#Vancouver giants

[harrisenfleur]

more whistle ✨

[hockeymusicmore]

*** This is so funny!

[carsonlambos]

[larsnicklas]

BROCK BOESER ✧ 240302 [Elias] has shown he's a phenomenal player and, you know, he's a great kid.

[flowerishness]

Cucurbita maxima (giant pumpkin)

Street Pumpkin

It can be hard to identify the species of a squash plant when you pass one on the street. Most squash flowers are either yellow or orange, so not many clues there. I think this is probably a giant pumpkin, Cucurbita maxima. True the leaves are a bit small and the vines are quite short but in late-July, it's just getting started. Hey, and cut this poor scrawny pumpkin a little slack! It's growing in a smallish pot, it's trailing onto a concrete sidewalk and it's vine is surrounded by weeds and cigarette butts.

Pumpkins have both male and female flowers on the same plant and they bloom as a couple. The male flowers are big and showy, and grow on long stalks. Female flowers are smaller and close to the ground - all the better to support the Great Pumpkin once Halloween arrives. In their native habitat, pumpkins are usually pollinated by squash bees but home gardeners elsewhere are advised to do this job by hand, with a Q-tip.

The squash genus, Cucurbita, is native to Mesoamerica and the Andes. This genus contains pumpkins, cucumbers, gourds and many types of squash (mmm, butternut is my fave!). As with tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and corn, when pumpkins were transferred from the New World to the Old World they were a roaring success. In 2020, world production of pumpkins was 28 million metric tonnes, with China accounting for 27% of the total. In that year, Ukraine and Russia each produced about one million tonnes of pumpkins a year but I suspect the war in Ukraine has affected those statistics.

[hockeygirl101]

You guys 😭 I saw on twitter( as always) that Tommy Devito is now dating Huggys ex girlfriend Olivia 😭 and that made me giggle

[doyouhavethisplush]

Do you have this plush?

Giant Squid Stuffy, by Vancouver Aquarium

[harrisenfleur]

ik y’all don’t care for the eihl but…

[sitting-on-me-bum]

The poison ocellate octopus, also known as a mototi octopus (Amphioctopus mototi) possesses a venom and displays two large blue ocellates or ‘eyespots’ when stimulated or alarmed. Mototi means poison in the Polynesian language; the first specimen identified came from near the island of Rapa, French Polynesia

Octopuses

Photographer: Douglas David Seifert

A giant pacific octopus in the cold waters off Vancouver Island, Canada

[granitxhka]

why’s it always a us tour and never canada we can never have anything in this country

[long-distance-nuck]

If you don’t want to get knocked down by our giant russian, stay out of the way 🤷‍♀️

[hikingvancouverisland]

Big Lonely Doug (Port Renfrew)

[loststolenorstrayed]

Met the most beautiful woman today

[flowerishness]

Equisetum telmateia subsp. braunii (giant horsetail)

Strange things are going on - on the other side of the tracks.

In the spring, horsetails produce these alien spore cones, technically called a strobilus. Horsetails are very ancient plants, the earliest ones go back to the Devonian, 380 million years ago. Land plants had just invented roots, leaves and seeds at this time and horsetails were right there at the beginning: Act 1, Scene 1. Equisetum telmateia has been accurately described as a 'living fossil'.

Horsetails have an interesting connection with the energy industry. In the Carboniferous period horsetails grew a hundred feet tall (30m) and those swamp forests produced over 90% of the world's coal deposits. As luck would have it, just as I was taking these photos, a CN freight train rumbled by with a hundred tanker cars of petroleum heading south. Of course oil is another type of fossil from Earth's ancient past. That's why they call it a fossil fuel.

[valentin10]

Vancouver Giants at Prince George Cougars 11/9 | WHL Highlights 2024-25

[rabbitcruiser]

World Aquatic Animal Day

Because (most) humans do not actually live underwater, it is easy to forget the vast array and variety of aquatic animals that populate the oceans, seas, lakes, and other bodies of water on our planet!

Aquatic animals may be vertebrates or invertebrates. They may breathe air or extract oxygen through gills or the skin. And they may live in either freshwater or saltwater. But no matter what their differences are, one thing is for sure–aquatic animals deserve to be noticed and appreciated!

World Aquatic Animal Day is centered around humans taking the time to learn about and acknowledge the importance of all of these creatures who make their homes in the water.

History of World Aquatic Animal Day

Created in 2020, World Aquatic Animal Day was created by folks over at Animal Law Clinic at the Lewis & Clark Law School (Portland, Oregon, USA) who wanted to bring attention to the importance of aquatic animals to our societies and ecosystems. Widely used around the world, aquatic animals are often at risk due to the interactions humans have directly with the animals, or indirectly through the corruption of their habitats.

In addition to ‘fish’, the category of aquatic animals includes a variety of other creatures, such as mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic birds, starfish, corals, aquatic insects, amphibians, marine mammals, reptiles, and more.

The idea for World Aquatic Animal Day is to raise global awareness so that humans all over the world would band together to create policies, laws, education, and outreach that will help to protect these valuable animals. The hope is to elevate the status of these creatures so that people are more likely to take an active role in learning about and acting on behalf of them. Different ideas for protecting these animals continue to be featured, from plastic pollution to climate change issues.

Many organizations throughout the world participated in the first World Aquatic Animal Day in 2020, including Canada, Chile, Australia, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Croatia, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and more.

The hope is that many more will join in for future days in the coming years. The more people who get involved, the better!

How to Celebrate World Aquatic Animal Day

Celebrating the animals under the sea is the idea of World Aquatic Animal Day, and there are tons of ways to do it!

Watch a Documentary about Sea Life

Getting educated about aquatic animals doesn’t have to be boring. Learning from film crews that have been deep-sea diving can be a thrilling way to see, enjoy and appreciate the myriad of animals that live in the water.

Try out these documentaries:

The Blue Planet (2001). First airing on the BBC, this riveting series of shows gives a glimpse into life in the ocean. It was filmed in more than 200 different locations over a five year time period. And Sir David Attenborough’s voice over simply makes the ocean seem that much more compelling.

Turtle: The Incredible Journey (2009). This film uniquely follows the life of one sea turtle beating the odds, from when she was hatched to facing the natural and unnatural threats that occur in the life of such a creature.

Mission Blue (2014). Featuring the life and work of Dr. Sylvia Earl, a marine biologist and oceanographer, this documentary shows her life as it is dedicated to the study of the ocean, having spent thousands of hours of time in its depths.

Life in the Blue (2016). Showcasing the extraordinary variety and range of life that exists in the expanses of the ocean, this documentary specifically targets what takes place just under the surface in a small band of 10 meter deep water. Whether looking for shelter or hunting and foraging for food, aquatic animals participate in a host of activities in this rather small space.

Host an Under the Sea Party

Get family and friends involved in raising awareness of the needs of aquatic animals by inviting them over for a party that dives deep into the theme. Make the place festive with sea-worthy decorations and play tunes from a water-themed playlist (see below).

Serve snacks and desserts that stick with the theme of honoring aquatic animals, including cupcakes adorned with gummy fish, goldfish cheese or graham crackers, cookies baked starfish shapes or a veggie tray organized in the shape of a rainbow fish.

Fruit treats are fabulous for sea-themed parties! Oranges can be easily fashioned to create the look of an octopus by partially peeling eight strips and then leaving them sticking out from the bottom. (Draw on eyes with a non-toxic marker.) Apples can be creatively sliced to appear as crabs, while banana halves can be adorned with an eye and the stem cut to look like dolphins. And a watermelon can be creatively carved to channel the look of a sea turtle!

Raise Awareness for Aquatic Animal Day

Get others involved in the issues facing these creatures by holding events at work, school, clubs or other places where the community gathers. Make posters, host lecturers, or create a family-friendly charity event where the money is raised to donated to underwater wildlife funds. Don’t forget to use your voice to let government representatives know about the need to protect these creatures by writing letters to ask them for better rules, regulations, and laws.

Put Together an Aquatic Animals Playlist

Getting into the groove of music is a great way to bring sea creatures to the forefront of the mind–whether alone or at a party! Gather some eclectic songs together in a playlist on Spotify or another music hosting venue and jam in honor of the aquatic animals.

Try some favorite songs such as these, or come up with other creative ideas:

Too Many Fish in the Sea (1983) by The Marvelettes

Under the Sea (1989) Soundtrack from The Little Mermaid

Dead Sea (2012) by The Lumineers

Sea of Love (1959) by Phil Phillips

Across the Sea (1996) by Weezer

Only the Ocean (2010) by Jack Johnson

Deep Ocean Vast Sea (1989) by Peter Murphy

Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay (1968) by Otis Redding

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