#National Snail Day

[coolguyontheblock]

One last Snail-ish related drawing, Burt!! Yauy!!

[theinheriteddutchess]

I decorate a board in our break room at work and usually do a random holiday. May 29th is National Snail Day in the US so OBVIOUSLY that’s what we’re doin.

🥰

I would admire you so much if you did a Snailight moodboard, I dare you!!

I did not know this about national snail day, but it's obvious like a prophecy that paved the way for us. It's time to rise to our full strength!!

World domination near.

Rosalie's already thinking of what to wear for this previous day.

I love this, I cackled, my neighbors might fear what I'm up to. I don't care💕

May 29th national snail day

Perfect.

[shitphobe420blazeit]

happy snail day from quite possibly THE funniest timeline i've ever seen

source

[subby-sab]

Today is 29th of May.

Today is World Otter Day, National Snail Day, National Paperclip Day, National Flip Flop Day.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Snail Day

National Snail Day is celebrated on May 29 every year in the United States. The day is an opportunity to appreciate snails and the benefits these diminutive creatures have to offer us. Snails are small slow animals that cause very little harm. They are an important part of the ecosystem. They are known to be one of the earliest animals to roam the earth. Fossil discoveries have been used to date primitive gastropods back to the late Cambrian period. This evidence means that snails have been around for about 500 million years.

History of National Snail Day

National Snail Day takes place every year in the United States. Snails are small shelled animals well-known for moving slowly; their speed depends on their particular species. On average, they move between 0.5 and 0.7 inches per second. Many places in the U.K. appreciate the creature where people organize snail races. They enjoy the irony and the fun of watching and waiting for the famously slow animals to reach the finish line. Snails create silvery mucus that leaves a trail behind them while they move. Land snails do not have the ability to hear and use their eyes and olfactory organs to navigate their environment. Their sense of smell helps them find food, making it their most important sensory tool.

Snails are gastropod mollusks distinguished by their most striking physical feature, a spiral shell. Situated on their backs, this hard structure composed of calcium carbonate protects their soft bodies and internal organs and keeps growing as they mature.

Snails are most active at night and usually come out very early in the morning. They tend to avoid moving too much on the ground when the sun is out. Snails have interesting biological features. Though some species have sex differentiation, most are hermaphrodites, which means that each snail has male and female reproductive organs, however, they mate like other animals with a partner. After mating, the snails lay eggs. The baby snails hatch from the eggs, and this is when they are most vulnerable. At this time, they are basically defenseless against predators like birds, turtles, and beetles.

National Snail Day timeline

Prehistoric Times Humans Eat Snails

Humans eat animals for survival and this sometimes includes snails.

50 A.D. Heliciculture is Practiced

According to the Roman historian Pliny the Elder, snail farming is practiced by Fluvius Hirpinus to meet the demand for snails.

50 A.D. Snails are Fed Wine

Hirpinus feeds his snails with wine and meat, showing what a delicacy they are in Roman cuisine.

2013 A Snail Movie Star

A snail stars in the animated movie, “Turbo,” about a snail obsessed with speed.

National Snail Day FAQs

What is the largest snail?

The largest land snail in the world is the giant Ghana snail which can reach up to 12 inches in length.

Why do snails secrete mucus?

Land snails secrete mucus to help them move more easily. The mucus reduces the friction against the ground.

What nutrients do snails need?

Snails need a healthy diet that is rich in calcium so their shell can be thick and healthy.

National Snail Day Activities

Eat snails

Learn more about snails

Feed snails

Snails can be prepared in different ways that you might enjoy. Research the best place to buy them, and look up a delicious way to serve them.

Do some research and learn more about snails. You will be interested to know more about their biology and characteristics.

Snails enjoy a wide variety of vegetables in their diet. Search your surroundings for snails and give them some of their favorite food.

5 Interesting Facts About Snails

Snails can be large

They hide in their shells

They hatch from eggs

There are many species

Escargot is eaten in France

The biggest land snail is referred to as the Giant African Snail.

Snails are known to retreat into their shells in order to protect themselves when they feel threatened.

Snails hatch from eggs — they can eat the shells of the eggs when they hatch.

North America alone is reported to have about 500 species of land snails.

Escargot is a dish made with snails that is native to France.

Why We Love National Snail Day

They are food source

They live long

They are interesting creatures

They are a sought-after delicacy by many gourmet chefs. Additionally, several species of land snails are a source of protein for many poor communities around the world.

Snails usually live for about two to five years — when in captivity, they can live for 10 to 15 years.

Snails court for a short while before mating. It can take about two to 12 hours.

Source

[great-and-small]

snail kite meme #3

[chocolatechipkraken]

Reblogging for National Snail Day!

Mermaid based on a queen conch, which can make pink pearls.

Reference picture from here: www.conchpearls.com/queen-conc…

[orcelito]

Honestly hate how hard it is to start writing again when you've gone too long without it. Like for fuck's sake man Why's shit gotta be like this

[bravecatfish]

Happy National Pen Pal Day!

Today is a very special day for me. I wouldn't have met these amazing people if it wasn't for this app called "Slowly." As an introverted person, talking to these strangers became a huge challenge for me, and I was able to come out of my comfort zone. I've given up this app a lot of times due to people ghosting and showing their true colors, but somehow, I still hold on because there's a small hope within me knowing that there will still be decent strangers out there who will actually stay. Who knew that talking to these strangers would blossom into a beautiful friendship?

To Shin and Connor, whom I've known for almost 5 years. Thank you for the amazing friendship. I love you both so much. I can't wait to see you both in person someday.

And to my current pen pals that I've just met recently, I look forward to more letters, and I hope we never run out of topics. Thank you for the genuine and sincere letters.

To all the letters that we've exchanged were never a waste, and the hours and days we've waited were all worth it. Some of our time zones may be different, but that doesn't stop us from talking to each other. Thank you all for being part of my life. Cheers to a long-lasting friendship! Lastly, I am forever grateful to you, Slowly.

[discovery-at-sea]

(May 12, 2023) We are raising money for a crowd funded research project investigating the cause of blueberry hermit crabs in Okinawa, Japan using trash found on the beach as “homes” instead of natural shells. These hermit crabs are endemic to the southern islands of Japan, and they act as coastal environmental engineers. They are endangered on several islands, and we want to try and understand why they are resorting to beach trash for shells. Please consider sharing this post and donating to the project. The fundraising will be active for the next 45 days (until June 26). 

You can find all project details here: https://experiment.com/projects/blueberry-hermit-crabs-with-beach-trash-homes

We suspect that areas with high rates of tourism lead to beach combers collecting natural shells leaving nothing for the hermit crabs to use. It’s possible that overfishing of turbo snails which would naturally provide shells for the crabs may also be a factor. We will survey many sites across several islands in Okinawa to try and determine a cause of this behavior. 

We will be working closely with national geographic photographer Shawn Miller (photo credits above) and several researchers in Japan. Additionally, we will complete extensive beach clean ups in the areas we study. Thank you so much for reading! 

[coolguyontheblock]

Snail day is today!! Yayy!!

I don't usually post non-media related ocs so after today im putting her down

[aydracz]

South Downs Happy Husbands

@idkchatie

(More pics below)

Buzzing to share these with you! While on our trip to London to see Nye (which was phenomenal and so was meeting Michael afterwards!), @0xlilith and I made a day trip to the South Downs to see where the ineffable husbands will spend their retirement.

We were blown away (figuratively and literally) by the South Downs! And then the time came to take out some amazing fanart and take photos of what Crowley and Aziraphale might be up to in the future.

Couldn't find the creator - please help, so I can credit them

@blairamok

@lizulimu on X

@numbuh424

Couldn't find the creator - please help, so I can credit them

@turnipoddity

@tio-trile

@kidovna

Bonus - @0xlilith and I, the rational adults that we are, decided to draw magician moustaches, print out the first photo and go to the National Theatre again to show it to Michael Sheen. Sadly, he didn't do stage door that night. But we met many wonderful people in the queue so it was a great evening nonetheless!

We had a blast doing this and many new headcanons came out of this trip. For example:

Crowley shouts at all the rabbits because they are eating his garden produce. Until he notices there are also little bunnies and he simply cannot shout at those. He ends up dedicating part of his garden to the rabbits. Aziraphale finds this endearing.

While on their walks on the cliffs, Crowley picks up snails.

Crowley makes up random stories about the local lore and tells them to the tourists. Aziraphale puts and end to this when the stories gradually become more and more unhinged.

Aziraphale takes up bird watching.

Crowley makes fun of it at first but then he also takes up bird watching.

Aziraphale and Crowley start competing in bird watching.

Aziraphale doesn't believe Crowley saw the birds he claims he did.

Crowley is adamant he really saw the yellow-breasted tit.

Aziraphale calls Crowley a yellow-breasted tit.

Etc etc.

Hope you enjoy these as much as we enjoyed making them!

And if you are in London right now, some are actually glued to the benches around the Bandstand in Battersea Park. Check out my previous post to get the details!

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

The fish of the day today is the devils hole pupfish!

The devils hole pupfish, scientific name Cyprinodon diabolis, is an endangered fish known to live in exactly one spot, Devils hole. Devils hole is a limestone cavern with a geothermal pool found in Nye county of Nevada, and a disconnected section of Death Valley National Park. The geothermal pool keeps the water at a consistent 33 degrees Celsius all seasons, and has low dissolved oxygen amounts. The surface of water at the cave is only 72ft by 12ft, but below that the cave descends deep into the earth. Below the surface pool there is a larger cavern descending to 150 meters at its deepest before branching into a smaller tube at the bottom, the depth of which is currently unknown.1965 two teenagers went diving in the hole with scuba gear, and were never seen again,  rescue divers sent after them found a dropped flashlight, and other scuba gear but the bodies were never found. One rescue diver dropped a weighted plate that fell a full 932ft without contacting a bottom to the chamber, describing the water below him as an "infinity chamber". Later scans of the cave revealed it is at least as deep as 1,247ft, although to this day the depth is still unknown. Another well known aspect of the cave is that it can be used to determine when there are earthquakes all over the world. The water surges and has displayed unique patterns during the 2022 Mexico 7.6 magnitude earthquake, along with other strong earthquakes further from the hole. Such as: the 2012 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Papua New Guinea, or the 2018 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia. Devils hole pupfish are known to live only in the first 80ft of the cave.

Devils hole pupfish are unique in appearance, getting only as large as an inch, and being one of few species that have no pelvic fins, however when raised in colder conditions these pupfish will regrow these appendages. As juveniles these fish are an off white color, and females retain some of this coloring in adulthood. This species has only ever been recorded with as many as 500 wild fish at its highest, hitting an all time low point of 42 fish in 2007. The more recent numbers are looking up however, and there were 263 pupfish observed in spring of 2022. The survival from egg to adulthood is small, but the likelihood with human effort that this fish will survive the test of time is high. Described as possibly the most isolated wild vertebrate species in the world. These fish live only 10-14 months, reaching sexual maturity at 8-10 weeks old and spawn year round with peaks in mid February-May, and a smaller peak in July-September. Due to the unique oxygen levels of devils hole, these fish have adapted to enter a state of tupor, similar to hibernation, where they can live anaerobically. This allows them to go without breathing for up to 2 hours, however they produce ethanol as a byproduct.

Most of the devils hole pupfish life is on the rocky outcrops of the surface waters of the cave system. Breeding, egg laying, diet, resting, and schedules surrounding the placement of the sun all depend on these rocky outcroppings of stone near the surface of the water. The diet of these fish is dependent on the rock outcroppings of the cave, as they eat anything they can find in the cave system. This includes: small freshwater crustaceans, beetles, flatworms, freshwater snails, inorganic matter made of small sections of the caves limestone, along with spirogyra and diatom algae, which grows on the rocks themselves and makes up most of the pupfish's diet. Due to their diet being mostly algae types, pupfish are incredibly susceptible to the seismic activity in the devils' hole, as it creates small tsunamis along surface water and washes away algae on the rocks, leaving them without a majority of their food source until it regrows. When these earthquakes happen the pupfish are known to flee into the deer waters of the cave until the water has stilled, and are thought to perhaps feel earthquakes before they happen, although not much research has been done on this yet.

Have a good Wednesday, everyone!

[subby-sab]

Today is 7th of April.

Today is World Health Day, National Beer Day, International Beaver Day, International Snail Papers Day.

[bookskeepers]

surprise surprise - bokuto kōtarō

pairing: timeskip ! bokuto kōtarō x gn ! reader

word count: 1,392

content warning: sad bokuto (but only for a bit i promise), fluff, surprises, lovie as a pet name, hopefully cute, established relationship, kōtarō is, in fact, emotionally immature but we love him for it (he is my husband)

a/n: this idea came to me in a dream (oops) so i hope you all enjoy it as much as i did (p.s. who knew writing self insert fics on tumblr was so self indulgent (me. i did))

A FEW WEEKS AGO

The two of you were seated on your shared bed, a position you often found yourself in whenever Bokuto was down in the dumps. He, of course, was unhappy with the news that he'd have to go abroad for his next set of matches with Japan's national volleyball team. When he was telling you about it, there were tears in his eyes and his hair seemed to droop to reflect his downtrodden mood. His large hands had clasped yours, holding them against his chest, and you felt his heartbeat through the material of his shirt.

"Kō," you had said, freeing one of your hands to gently caress his cheek. "It's only a few weeks, lovie. It's not that long."

He let out a whine at your words, clearly in much more distress than you were. "But a few weeks without you feels like forever!" he complains, taking the chance to scoot closer to you and rest his head on your shoulder. "And... and you're my good luck charm, so what if we do badly? And the last match will be on my birthday and it'll be my first birthday without you in a while!"

You gave him a soft smile, rubbing your thumb across his cheekbone (at least, you hoped it was his cheek -- you couldn't quite see what you were rubbing since his head was on your shoulder). "I'll watch from the TV and send you texts! I'll be there in spirit," you promised. "And you'll get to come back to a birthday present, isn't that awesome?"

This seemed to alleviate his mood somewhat, as he lifted his head off your shoulder and looked into your eyes. Hope gleamed in those beautiful golden eyes of his. "You promise?" he asked, his voice cracking ever so slightly.

"Pinkie promise," you replied, removing your hand from his face to hold out your pinkie. He twisted his own pinkie with yours, nodding resolutely.

He departed the next day, and, while you weren't as expressive as he was, you could feel your heart sting a bit as his large frame left your apartment. Every temporary goodbye was the same with him, but that's how it was when you were used to sharing the same bed every night.

A FEW DAYS AGO

An idea popped into your head while you're at your job. You could feel the exhaustion weighing on your limbs as you go through the motions, doing the tasks that were expected of you. Every time Bokuto had to leave for some form of volleyball-related activity, you found yourself sleeping less -- and this time was no different.

However, what was different from previous trips was the idea forming in your mind. Bokuto loves surprises in any form, and the lightbulb going off in your head would be the biggest surprise of all. When you're finally free from your occupation, you rushed home, willing the metro to run faster. It doesn't, but being in a hurry makes it feel like it was crawling at a snail's pace.

Upon your arrival, you barely managed to kick off your shoes before you're sitting in front of your computer, opening a new tab to start planning your surprise in detail.

PRESENT

Another miss is all that runs through Bokuto's head as he spikes the ball on the opposing court, only for it to hit out of bounds. It feels like every shot that Atsumu set for him's a waste, since he can't seem to land any points. Every single blocked spike and out-of-bounds fail is met with a resounding, "Don't mind!" from the rest of the team. It's even worse when Atsumu switches out with Kageyama, because the black-haired setter fixates a glare on him whenever he doesn't succeed.

It's only halfway through the first set, with the Japan national team being ahead despite Bokuto's fumbles. Anyone could see that the #4 outside hitter is off his game, but only his teammates actually knew why -- it was his birthday, and he isn't spending it with you.

After several more failures on his end, he starts getting into his own head. His mood drops to the point where the coach swaps him out with Hoshiumi, and that's when Bokuto really feels his spirits vanish. He slumps on the bench, ignoring the attempts of the coach and the manager to cheer him up. Insults aimed at himself run rampant through his mind, and he can't seem to make them stop. The missed shots, compounded with not seeing you on his birthday, create a volatile mixture that resulted in his depressed state.

He wishes he could check his phone to see if you texted, to see what unique commentary you always send him whenever you're watching him play on the television. But, alas, he's stuck on the volleyball court, glued to the bench, eyes on the floor.

So deep in negative thoughts that he doesn't quite notice when your familiar figure stands at the sidelines, nor does he notice it when you call his name several times. It takes the national team's coach giving Bokuto a rather harsh shove on the shoulder to snap him out of his spiraling.

It looks like it's taking him every ounce of his strength to lift his head up to look at the couch, who then gestures in your direction. A soft smile etches itself onto your face as he slowly turns his head to look at you, and you can see the gears working behind his eyes when the two of you make eye contact. His posture slowly straightens, and a furrow appears in his brows.

"Is... is that really you or am I hallucinating?" he asks, half to you and half to himself. You can't really hear him from where you're standing, but you've been with Bokuto long enough to guess what he was saying.

In response, you hold your hands out, your smile widening as he jumps up and runs over to you. "You're here, you're really here!" he exclaims as he easily hops the divider and hugs you tightly, lifting you off your feet and spinning you around. He plants a big kiss on your lips, and you have to prevent yourself from melting into it before he separates. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to surprise you, Kō," you reply, watching as his smile grows even wider. "Happy birthday, lovie."

He gives you another big hug before a shrill whistle pierces the air, in which he whips around to look at the court. "Okay, okay, don't go anywhere! I'll be back to shower you in hugs and kisses when the game's over!" he calls over his shoulder as he hops the divider, beaming as the coach puts him back in the game.

Your appearance seems to reinvigorate him, as he's suddenly slamming spike after spike within bounds, either via insane line shot or even crazier cross shot. Within no time, the Japan national team beats its opponent in both the first and second set, leading to its victory. Bokuto cheers the loudest out of his entire team, exchanging high fives with Atsumu and Hinata before running back over to you. You're still standing in the same spot you chose after your arrival, but your grin is as wide as his.

He holds his hands up for a high five and you enthusiastically give him two. "You did amazing, Kō!" you exclaim, dropping your hands from high-five position to his shoulders.

He turns bright pink, as if that's the first compliment you've ever given him (it was not). He mumbles something under his breath, and you have to somehow get closer to hear him, despite your proximity.

"What was that?"

"I said, you're my good luck charm, of course I did amazing!" he replies -- a little too loudly -- before wrapping his arms around your waist and holding you close. "Did you book a hotel room?" he murmurs into your hair, and you have to strain your ears to hear him over the din of the crowd going crazy.

"No, I kind of assumed we'd be staying in the same room?" you respond, your pitch increasing at the end to indicate your hopefulness.

"Of course we're staying in the same room," he responds. "After all, I can't spend my birthday without you!"

[slowmo-yo-yo]

THANK U SM SNAILL💋 the tweaked knee idea came from you ofc I’m like obsessed with the idea that chuckie has a lousey knee after a construction accident but will keep him with his balance when they’re standing together. It’s like an unspoken thing because of course Will knows more about chuckie then chuckie does and he’s always the first one to act before chuckie even realizes what’s going on. Also really need to flesh out some kind of post knee surgery / post accident comfort fic for that because I’m OBSESSED with the idea of older Will doting on chuckie and making sure he’s fed and his knee is well taken care of and that he’s not over exerting himself etc. Imagining chuckie in the hospital right after the accident and wills shitting bricks about whether he’s gonna be ok. He tries to read up on as much as he can about the knee and the surgery and he tries to mansplain it to the doctors and they straight up just tell him to pipe down and let them do their jobs and it’s really humbling. And during recovery chuckie couldn’t work so instead he’d just tag along with Will to work and sit in during his lectures. Asking questions that Will had written in advance and pretending to participate to get other students involved in the class. Helping pass out worksheets and messing around with some of the students he already knows while Will tells them to settle down, like he’s in highschool again. STUPID THINGS LIKE THAT. I have such a soft spot for older them it’s kind of crazy.

Chuckwill slowdancing in their kitchen in their house in their 50s. Chuckies stumbling a lil bit cause his knees fucked up but Will supports his weight. Wills got a new pair of glasses that he’s showing off tonight and Chuckie can’t stop complimenting them even if they are just glasses but they’re on Will so they look amazing. Wills mostly grey now, his hair thinning out on the sides and chuckie thinks it’s the hottest thing he’s ever seen. He’s heard of silver foxes but never really got the appeal. Greasy old men with grey hair and a fashion sense so what, why should he care, just a reminder that he’s getting older. But when he sees Will with his silver hair, new black frames, his blue eyes replaced with a soft grey, with a little pudge around his middle and he has the audacity to flash that gorgeous smile at Chuckie, he just melts. Feels almost unfair that he gets to keep this; that he gets to keep all of Will. Call him greedy, sue him even. They have some soft music playing in the background on their portable Bluetooth speaker, what a concept. They just finished eating and Chuckies cleaning their plates in the sink while Will dozes off in his chair, same old same old. He’d clean a million plates if Will told him too, it doesn’t bother him. Wills soft snoring beside him is all the reward he needs. He hears him rise from his chair sometime after scraping off the last of the ziti from Wills plate (his mom’s recipe of course). He hears the speaker turn on behind him and he comes over to wrap his arms around Chuckies waist for the thousandth time. Chuckie understands instantly, dropping the plate hes currently holding to turn around in his arms, meeting Wills face and immediately getting the breath knocked out of him. If someone had told Chuckie 30 years ago that’d he’d be married to the love of his life and after all that time he’d still be madly in love, hed say fuck off. If someone had told him that person would be Will Hunting, he’d probably believe them. They hold eachother for awhile, shuffling slowly around their kitchen, in the home that they built together. Will rests his head in the crook of Chuckies neck, brushing up against his old man stuble. “Thank you” Will whispers and he can feel him start to smile into his neck. He’s saying thank you for a lot of things. Chuckie thinks he’s the luckiest guy in the world.