrich eggshell.

- Furthermore, the cocoons have long been known to cause the death of cattle, antelope and other ruminants in the Kalahari. During drought periods, the cocoons are eaten, probably because they resemble acacia pods. The silk is indigestible and blocks the rumen of multiple-stomach animals, causing starvation.

- Finally, the protein found in this species’s slik contains many basic amino acids making it a potentially useful biomaterial in cell and tissue culture.

(Source: Wikipedia, SANBI)

[spinnysocks]

saw a poll of which animal you'd choose to be reincarnated as and i wanted to create a broader range of options that included more families & organisms! so:

the ( ) brackets are for anyone who's not sure which species comes under each classification.

please feel free to specify in the tags, and please reblog for a larger sample size! <3

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Okay, so I'm a couple months behind on this news, but it's still exciting! There are only a few hundred of these North African antelope in the wild thanks to over a century of overhunting. However, several thousand exist in captivity, and contain genetic diversity that will be crucial for ongoing reintroduction efforts in parts of the addax's historic range.

That is, if those captive addax are made available to facilities working toward reintroduction. Many of the captive addax in the United States are owned by ranches that cater to trophy hunters. Instead of being used to produce new generations destined to be returned to reserves like those in Morocco and Tunisia, among others, instead the addax are raised to be "super exotic trophies" shot by hunters. One site even boasts that Texas has more addax than everywhere else in the world combined.

Just to be clear, I am not anti-hunting across the board; I know several people here in the US who go deer and waterfowl hunting to fill the freezer for the year. However, there seems to be something incredibly wrong the fact that more addax are raised to be slaughtered as trophies than are sent to replenish wild populations. I suppose it's an improvement over people flying to Africa to poach from the last wild herds, but I'd love to see the sorts of money dropped into trophy herds being put toward habitat restoration and addax reintroduction. None of the hunting ranch sites I looked at said anything about contributing animals or other resources to reintroduction efforts, though they certainly had a lot to say about the opportunity to hunt a "super rare" antelope.

On the bright side, zoos are more active in reintroduction efforts, and so it's wonderful news to hear that this is the second addax born at the Brookfield Zoo in as many years. Hopefully this little one and her brother will have descendants that will run wild in the north African deserts again.

[answrs]

The A.ntelope Coalition

Still haven't quite figured out how I can display these guys that actually shows off just how funky the range of horns they have is. Had a friend visiting that was interested though, so collected everyone for an a.ntelope/bovidae family reunion! (the e.lk is not an antelope or even in the same family - the wonders of convergent evolution! - but he's an honorary member. mostly because I don't have anywhere else to put him lol)

didn't quite realize just how many species I had until they were all laid out together!

[dougdimmadodo]

September's Fossil of the Month: Hyracotherium (Hyracotherium spp.)

Family: Horse family (Equidae) or Paleothere family (Palaeotheriidae)

Time Period: Early Paleogene (55-45 Million Years Ago)

Living across much of what is now Europe and North America, the members of the genus Hyracotherium were early members of the order Perissodactyla (the group of mammals to which horses, tapirs and rhinoceroses belong,) and are believed by some authorities to be among the earliest known members of the horse family, although some palaeontologists instead regard them as belonging to a separate but related extinct family of small, horse-like Perrisodactyls known as paleotheres (which would make them relatives or possibly ancestors of modern horses, but not technically true horses themselves.) Though notably horse-like in terms of their overall anatomy, members of this genus were small animals (growing to be 30-60cm/11.8-23.6 inches tall and weighing around 9kg/20lbs,) and, in contrast to the feet of modern horses (which consist of a single toe enclosed in a hardened hoof of keratin, forming a sort of built-in shoe well suited to running on flat surfaces,) had separate hoof-tipped toes on each foot (4 on the front feet and 3 on the back feet) which may have aided them in walking on the uneven, muddy ground of the dense forests that would have covered much of their range at the time. Further distinguishing Hyracotherium species from modern horses is their teeth, which (in contrast to modern horses which have long incisors for grasping and tearing grasses and tall crowns on their molars to protect them from being worn down when chewing tough plants,) consisted of relatively small incisors and short-tipped crowns, suggesting that, as forest dwellers, members of this genus fed on fruits, shoots and low-growing leaves much like many modern forest antelopes. Throughout the Paleogene period, temperatures gradually became cooler and drier compared to the period's warm, humid beginning, and this change in climate led the then abundant rainforests that Hyracotherium species inhabited to be gradually replaced with open grasslands and temperate woodlands. This drastic change led to the extinction of many forest-dwelling specialists towards the end of the Paleogene, but also provided a new selective pressure that would eventually result in the surviving descendants of many forest specialists adapting to life on open plains - by 37 million years ago the members of the genus Mesohippus (which are unanimously excepted as early true horses) had lost the 4th toes on their forefeet and developed longer legs and larger bodies as they adapted to life in open habitats, and roughly 22 million years later the members of the genus Merychippus were larger still, bore their weight on only one toe per foot (though two tiny, presumably vestigial toes still remained,) and had tall crowns that would have allowed them to graze on the abundant tough grasses that surrounded them. Today, the anatomical changes that can be seen in the transition between paleotheres like Hyracotherium and the modern horses of the genus Equus are commonly used as a textbook example of how lineages of organisms have changed and adapted in response to environmental changes over time.

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(Note - Depending on who you ask, the fossil pictured above may belong to the species Hyracotherium angustidens or to a separate but related animal, Eohippus angustidens. Some authorities consider Eohippus to be the only species in its own distinct genus, while others consider it to simply be a species in the genus Hyracotherium. For the sake of this post, and because the image above is VERY pretty, I've assumed here that the latter is true.)

Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HyracotheriumVasacciensisLikeHorse.JPG

[makairodonx]

My 9th entry for #spectember2024

The Hyena Badger, which is related to Earth’s wolverines despite its resemblance and similar ecological niche to the honey badger, mainly inhabits the sprawling grasslands and deserts of Jariloia and Tataria, and with a powerful bite force and sense of smell, awesome strength emanating from forelimbs that are slightly longer than its hind limbs, saber-like canines and sharp claws that can rip though any surface, it is one of Potworia’s moist adaptable and versatile predators, capable of hunting and bringing down herbivores that are far larger and heavier than itself. The highly-feisty animal stands about 125 cm tall at the shoulder, measures about 2.6-3 meters long, and weighs in at 135-140 kilograms. The Hyena-Badger consumes a wide variety of vertebrate and invertebrate prey, ranging from the eggs and hatchlings of large reptiles and birds and the young of antelopes and horses to small creatures such as the horse-headed prairie groundhog and the Earwig Scorpion, a formidable but juicy cow-sized arthropod whose red-colored pincers serve as a challenge for the giant mustelid’s senses.