#got it from a biologist taking a wing survey

[long-lost-soul]

have been attempting taxidermy for the first time and am going to be checking on a duck wing im trying to preserve tonight.. wish me luck

[fandomwriterstuff]

Percy was one of many humans aboard the USS Olympus. Actually, the USS Olympus was the vessel with the highest percentage of humans by unit, which was why he was assigned to it.

Percy was an anthropologist with a specialty in linguistics and cultural differentiation. He also minored in psychology. He could spot a nervous tic on a human a mile away, and it only took a little bit of conversing to figure out why it was happening, and try to fix it.

He was very good at his job. Though, his job was different from most anthropologists on Terra. Because of his background in psychology, he was allowed to act on his observations, not just jot them down.

That’s why he chose psych. Most anthropologists just observed and took notes and wrote papers. Percy got to interact with others. And, considering he only personally knew one other human here, he was excited to get to to examine all of the others.

However, due to the nature of anthropology, Percy answered to one Nico Di Angelo, the Chief Science Officer, and a Plutonian. He was a strict man, very set in his ways and dedicated to his job. Percy both admired and was frightened by him.

Their first meeting was at the academy, though Percy had only admired the handsome man from afar then. This time though, was their first meeting after the USS Olympus set sail. The Science Meeting.

“Okay, we’re going to go over members, old news, new news, and you’ll vote amongst yourselves for who will join me as a representative at the Officer’s meeting tonight, alright?” Nico looked up from his paperwork and surveyed the round table, getting nods from all directions.

“Members first. We’ll go in a circle to get to know each other. No silly games, just your name, species, and job description.” Nods again. “I’m Nico, I’m Plutonian, and I am your Chief Science Officer.”

Juniper was next, a horticulturist who was growing their food.

Then Katie, a biologist.

A Minervan called Malcolm was next, who was apparently a ‘humanologist.’

Percy raised his hand, much to Nico’s amusement.

“Yes, Jackson,” he waved his hand at Percy.

“What’s humanology?” He asked Malcolm, who squinted his silvery eyes.

“It’s a study we have on many of the planets surrounding Terra. We study humans, their culture and habits and languages,” he was going to go on but Percy put a hand up to stop him and nodded sagely.

“I understand.” “You… do?” Nico asked with uncertainty. It should sound weird to a human that their species was being analyzed at all times, when other species weren’t.

“Of course, we call them anthropologists on Earth.” Percy smiled.

Malcolm paused, and it seemed all eyes were on Percy.

“You have humans… that study humans?” Nico questioned slowly, as if Percy somehow didn’t understand what he was suggesting.

“Of course, there are ten billion of us, all with varying cultures, languages, backgrounds, habits, motivations, likes, dislikes, all that jazz,” Percy shrugged. “If nobody sought to understand it, we would be a very dull and confused people.”

“So… You’re next anyway. Why don’t you introduce yourself?” Nico suggested.

“Okay! I’m Percy Jackson, I’m a human anthropologist,” he was met with raised eyebrows and impressed nods around. That was alright, he hadn’t expected applause. They continued around, but when Percy got up to leave with everyone else, Nico called him over.

“Percy, I’m wondering why we have an anthropologist on board,” he really cut to the chase there.

“Well,” Percy sat down across from the winged man. “This vessel has the most amount of humans by percentage than any other in the fleet, and humans in space have never been analyzed by an anthropologist, even before we started accepting other species onto our planet. Think about the moon landing, the Apollo missions, the Space Race. They never considered the cultural implications of sending someone into space for an extended period of time. Individually it could include psychological defects, but culturally it could include hero-worship, group opinions that could affect census polls, etcetera,” Percy shrugged. “So, they decided to send me to observe. But, I also have some psychology experience, so I’m also an acting counselor here for humans. I’m allowed to interfere when things go wrong.”

“For example?” Nico prodded.

“I can’t give you too much detail to preserve confidentiality, but what I can say is that when someone gets homesick, for example, it’s my job to realize that, and try to make them feel more at home. Finding a picture of their family members, buying them a plant to put in their bunk, playing soccer in the common area. It could be anything really.”

“Fascinating,” Nico sighed. “Well, I am happy to have you on board to take care of our human team members. Even though humans studying humans sounds so weird.”

Percy couldn’t help but laugh at that.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #378

“come as you are, as you were, as i want you to be”

Have you ever dreamt in another language? No. How long will you try out something you don’t enjoy before giving up on it? It really depends, but in most cases, admittedly very quickly. What’s something you recently realized or discovered about yourself? *shrug* What’s the most interesting news you read or received recently? What about the most depressing? Not in a good way really, but it was certainly interesting to learn I have such severe sleep apnea. Like, I was certain I didn't. The most depressing would be uhhhh... I guess Jason's mother's death, but I don't know how "recent" you'd consider that by now. Would you let politics get in the way of a relationship? It depends. Some beliefs I absolutely would not tolerate (like anti-LGBT), others I would just agree to disagree with. What is one way in which you need to learn to control yourself? I need to get better at controlling my mouth when I'm extremely upset. Do you use a photo editor? I use Lightroom and Photoshop for photography. Is your dad overweight? No, I think he's actually underweight. Ever been honked at? Yes. What’s the name of the most recent baby a friend has had? Easton, I think? An old middle school friend had him. Have you ever taken medication to help you fall asleep faster? Yes, but they never work for me. How did your parents pick your name? I dunno. If you had to move to another country, where would you move? Canada. Do you have a balcony? No. Who is a singer that has given you chills? Man, I get chills easily with music. David Draiman from Disturbed, his cover of "Sound of Silence" is BREATHTAKING. That's number one. There are many others, they're just not coming to me at the moment. Do you have a drone? No. What was the spiciest thing you’ve ever eaten? Some wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. I got some crazy hot sauce. Have you ever discovered something gross in your food at McDonalds? No. What was the last thing you used sliced bread to make? A sandwich. How long did your shortest relationship last? Like a day lmao. Would you rather have a trampoline or swimming pool? A POOL!!!! I've talked before about how I want one so, SO very badly to exercise my legs without having to worry about sweat, and I can take a break the very moment I need to. Do you own a Snuggie? Yeah, somewhere. Do you listen to any unsigned bands/singers? Who? Yeah, quite a few on YouTube, but my favorite in Jonathan Young. He is SO damn talented. Who is your favorite video game character? Pyramid Head from the Silent Hill franchise. What kind of pictures do you post on Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat most frequently? Mostly of my pets lmao. Have you ever been on vacation with a significant other? No. Have you ever considered “unplugging”/taking a significant period of time away from technology? No. I know I'd never stick to it. Do you prefer to watch a documentary that is about a situation/event or a documentary that is more of a personal character study/biography? The latter. Meerkat Manor comes to mind with that, and everyone knows how much I adore that show. There was also one about rhesus macaques I fell in love with. Basically, I love animal docs, haha. Can you think of a recent time in which you might have been better off resisting, but you did something because you “just couldn’t help yourself”? Probably eating something. When you are getting to know someone, do you tend to worry that the other person will lose interest in you once they get to know the “real” you? Yyyyep. What is something that you would like to do, but really aren’t able to because of your location? (e.g., see art or get a certain job) Man, a lot of things. Photograph meerkats is a biggie. What sort of job do you think is best suited for your skills? Is this an in-demand position or something you’re unlikely to actually get? If I could actually handle the heat and was in good shape to traverse the outdoors, I think I'd be a great wildlife biologist. Even more though, if I could beat my social anxiety, I would ADORE being an animal educator with kids. Do you believe it is the responsibility of businesses, or prominent business leaders (think Bill Gates) to take the lead on social issues whether by using their influence or their money? Saying it's their "responsibility" sounds unfair and puts a lot of weight on their shoulders, but I do feel they should by their own volition and kindness use their position for good, such as through monetary assistance and other things. Have you ever gone to a job interview and realized that you didn’t want the job? Yep. Have you ever asked that someone sacrifice something (a habit, relationship, job, etc.) for you? A habit, yes. Looking back it was stupid as shit. What would you call your body type? Ew. Has anyone ever hacked your accounts before? Yes. Do you enjoy big holiday dinners? Considering I spend them with my sister's bigoted, homophobic, and racist in-laws, not especially. I always feel very uncomfortable and disliked among everyone for being the "black sheep" among 'em. Is your vision good? God no. Even with my glasses, it's very poor. I need a new prescription badly. Do both of your parents have jobs? Mom has something of the sort, like she cleans a local church for a small pay, but it's not really a "job." She's still recovering from cancer, getting her strength back up and such before she can handle a consistent job. Dad's had a job for as long as I've lived. What is something you’ve always wanted a boy to do for you? How heteronormative. But whatever. It's so fucking cheesy, but singing a cute song to me while slowdancing sounds so super adorable to me. What food are you craving right now? I am craving something sweet like you wouldn't believe. It's annoying. Have you ever been in a car accident? Yes. Do you have a lot of scars? Yes, but most are very negligible. I just scar extremely easily. Last person you saw other than your family? My primary doctor. Last movie you’ve seen in theaters? The The Lion King remake. Who was the last person you played a video game with? Ummm I think Girt. Last game you played at an arcade? Zero clue. What was your favorite nursery rhyme as a child? I THINK I particularly liked "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider?" None stand out strongly, though. What is your favorite cousin’s first name? I don’t have a favorite cousin. Would you prefer to travel around the world by yourself or with a friend? I think with a friend to prevent loneliness, but at the very same time, I see a great beauty in traveling on your own. Just taking new things in, seeing so many different cultures, beautiful scenery... I feel it'd be a great chance for exploration of insight. Remind yourself how small you are, that there's a much, much bigger picture than your own problems, that people are so unique but hopefully share common morals... I see a lot of poetry in it. Do you like the smell of coffee? It's one of my favorite smells. If you have a favorite photographer, can you describe their work? I can't possibly pick. I watch literally hundreds on deviantART, and many of them absolutely blow my mind. What’s one aspect of your life that did not turn out as you expected? My lack of a career. Outside of school, have you ever used a thesaurus? Well, online ones for writing. When you see a good-looking girl in skimpy clothing, what is your initial thought? I envy her confidence, like gotdamn girl. Have you ever been in a lighthouse? No. Are you on a laptop or desktop? A laptop. What color is your shower? White. Where do you order your pizza from? Domino's or Little Caesar's. What was the name of the last dog you pet? We've been calling the dog we're holding right now Zoe. Have you ever had anything stolen from you? Yes. Have you ever seen the White House? I don't think so, but it's possible I have when we've driven up to New York, but from a distance. How about Niagara Falls? No. What do you like in your salads and what dressing do you prefer? I just like regular iceberg lettuce with some bacon bits and ranch. Man, that sounds good right about now. Any posters of a band on your bedroom wall? Yeah, Metallica and Marilyn Manson. Do you think it’d be cool to have your body mummified after you die? No. I couldn't rock the mummy look even if I tried, haha. Can you tell the difference between a Scottish & an Irish accent? Not really, no. Can you read music? I used to be able to. Do you work the night shift? I don’t have a job, but if I did, I absolutely do not want to work the night shift anywhere. Have you ever slept over at your best friend’s house? Yes. Is your mother diabetic? Are you? She is, but I'm not. Would you like to learn how to make ceramic pottery? It'd be cool, sure. Ever sang someone to sleep? No. Who did you last kiss? My cat. Why did you last lie? I don't recall. Probably to just avoid confrontation with Mom. What do you put on your hamburgers? Cheese, ketchup, and mustard, generally. Who do you think cares the most about you? My mom. Have you ever sent a dirty picture? No. What’s at the center of your dining table? Honestly, we sit in there so rarely that I don't even know. I think we might have nothing, actually. Have you ever started a rumor? No. Do you like being outside? If it's cool, yes. What’s your favourite condiment? Maybe ketchup. Or honey mustard. Who sang/played the last song you listened to? Chris Motionless is the singer of Motionless In White. I don't know if that's his real last name, though. Do you like yoga? I used to. Now all the bending and shit would make me dizzy as hell with my "how are you still alive" level of low blood pressure. Do you always carry breath mints? No, but I do carry Tictacs with me, but they're for my dry mouth. It forces you to salivate, so it helps. What do you think your reaction would be upon entering the White House? I don't really know. I honestly don't even know how it looks inside. Thinking about it, I'd probably be more scared than anything, waiting for a bomb to drop or some shit lmao. Have you ever grown your own sea monkeys or dinosaurs? OH MY GOD I LOVED those!!! I definitely did! Have you ever thrown a game controller (or the game) and broke it? No, I've never been the type to do that. If I'm SERIOUSLY getting mad, all I do is tighten my grip. Did you ever own an Etch-a-Sketch? Yes. Do/did you ever have glow-in-the-dark stars on your ceiling? I believe so. What movie were you really worked up for that ended up disappointing you? My answer is Warcraft, but only because the fucking orcs' voices were so baritone that I couldn't understand them almost ever lmaooo. Like I had a mild idea of what was going on because of the game, but still. What part of a paper is hardest for you to write? The intro, or the conclusion. Both are difficult to me. Like I want to compose a gripping beginning as well as an end that doesn't just repeat everything I've already said and ends on a strong note. Does it bother you that almost everything is done on computers now? No. KFC Chicken: original or extra crispy? I don't like fried chicken. Think about your first kiss. Did you have any idea what you were doing? I mean, I guess? Like I'd seen kisses enough to know how to give someone a peck. It just came naturally. Did you get Happy Meals just for the toys as a kid? Not just for the toy, but it's the main thing I wanted, sure. Have you ever seen your parents cry? If so, how did it make you feel? Seeing my mom cry absolutely destroys me. I don't want her to hurt EVER. Especially if it's seriously unfair bullshit that has her upset, I also get very angry (not at her, of course) and protective. I've seen Dad tear up once, back when he was telling us about his mother's funeral, and I felt immense surprise more than anything. He does NOT cry. How do you feel about animal testing? It's fucking disgusting and barbaric. Find a different goddamn way. Do you add condiments to your ice cream, or just eat it plain? If I'm having vanilla, I'll usually add chocolate syrup. Have you ever witnessed a crime? Yes. What’s the coolest personalized license plate you’ve ever seen? I'm forever gonna get a kick out of this one that just said "omw," haha.

[usfwspacific]

Wings, Wings and More Wings

By Melinda Alexa Martinez - Alexa is a Wildlife Biologist at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge outside of Burns, Oregon. She shares with readers her impressions and take-aways from a first time experience at the Wing Collection Survey known as the Wingbee.

Photo: Alexa at the Wingbee

Honestly, I had no clue what I was getting myself into when I signed up to attend Wingbee. You hear all these amazing things about it, but hearing stories does not do this event justice. Being there in person was just incredible! But before I get too carried away, maybe I should explain what the Wingbee is and why it is important.

The Wingbee to me, is a riot of a good time and an incredible learning experience as a rookie. At the core of it though, Wingbee is a data collection survey. Made possible by waterfowl hunters who voluntarily send in wings and parts of birds from that year’s hunting season, Wingbee participants examine and catalogue all those feathers sent in to gather data points such as species, age and sex to answer a very important question: do the real-world results from waterfowl hunters fit with the population models and regulations set forth by the Service at the beginning of hunting season? The results from data collected help close the loop on the year’s hunting season and are vital components in developing next year’s population models. Ok, back to the story…

It all started on a beautiful sunny day at Coleman National Fish Hatchery. I’m not going to lie I was extremely nervous walking in. You would have never guessed it because I am such a loud person when you meet me, but yes - I can get shy!

When I got there, I totally went up to someone I had seen in a webinar once. She probably thought I was a crazy fan girl from the regional office or something. But, it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

As I was walking through the fish hatchery where the Wingbee was located, I saw a large group of people. Some faces were new to me while others were familiar. As people began to gather round, we had an introduction of the logistics of what would be happening throughout the week. Shortly after, we separated into groups and got down to business.

What does “getting down to business” mean, you ask? What are you supposed to do during a Wingbee?

MALLARDS! Yup, of course this would be the first one up. I like to think I have handled plenty of mallards during duck banding with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), at both Summer Lake and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, but I never really realized the finer details the mallard may hold. I was super nervous to get the sex and age wrong, so I would check with my ODFW buddies before sending each identification off to the head honcho - the checker, “Dun, dun, duuuuNNN!! I did this with almost every species. Every time the checker would agree with my ID, sex and age, I would do a victory dance in my head, but every now and then, a dance would just pop out. It was like receiving a blessing from the waterfowl gurus! It also didn’t help that I had a checker who has been doing this for the past 54 years! Yeah, no pressure right?!

Most of the week was like this. We saw a whole variety of birds: Pintails, American Wigeon, shovelers, American green winged teal, and so on. Day to day we had maybe two or three species until we hit the very last day where most tables were each processing a different species.

My favorite moment was actually looking at the canvasbacks and red heads side by side. I got pretty good at ID-ing the two and distinguishing their differences. I felt so proud! By the end of that week I just felt this load of confidence, it was amazing.

I must have been super focused on my species identification, age and sex perfected that I swear I had dreams about tertial feathers EVERY NIGHT! Even when I got back home, that whole weekend I still had dreams about feathers!

One day someone at my table had a brilliant idea of collecting certain feathers from each species and taping them to his ID book. Smart right?! But, for some odd reason he was so picky on the American green wing teal sex feather, it just drove me nuts. I plucked so many sex feathers and none of them was good enough, so I gave up.

That night, I think either I had too much sun or too many feathers or both, but I had a dream about someone getting married at the wing-bee. Honestly, I cannot remember whom, but I do remember their flower bouquet was not made out of flowers. Oh no, it was made out of feathers! Vermiculated, primaries, tertial feathers you name it.

You know, that was the beauty about the wingbee, it was just an amazing time for everyone. To get together with really good company, learn new things you would have never known, and eat the best duck you will ever have in your life. The best part was everyone was welcome to attend. No waterfowl or biological skills required. It was opened to everyone that was willing to learn and help.

Being able to spend time with some really amazing and passionate people reminded me of why I got into this field in the first place. It was a very beautiful reminder.

I would like to thank Migratory Birds and my supervisor for letting me partake in this incredible experience. I hope I have the opportunity available to me again in the future!

[glaciernps]

Bewitched by Bats from an Early Age

By Renata Harrison

Tonight I witnessed something truly unique. We’ve trapped and taken measurements of over 25 little brown bats. I’ve seen the intricacies of their wings, their fuzzy bodies, their tiny teeth. We even caught a flying squirrel. As amazing as all of that was, though, the real marvel of the night was a special relationship that formed.

Twenty-five people stand in a circle listening to wildlife biologist Lisa Bate explain the evening’s events. We’re all here for the Going Batty field trip, having come from near and far to discover the world of bats. One of the participants, six-year-old Izzy Herreid-Terrill, has driven six hours from Bozeman, Montana to come to Glacier for this field trip. As Lisa tells us the plan for the night, no one is paying better attention than Izzy. Clutching two plush, stuffed bats to her chest, she hangs on to Lisa’s every word.

Izzy’s obsession with bats began during a visit to Lewis and Clark Caverns in southern Montana, where she was upset to learn how they were affected by white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in North America. On the first day of kindergarten, when teachers asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up, she said she wanted to save bats from the disease. Izzy feels that bats are misunderstood. “They’re not as scary or ugly as adults think,” she explains.

Lisa Bate gets it. Surrounded by bat enthusiasts, she tells us how her own fascination began. As a young girl not much older than Izzy, she’d sit out in the backyard, watching as bats appeared out of the darkness to hunt for insects. She developed her very own bat-signal—a rock in a sock. Flinging the bright, white sock into the air, she watched as dark forms swooped to investigate it.

Lisa has been studying flying animals for over 25 years as a wildlife biologist. She earned her master’s in wildlife biology, focusing on birds. When she arrived in Glacier, she admits, “I didn’t know anything about bats, other than that I liked them and I was fascinated by them.” She was surprised to learn that there had never been a formal survey of bats in the park. With the threat of white-nose syndrome looming, Lisa decided to take action. She recruited the help of world-renowned bat biologist Cori Lausen. With funding from the Glacier National Park Conservancy, Cori led Lisa and her team on a crash course in bat surveying. Two years later, Cori left the project in Lisa’s capable hands, and it continues to this day. Tonight, Lisa and her colleagues have invited the public to take a peek into the mysterious world of bats.

After an introduction to bat biology and survey techniques, we head off to check out the mist nets used for trapping. Lisa leads the pack, striding ahead at her field-biologist pace. Most of us amble behind, chatting, but someone is running to catch up with Lisa. Izzy’s full of questions, and Lisa bends down as they walk to make sure she hears them. I watch as these two bat buffs confer like longtime colleagues, stepping in stride. Although things have changed, Lisa has typically been in the minority as a female in her field. She’s clearly delighted to talk to this gung-ho little girl.

Lisa and her team’s task tonight is to collect, identify, and take measurements of as many bats as they can catch. The goal of these surveys is to get a better idea of which species of bats live in the park and where they hibernate.

Obtaining this baseline data is essential, especially now with the threat of white-nose syndrome. The disease has killed millions of hibernating bats. Some species have been reduced by as much as 90%. One of these species is the little brown bat, the most abundant bat in Glacier. Little brown bats are extremely susceptible to white-nose syndrome. The fungus invades their tissues as they hibernate, disrupting water and mineral balances, and often killing them. Since its discovery in a cave in New York in 2006, white-nose syndrome has spread to 33 states and 7 Canadian provinces. “It’s a matter of when—not if—it arrives in Montana,” says Lisa.

Sitting in the waning evening light, we eagerly wait for the trapping to begin, but Lisa informs us that we won’t start until the birds stop singing. That’s the bats’ cue to come out and start hunting, and our cue to raise the nets. All nine of Glacier’s bat species are insectivorous and can eat thousands of insects a night. Izzy points out that the first time she saw bats they were eating mosquitoes, which immediately earned them her support.

Through a combination of echolocation, highly adapted wing structure, and super-fine sensory motor control, bats pinpoint prey in the dark. Surprisingly, they can also see the fine mesh of mist nets used for trapping. If the nets are at the wrong angle to the wind, if there’s too much moonlight, or if raindrops are stuck to the net, bats will notice and fly around them.

After about an hour of waiting, there’s a flurry of excitement. At the mist net set up over the creek, Lisa’s colleagues have started catching bats. Radioing back and forth to each other, the biologists give instructions. “We’ve already got thirteen down here!” “Let’s get this going,” Lisa says. “I gotta start processing these!”

Lisa rushes to her truck, a batmobile in every practical sense. As we gather around, eager to see our first bat, Lisa asks for an assistant. Izzy is perched in the truck bed, ready to hand Lisa the tools she needs. Another young helper records data. It’s important to process the bats as quickly as possible so they can be set safely free again.

Although she’s working quickly, Lisa doesn’t leave Izzy, or the rest of us, in the dark. She talks through the process of identifying the bats, holding each one gently in gloved hands. With each step, Lisa makes sure Izzy can see and understand what she’s doing.  As I watch her look at the bats’ teeth, measure their wings, and determine their sex, I realize that I’ve never really given bats a chance. I admit, I’m one of those adults who found them, well, a little scary and ugly. Seeing them up close and learning about their incredible adaptations starts the wheels turning, but it’s Lisa and Izzy’s enthusiasm that seals the deal.

Watching them bond over bats, I think back to when I was Izzy’s age. Although I loved the outdoors, I was a lot more fearful than she is. My family spent summers in a cabin on a lake in northern Ontario, where spiders and night noises sent me into waves of panic. Coming back from the outhouse in the dark, I’d dart to the cabin and close the door breathlessly behind me against the night. I didn’t know what was out there, so my mind conjured monsters. I overcame my fear of spiders by learning about the adaptations behind their creepy appearance. It continues to surprise me how education can erase fear. Before tonight, I never wanted to get this close to a bat. The closer I look, though, the more enamored I become of these amazing creatures of the night.

It's now past midnight. My urge to go home and crawl into bed is winning over any desire I have to study more bats. I’ve been squinting through my camera so long, I’ve lost track of who’s around me. I walk to my car in the dark alone, not tempted to run breathlessly like I used to. As I drift off to sleep in my warm, comfy bed, I remember that Izzy was still there when I left a while ago. Could she still be out there now, perched in Lisa’s truck bed, persevering through every last bat?

The next day, I find myself talking about bats to anyone who will listen. Luckily, I catch Lisa at the office and thank her for a wonderful evening. Somehow buzzing with energy after such a late night, she’s clearly charged up by something. “Wasn’t that little girl great!!” she blurts out. Beaming, Lisa tells me proudly that Izzy stayed until 2:00 a.m. helping her process all the bats. As she rushes to her next adventure, she trails off, “I have just about a million more things I could tell you about Izzy…”

                                                                                   ****

Later, I’m sitting in my office, poring through photos from the field trip. My attempts at photographing the bats squirming in Lisa’s hand under the dull glow of a headlamp are as fuzzy as the bats themselves. I sigh and rub my eyes, feeling a bit morose at not having done these unique creatures justice. It’s difficult to capture how delicate they are, how ephemeral. I wonder if I’ll ever have the chance to see them like that again.

An email pops up in my inbox, interrupting my thoughts. It’s from Izzy’s mom. She writes that Izzy came home from the field trip and said it was the best day of her life! She could recite almost word-for-word everything she learned from Lisa that night. She, too, couldn’t stop talking about bats the day after the field trip. When asked if she wanted to share anything about the event, Izzy said, “Only that more people should learn about the things in nature all around them, and then they wouldn't be scared.”

[Image descriptions, top to bottom: Photo 1: Closeup of a little brown bat on a researcher’s glove. Photo 2: A little girl and a woman scientist step in sync down a gravel path in the woods. Photo 3: Closeup of a little brown bat with white fungus covering its face. Photo 4: A little girl and a scientist talk to each other across the back of a pickup truck. Photo 5: Illuminated by headlamp, a woman scientist shows the little girl a bat. Photo 6: Closeup of a little girl gazing admiringly at a bat held by a researcher.]

[orbemnews]

New Bat Species With Orangutan Hue Found in West Africa In 2018, scientists set out on an expedition to survey the habitat of an endangered bat species within the West African nation of Guinea. One night time, a lure turned up one thing uncommon: a brand new species of bat with a fiery orange physique strikingly juxtaposed with black wings. “It was sort of a life objective in a means, one which I by no means thought would occur,” mentioned Jon Flanders, director of endangered species interventions at Bat Conservation Worldwide, a nonprofit group primarily based in Austin, Tex. “Each species is essential, however you get drawn to the interesting-looking ones, and this one actually is spectacular.” There are greater than 1,400 species of bats, and yearly greater than 20 be part of the checklist. Principally, although, these are lab-based discoveries that contain genetically parsing out cryptic species, or ones that look precisely (or virtually precisely) like one another and have been previously considered the identical. Simply taking place upon a brand new bat species in nature is one thing solely completely different. “This kind of state of affairs the place skilled researchers went out within the discipline and caught an animal and held it of their hand and went, ‘That is one thing we are able to’t establish,’ that’s far more uncommon,” mentioned Nancy Simmons, curator of mammals on the American Museum of Pure Historical past in New York and chairwoman of the worldwide bat taxonomy group on the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature. The brand new orangutan-hued bat, Myotis nimbaensis, lives in Guinea’s Nimba mountains, a verdant sequence of mile-high peaks wealthy in biodiversity “simply plonked in the course of this in any other case flat panorama,” Dr. Flanders mentioned. He and his colleagues got down to survey long-abandoned mining tunnels which have develop into a favourite dwelling to the area’s endangered bats. Once they discovered a fuzzy, pumpkin-orange animal blended in with the standard brown ones of their lure, they thought it should simply be an oddly coloured particular person. “After I noticed it for the primary time, I believed it was a standard species,” mentioned Eric Bakwo Fils, a conservation biologist and bat skilled on the College of Maroua in Cameroon. Wanting via their identification guides, nonetheless, Dr. Bakwo Fils and Dr. Flanders couldn’t affirm a match with some other African species. When the crew obtained again to camp, unbeknown to one another, Dr. Flanders and Dr. Bakwo Fils each spent a lot of the night time looking textual content books and on-line assets to attempt to clear up the thriller. They have been each unsuccessful. “The next morning, I met up with Eric and virtually on the identical time, we mentioned, ‘This can be a new species,’” Dr. Flanders mentioned. They reached out to Dr. Simmons, who agreed inside quarter-hour of seeing the pictures that it regarded like that they had discovered one thing new. The crew managed to re-catch the unique animal, a male, and likewise captured a feminine. Dr. Simmons combed via the intensive bat collections on the American Museum of Pure Historical past to match the 2 specimens with identified species, and she or he traveled to the Smithsonian Nationwide Museum in Washington, D.C., and the British Museum in London to do the identical. The researchers additionally performed a genetic evaluation, which revealed that M. nimbaensis is not less than 5 p.c completely different from its closest associated family. They described their findings Wednesday within the journal American Museum Novitates. Now that the brand new species affirmation is official, the following step is to study M. nimbaensis’ ecology. “The extra we learn about it, the extra we’ll know tips on how to shield it as effectively,” Dr. Flanders mentioned. The researchers plan to make use of M. nimbaensis’ echolocation calls that they recorded within the discipline to assist establish the species in acoustic monitoring that they’re already finishing up within the space. From there, they’ll slender down the bat’s habitat preferences, which hopefully will result in protections. “So far as we all know, it’s restricted to the highest of this mountain vary in Guinea,” Dr. Simmons mentioned. “It’s most likely endangered simply by advantage of dwelling on this small a part of the planet.” Bats play important ecological roles in West Africa, dispersing seeds, pollinating crops and holding insect species in verify. But they’re persecuted all through the area due to superstitions, and these concepts have been compounded by the animals’ affiliation with Ebola and different ailments, Dr. Bakwo Fils mentioned. Like many different species, they’re additionally threatened by habitat loss. Dr. Bakwo Fils hopes that the joy generated by the brand new species can begin to encourage protections for the area’s bats. “This discovery is essential when it comes to West Africa’s bat biodiversity, as a result of even when bats are an important part of our ecosystems, they hardly ever obtain consideration,” he mentioned. Supply hyperlink #Africa #bat #discovered #Hue #orangutan #species #west

[harpsicalbiobug]

The mountain plover trip where we saw no mountain plovers

I realize I never wrote up my adventures down to far far southeastern Colorado. It was a short trip, but I feel remiss, as it was exactly what you expect when three distractible biologists decide to go look for mountain plovers in the middle of nowhere. Who knew you could have such a great time looking at fallow fields. For context, on the biologist hierarchy I’m a labrat, not a field mouse. I’m more comfortable pipetting and using a dissecting scope than I am taking field samples or playing with large ecology datasets in R. I’m also not an ornithologist, or even a vertebrate biologist- I do insects, and I’m not even a proper entomologist. But I am enthusiastic, and I like camping. So I piled into AP’s truck (she’s the mountain plover ecologist) with AC (she’s a proper ornithologist who studies grassland birds) and we headed off on a Saturday night to drive into the plains. Two Buttes is not the sort of place people think of when they envision Colorado. In fact, Two Buttes is about five hours away from anything that out of state-ers think of when they think Colorado. It’s not ski resort slopes or Denver skyline or Boulder hippies. It’s on the high plains, it’s semi arid, and the landscape is marked by the circle irrigators (four of which fit neatly into the sections of a survey township of the type that parceled out much of the USA.) It’s in Baca county, which borders both Kansas and Oklahoma, and it feels like it. It is most distinguished by the eponymous Two Buttes, which rises from a determined flatness all around. We decided, on waking up the next morning and getting a good look at it, that it was not two buttes, but actually one hill with a butt shape at the top.

On the drive out, we’d transitioned from afternoon Denver eastern suburbs and strip malls to sparsely populated high plains nighttime. People think you need to head to the mountains to see the stars, but you can see the whole of the milky way sticking your face against a car window at 9pm while driving along 287. You can also finding a liquor store with a neon sign and a German shopkeeper where you can buy your grad student required mixed pack of craft beer.

Two Buttes State Wildlife Area is difficult to find at night. The signs are small, and technically the place is not one, but multiple properties. Blessedly, my 4G services held on through the entire trip, which was why I was able to pull up the map, and AC was able to pull up the local facebook page and alternate between sharing cool posts that residents had made and trying to convince us that the particularly douche-y dudes posting on the page were definitely going to be camping next to us tonight.

AP turned us onto the dirt road leading to the reservoir and we bounced along a washboard road lined with yucca, grasses, and rabbitbrush. 4G again came to rescue, and confirmed that yes, the rodents dashing across the road were Ord's kangaroo rats. We realized we were at the reservoir when we almost drove into it.

When camp had been set up, we all wandered off into the dark, headlamps lighting the way. Something I love about curious people, and maybe biologists in particular, is this willingness to poke around in a place that seems boring, seems like nothing but sandy soil and scrubby plants. There wasn’t even any discussion. We all just started to explore, beer bottles in hand, at 11pm. AC kept finding iron oxide concretions, dropping them into our hands, and saying they were rabbit shit (they looked it). AP and I found large spiders, large beetles, and actual rabbit shit. We spotted a solpugid right by my tent, and eventually AP found a scorpion (forcing me to consider my customary it’s-cold-I don’t-give-a-damn socks/sandals arrangement).

The rest of the night we watched the milky way, drank through the beer, and shot shit about science, our department, and environmentalism. There wasn’t any particular meteor shower going on, but if you can see the milky way so clearly that it brings up those weird, primal, nostalgic, deep-seeing, stereotypical looking-at-the-stars feelings, they you’re going to see a shooting star or six. At dawn we rose to see the inky, scary reservoir transformed into something small and calm. An osprey made its rounds, and the inflatable boat that had been filling by generator all night now sat in the water.

We set off to look for the dirt birds. AP loves her study animal, but she’s not sentimental about them. They’re adaptable, they fill a niche, they have interesting migration habits, but they’re not majestic. Mountain plovers look like killdeer, but dorkier. They love bare dirt or very short grass, open areas, and insect prey. This means driving alongside fallow fields, stopping, and scanning the field for dirt colored birds among the dirt.

I was supposed to bring my binoculars, but forgot them, and realized that compared to the scope and the professional binoculars, my cheap pair would’ve been useless anyway. Instead I got to play with the rangefinder- a one eyed thing that is mostly for judging distances, but at least let me help scan the fields. In the end my unassisted eyes were better. I spotted a bunch of small, stick legged piper looking birds early in the day. I was thrilled to have spotted the… oh no, but they were actually killdeer. It wasn’t that it was a bad idea to look for mountain plover then and there. AP had data from geotagged birds and eBird sightings. She knew that we were literally looking at fields where plovers had spent weeks foraging on the year before, during their slow migration from Colorado down to Mexico and elsewhere. It all should have been perfect. But we never saw a single plover. Six hours later we stopped, and even then paused at a few promising fields after we’d “given up.”

I felt bad for AP, but I also managed to see a bunch of birds for the first time in my life: a greater roadrunner, a loggerhead shrike, a family of burrowing owls, hundreds of yellow headed blackbirds, and a great-tailed grackle. There were also about a dozen of turkey vultures, kestrels, red tailed hawks, northern harriers, and meadowlarks, and literally hundreds of horned larks. We also managed to find a burrowing owl wing in a ditch, a bunch of colorful grasshoppers, and a perfectly maintained gas grill sitting in someone’s corn field.

We were (mostly) ignored by humans. Men in pickups only stopped twice to check if we had car troubles, and it turns out “we’re looking for birds,” is both unexpected and boring enough to send people off quickly. Weird city folk doing weird things.

Although we were defeated by the mountain plover’s absence, I enjoyed seeing a part of Colorado that is little thought of or visited. That ecosystem is really fascinating.

[sciencespies]

A deadly fungus is killing millions of bats in the U.S. Now it's in California

https://sciencespies.com/biology/a-deadly-fungus-is-killing-millions-of-bats-in-the-u-s-now-its-in-california/

A deadly fungus is killing millions of bats in the U.S. Now it's in California

A mysterious fungus that has killed millions of bats in the eastern United States and left caves littered with their tiny carcasses has arrived in Northern California and appears poised to spread throughout the state, according to officials.

Government biologists confirmed Friday that a number of bats found near Lassen Volcanic National Park had tested positive for the germ that causes white-nose syndrome—a relatively new disease that leaves a trademark smudge of white on the infected animal’s muzzle.

The illness, which is caused by a cold-loving fungus, appeared suddenly in the Northeast just over a decade ago and has moved steadily west. The fungus has devastated North American bat species in some regions and pushed the natural pest controllers toward extinction.

According to California biologists, the fungus was detected in four bats found roosting within houses and a bank building in the town of Chester, about 15 miles southeast of the park. The first case was detected a year ago, and the others much more recently, officials said.

“We all thought we were going to have more time before it got this far west,” said Winifred Frick, a UC Santa Cruz biologist and chief scientist with Bat Conservation International. “We should all be very concerned about this heartbreaking discovery.”

Since it was first discovered in New York 12 years ago, the fungus has swept across 38 states, and killed legions of bats. A majority of the dead were little brown bats��one of the most common mammals in North America—but scientists say that most of the 45 species of bats in the U.S. and Canada may be susceptible to the disease. (The fungus is not known to cause illness in humans, according to officials.)

The discovery in Northern California was a setback for state and federal efforts to slow the spread of the fungus. Those initiatives have included restricting human access to caves where tens of thousands of bats spend their winters in hibernation, as well as continuing attempts to develop a vaccine.

“There is no silver bullet when it comes to a cure,” Frick said.

Unlike other areas of the country, where bats gather in large numbers, California bats tend to congregate in much smaller groups beneath freeway overpasses, on rocky hillsides, in attics and within the fronds of swaying palm trees.

Although it is possible that warmer West Coast temperatures and smaller groupings of bats could slow the pathogen’s transmission, there is no reason to believe it won’t eventually make its way to Southern California, said Jeremy Coleman, national white-nose syndrome coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“We know the losses of bats in the West will be less conspicuous than in the Northeast, where thousands of dead bats are spilling out of cold, dark caves and across the countryside,” Coleman said. “Beyond that, however, there are a lot of critical unknowns. For instance, we don’t know exactly where bats in California hang out, or how the disease will ultimately manifest in the state’s warmer climate.”

Scott Osborn, statewide coordinator of small mammal conservation for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said his agency was filing formal requests for additional funding, staffing and monitoring programs to deal with the pathogen.

“We’re hoping that its impacts in California won’t be as lightning fast and drastic as they have been in other parts of the nation,” Osborn said.

The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, Pseudogymnoascus destrucans, or Pd for short, is named partly for the destruction it has wrought on the nation’s bat population. The fungus digests the skin and wings of hibernating bats, and is believed to have originated in Europe, where bats there evolved a resistance to it.

Once the fungus made its way to North America however, bats had little time to develop an immunity before they were killed in large numbers.

The disease was first documented in a cave near Albany, N.Y., and then began to spread westward along migratory flyways. Initially, the fungus was identified as Geomyces destructans, but was later determined to belong to another genus.

“We knew this was inevitable, but we are dismayed by the speed,” Coleman said of Pd’s spread. “I wish it was science fiction and not reality.”

Scientists are scrambling to find a solution to the epidemic, because bats fill a vital ecological role that also benefits humans.

At night, they feast on mosquitoes—some of which transmit West Nile virus—and they also devour agricultural pests that damage cotton and corn crops. Recent studies estimate that the value of pest control provided by bats each year is at least $3.7 billion nationwide. They also pollinate the agave plant, which is used to make tequila, as well as the saguaro, the state cactus of Arizona.

During that portion of the year when there are no insects to eat, bats must hibernate to survive—and this has allowed the deadly fungus to flourish. During hibernation, a bat’s body temperature drops to the ideal range for fungi to grow, while the bat’s immune system becomes suppressed. Infected bats will wake far more often than they should during hibernation and deplete their life-sustaining fat supply.

Because of the size of bat colonies and the many ways in which they interact—reproduction, hibernation, swarming, mother and pup activities—it would take only one infected bat to start a local epidemic.

The fungus can persist in cave environments for decades even in the absence of bats. It is usually transmitted through direct contact, but spores can cling to clothing, footwear and caving gear and in this manner, humans can unwittingly transport the spores to new locations.

Scientists have considered using fungicides to fight the disease, but studies have shown they could kill other microbes in caves, perhaps setting off a chain of unintended consequences. Another option—placing heaters in caves—would disrupt bat hibernation, those studies found.

Another plan that was ultimately dismissed as being too impractical was using decommissioned military bunkers as artificial hibernation chambers for wintering bat populations. Temperature-controlled bunkers—which could be decontaminated in the summer—would have enabled biologists to monitor behavior and administer possible treatments for the disease.

A more recent idea that holds promise would be to spray a jelly-like vaccine onto the skin of hibernating bats. The naturally fastidious groomers would consume the medicine as they licked each other’s faces and ears. Officials said it will take several years, however, to develop a viable vaccine.

Ironically, white-nose syndrome‘s arrival in California comes at a time when local naturalists are taking increasing notice of the chocolate-brown, mouse-sized insectivores.

Armed with electronic bat detection devices, Miguel Ordenana, a mammal expert at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, recently confirmed at least five species of bats in the greater Los Angeles area. He has spotted them “flying over every neighborhood in the region—from South Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley to El Segundo and downtown,” he said.

The most common bat in the Los Angeles area is the Mexican free-tail bat, which gets its name from a quarter-inch-long tail that extends beyond the edge of its tail membrane. The bat has a wingspan of 8 to 10 inches, flies high and fast, and eats moths and other insects.

“Judging from the results of my surveys, local bats are doing better than we thought,” Ordenana said.

But the discovery of the fungus has suddenly added a sense of foreboding to summer evening “Bats and Brews on the River” strolls along a stretch of the Los Angeles River north of downtown. The public events sponsored by the nonprofit Friends of the Los Angeles River aim to introduce participants to the rhythms of bat life in the vicinity of their own backyards.

“Our goal is to excite and inspire people about the remarkable creatures that share the air space over our urban ecosystem every night,” said Michael Atkins, a spokesman for FoLAR. “The sadness would be to have to say 10 years from now, bats used to be everywhere.”

Explore further

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©2019 Los Angeles Times Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Citation: A deadly fungus is killing millions of bats in the U.S. Now it’s in California (2019, July 5) retrieved 5 July 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2019-07-deadly-fungus-millions-california.html

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#Biology

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #168

“i’ve wished for this, i’ve bitched at that, i’ve left behind this little fact: you cannot kill what you did not create.”

Which internet browser do you use? Chrome. Have you ever lived on a university campus? Nope. When was the last time you saw a photo of your ex? *The* ex, when I was going through old photos on my Mom's FB looking for something. Do you play any games on your phone? DragonVale and Pokemon GO. Have you ever shaved your face? Only above my lip every now and then to avoid that dreaded lady-stache. :') What color is your front door? White. What was the last vaccination you got? Couldn't tell ya. When was the last time you were at a party? A year ago. Did you ever get called horrible names like whore, skank, or bitch? The only two I can think of are bitch and martyr. Who’s your favorite rapper? And your favorite song by this favorite rapper? Eminem, "Love The Way You Lie" or "Space Bound." How about your favorite band? And your favorite song by this band? Gah you know the story, I'll just do Ozzy for this one. Hard to say. "See You On The Other Side" probably wins, but "Mama I'm Comin' Home" is on its heels. Has anyone ever made a promise to you that they’d change? Who? Juan, probably. What’s your television addiction? I don't watch TV of my own volition, but I'd be happy to watch The Good Doctor. Have you ever had any painful dental work done? If so, what? Nothing worse than just getting braces tightened. Is there anyone you’d like to apologize to? Dad again to his face about how wicked I was to him and am so thankful he forgave me. I just haven't because I want that in the past and I'd probably break down anyway. What was the last song you listened to that made you cry? Idk. Could you go a month without talking to your best friend? That's my gf, no, I'd lose my mind. Can you make yourself sneeze? No. Is there something that you haven’t told anyone that you actually would like to tell someone? Meh... I think it's better I don't. How has your style changed since you were in high school? Not really. What was the last new drink you discovered that was delicious? Dunno. What’s the most Lisa Frank-worthy article of clothing you own? Nothing, really. What color is the rim around your full-length mirror? Black. What is your favorite way your hair has ever looked? How it is now. What are five things you are good at? Interacting with animals, being there for people, writing I'd like to think, being a great beast mastery hunter in WoW like 1v1 me bro, and uhhhh panicking over the most minute things. What are five things you are bad at? COMMUNICATING, initiating conversation, arguing w/o crying, understanding finances/economics, and math. Do you enjoy drawing at all? I do, but I rarely do it because I'm way too critical and get annoyed. And fixing mistakes cleanly can be hard. I want a drawing tablet one day hopefully in the near future, because I feel like I'd be more motivated to do it.  Quickly fix errors. What was the last thing you were frustrated with yourself about? Oh boy, idk. This is so common. Do you have unusual sleeping/waking hours? No. In your personal opinion, which hair color is the most beautiful? Probably blonde with some darker highlights I guess, if we're talking about natural colors. Actually, for girls, maybe red. How about eyes? Sapphire. Last sporting event you watched? Dance recital. Have you ever had a teacher that also taught your parents? No. Are you skilled when it comes to working in the kitchen? HA no. Do you listen to music while driving? It has to be quiet or I can't concentrate. What’s your favorite style of jeans? (Skinny, boot cut, flare, etc) Skinny. Are you deathly allergic to anything? No. Who was the last person you had sex with? Or are you a virgin? Jason. Are you Italian? No. Would you ever go vegan? There's no way I could survive. Where’s the nearest GameStop near you? Like... 10-15 minutes? Have you had an argument with anyone recently and if so, do you still have issues with that person? Sara, but only because I said something stupid. No, I have zero issues with her. Who was the last person that asked to hang out with you and what’s the story of how you met that person? Colleen, girl scouts. Is there something you generally always ask for help with? Cleaning the animals' cages. Don't have anything to put them in so I hold them while Mom cleans it. Unfair to her, I know, but I can't do both and Mom doesn't seem to mind, plus she wouldn't hold any of them. Do you own a pocketknife, or any other kind of multi-tool? No. What was the last thing you took a video of? Teddy being a goof. Have you ever been somewhere where you didn’t fluently speak the local language? No. What is your least favorite kind of weather? Hot and humid like fuck off. Describe the 'look’ you did the last time you wore makeup. Uhhh mildly winged liner, black eyeshadow, black lips. If you got pregnant the 1st time you had sex, how old would the kid be now? I don't remember when it was 'cuz I've said before I didn't really. Realize it was sex until literally this year when I looked back on it. But anyway, six-ish. Have you ever polished and waxed your car? N/A As a kid, did you have any friends with parents who yelled a lot? Don't think so. What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken? ODing. Have you ever lived in a small community where everyone knew each other? No. What are some of your least favorite foods? BEANS, mushrooms, asparagus, brussel sprouts, cherries, nuts, etc. etc. etc. I'm picky as hell. Do you give your pets gifts and treats for their birthday/adoption day? Only Teddy 'cuz I actually know his rip. Has anyone ever set you up on a blind date? If so, how did it go? No. Do you believe your ex cares about you? The only ex I feel /sincerely/ does is Girt. What is the strangest type of candy you have eaten? Idk. What would be your most ideal profession? Meerkat biologist. What kind of rides do you enjoy the most at amusement parks? Kinds that don't make me fear vomiting. What is a topic you definitely don’t want to talk about with anyone? Weight. Where do you carry the things you need with you when leaving the house? Pocketbook. What’s the last thing you made with your hands? Uhhhh a drawing? Have you ever been physically or mentally abused? How did it affect you? No. Do you consider yourself a vengeful person? If so, why’d you think that is? Not in the least. Do you own any accessories with your name or initial on them? I have a "B" necklace somewhere from someone, but. Never wear it. Are you nervous/anxious, for any reason at all? Nah. For once. What was the last compliment you received from the opposite sex? Dad said I looked great when I got in the car to go to the theater. Have you ever been to an orchard? No. :c What are your plans for Halloween? I've no clue. :/ Do you plan on carving a pumpkin this year? Yeah. What’s your favorite Halloween movie? Hocus Pocus. What’s your favorite kind of apple? Red. Do you like to roast marshmallows? Yeah. If you have a job, who’s your closest friend at work? N/A When was the last time you stayed in a hotel? Where was it? Shit, not since a dance competition at the beach years ago. Have you ever gotten your nails done? Like twice because I was invited. Who was the last family member of yours that died? Idk. Who was your favorite president? Not educated enough on this. The last type of sandwich you made or ate: I believe ham, cheese, and mustard. The last time the weather was just the way you like it: Been a long time. The last time you apologized and the last time you received one: I dunno. I say "sorry" like obsessively, but a serious apology, idk. To me, either Mom or Sara. Do you have a smartphone or a dumb phone, or no phone? Smartphone. Do you own any tapestries, and if so, what’s on it/them? No. Have you ever made a collage for your bedroom wall? No. What types of churches do you find really boring? All of them. On what day is your local grocery store the busiest? I would guess the weekend? What day do you usually go grocery shopping? I don't, Mom does. She doesn't have a regular day. What devotional do you read, if any? None. What is your favorite color for cars? Burnt orange. Have you ever tried writing with the opposite hand? How good/bad was it? Yeah, not good. Do you prefer dark, brown or white chocolate? Milk/brown. Have you ever had a controlling boyfriend/girlfriend? No. Have you ever written a love letter to someone as a joke? That's fucking evil. No. How many true heart breaks have you had in your lifetime? One. Do you have any gay family members? Mom's cousin or something. Who was the last person to sleep over at your house? Sara. Would you ever get a boob job? I DON'T NEED ONE LIKE ONE OF THE THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO MOST WITH LOSING WEIGHT IS NOT HAVING TRISHA PAYTAS TITS. Did your last relationship end because of you or the other person? Me. Have you ever tried to break up anyone because YOU liked the guy/girl? No. What would you think if you found out your ex was gay? My very first "boyfriend" I think actually is. I'd be stunned if Juan, Girt, and especially Jason came out, although Jason would make me fucking cackle. Boy could I say some shit about that. Would you ever take someone back if you found out they cheated on you? Nah son. Have you ever lied to your boyfriend/girlfriend? I've never told a serious lie, but I'm sure I've told like minuscule ones ("I'm fine," etc.) every now and again. Would you be upset if you caught your boyfriend looking at porn? Yup. Minority opinion, but. When was the last time you were on a city bus? Never. Do you have a garden? Does it have flowers, vegetables, or both? No. Have you ever burned an ant with a magnifying glass? No. Have you ever had an ant farm? Maybe? I had a lot of those little animal kit things as a kid, like frogs and butterflies. Have you ever had crabs, turtles, or lobsters? Hermit crabs. Briefly turtles. Has anyone ever told you you’re too young for something? No, I think? Maybe. What about for someone? No. How many times have you changed a diaper in your life? Literally once when it wasn't even dirty???? Why did I do that??????????? Has a younger person ever confided in you as an adult? Yeah. Have you ever felt responsible for someone’s death? No. Who knows your biggest secret and why did you tell them? No one. What’s your best memory with your ex? Aaron: group skating rink date. Juan: I'm not sure, probably making him play a Just Dance game with me lmao. Jason: That's like impossible to say with how long we were together. But a time that will always stand out for me is when we were playfighting, I came storming into the kitchen, big time slipped in the middle of "yelling," and he caught me and we laughed for like a full minute. Tyler: Nothing, really. Girt: He was reading a memento in Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, and I'll say the writing is very unique, and he got to one sentence he read in THE most incredulous voice, and I spat my drink e v e r y w h e r e. I deadass laughed/cried for like ten minutes and still had outbursts afterwards. It was one of those "you had to be there" things. The last time you felt insulted/offended: Dunno. The last time you held a baby: Over a month ago when I had to hold Keegan for whatever reason. The last form you filled out: Something for my new doctor. The last video game you played: So here's a super weird fact about me; as a kid, I loved hunting games, all the while even then hating hunting for sport irl. Not a clue clue why. I recently got more "back" into gaming and I'm working on beating Dangerous Hunts again. What is your favorite type of cat? Persians. What religion were you raised in? Are you still that religion, if you had one? Roman Catholicism, and no. What religion/spiritual path intrigues you the most, if any? Wiccan and Buddhism. What heritage does your last name imply? Scottish. Recently, what artists/bands have you been listening to a lot? Powerwolf, Mother Mother. Do you know any HTML coding? No. Has anyone ever called you rich? HA as if. What makes you feel beautiful? lol How many bathrooms are in your house? One. Last time you were on a plane and where did you go? March, Illinois. Hopping on one again tomorrow!! Are you considered a very sensitive person? Probably by those who know me well. I know I am. Have you ever told someone you never wanted to speak to them again? Dad, yeah. What is the worst name anyone has ever called you? Being called a martyr still hurts, and that was like two years ago. When was the last time you cried out loud in front of someone? Mom around a week ago or something. Have you ever been questioned by the police? No. Have you ever had to be put on medicine for a mental disorder? Yeah. What do you normally drink when eating at a restaurant? Mtn. Dew if Pepsi products, otherwise Coke. Have you ever been in a car accident? One. Are you currently in a happy relationship? YEAH!!!! Do you normally have nightmares or good dreams? Neither. Just weird. What if a friend asked you to go with her to get an abortion? OH WOW I AM *NOT* THE PERSON TO ASK. I really don't know. I've made my opinion on the subject pretty clear, and if the abortion wasn't for your own mental and/or physical health and rather you just not wanting to face the consequences of your actions, idk if I could go. Have you ever had a deep conversation with someone who was high on anything? No. Are you experiencing problems within a current friendship? No. Ever made yourself throw up? No, I fear vomiting too much to ever. Who of the opposite sex has seen you at your worst? Jason. When at a fast food place, do you usually order a small, medium, or large drink? Medium. Do you dip your pretzels in anything? No. When was the last time you started a new medication? Recently for knee pain. What is your favorite type of nut? None. Where did you eat the best pizza you’ve ever eaten in your life? Literally Domino's lmao. Do you know what year your parents married? No. Do you know anyone who was adopted? Yeah. Do you prefer loose leaf tea or teabags? You know my opinion on tea. What is your favorite place to get Chinese food? I dunno the name of the place Mom goes. Do you part your hair to the side? It's parted far to the left. Is winter your least favorite season? No, it's my second-favorite! Do you know someone who’s a stripper? No. Are you sitting in a spinning chair? No, I'm in bed. When’s the next time you’ll go to a haunted house? I've never been to a "real" one but would LOVE to. How old is too old to trick-or-treat? I really don't care. Honestly believe there's no magic age where it's no longer okay. I still would if not for societal expectations. Have you ever caught a firefly? Yes. Do you own any camouflage? No. What's the next really important thing you have to do? Get to my flight on time. Are you looking forward to anything? T O M O R R O W  A P P R O A C H E S How late is too late for coffee for you? I don't drink coffee. Have you ever written or considered writing a play? No. How about a novel? If so, could you give us the synopsis of the plot? Yeah, as a kid. It was about a family of meerkats of different "breeds" (dragon, fire, ice, etc.) plagued by their king's brother as well as the prince finding love. That's all I remember of it. Who is considered the "black sheep" of your family? Why? Lol me. I'm just pretty different from like everyone with "problematic" traits. What's a color you hate? Puke green. What's an odor you hate? Old garbage. What's a sound you hate? Babies screaming omfg. What's something you'd never ever dare to ask another person? Hmmm. Probably if they've ever been raped or molested. What's something you've always wanted to ask someone but haven't dared? OKAY. So I coulda sworn one of my best high school friends was pregnant in middle school, before I talked to her at all. Then I believe I saw her with her baby once when we were in the gym for something. When we became friends, she never spoke of having a child and most certainly didn't look a bit like she'd had a baby. I never wanted to ask because you know the stigma of teen pregnancy. What is a song you cannot stand? Any country song where the singer has that godawful southern-as-hell twang. What's the worst/best thing you've done without your parents knowing? *shrugs* If you wear earrings, what does your favorite pair look like? Idk, I haven't looked at my earrings in a long time. Have you ever won any money from a scratch card? Like a dollar or so on the rare occasion my parents bought one. How about a slot machine? No. Do you like playing bingo? Sure. What's been the best thing you've found at a flea market? I love this little dragon figure I have. Oh, and my shipwreck lamp! Do you ever glance at people's butts? I'm a sucker for ass tbh okay. Like I'm not a dick that's gonna stare, but I'm guilty of glances, sure. What's something that catches your eye about other people? Their style. What's a random funny scene from a movie that has stuck with you? The first thing that came to my mind is from the Scooby movie where the girl introduces herself as Mary Jane and Shaggy goes, "That's, like, my favorite name" lmao. Oh, the things you miss as a kid. Are you one of those people who will not use a public washroom? I avoid it as much as possible. Have your parents ever disapproved of the person you're dating? No. What kind of things do you collect? Right now, just meerkat and Silent Hill stuff. YouTuber merch will happen when I can afford to buy it myself ha ha. Do you have a thing for body hair? No opinion. Not too into heavy back or chest hair, but still, don't really care. Is there anyone into you that you have no interest in? No clue if Girt still likes me, but if so, I don't reciprocate the feeling romantically. What's the longest you've slept for? Like 11 hours, maybe? Do your parents have a bad relationship with anyone? Not especially other than between each other. Were you raised by someone other than your parents? No. Do you prefer the color pink or blue? Pink. What's the last chore you did? Vacuumed. Have you ever had pet mice? Rats. What is your godmother's name? I don't think I have one. What's the last party you went to? A year ago at Summer's. Have you ever been to a jungle? No. What is your favorite jungle animal? Tigers! When did you first find yourself attracted to someone? I dunno. Elementary school. If you met a genie, what would you wish for? Financial stability, world peace, cure for Alzheimer's/dementia. Have you ever ran away from home? For like two hours or less. Is your father injured? No. He has a bad back, but. Would you be willing to die protecting your country? Like in the military or something? No. Have you ever dated someone from a different country? For less than a day. Are you part Native American? Not that I know of. What are your pets' names? Teddy, Bentley, Roman, Venus, Kaiju, and Mitsu. Do you like to go hunting? NONONONONONO. I'd have a hard time doing it even for survival. Have you ever worked two jobs? No. Who is the oldest sibling in your family? Katie. What are some of your happy thoughts? Being with Sara, imagining a positive future, remembering all I've endured and conquered, etc. etc. What's your favorite pattern for clothes? Plaid, I suppose? Do you ever wear fur? No. Who is the worst boss you've ever had? Why? N/A What are the names of the all the dogs you've ever owned? Trigger, Angel, Teddy, Dale, Delilah, Harley, Cali, and Bentley, I think. Where did you meet your current or last significant other? YouTube. When did you last ride a bike? Years ago. What did you last ask your parents permission for? Uhhh. I dunno. Oh, actually, I was thinking of spending a day with Dad, and I wanted to know if it would bother Mom. She said no, but I don't believe her. I didn't do it, though. Why were you in a waiting room the last time? Psychiatrist appointment yesterday. What's your lawyer's name? I don't have one. Do you own a lot of scarves? Do I even own any??? Would you ever get a face tattoo? No. What kind of car did you take your drivers test in? Haven't taken it. How much was the rent/mortgage at the cheapest place you’ve ever lived? I wouldn't know, I don't pay it. Who in life have you felt the strongest need to protect? Holy shit, Sara. What is the cruelest thing a person has ever said to you? Who even knows. What crime from history fascinates you most? No clue. Who do you think was the worst criminal in history? Maybe Saddam Hussein. Who has the weakest set of values in your family? Idk. What is the most disturbing sound you know of? Bones cracking. What's the shortest amount of time between orgasms you've ever experienced? N/A Which laws would you most like to change? Off the top of my head, we. Need. More. Gun. Fucking. Control. I'm not for a ban of firearms, but jfc, it's too easy to purchase a goddamn killing machine. What the oldest you'd like to live? 80, maybe? After that I can just imagine poor health that would really suck. Which sibling is or was favored most by your parents? I actually think it's me, tbh. Mom and I have an incredibly strong bond and have serious history, and Dad's and mine is very deep and definitely as a kid was the storybook father/daughter relationship, and now that we're reunited, I think we both cherish each other more. What's the biggest surprise you've ever had in bed? Waking up in the middle of the night to Jason groping my boobs. Who is the person you most wanted to have an affair with but didn't? I've never wanted that. Who have you most feared in your life? Dad. What would make you go insane the fastest? Losing Sara for the same reason as Jason. What was the quickest friendship you ever made? I'm not sure. What is your strongest reason for your opinion on abortion? I guess you have the right to be selfish if you're put at risk. You come first. What would you most like to hear from your father? He's proud of how far I've come. What one natural thing would you most like to see? Maybe a volcano erupt from a safe distance. What has been the single most important influence on your life? The breakup. What is the most worthy cause on earth? Seeing all life as equal and actually acting on that. Caring for one another. What would you most easily be driven to kill for? Sara's safety.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #377

“you’re such an inspiration for the way that i will never, ever choose to be.”

Have you ever dreamt in another language? No. How long will you try out something you don’t enjoy before giving up on it? It really depends, but in most cases, admittedly very quickly. What’s something you recently realized or discovered about yourself? *shrug* What’s the most interesting news you read or received recently? What about the most depressing? Not in a good way really, but it was certainly interesting to learn I have such severe sleep apnea. Like, I was certain I didn't. The most depressing would be uhhhh... I guess Jason's mother's death, but I don't know how "recent" you'd consider that by now. Would you let politics get in the way of a relationship? It depends. Some beliefs I absolutely would not tolerate (like anti-LGBT), others I would just agree to disagree with. What is one way in which you need to learn to control yourself? I need to get better at controlling my mouth when I'm extremely upset. Do you use a photo editor? I use Lightroom and Photoshop for photography. Is your dad overweight? No, I think he's actually underweight. Ever been honked at? Yes. What’s the name of the most recent baby a friend has had? Easton, I think? An old middle school friend had him. Have you ever taken medication to help you fall asleep faster? Yes, but they never work for me. How did your parents pick your name? I dunno. If you had to move to another country, where would you move? Canada. Do you have a balcony? No. Who is a singer that has given you chills? Man, I get chills easily with music. David Draiman from Disturbed, his cover of "Sound of Silence" is BREATHTAKING. That's number one. There are many others, they're just not coming to me at the moment. Do you have a drone? No. What was the spiciest thing you’ve ever eaten? Some wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. I got some crazy hot sauce. Have you ever discovered something gross in your food at McDonalds? No. What was the last thing you used sliced bread to make? A sandwich. How long did your shortest relationship last? Like a day lmao. Would you rather have a trampoline or swimming pool? A POOL!!!! I've talked before about how I want one so, SO very badly to exercise my legs without having to worry about sweat, and I can take a break the very moment I need to. Do you own a Snuggie? Yeah, somewhere. Do you listen to any unsigned bands/singers? Who? Yeah, quite a few on YouTube, but my favorite in Jonathan Young. He is SO damn talented. Who is your favorite video game character? Pyramid Head from the Silent Hill franchise. What kind of pictures do you post on Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat most frequently? Mostly of my pets lmao. Have you ever been on vacation with a significant other? No. Have you ever considered “unplugging”/taking a significant period of time away from technology? No. I know I'd never stick to it. Do you prefer to watch a documentary that is about a situation/event or a documentary that is more of a personal character study/biography? The latter. Meerkat Manor comes to mind with that, and everyone knows how much I adore that show. There was also one about rhesus macaques I fell in love with. Basically, I love animal docs, haha. Can you think of a recent time in which you might have been better off resisting, but you did something because you “just couldn’t help yourself”? Probably eating something. When you are getting to know someone, do you tend to worry that the other person will lose interest in you once they get to know the “real” you? Yyyyep. What is something that you would like to do, but really aren’t able to because of your location? (e.g., see art or get a certain job) Man, a lot of things. Photograph meerkats is a biggie. What sort of job do you think is best suited for your skills? Is this an in-demand position or something you’re unlikely to actually get? If I could actually handle the heat and was in good shape to traverse the outdoors, I think I'd be a great wildlife biologist. Even more though, if I could beat my social anxiety, I would ADORE being an animal educator with kids. Do you believe it is the responsibility of businesses, or prominent business leaders (think Bill Gates) to take the lead on social issues whether by using their influence or their money? Saying it's their "responsibility" sounds unfair and puts a lot of weight on their shoulders, but I do feel they should by their own volition and kindness use their position for good, such as through monetary assistance and other things. Have you ever gone to a job interview and realized that you didn’t want the job? Yep. Have you ever asked that someone sacrifice something (a habit, relationship, job, etc.) for you? A habit, yes. Looking back it was stupid as shit. What would you call your body type? Ew. Has anyone ever hacked your accounts before? Yes. Do you enjoy big holiday dinners? Considering I spend them with my sister's bigoted, homophobic, and racist in-laws, not especially. I always feel very uncomfortable and disliked among everyone for being the "black sheep" among 'em. Is your vision good? God no. Even with my glasses, it's very poor. I need a new prescription badly. Do both of your parents have jobs? Mom has something of the sort, like she cleans a local church for a small pay, but it's not really a "job." She's still recovering from cancer, getting her strength back up and such before she can handle a consistent job. Dad's had a job for as long as I've lived. What is something you’ve always wanted a boy to do for you? How heteronormative. But whatever. It's so fucking cheesy, but singing a cute song to me while slowdancing sounds so super adorable to me. What food are you craving right now? I am craving something sweet like you wouldn't believe. It's annoying. Have you ever been in a car accident? Yes. Do you have a lot of scars? Yes, but most are very negligible. I just scar extremely easily. Last person you saw other than your family? My primary doctor. Last movie you’ve seen in theaters? The The Lion King remake. Who was the last person you played a video game with? Ummm I think Girt. Last game you played at an arcade? Zero clue. What was your favorite nursery rhyme as a child? I THINK I particularly liked "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider?" None stand out strongly, though. What is your favorite cousin’s first name? I don’t have a favorite cousin. Would you prefer to travel around the world by yourself or with a friend? I think with a friend to prevent loneliness, but at the very same time, I see a great beauty in traveling on your own. Just taking new things in, seeing so many different cultures, beautiful scenery... I feel it'd be a great chance for exploration of insight. Remind yourself how small you are, that there's a much, much bigger picture than your own problems, that people are so unique but hopefully share common morals... I see a lot of poetry in it. Do you like the smell of coffee? It's one of my favorite smells. If you have a favorite photographer, can you describe their work? I can't possibly pick. I watch literally hundreds on deviantART, and many of them absolutely blow my mind. What’s one aspect of your life that did not turn out as you expected? My lack of a career. Outside of school, have you ever used a thesaurus? Well, online ones for writing. When you see a good-looking girl in skimpy clothing, what is your initial thought? I envy her confidence, like gotdamn girl. Have you ever been in a lighthouse? No. Are you on a laptop or desktop? A laptop. What color is your shower? White. Where do you order your pizza from? Domino's or Little Caesar's. What was the name of the last dog you pet? We've been calling the dog we're holding right now Zoe. Have you ever had anything stolen from you? Yes. Have you ever seen the White House? I don't think so, but it's possible I have when we've driven up to New York, but from a distance. How about Niagara Falls? No. What do you like in your salads and what dressing do you prefer? I just like regular iceberg lettuce with some bacon bits and ranch. Man, that sounds good right about now. Any posters of a band on your bedroom wall? Yeah, Metallica and Marilyn Manson. Do you think it’d be cool to have your body mummified after you die? No. I couldn't rock the mummy look even if I tried, haha. Can you tell the difference between a Scottish & an Irish accent? Not really, no. Can you read music? I used to be able to. Do you work the night shift? I don’t have a job, but if I did, I absolutely do not want to work the night shift anywhere. Have you ever slept over at your best friend’s house? Yes. Is your mother diabetic? Are you? She is, but I'm not. Would you like to learn how to make ceramic pottery? It'd be cool, sure. Ever sang someone to sleep? No. Who did you last kiss? My cat. Why did you last lie? I don't recall. Probably to just avoid confrontation with Mom. What do you put on your hamburgers? Cheese, ketchup, and mustard, generally. Who do you think cares the most about you? My mom. Have you ever sent a dirty picture? No. What’s at the center of your dining table? Honestly, we sit in there so rarely that I don't even know. I think we might have nothing, actually. Have you ever started a rumor? No. Do you like being outside? If it's cool, yes. What’s your favourite condiment? Maybe ketchup. Or honey mustard. Who sang/played the last song you listened to? Chris Motionless is the singer of Motionless In White. I don't know if that's his real last name, though. Do you like yoga? I used to. Now all the bending and shit would make me dizzy as hell with my "how are you still alive" level of low blood pressure. Do you always carry breath mints? No, but I do carry Tictacs with me, but they're for my dry mouth. It forces you to salivate, so it helps. What do you think your reaction would be upon entering the White House? I don't really know. I honestly don't even know how it looks inside. Thinking about it, I'd probably be more scared than anything, waiting for a bomb to drop or some shit lmao. Have you ever grown your own sea monkeys or dinosaurs? OH MY GOD I LOVED those!!! I definitely did! Have you ever thrown a game controller (or the game) and broke it? No, I've never been the type to do that. If I'm SERIOUSLY getting mad, all I do is tighten my grip. Did you ever own an Etch-a-Sketch? Yes. Do/did you ever have glow-in-the-dark stars on your ceiling? I believe so. What movie were you really worked up for that ended up disappointing you? My answer is Warcraft, but only because the fucking orcs' voices were so baritone that I couldn't understand them almost ever lmaooo. Like I had a mild idea of what was going on because of the game, but still. What part of a paper is hardest for you to write? The intro, or the conclusion. Both are difficult to me. Like I want to compose a gripping beginning as well as an end that doesn't just repeat everything I've already said and ends on a strong note. Does it bother you that almost everything is done on computers now? No. KFC Chicken: original or extra crispy? I don't like fried chicken. Think about your first kiss. Did you have any idea what you were doing? I mean, I guess? Like I'd seen kisses enough to know how to give someone a peck. It just came naturally. Did you get Happy Meals just for the toys as a kid? Not just for the toy, but it's the main thing I wanted, sure. Have you ever seen your parents cry? If so, how did it make you feel? Seeing my mom cry absolutely destroys me. I don't want her to hurt EVER. Especially if it's seriously unfair bullshit that has her upset, I also get very angry (not at her, of course) and protective. I've seen Dad tear up once, back when he was telling us about his mother's funeral, and I felt immense surprise more than anything. He does NOT cry. How do you feel about animal testing? It's fucking disgusting and barbaric. Find a different goddamn way. Do you add condiments to your ice cream, or just eat it plain? If I'm having vanilla, I'll usually add chocolate syrup. Have you ever witnessed a crime? Yes. What’s the coolest personalized license plate you’ve ever seen? I'm forever gonna get a kick out of this one that just said "omw," haha.