#crustacean invasion

[procyonloser]

The little bugs in Maggie's enclosure make me happy. Look at these little bugs. They're just living their best lives.

[lake-lady]

Day in the life of a Guy. And not just any guy I think he's an invasive rusty red crayfish 🤨🦞

[its-captain-sir]

doing research on the lake michigan ecosystem and ngl this stuff is depressing. the amount of invasive species across all ecological levels is Insane like there's not a single thing that hasn't been horribly impacted and worse is the fact that most of these invasions occurred in like the second half of the 1900s. like we did immense and irreparable damage to an incredibly unique subset of ecosystems that really doesn't show up anywhere else on earth in just 50 years? cool cool cool. cool.

[itstimeforstarwars]

Am looking at government jobs and one of them is like "requirements: extreme knowledge of invasive crustaceans, experience in warehouse operations, experience in type fast, experience in use computer" and I'm like...ok but how important exactly is knowledge of invasive crustaceans because the rest of that shit is my current job.

[reasonsforhope]

"The Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans has recently witnessed an incredible eco-renaissance following decades of damage and neglect.

Led by a local community development group, a 40-acre wetlands park has been restored to glories past with hundreds of local trees that attract over a hundred species of birds, plus joggers, picnickers, and nature lovers besides.

The story begins with Rashida Ferdinand, founder of Sankofa Community Development Corporation (CDC). Growing up in this historic part of New Orleans, where Black homeownership thrived, where Fats Domino was born, and where locals routinely went out into the wetlands to catch fish and crustaceans, she watched as it suffered from years of neglect.

Poor drainage, ruined roads, illegal trash dumping, and unmitigated damage from hurricanes slowly wasted the wetland away until it was a derelict eyesore.

In the name of restoring this wild heritage indicative of the culture in the Lower Ninth, and in order to protect her communities from flooding, Ferdinand founded the Sankofa CDC, and in 2014 entered into an agreement with the City of New Orleans for the restoration of Sankofa—a 40-acre section of neglected wetlands in the heart of the Lower Ninth.

The loss of Sankofa’s potential to dampen flooding from storms meant that over the years dozens of houses and properties were flooded and damaged beyond the ability of the inhabitants to recover. Forced out by a combination of nature’s fury and government failure, the cultural heritage of the community was receding along with the floodwaters.

Ferdinand knew that restoring natural flood barriers like Sankofa was key to protecting her community.

“Hurricane protection is a major concern in the community, but there’s a lack of trust in the infrastructure systems that are supposed to protect us,” Ferdinand told the Audubon Society. 

Today, Sankofa Wetlands Park is a sight to behold. Hiking trails snake through a smattering of ponds and creeks, where bald cypresses and water tupelo trees continue to grow and cling to the ground even during storms. Picnic benches have appeared, wheelchair-accessible trails connect sections of the park to parts of the Lower Ninth, and local businesses are seeing more visitors.

It needed a lot of work though. Thousands of invasive tallow trees had to be uprooted. 27,000 cubic meters of illegally dumped trash compacted into the dirt had to be removed. A 60-year-old canal dug by the US Army Corps of Engineers had to be disconnected, and all new native flora had to be planted by hand.

Audubon says that Ferdinand routinely can’t believe her eyes when she looks at the transformation of Sankofa into its current state.

“Seeing butterflies, birds, and other pollinators in the park is a sign of a healthy ecosystem,” she says. “All we had to do was create the right conditions.”

Slated for official completion in 2025 with an outdoor amphitheater, interpretive signage, and additional trails, Ferdinand and the CDC have their eyes set on an even larger area of wetlands to the north of Sankofa.

Along the way, Ferdinand and the CDC attracted many helping hands, and entered into many partnerships, But the catalyst for change arose from the spirit and determination of one woman in the right place at the right time, for the benefit of hundreds in this historic heart of a historic city."

-via Good News Network, September 17, 2024

[wachinyeya]

Birds Sing Anew After Residents of New Orleans Ninth Ward Restore 40-Acre Wetland to Historic Glory https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/birds-sing-anew-from-within-40-acre-wetland-restored-by-residents-of-n-orleans-historic-lower-ninth/

The Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans has recently witnessed an incredible eco-renaissance following decades of damage and neglect.

Led by a local community development group, a 40-acre wetlands park has been restored to glories past with hundreds of local trees that attract over a hundred species of birds, plus joggers, picnickers, and nature lovers besides.

The story begins with Rashida Ferdinand, founder of Sankofa Community Development Corporation (CDC). Growing up in this historic part of New Orleans, where Black homeownership thrived, where Fats Domino was born, and where locals routinely went out into the wetlands to catch fish and crustaceans, she watched as it suffered from years of neglect.

Poor drainage, ruined roads, illegal trash dumping, and unmitigated damage from hurricanes slowly wasted the wetland away until it was a derelict eyesore.

In the name of restoring this wild heritage indicative of the culture in the Lower Ninth, and in order to protect her communities from flooding, Ferdinand founded the Sankofa CDC, and in 2014 entered into an agreement with the City of New Orleans for the restoration of Sankofa—a 40-acre section of neglected wetlands in the heart of the Lower Ninth.

The loss of Sankofa’s potential to dampen flooding from storms meant that over the years dozens of houses and properties were flooded and damaged beyond the ability of the inhabitants to recover. Forced out by a combination of nature’s fury and government failure, the cultural heritage of the community was receding along with the floodwaters.

Ferdinand knew that restoring natural flood barriers like Sankofa was key to protecting her community.

“Hurricane protection is a major concern in the community, but there’s a lack of trust in the infrastructure systems that are supposed to protect us,” Ferdinand told the Audubon Society.

Today, Sankofa Wetlands Park is a sight to behold. Hiking trails snake through a smattering of ponds and creeks, where bald cypresses and water tupelo trees continue to grow and cling to the ground even during storms. Picnic benches have appeared, wheelchair-accessible trails connect sections of the park to parts of the Lower Ninth, and local businesses are seeing more visitors.

Visiting birders have recorded sightings of over 100 species of songbirds, ducks, near-shore waders of all kinds, egrets, and herons, and the park also acts as a home and refuge for otters, beavers, and a variety of amphibians and reptiles.

It needed a lot of work though. Thousands of invasive tallow trees had to be uprooted. 27,000 cubic meters of illegally dumped trash compacted into the dirt had to be removed. A 60-year-old canal dug by the US Army Corps of Engineers had to be disconnected, and all new native flora had to be planted by hand.

Audubon says that Ferdinand routinely can’t believe her eyes when she looks at the transformation of Sankofa into its current state.

“Seeing butterflies, birds, and other pollinators in the park is a sign of a healthy ecosystem,” she says. “All we had to do was create the right conditions.”

Slated for official completion in 2025 with an outdoor amphitheater, interpretive signage, and additional trails, Ferdinand and the CDC have their eyes set on an even larger area of wetlands to the north of Sankofa.

Along the way, Ferdinand and the CDC attracted many helping hands, and entered into many partnerships, But the catalyst for change arose from the spirit and determination of one woman in the right place at the right time, for the benefit of hundreds in this historic heart of a historic city.

[bestanimal]

Round 2.5 - Ctenophora - Tentaculata

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

One of two classes of Ctenophora is Tentaculata, the “Tentaculate Comb Jellies.”

The common feature of this class is a pair of long, feathery, contractile tentacles, which can be retracted into specialised ciliated sheaths. Instead of stinging cells, the tentacles have colloblasts, which are sticky-tipped cells that trap small prey. Some species may flick their tentacles to lure prey by behaving like small planktonic worms. Body size and shape vary widely among tentaculatans. Some are bioluminescent, allowing them both to scare away predators and attract small prey: from microscopic larvae and rotifers to the adults of small crustaceans. They are named for the comb rows of cilia which they use to swim. The beating of these combs refract light, producing rainbow-like colors.

Propaganda under the cut:

The Redspot Comb Jelly (Eurhamphaea vexilligera) is unique in that it can actually produce bright orange-yellow ink as a means of escaping predators

The “Warty Comb Jelly” or “Sea Walnut” (Mnemiopsis leidyi) (though I grew up calling them “Leidy’s Comb Jellies”) (image 4) has an oval-shaped and transparent lobed body that glows blue-green when disturbed. It is biologically immortal, can consume ten times its body weight, and its anus only appears when it’s ready to defecate. They are native to western Atlantic coastal waters, but have become established as an invasive species in European and West Asian regions.

Named after the Greek goddess of sailors, the genus Leucothea can be identified by their oblong bodies which have fairly long lobes, taking up almost half of their length. They are transparent, bioluminescent, and have gelatinous spikes that are thought to serve a sensory purpose as they are found to point towards stimuli, the way a ship points towards its destination.

The Venus Girdle (Cestum veneris) (image 3) is the largest ctenophore of all known ctenophores, reaching up to a 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in total length. Venus girdles resemble transparent ribbons with iridescent edges. Canals run the length of the ribbon in which bioluminescence activates when disturbed.

Haeckelia is a genus of ctenophore which is unique in that, instead of colloblasts, it has cnidocytes, explosive stinging cells usually only present in cnidarians. It does this by stealing and retaining cnidocytes from its cnidarian prey.

Some deep sea tentaculatans are blood red, as this allows them to be camouflaged in the deep sea, where red light does not reach.

[ntls-24722]

Domesticated crops! (and secret not-plants)

This post is more for me and actually putting to paper the things that the Bolur species would eat. I had more fun than I thought I would've.

cw? tw? for unsanitary mentions sorta

Going from top-to-right,

Land Barnacles

Exactly what they sound like. Did you know that Earth barnacles are arthropods? That they're crustaceans? I got inspo from that. Juveniles, like Earth barnacles, are mobile and have very inefficient, blanket-y wings that they will use to one day cement themselves onto the ground, hopefully next to another one of their barnacle colleagues for reproductive purposes. Their abdomens are actually folded so that their anuses are right next to their mouths, because like an aphid, they have a very sugary, liquidy waste that (alongside their floral-looking heads) brings in a lot of bugs for them to eat! When bugs try to feed on their waste, they use the remnants of their tube feet to grab them and eat them.

Zebrapeople cultivate land barnacles in order to drill holes right into their abdomens and harvest their honeydew sewage. It's like a gross version of drilling holes in maple trees for maple syrup. I imagine they view it kind of like hot dogs, so tasty but so grossly made...

Floor Climbers

They're these kind of "flatworms" that eat underwater plant growths and store them in their skin to be able to photosynthesize for themselves. Their blankety backsides is the part of them with the most, so they evolved to completely have that part of them be a solar panel blanket and just walk with their front.... well, they never had legs, but they now have "legs." They're handstanding everywhere

They're invasive little shits that reproduce like rabbits. They're introduced to small, usually music man-made bodies of water in order for them to completely take over, and for the music men to harvest. They're really chewy and savory if you cook them right. Might be a little poisonous if you undercook them, so it's better to burn your climbers than have them medium rare.

Bucca

THATS TUBER, BABY

They evolved that Phat Root in order to anchor themselves in the water. They have flowers at the base of their main stem for bugs that walk on water to pollinate, and to make sure they don't move around too much, their stem and leaves became super aerodynamic to the point it looks like a big red feather coming out of the water.

Amber Tree

MISNOMER. NOT A TREE. LAND CORAL! Sometimes called "cow sails" from the way its topmost "branches" and leaves just hang down over everything like a debu's sail does. Since its branches are thin, its limestone outer layer is at risk of breaking a lot, so it evolved this really thick sap so bugs don't try and take advantage of its downfall.

Except, well, Debu took advantage of its sap. It's a cash crop! Badlands Debu harvest its super thick, fast drying sap to kind of make instant-amber, dipping various things in it to make jewlery. Things like...

Thansum

Imagine if a sunflower, when it got pollinated, became a giant dandelion. That's thansum, the complimentary Debu cash crop to amber trees, which is the most popular thing to dip in its amber. But it's not just a Debu cash crop, it's also used to make paper and cloth for zebrapeople, mostly zebraelves. They crush its seedlings up and add water to make a thansum-meal out of it - if they use more seedling and dry it, it becomes paper. If they use more fluff, then it becomes cloth! Or they can eat thansum-meal straight up if they're desperate. It's not poisonous, but it's a very sad meal, don't eat thansum-meal

Spittle Berries

So, i've been excited to talk about this, because lemme tell you the more popular way that Bolur plants reproduce. Spittle berries are fruits, they are Bolur fruits, but bolur fruits are special - they are the flower, the leaf, and the fruit all at once. The method is that fruits are made through leaves, leaves that're inflated full of gametes covered in a soft shell (think like a pomegranate seed) and fruit "meat", which in turn also colors them a striking (ususally cool) color. When something eats a Bolur fruit, the soft shell that their sperm and eggs were covered in gets dissolved and they meet up together in the stomach. The gametes themselves are made of some gross, hard-to-digest material so that they remain unharmed, and so that they can become embryos by the time whatever ate it passes them through their system, right into some fresh fertilizer that they can grow out of. Spittle berries are the least interesting fruit in that it's just a fruit, but they're a perfect introductory fruit for the weirder ones, like:

Seeing-Squash

The only fruit actively being selected for cuteness! It's also a debu specific - the squash evolved to be eaten specifically by mountain cows since the shell their gametes are covered in are too tough to be digested by most other animal. So if a zebraperson wants to eat, they might want to take those out lest those bigass "seed" gametes gives them blockage.

It's less cuteness, but more "liveliness," if that makes any sense? Looking more and more like a little animal, a little dude. The eyes are getting bigger and the originally modest striping is becoming more exaggerated to look like a spitting monkey.

And finally,

Bempo

The only plant here to have a skeleton. It's the "shrub" version of a land coral where its base will have a dense limestone skeleton for its photosynthetic parts to pop out of, and soft pith to be protected underneath. Bempo actually takes forever to grow, because it takes years for it to build up its "pyramid" base. But when it does, then you are set, because fruit-bearing coral-shrubs like bempo have the shortest growth times for its fruit to the point where you can watch and hear the growth of its giant fruit plates that adorn the top of its base.

Those fruit plates also have a skeleton of their own, but it's only a single "bone," like if a plant had a baculum for its fruit.

[sitting-on-me-bum]

A Chinese mitten crab. Scientists from the Natural History Museum have built traps to manage UK’s rising numbers of the furry crustaceans. The crabs, which can grow bigger than a 10in dinner plate, are an invasive species that prey on our native fauna – ‘eating us out of house and home’, as one researcher put it

Photograph: Frank Hecker/Alamy

[missedmilemarkers]

Beneath the shimmering blue, the lionfish glides gracefully through its aquatic world at the Denver Aquarium. With its delicate fins and bold stripes, this exotic beauty brings a piece of the ocean's vibrant tapestry to life, weaving between coral structures with effortless elegance. Capturing both the wonder and mystique of marine life, this photo invites us into the colorful depths, a world where every movement tells a story of adaptation and survival. The lionfish, both mesmerizing and dangerous, reminds us of the ocean's allure and its secrets yet to be uncovered.

The lionfish, belonging to the genus Pterois, is a striking marine species native to the Indo-Pacific region. Recognizable by their bold maroon and white stripes and elongated, venomous spines, lionfish are both captivating and hazardous. Their venomous dorsal spines can inflict painful stings, posing risks to divers and predators alike.

Encyclopedia Britannica (source)

In recent decades, lionfish have become invasive in the Atlantic Ocean, particularly along the southeastern United States coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Their introduction is largely attributed to aquarium releases. Lacking natural predators in these new environments, lionfish populations have surged, threatening native marine life and disrupting local ecosystems.

NOAA Ocean Service (source)

Lionfish are voracious predators, feeding on over 70 species of fish and crustaceans, including ecologically and economically important species. Their feeding habits can significantly reduce native fish populations, leading to imbalances in reef ecosystems.

Wildlife Informer (source)

Efforts to manage the lionfish invasion include promoting them as a food source, encouraging fishing and consumption to help control their numbers. Despite their venomous spines, lionfish are safe to eat once properly prepared, and their white, flaky meat is considered a delicacy.

Ocean Conservancy (source)

Understanding the biology and ecological impact of lionfish is crucial for developing effective management strategies to mitigate their invasive spread and protect native marine ecosystems.

[elenauaurs]

TWISTED WONDERLAND OC

Name: Amin Adel Al-Farooq

Grade/Class: Freshmen/Class B (No. 11)

Birthday: October 24rd

Age: 16

Height: 165 cm

Dominant hand: Right

Homeland: Scalding Sands

Club: Magic Shift/Spell Drive

Best Subject: Astrology

Hobbies: Taking care of virtual pets

Pet Peeves: Invasion of personal/Having to repeat himself

Favorite food: Kibbeh

Least favorite food: Crustaceans

Likes: Cats, Stars, Good people

Dislike: Delinquents, ghosts, teasing

Talent: Combat

. . .

Amin is a student from Scarabia who is always accompanying Kalim and Jamil. His distant attitude makes him strange in the eyes of many.

The mysterious and distant boy actually hides a secret: He she's a woman and Amin isn't even her real name. (She isn't trans. In the universe of my ocs NRC remains a school just for boys, but the reason for adopting a male identity comes from her backstory)

Amin is a person who always has a closed or tired face. Most of the time, Amin is stuck in his thoughts instead of interacting with others.

When Amin tries to start a conversation with someone he doesn't know, 99% of the time the conversation can turn into something really awkward or quite edgy(depends on the mood lol)

Although he isn't very good at talking and is a little shy/embarrassed, Amin is not afraid to show his thoughts and fight for them. This attitude of his makes him get into several fights, which has earned him a reputation as a troublemaker.

Despite acting this way and having a short temper, Amin hates delinquents who break the rules. Whenever he can, Amin punishes anyone he considers a deliquent to 'save' them

With people close to him, Amin reveals himself to be a courageous, agitated, stubborn, playful, teasing and loyal person. But of course, that's not how he feels at all.

In fact, Amin is a pessimist and a person who has struggled with grief for a long time. He sees himself as an impostor who doesn't deserve happiness and has no reason to live other than to continue someone else's legacy. Amin constantly blames himself for the past and has a huge inferiority complex, but he refuses to demonstrate his weakness and the truth to others.

FACTS

Amin is twisted from the guards from Aladdin

He has incredible swordsmanship

Despite his small appearance, Amin is strong and agile

He knows parkour

Amin has combat magic that is far advanced compared to other freshmen, however his general magic (like levitating things, cleaning magic, coloring magic, etc.) IS REALLY BAD

By having such poor magic and almost failing many classes, Amin makes up for his lack of skill in written or physical activities (or combat)

Amin is banned from Mostro lounge

The headband he wears is a gift from Kalim

APPEARANCE

Amin has short, dark hair with bangs. His skin is dark and his eyes are dark brown

He always wears clothes much larger than his size and always wears a headband

Most of the time, he wears bandages around his hands that go up to his elbow.

. . .

Note: Since Aladdin is a racist film, I tried to do some research to avoid something that would be hurtful to people from the Middle East. If you know the Middle East well and noticed that there is something wrong with this post, please let me know and I will review it immediately, thank you!

Tag: @cyanide-latte @theleechyskrunkly @thehollowwriter @distant-velleity @tixdixl @rainesol @oya-oya-okay @boopshoops @br3adtoasty

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the fathead minnow!

The fathead minnow, known also by the names: tuffy, fathead, and in the freshwater hobbyist industry a variant known as rosy red minnow. Scientific name Pimephales promelas, this fish is spread across North America, with a range stretching from the Southern borders of Canada, to the Northern borders of Mexico, stretching primarily along the great lakes and all connected rivers and streams down to the Rio Grande, and rivers in Chiwawa. This is their native region. However, outside of their native region they can be found introduced in the Atlantic and Pacific drainage areas, following rivers and creeks across the American South and the Colorado river. Invasive populations can also be found across Europe, where the fish has been listed as the main spreader of enteric redmouth disease, a bacterial infection that causes a hemorrhaging of mouth, fins, and eyes of salmonids. 

Inside of the listed areas, the fish live in all variation of freshwater: rivers, creeks, and muddy pools of headwater.Known for their resilience for high turbidity, temperatures, pH, low oxygen, salinities, these fish thrive in environments other freshwater fish and minnows can not. They live in schools of fish near the bed, primarily due to their diet primarily being made up of scavenged algaes. Other than aquatic algae, the diet of the fathead minnow includes scavenged animal matter, primarily their fallen compatriots, crustaceans, detritus, zooplankton, and insect larvae. The fathead minnow is often predated on by larger predatory fish, but they contain a simple warning  system that gives their schools a leg up. Communication in these fish is done almost exclusively in chemical signaling, from the release of alarm substances, to being used to identify familiar and unfamiliar fish to certain population schools, and use in breeding and courtship displays.

The alarm substance called Schreckstoff is believed to be secreted by all ostariophysan fish, one of the largest suborders of fish in the world, but research was first conducted on this substance in fathead minnows in the 1930's. Schreckstoff is a distinct club of cells on the epidermal that release when attacked. When schreckstoff is sensed in the water by other fish, it triggers anti predator behaviors, and recognition. Allowing for them to associate certain fish as predatory quicker in the future. Other than this, the fathead minnow can be used to indicate the toxicity of a certain aquatic environment. Due to their ability to live in such tough areas, they can be found in areas other fish can't be, like drainage sites. We can observe a lack in fertility and correct male development in areas containing certain oestrogens produced by humans, and certain plastics, allowing us an easy indicator to the toxicity of water sources.

The reproductive cycle of the fathead minnow is similar to other minnows. The spawning takes place from May-August, and the fathead minnows are polyamourus, picking different mates each season. They will produce anywhere from 1,000 to 12,000 offspring per season, and will create nesting sites close to the water surface in areas with horizontal surfaces. The placement of these nesting sites are intentionally placed in areas with low oxygen in the water, implying that this is an intentional choice made to avoid predation. The male will then chase away the female and watch over the fertilized eggs for the next 4-5 months until hatch. After this only a percentage of these fish will live past the fry stage, but if they can make it to a year of age, they can begin spawning themselves. Eventually, after a long and fruitful life of around 3 years, the fish will die of old age and slowing reflex.

That's the fathead minnow, everybody!

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

Daily fish fact #677

Black buffalo!

This fish is a bottom feeder and tends to feed on crustaceans and algae, though it's been found that most of their edible diet consists of invasive clams in some areas! Besides food intake, the black buffalo also ingests large amounts of sand, which makes up nearly half of everything they consume.

[merakiione]

-invertebrates, crustaceans, and urchins-

it is mackerel day at the local aquarium and 

i am a moray eel so smooth to the touch

like aqueous manta ray mantles but 

did you know that sea turtles sing?

because they do they sing when the frigates 

seize them from their freckled eggshells and 

they leave behind the sun-warmed sand while 

i slip and creep through clownfish apartments 

perhaps the sun’s rays shall sprout fingers and 

fetch me inquisitively into the cloud’s breath though

for all the pickle green floundering in the world i am 

unable to do much other than smolder.

they call me unagi so i stand on rice beaches 

while smelling Goliath grouper frying 

ozone and gasoline and a fish-breath stench 

marbled orange and ultramarine water or 

is it a coruscant shimmer that proclaims 

i have become a horseshoe crab living in 

the skeleton of a lemon shark where citrus still lingers so

occasionally free divers feed me invasive species

a lamprey, lionfish, and sea walnut buffet yet 

when my claws touch their gummy black gloves 

they jump as if struck by something electric.

[artechoceneexplorer]

Salmonids of Artechocene Antarctica:

While thawing, the glaciers of Antarctica created an abundance of meltwater streams that now feed countless kilometres of freshwater ecosystems. At first nothing more than insect larvae and some crustaceans called these new environments home, but eventually fish entered the equation and quickly dominated.

One group of these fish were salmonids coming from South American coasts, descendants of invasive species such as the brown trout. They weren't the first, but they were much better at filling a lot of niches than the native Nothotenioids, which lacked hemoglobin and swim bladders.

And so they almost outcompeted these to extinction, and diversified into several genera classified roughly in three distinct groups: Helaks, Helerrets, and Valhallaks.

Most of the Helaks species are amongst the largest predators of the continent, and the Golden Helaks (Gjollsalmo fulgens) is the largest of them all, measuring up to 2 meters (7ft) long and more than 100kg (250lb) in weight. They're apex predators, using their size to block scape routes for prey fish of any size and swallowing them whole, preventing them from scaping thanks to its huge backwards facing teeth. They're also known to eat crustaceans and even birds that venture too deep into the water. They live in every waterway across Antarctica, with the adults being confined to the deeper canals and lakes.

Helerrets are the most common salmonids that can be found in the rivers, lakes and wetlands of the continent. These medium sized predators mainly feed on the abundance of mollusks and other hard shelled invertebrates, as well as smaller vertebrates occasionally. This diet is enabled by their strong jaws, combined with blunt teeth that can crack open the shells of most freshwater invertebrates in their habitats. They're also the only Antarctic salmonids that retain the anadromous habits of its ancestors, living in freshwater but migrating to coastal waters to reproduce and release their young into the rich waters of the Southern Ocean.

The Bullheart Helerret (Slidrsalmo oatensis) in particular is native to the drainage basins that flow into Oates bay, where members of this species comes to spawn.

Valhallaks are a group of salmonids with remarkable sexual dimorphism compared to their close relatives. They are typically found in shallow rivers all across the continent, where they feed on invertebrates and vegetation.

Although not as common as Helerrets, they are abundant, specially in alpine streams and lakes during the end of the summer, where they come to spawn, away from predators so their eggs are protected by ice during the winter.

The Bearded Valhallaks (Valholsalmo auratops) specifically is endemic to the Vostok river drainage basin, which originates in Vostok Lake where they reproduce.

Range of the species featured:

[bestanimal]

Round 2.5 - Platyhelminthes - “Turbellaria”

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Unfortunately, “Turbellaria” is a paraphyletic class and is no longer valid. Many of the orders within this group are more closely related to their parasitic cousins than to each other. While I am doing my best to avoid paraphyly in this tournament, there are many groups formerly within Turbellaria that have not been assigned a higher classification yet, and I do not want to leave them out. So for now, this is an oddball poll that includes the unrelated orders Bothrioplanida, Gnosonesimida, Polycladida, Prolecithophora, Prorhynchida, Proseriata, Rhabdocoela, Tricladida, Macrostomida, Dolichomicrostomida, the family Haplopharyngidae, and the genera Bradynectes and Myozona.

That being said, this is a group that encompasses the “free-living flatworms” that do not live parasitic lifestyles.

Like all platyhelminths, turbellarians have no internal body cavity and lack specialized circulatory and respiratory organs, so gas exchange is by simple diffusion. They are either microscopic or are flat and ribbon- or leaf-shaped, and vulnerable to fluid loss, so are relegated to aquatic or moist environments. Their body is filled with mesenchyme, a connective tissue that can regenerate injured tissues and permits asexual reproduction. The nervous system is concentrated at the head end. Most turbellarians are predators or scavengers, and terrestrial species are mostly nocturnal and live in shaded humid locations such as leaf litter or rotting wood. Carnivorous turbellarians usually have an eversible pharynx that can be extended by being turned inside-out, and the mouths of different species can be anywhere along the underside. However some are symbiotes of other animals such as crustaceans, and some are parasites. Small aquatic species use cilia for locomotion, while larger ones use muscular movements of the whole body or of a specialized sole to creep or swim. Some are capable of burrowing, anchoring their rear ends at the bottom of the burrow, then stretching the head up to feed and then pulling it back down for safety. Some terrestrial species throw a thread of mucus which they use as a rope to climb from one leaf to another.

All turbellarians are simultaneous hermaphrodites, having both female and male reproductive cells, and fertilize eggs internally by copulation. Some of the larger aquatic species mate by “penis fencing”, a duel in which each tries to impregnate the other, and the loser adopts the female role of developing the eggs. Unusually among animals, in most species, the sperm cells have two tails, rather than one. In most species miniature adults emerge when the eggs hatch, but a few large species produce plankton-like larvae. Many turbellarians can also clone themselves by transverse or longitudinal division, and others may reproduce by budding.

Turbellarians, or at least free-living Platyhelminths, emerged in the Middle Triassic.

Propaganda under the cut:

Planarian flatworms can regenerate new heads, tails, or entire bodies thanks to their vast amounts of pluripotent stem cells, cells that can essentially become any cell in the body.

Two planarian species were successfully introduced to the Philippines, Indonesia, Hawaii, New Guinea, and Guam to control populations of the invasive Giant African Snail (Achatina fulica), which was displacing native snails. (However, they ended up also being a threat to the native snails, who woulda thunk)

Some planarians are being used for mosquito control. These species can live in artificial containers that attract mosquitoes, so they are less likely to become invasive themselves.

Land planarians tend to get a bad rap due to several invasive species, but there are over 830 other species of land planarian who are just doing their thing

The freshwater species Microstomum caudatum can open its mouth almost as wide as its body is long, to swallow prey as large as itself.

Marine flatworms can detect approaching threats via light and dark sensitive cells on their pseudotentacles (the little folds on their heads that look like eyestalks.) They basically mimic having eyes and it works

Many marine flatworms mimic poisonous nudibranchs (which are molluscs) and some terrestrial flatworms mimic venomous snakes (which are chordates), both animals which are very very far removed from flatworms

Many tropical flatworms can be just so, so beautiful:

Flat Freak Fursday