#ant lab

[coulsonlives]

If OOP loves seeing animals flinging themselves around without any sense of direction, they're gonna love Ant Lab

[creatureimages]

in love...

[gaytimeswith-scar]

warden etho based on the ficlets by @sixteenth-days :]]]]

[mantisgodsdomain]

Every living bug has a personal scent - a blend of pheromones that generally acts as a personal "name", or "voice", in pheromonal communication. In social bugs, this tends to be stronger. As communication via pheromone is extremely species-specific, learning to manipulate them in more detail than some basic altering your expression of any given emotion tends to be something of a niche skill set, particularly among solitary bugs. It's most commonly learned for in-species communication, or by the bugs responsible for putting up pheromone signage in social-bug-heavy areas, but also has some fairly wide utility in less legal manners.

As pheromones are highly specific by bug, a bug of one species may have significant difficulty parsing the pheromones of a bug of another species. While social bugs in hives and colonies generally have something of an instinctive grasp of what various pheromones mean, and will often pick them up as part of communication among themselves, solitary bugs tend to be significantly less sensitive to them, and may struggle to distinguish between similar pheromone signals even if they know what both mean.

As a consequence of this, the vast majority of signage within a hive or colony can be wholly illegible to a solitary bug, even if it is perfectly clear to the hive's inhabitants. Bugs with reduced sensitivity to key pheromones used in social signalling can also suffer from this, particularly in places where pheromone signage can be important to operation. While these can be learned over time, unfortunately, it isn't always enough to make up for the social impacts.

Though it is possible to learn to suppress your personal scent, it isn't a widely distributed skill, and it's associated with criminals more than anything else - on a similar level to learning to lockpick, it's a cool trick to show off that also has a solid chance of getting your coworkers to ask you if you've stolen anything recently. Though suppression can make your scent more subtle, it can't eliminate it entirely, and most bugs who are seriously concerned about hiding their identities will wear some sort of masker to confuse their scent.

Monsieur Scarlet, due to a side effect of his personal flavor of mage, is capable of cutting off his own pheromone production entirely, or selectively shutting off specific pheromones. To other bugs, this will smell uncannily "blank". Since pheromones are still the main means through which bugs will communicate emotions, even beyond being a personal identifier, it's sort of like someone's face... slipped off, and there was just a void where it used to be.

Along with his short-range teleportation tricks, this makes him very good at slipping a tail, but also works against him in being an extremely distinctive trait that's very prone to freaking people out. Generally, you don't stop producing your personal pheromones until you die- but he's not producing a dead-ant smell, and he's very clearly up and moving, just lacking any personal scent. It's prone to tripping a sense that something is horribly, unnaturally wrong. Also, it's not very good for his body to stop making a bunch of major compounds. Generally, he'll opt more for things like cutting out stress pheromones than taking out everything.

[tony-stark-ing]

Gotta love yourself a nice set of Tonys.

Avengers Forever (2021) issue #14

[jombenz]

"my eyes are green, i eat my veggies"

descendant of apep for you all bc i love him and like to think he'd Live and be full of scars and just collect treasure happily

[antares-dupont]

been on an etho kick recently. he’s a silly goofy guy.

[antvnger]

((Hey gang, sorry Scott and I got quiet tonight, but it’s for a good reason. A happy one. I brought home a new friend.

Meet Baloo

I’m 🥰😍))

[fyanimaldiversity]

🐛

I’m not sure if I mentioned it on my other animal blog or here, I LOVE caterpillars, but the idea of touching one terrifies me! Even seeing pictures of other people handling harmless ones gives me the willies. Their spikes and fluff and warning colorations absolutely work on me, I don’t want to mess with them! Complete opposite of edible! Maybe I was a hungry predator in a past life who fucked around and found out?

Oddly enough, most venomous snakes are shaped like friends to me! I know better not to, but they look soooo touchable.

[twistedappletree]

It’s PRIYA! ✨💞☀️💞✨

Some more about her under the cut below the pic bc her story is a bit rough but she’s such a sweet precious pretty baby fr 🥺🥀

First of all, she responds SO WELL to Priya. I think she likes the name and pronunciation because of how bright it is. I also got her some fancy hemp-based strawberry lime hibiscus doggy perfume since I can’t give her a bath yet because of her surgery staples. 🌺

Basically, her original owners surrendered her because there were medical complications with her pregnancy and they didn’t want to deal with it. They took her to the shelter way too late so her babies had to be aborted and she’s extremely depressed because of it. She was in the very last kennel in the back so she wasn’t getting viewed much by potential adopters and she was there so long without getting any interest that they scheduled her to be euthanized to make more room in the shelter. No one even offered to foster her. 💔

It’s also very clear that she was abused, likely by a man. Even while I was at the shelter, she gravitated towards me and stayed away from the male employees (who aren’t bad people btw, it’s just that her trauma makes her afraid of them).

She’s not doing this anymore but she squinted and lowered her head when I first tried to pet her, as though she was expecting to be hit. I also took her outside to show her her new backyard and where she can go potty but she thought I was kicking her out for the night so she went into the corner of the yard and made a little nest out of dry leaves to sleep in 😭

I had to lead her back into the house by her leash because she wouldn’t come back in ajdhajdha like nooooo baby you sleep inside and wherever you want! On the couch, my bed, your new doggy bed with all your fluffy blankets—no leaves!

It’s only been a few nights but she’s already learning that she’s in a safe place and she’s SO gentle and respectful with my cat! Misako is still freaked out by her but she already lived with my Great Dane before she passed so she knows big dogs and I’m already seeing a lot of improvement in her attitude towards Priya.

She’s also not jealous of her and shunning me for it which was the main thing I was worried about because my kitty is my baby lmaooo (but Priya’s my baby too now!)

She’s still extremely tired from her surgeries so I can’t take her on any strenuous walks or outings but she gets her staples out next week and a regular check up to make sure she’s okay. She looks like she has some breathing problems and also has a weird bump on her nose so we’re gonna get that checked out. Hoping it’s nothing serious 😭 she’s only 2 years old but she walks around and has the energy levels of an old lady ajdhajdhAJDHAD

Pretty, pretty Priya. I love her sm 💞🥺💞

[rip-bugsandbobbit]

Coprin and Ralis‼️‼️💪😼

Coprin is the black bat, Ralis is the brown bat

It's nice how they were confined lab subjects with the ability to fly but trapped in a building not built for it, and now they can actually use their wings!

[shmothman]

we left churros out in the lab. ants. ants everywhere.

[ratcandy]

(through grit teeth) ants are fascinating creatures. their abilities in coordination and cooperation in unmatched. have you seen those ants that make bridges out of themselves so their sisters can walk across them, carrying larvae and food to a new home? amazing. (clenching my fists, shaking violently) better yet did you know ants can count their steps? did you know some create their own fungus farms? (mouth dry. sweating. staring) did you know ants share 75% of their dna with their sisters but only 50% with their parents+offspring? that's due to this thing called haplodiploidy. so actually it's more favorable, fitness-wise, for ants to care for their own sisters than to have children of their own. isn't that awesome. (about to burst a blood vessel) ants are so cool and wondrous. i love ants so much. (staring dead into a mirror barely disguising my frustration and anguish)

[gaytimeswith-scar]

thumbnail redraw 👍

[thebestpartofwakingup]

You know I give my family some crap for how badly behaved all of our dogs have been but it’s really just the last two who are exceptionally badly behaved

Border collie who completely normal and well behaved. Sometimes barked at people passing the house.

Our greyhound was grumpy and didn’t like people who weren’t my mom, but he’d just half-growl (more of a frustrated moan) and get up and go to the corner or another room. Like an anti social old man.

Lab-spaniel who killed a bird one time when she was young but liked people and got on well with them and the other dogs. Followed bad example of next dog as pack-leader. Ripped up toys as a puppy

(BAD) Lab with an awful bark who liked to carry things around to be chased (socks, toys, etc.). Very frustrating. Barked a lot and had a horrible bark. Grumpy and didn’t really like being cuddled or anything. Would not play fetch. Had an insane hunting-instinct and killed anything that got into the yard except the snapping turtle that scared her by not moving and then barely moving. Would try to chew shiny ball Christmas ornaments and then drop them and bolt to the other side of the room when they “bit” her. Would slowly investigate them, tapping them with her foot and running away to see if they’d bite her again. Could bunnyhop a 3.5 foot fence and killed the neighbor’s chickens once. Taught the spaniel how to jump the fence as well. Was basically fine once we got the invisible fence. Rabbits eventually returned to the yard. Liked to drop bones on hardwood floors and down the stairs. Peed incessantly in the baby pool.

Lab with less ear piercing bark but who barks at everything constantly. No hunting instinct at all. Once accidentally tortured a toad she found by following it around the yard and pawing at it to watch it hop. Only dog to defeat the spray bottle method because she just loves water that much. Also defeated the invisible fence because she has the pain tolerance of a Roman god and loves running across the street to lay down and say hello to everyone she sees. Obviously it’s understandable to be nervous or scared of a dog you see running at you but I swear to god I can’t believe how good she is with strangers she isn’t running AT them to like jump or bark she gets like right up next to them and just drops to the ground to show how friendly she is and that she wants belly rubs. I’ve chased after her and watched the confusion in people’s faces as they prepare/brace for this dog to at least bark at or jump on them but she’s weirdly respectful of personal space. Like she’s doing a bit. Wags constantly and knocks things over as a result. Has trained my dad to give her fresh meat in the morning by barking. Would recognize an intruder as a friend. LOVES walks.

(EVIL) lab-setter mix who used to bait people into petting her so she could bite them. Got her as a puppy and she would sit in my lap and lick my face and then BITE by nose hard. Terrified of ear drops. Likes to chase squirrels but no interest in catching them. Hoards toys during fetch hiding them in a bush. Will interrupt other dogs playing fetch to steal and hide the toys in the same bush. Attacks other dogs unprovoked. Stole soup out of my bowl!!!!! Will walk into a room and sit with person A to be pet while making unbreaking eye contact with person B so they know she’s ignoring them. Has to be muzzled. Weirdly good with kids and puppies. Jumps on tables and counters dead-quietly to eat food. Will learn who does and doesn’t scold her for what rules and will break whatever rules she believes she will get away with.

(NOT GOOD) Aussie-Pyrenees (looks NOTHING like a Pyrenees and runs small for an Aussie) LOVES to be cuddled. Has TERRIBLE memory growled at me the first dozen times I visited or so before remembering that we lived together for a few months and that she’s seen me many many times. Easily confused and overwhelmed by other dogs. Growls at people and then runs away and hides under a table. Sometimes nips at ankles. Sometimes backs up the setter in fights against the lab. Kills butterflies. Took forever to house break. HATES walks. HATES the car. HATES the leash. Will bite and pee on it. Jumps. One time ripped the squeaker out of a toy with surgical precision.

[hacker4cats]