#insectivore

[life-on-our-planet]

"This slow mover is a silky anteater. His giant claw and a gripping prehensile tail help keep his balance as he walks the mangrove tightropes of the swamp." BBC Earth

[anim-otd]

Animal of the day: Aardwolf! (Proteles cristata) The aardwolf is a member of the Hyaenidae family, which includes the spotted, striped and brown hyenas! Unlike its relatives, it is primarily insectivorous and consumes termites instead of larger animals, the flesh of which the aardwolf actually dislikes! When it is threatened or excited, the long hairs on its back and tail will raise, making the aardwolf seem larger than it really is in order to scare potential threats! Older aardwolves, due to not needing sharp teeth to consume their primary diet of termites and beetles, will often lose their teeth! Image source: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aardwolf

[wenbochenphoto]

Nepenthes jacquelineae is endemic to West Sumatra, primarily epiphytic, occasionally terrestrial. The habitat is cool and foggy montane cloud forests and moss forests. The colourful upper pitchers catch flying insects, while the lower pitchers hide in moss and catch small invertebrates like snails. It has been heavily collected for its high market value, and we only found a handful of plants during our hikes.

[aut2imagineart]

This installation of my Pangea Ultima project features some mammals that would live in the mountains. To recap, the mammals of Pangea Ultima are from a group of rodents called the Ashbreathers which evolved during a period of major volcanic/geological activity which resulted in them developing multi-slit nostrils for filtering out the air. Anyway, here are the mammal species showcased.

Mountain Ashbreather: the most common mammal species in the mountains and one of the primary herbivores in their environment, the Mountain Ashbreathers are guinea-like rodents with long legs ending in hooves for transferring steep cliffs and rocky terrain. The males are larger than the females, boasting thick, brightly colored manes for display and intimidation as well as enlarged dewclaws for defense.

Gargoyle Ashbreather: Resembling a wingless bat, the Gargoyle Ashbreather is a predator that specializes in hunting spiders like Leopard Tarantulas. Their long forearms and claws allow them to attack prey without getting to close and risking venomous bites. In case prey does get close, Gargoyle Ashbreathers evolved tough skin similar to honey badgers for defense. Though incapable of flight, they do have flaps of skin between their limbs to slow their decent if jumping from a high location.

Shield-Nose Ashbreather: These mole-like rodents are omnivores that feed on roots as well as small invertebrates they come across. Mostly blind, they are heavily dependent on their sense of smell and the thick structure formed around their faces are used to push out any predators that try to enter their burrows.

As always, comments and critiques are welcome.

[actual-haise]

Borealestes, a tiny docodontan, scurrying across the underbrush of what is now the Isle of Skye, 166 million years ago.

[albertabats]

#ScienceNews New paper out found a correlation between devastating loss of bat populations and an increase in human infant mortality rates.

No bats in some areas meant more use of pesticides by farms. More pesticides resulted in higher infant mortality rates. Ecosystems need to be conserved and kept intact to function. Human survival depends on it! https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg0344

[knowledge-first]

Did You Know?

The tiny Asian Musk Shrew is the world's smallest venomous mammal! These shrew-sized critters only weigh about 2 grams and are found in Southeast Asia. Their venom isn't strong enough to harm humans, but it can be deadly to small insects and other invertebrates that make up their diet.

[proton-wobbler]

Bracket Winner: True Hipsters

Sickle-winged Nightjar (Eleothreptus anomalus)

Eleothreptus, from Ancient Greek, means "marsh bred"

eBird sightings: 267; IUCN Redlist Rating: Vulnerable

Beat: Palawan Peacock-pheasant, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Kagu, Palau Kingfisher, Capuchinbird

There is not a lot of information on this bird, as nightjar are already cryptic and the common distribution of this bird hasn't been fully studied. They're currently found in northeastern Argentina, southern Paraguay, and southern Brazil. The Sickle-winged Nightjar shares its genus with a single other nightjar, which is also sparsely distributed across South America.

Sources under the cut

Images: wing - Kristof Zyskowski, body - Martjan Lammertink

[donutdrawsthings]

Shrew siblings! Kia, Tibel and Triten!

[ph-cutie]

bless their hearts

[olivewinterleaf]

The inevitable consequences of eating too many insects.

[life-on-our-planet]

A keen sense of smell enables the pangolin to detect the presence of ants and termites in their nests beneath the sand. Her sticky tongue, some 30cm long, enables her to collect them from deep underground. David Attenborough | BBC Earth

[monsieurbj]

DO NOT REBLOG IN NSFW, 18+ (Porno, Naked), AND not in TRASH BLOGS, racism, politic, guns/wars blogs, thanks. Thanks for your views!

A small tree frog found in the rainforest of Lynn Valley, Part of Seymour Provincial Park in North Vancouver, BC

[jammiedoggo]

Licky licky aardwolf

Theres a cute hungry aardwolf feasting on termites on 4th wall screen.

This will be the last artwork featuring the 2023 watermark logo for end of this year.

[nobrainforthoughtsphantomh]

Hey team. I'm Phantom hydra and I'm here to tell you how many ways I want to cook this bug (LARGE GRUB WARNING BELOW) | | | V

Whole Cooked Grub

Cooked in a wok with vegetable oil, unions, garlic and hot peppers until skin is crispy. Optional, but recommended fried egg on top, with salt and pepper added for extra flavor. Can be replaced with any preferred way of cooking egg. Could go well with a side of roasted and salted crickets.

Sliced Grub

Roast grub with olive oil until crispy, slice into circles. Optional soy sauce. Serve with crab meat, sautéed veggies, lobster legs or cooked scorpion as a side. Season with seasoning of choice.

Stuffed Grub

Roast grub until crispy, then remove the head. Relieve the bug of its innards and stuff with mashed potato, diced leeks and unions, garlic and peppered/spiced cheese of choice.

(I'm not a chef please don't cook the grub I'm just craving a savory meal)

[lonesometrain]