#marine flatworms too

[bog-goblin]

Being a biologist that works with "uncharismatic" species can be really upsetting at times. We as biologists do our best to find the most beautiful examples of our species, but convincing people who are stuck in their way of disliking something is often very difficult. On the flip side, being surrounded by academics who simply gush over their animals, especially the more unappreciated species, is eye-opening.

I had a professor who specializes in biting flies, specifically those belonging to the family Tabanidae (more commonly known as deerflies and horseflies). He would light up whenever he talked about them, lamenting about their gorgeous diversity in colour and patterns. I see them quite differently now.

There is not a single animal that I dislike. In fact, it is extremely difficult for me to pick a favourite, given just how many there are! Please feel free to tag this post with your favourite critters, as I'd love to hear about them!

[moonbaby26]

Sorry, I don’t know who made this chart. But it made my day. 🤣🤣🤣 My beautiful marines. I love them. Let me add three pirates though. Just crack below, not intended to be serious. Please don’t mind me.

Fic Masterlist

You’re laying in bed together. You turn to them and ask: “If I was a worm, would you still love me?”

Doflamingo

“The…fuck? Of course you’re a worm! You’re all worms!” The angry silence hangs in the air as you stare at one another, but he can’t take it for long before he has to keep talking in his agitation. You’ve riled him back up now. “Idiot. Didn’t I warn if you said such a stupid thing again, I’d fill that mouth of yours with something far more attractive?” Yet he still smirks at you because he was going to do this later anyway. But you’ve just guaranteed that it will be now instead and even that much rougher. Way to go you stupid worm, he thinks to himself. Hope you like the carpet burns on your knees and a sore throat to match.

Corazon/Rosinante (honorary pirate 😆)

“…….” He stares at you to the point that you start to get upset, but his expression changes to him being equally devastated as soon as you are. He grabs his notepad from the nightstand and frantically writes on it. It says: “Of course I’d still love you! But you are not a worm, please don’t ever think that!” He proceeds to accompany that writing with the most heartfelt, adoring stare you’ve ever seen on a man. He then cuddles you intensely for the rest of the night. The only worm he sees here is himself. He’s terrified that you’ll realize this too eventually because he does not deserve you.

Law

He gives a drawn out sigh, thinking that this is exactly what happens when you spend too much time with Shachi and Penguin. “Go. To. Sleep.” He says in utter annoyance before looking back to you and the puppy eyes you are now giving him. And this is something else that you have obviously learned from Bepo instead. It’s infuriating, but he just wants to go to sleep dammit as his resolve finally breaks. “Fine. What species of worm are you? Does it reproduce sexually or through parthenogenesis?” You don’t even know what that word means though. And he realizes that. Congratulations, you’ve now earned a biology lecture on the reproductive habits of a very specific flatworm species he had to dissect back in school at Flevance. You fall asleep while he’s still talking.

[onenicebugperday]

what do we consider limits for bug? Is just true bug bug? Is just insect bug? What about other arthropods, like lobsters and millipedes and scorpions? Do barnacles count too? Then what about tardigrades and velvet worms? What about snails and slugs? If slugs and snails then do clams and squids count? Obviously earthworms are bugs then, but are all worms? What about planarians and nematodes and all the other wormies??? Do lampreys count then? Where does it end?????? Where do buggies ends? Are armadillos bugsses? Are hummingbirds? Are we? Waow, modern philosophy is fascinating.

It's arbitrary since "bug" can mean all kinds of things depending on who you ask. For my blog, I include insects, arachnids, myriapods, woodlice/terrestrial isopods, terrestrial annelids and terrestrial flatworms, velvet worms, and terrestrial gastropods. Maybe a few other things I'm forgetting. I don't include marine inverts, or microscopic stuff.

[sunnetrolls]

Gargex… do u hav a fav animal…

"Well, I do feel a lot of kinship with sea slugs for preeeetty obvious reasons. But I also like nudibranchs, marine flatworms and polychaetes more generally too. I guess anything squishy in the ocean."

[zyuna-arts]

Funguary '24: Penicillium | Paintbrush Flatworm

Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

Funguary is back for another year!! This year, I'll just do 1 prompt per week, so 4 in total. Don't want to stress myself out too much and I have other projects I want to work on as well (:

Here's my take on penicillium in the form of a marine flatworm! I loved painting nudibranchs for Funguary in 2023 and wanted to try drawing other sea slugs/worms 👀

Penicillium, commonly known as mold/mould, is present in an variety of forms besides breaking down spoiled food. Penicillium is also used in cheese-making to produce cheeses like camembert, brie and roquefort, and penicillium chrysogenum is industrially used to produce the antibiotic penicillin that stops/kills certain bacteria growth! Penicillium is derived from Latin for 'painter's brush' where the chains of conidia when magnified look like a broom.

I struggled with the rendering for this one due to my inexperience painting wavy things though I stared very hard at my references, haha. Nonetheless I just did what I could so I could move on and glad I finished!

Each #Funguary2024 I do will be depicted as a sea creature and designed like an encyclopedia page. Funguary is a yearly drawing challenge in February hosted by artist Feefal to turn fungi prompts into characters.

SOCIALS: Linktree

Art & Character © zyuna

(DON’T REPOST/USE)

[laceratedlamiaceae]

OFMD characters if they were worms

(and whether or not I would still love them)

Izzy: Pseudobiceros hancockanus

Also known as "Hancock's Flatworm," it has a distinct black coloring and is part of a genus known for engaging in "penis fencing" for reproduction, which I like to imagine is something Izzy does too. Obviously I would still love him; I don't think there's anything that could make me stop loving him.

Stede: Sabellastarte spectabilis

Also known as the "feather duster worm." It's popular in squariums because of its flamboyant plume of tentacles, which are almost as ridiculous as Stede's hair. If anything I think I'd love him more as a worm.

Ed: Eunice aphroditois

Also known as the "sand striker" or "bobbit worm." This thing is a horrifying monster that feeds on fish unfortunate enough to come near it with its sharp mandibles. The rainbow iridescence is pretty though. Sorry Ed but I've read too many horror stories about these; I would not love you if you were a worm.

Calico Jack: Trichuris trichiura

Also known as the "whipworm," which is the only reason I chose it. Unlike Calico Jack, I wouldn't want one of these in my large intestine because they're the cause of trichuriasis, a parasitic infection. I'm not that into parasites so I'm unfortunately going to have to pass on loving Jack as a worm.

Roach: Hirudo medicinalis

One of a few species of "medicinal leeches." Leeches are still used for medical purposes to this day because of the beneficial secretions in their saliva, and they're also cool as fuck. They're like vampires except they're worms, so obviously I'd still love Roach as a worm.

Frenchie: Lagis koreni

Frenchie is a "trumpet worm" because that was the only worm I could find with a name related to music. Also the tubes they build for themselves to live in are super cool and I wanted to include them somewhere. I would for sure love him if we was a worm.

Wee John: Megascolides australis

Also known as the "giant Gippsland earthworm." Because he's big, get it? 10/10, would still love him as a worm.

Lucius: Spirobranchus giganteus

Commonly known as the "christmas tree worm." The two spiral things on either side of its body function both as gills and to capture food, and they're also gay as fuck. Love that for him, and I'd absolutely love him as a worm.

Jim: Bipalium kewense

Jim is a "hammerhead flatworm," mostly because it kind of looks like it's wearing a hat but also because it produces a deadly paralyzing neurotoxin. Obviously I love that, and I'd love them if they were a worm.

Oluwande: Maritigrella crozierae

Commonly known as the "tiger flatworm." I chose this for Oluwande because they apparently often live together in pairs and Jim/Oluwande is the best couple in the show. You already know I'd still love him if he was a worm.

Buttons: Plagiostomum vittatum

Not much is known about this mysterious species of marine flatworm aside from the fact that it's native to the Atlantic ocean (by which I mean there isn't a Wikipedia article for it and I can't be bothered to do more research). I do like a mystery so yeah, I'd love him if he were a worm.

Fang: Hermodice carunculata

The "bearded fireworm," like Fang, looks soft but is also deadly. It's namesake white bristles are capable of penetrating skin and injecting a powerful neurotoxin. I would love him if he was a worm but I'd keep my distance.

Ivan: Arthurdendyus triangulatus

Known as the "New Zealand flatworm," it fades into the background a bit but it's still cool. Apparently they roll up when they rest which would be really cool if I could find a picture of it. Anyways yeah I'd love him as a worm.

The Swede: Caenorhabditis elegans

C. elegans is a species of nematode notable for being the first multicellular organism to have its entire genome sequenced, because it's so simple. I'd definitely love him as a worm.

Black Pete: Lumbricus terrestris

The common earthworm. It's a bit plain, but it plays a vitally important role in its ecosystem. Of course I'd love him as a worm.

Mary: Riftia pachyptila

Also known as the "giant tubeworm," it's capable of surviving in the extremely hot, toxic environments of deep-sea vents, which is almost as impressive as Mary being able to survive living in a house with Stede. Obviously I'd still love her as a worm, she's an icon.

[funnywormz]

for that ask game: your opinion on worms? any kind is fine

OH MAN. worms are one of my special interests (hence the worm themed usernames on my blogs lol) and i have A Lot to say. worm rambling below the cut. ive included some images, so if anyone here is grossed out by worms i would recommend not clicking the keep reading button

OK SO. i love all worms but my specific interest is in flatworms (platyhelminthes) so im going to talk abt them here! im especially into terrestrial flatworms (geoplanidae) but marine flatworms and smaller planarians are also very cool!

one of my favourite things abt flatworms is the variation among them. obv there's a lot of difference at higher taxonomic levels, for example you get

polycladida, the numerous and varied marine flatworms that are free swimming and often have two short tentacles on their heads, and many small ocelli! they are quite large compared to other flatworms in general too!

freshwater triclads, which are small and brown and live in freshwater, and usually (although not always) have two eyes!

and geoplanidae, the terrestrial flatworms, who inhabit gardens everywhere and usually (although, once again, not always) have many small ocelli!

there are more taxonomic classifications, and this isn't rlly a particularly scientific or accurate way to define them, but it's how i tend to split them up in my head lol.

geoplanidae are my favourites bc they're very easy to find where i live, and they're very beautiful and there's so much variation within the family. all of them are carnivorous, and although they will scavenge, they're often active predators and hunt other worms and also gastropods. their many ocelli (eyes) are usually pretty small and they can't see much at all, with the exception of species like the new guinea flatworm (platydemus manokwari), which is invasive in the US and has two large-ish prominent eyes on either side of its snout, and has better visual acuity than most flatworms iirc.

(see its beady wee eyes!!)

the majority of geoplanidae use chemical senses to track down their prey! because snails/slugs and other worms leave trails of slime, which are often imbued with pheromones to attract mates etc, predatory flatworms can track down their prey by following the chemicals in these trails.

once they've found their prey, they will wrap themselves around it and excrete a mucus which they use to slow down their prey. they're very strong as well so will often overpower prey using physical force! after this, they use their eversible pharynx (a kind of muscular tube) to penetrate or grasp their prey. the pharynx produces digestive chemicals through special glands. the prey is effectively digested externally, after which the flatworm will eat it.

it's a little bit horrific, but also very cool imo. flatworms can have mixed impacts on their environments, in native areas they can help control pests and keep the soil healthy, but if they become invasive they can decimate native worms and snails/slugs, which can decrease soil health. it really depends on if they're native or not.

terrestrial flatworms come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes! many of them are pretty small and long with some kind of a stripe going down the middle, as you can see in this personal photo of mine of a newzealandia graffi flatworm:

although there are many brownish flatworms, there are many others that come in lots of different colours, like this creamy-orangey one in another photo of mine (australoplana sp.):

or the blue garden flatworm (not my photo, caenoplana coerulea):

or even beautifully patterned ones like this unidentified flatworm!

within geoplanidae, there are also hammerhead flatworms (subfamily bipaliinae), named so because of their hammer-shaped head, usually lined with ocelli around the edges:

this species is bipalium choristosperma, and is native to borneo iirc! some other species of hammerhead flatworm, i.e. the brownish bipalium kewense (im running out of pics for this post rip so no image for this one but you can google it if you're curious!) are invasive in certain areas of the united states.

other geoplanarians are invasive in some areas, like the aforementioned platydemus manokwari which is also invasive in the US, or the new zealand flatworm (arthurdendyus triangulatus), which is invasive in the UK (despite it being called the new zealand flatworm, i have yet to actually see one irl and i live in its native, non-invasive range lmao 🤷‍♂️). like many other invasive animals, they're very good at getting into places undetected (esp plants/soil being transported, which is how they usually make it into new countries), and are just very efficient little predators. which is unfortunately bad news for gastropods and other worms lol

geoplanarians can also get quite large! check out this Obama eudoximariae specimen (not named after the president lol)

however most are usually a lot smaller than this. the flatworms where i live are usually no longer or wider than my pinky finger.

another cool fact abt flatworms is that many species can survive being cut in half, in fact each half will go on to form a new flatworm! some species will intentionally split themselves in half, or reproduce through "budding" where another flatworm just starts growing on them and eventually splits off. this is all asexual reproduction, but as well as asexual reproduction many species also reproduce sexually and lay eggs. they're such cool little beasts and have so many tricks up their nonexistent sleeves!

many species also glow in the dark under uv light. ive run out of images to add but it's cool as hell, my profile pic on my creature side blog is a photo i took of one of a newzealandia graffi worm glowing under uv light/blacklight. very cool of them to do that

ANYWAYS this post is getting long as hell and i have other stuff to do today so im gonna cut it short here. i hope you enjoyed my worm ramble :-) for anyone who is curious, i post more abt flatworms and other animals i like on my side blog @geoplanidae :-) <3 🪱

[featherwurm]

Fun things I learned while working on Kingdom:

- There are SO MANY WORMS, there are at least 15 phyla which are colloquially called 'worms' (Thorny Headed Worms, Segmented Worms, Arrow Worms, Goblet Worms, Gastrotrich Worms, Jaw Worms, Acorn Worms, Round Worms/Thread Worms, Horsehair Worms/Gordian Worms, Ribbon Worms, Velvet Worms, Horseshoe Worms, Flatworms, Penis Worms, and Peanut Worms.) Long tube (sometimes with some other fiddly bits) I guess is just a really effective body plan!

- There's a lot of phyla with only very limited images or drawings of the members in it - much of the diversity at the phylum level is among very very tiny things. But lots of these animals have amazing lifestyles and adaptations. I got a little fanciful with a few illustrations - trying to draw something that felt somewhere between the distortions of the microscope and a technical scientific diagram.

- Gingko biloba is the only remaining member of it's phyla (ginkgophyta.) Remember that phylums can be huge and diverse - like chordates, that's most of the terrestrial animal life we're all familiar with (mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles,) but the beautiful ginko is now all alone.

- Neocallimastigomycetes are functionally LITTLE TINY MUSHROOMS that live entirely within the guts of ruminate animals and help them to digest plant matter.

- The OCEAN, oh my god the ocean. I love the ocean and everything in it SO SO MUCH. I may have failed in my endeavors to become a marine biologist but my love will never die.

- Sago palms are extremely toxic, and yet humans have figured out how to eat them anyway.

- Classifying red and brown algae is just a fucking nightmare. Fuckin' love kelp though, I truly do.

- There are some REALLY weird plants out there. Like... super alien weird. Welwitschia and Isoetales look sort of normal at first glance but get real fuckin' weird the more you look into their phylogeny. Welwitschia has just two leaves it's entire life (they just keep growing and growing) and Isoetales are just... absurdly basal little plants.

- ANIMALS! Animal means so many things - so many kinds of lives, habitats, sizes, intelligences, life spans. But we're all animals and there all animals too - so many fine branches all from the same thing. Animal isn't just us, animal isn't just the lions and gorillas at the zoo, animal isn't just the birds and the bees, it's bigger and more complex and more varied than can even truly be imagined. There are things that live in thermal vents and eat sulfur, there are things that live only inside of other things, there are so many different ways to BE an animal. And yet here we all are, diverse and strange and beautiful.

[epitaffia]

upon hearing the simple 'sure' from the stranger shoulders relax a tad, & they reveal the funky little colourful slug in hand. it curls slowly within shallow pool of water of the clam shell, seemingly looking for a place to take shelter after being disturbed by an excited doppio, but doesn't break the surface of the water.

❝ i'm pretty sure it's a nudibranch, ❞ they say with pursed painted pink lips & a ponderous expression, ambers flitting from jotaro back down to the marine critter. a part of them remains vigilant of the man, however ... not getting quite so close, even after extending the creature toward him to observe. the dust of an overthrown empire may have settled some, but the effects of their rule stain the present & ripple into the future.

only the other day they were confronted by a stranger, an elderly lady ( a mafioso, undoubtedly ) who'd pulled a gun on them. rumours spreading like wildfire ( she couldn't have possibly known just who she had threatened ).

ignoring the anxious thoughts not their own, doppio mutters thoughtfully to the self, ❝ or maybe a flatworm ? some species look really similar to one-another, ❞ the sea slug is brought within a few inches of their wide curious eyes- it was so tiny ! roughly two or so centimeters if doppio had to guess. ❝ what do you think ? ❞ they ask with curious tone while offering the shell cradling slug to the other guy. he looked to have been glancing about the other tidepools nearby before he'd approached, maybe he had an interest in these neat critters too ... @stardstschlar

Jotaro had not been to Italy in...years.

The last he remembered being here was when Joseph and Caesar were able to stay in one of their many private homes that JiJi had garnered. Plus, he remembered the beach being pristine to the point he never wanted to leave. Unfortunately, his nonno had to convince him with food, and thus he was forced to leave behind one of his most favorite places. After that; there had not been much of a need to come out until he'd gotten word of Dio having a child, whom he sent Koichi to find more about. Giorno Giovanna, his name was.

There was at least one thing he had in common with Dio's spawn; they were biracial. But as far as the Joestar knew, that's as far as their similarities had gone. And from what Koichi had told him of the boy's behavior, he was nothing really like his father at all. Perhaps, maybe, one day he would get to meet him.

What brought Jotaro back to Italy hadn't been for a family reunion, but to locate his missing friend; Polnareff. They had been in communications off and on for a while, until one day he'd received nothing but silence. No word, update, or anything on the case as it had been. Normally, the Joestar chalked it up to the Frenchman being busy and so didn't try bothering him. Until that silence had gone on for an entire year. Things should have been done, he should have heard something by now and yet, still nothing. And of course he wanted to come out to the beach for some research because research was never-ending in the life of a Marine Biologist.

The beach had been quiet - save for the few birds squawking, a person here and there. It wasn't too crowded nor had it been entirely bare. Which, the latter would have been preferred but he couldn't complain. Hands in his pockets the raven haired biologist had leaned over to look into the tide pool; crabs and anemones huddled together. He hadn't realized there was another that close, and with pink hair.

Huh.

Did they think...?

Their question had gotten the man to blink a moment or two, hands remaining in his pockets as he tilted his head. "Sure." Jotaro finally responded after some moments pass, expression still closed off so as to keep his guard up. If they were an enemy stand user, he wanted to be guarded. Though, so far; this guy hadn't seemed like he was completely dangerous. Best not to underestimate. @epitaffia

[encyclopika]

Animal Crossing Fish Explained - Habitats #3

Brought to you by a marine biologist dreaming of a tropical vacation...

CLICK HERE FOR THE AC FISH EXPLAINED MASTERPOST!

We’re staying in the Neritic Zone, or nearshore, for a little bit. Like I said yesterday, the Neritic Zone has so many different types of bottom habitat, and this is because it is within the range in which light penetrates into the ocean (about 200 meters). This is important, because most ecosystems rely on plants or other photosynthesizing organisms to bridge the gap between the energy of the sun and life itself. Just like on land, there are certain habitats that do a better job of supporting and diversifying life than others. On land, those are rainforests. In the ocean, they are coral reefs.

I spoke about coral themselves when I went over the beach shells. Basically, you should know that corals are giant structures made up of tiny animals called coral polyps. Coral polyps are related to jellies and anemones in the phylum Cnidaria. They have a symbiotic, or mutual, relationship with special algae, called zooxanthellae, that live in their tissues. The algae photosynthesize and make food for the polyp, and the polyp is basically its house that ensures that, for as long as they both live, it has access to a great spot in the sun and is protected from predators that otherwise love to chow on algae. 

Coral reefs are the result of countless of these tiny animals settling on top of the empty shells past polyps have left behind over hundreds, thousands, millions of years. You can imagine that corals grow very slowly and only the thin, top layer is “alive” (and defending its turf, preventing other polyps from settling on it). 

^Little coral polyps filter feeding!

So, yeah. Corals are amazing and so beautiful. If you ever get the chance to dive or snorkel over a coral reef, you should. If you’re thinking about a tropical vacation after this pandemic goes away, you’ll be in the right place for corals anyway. Coral reefs, at least the shallow-water variety (there are deep sea corals, but they are beyond the scope of this tank), are exclusively in tropical seas. They require warm waters (but not too warm) and lots of sunlight to feed their algae friends. This means there are only a few places corals really thrive. We’ve all heard of The Great Barrier Reef on the east coast of Australia, but there are other barrier reefs around the world, including one here in the Western Hemisphere off the coast of Belize. Corals also thrive in the Red Sea near Egypt, around the Florida Keys, throughout Indonesia and The Philippines, Hawaii etc etc. They only cover 1% of the seafloor.

There are a bunch of different types of reef systems depending on the geology of the area, and some reefs have taken 30 million years to grow, as is the case for most atolls, like those in the Maldives. 

 Okay, so how much biodiversity do coral reefs support?

A LOT! Like...25% of marine species depend on a coral reef, either for their whole lives, or for just part of it.

Coral reefs not only support a lot of animals, but also humans. About 500 million people worldwide depend on coral reefs for their livelihoods and sustenance. 

ACNH’s coral reef is just gorgeous, and most likely represents an Indo-Pacific coral reef. The animals in this tank are:

Napoleonfish :: Clown Fish :: Butterflyfish :: Surgeonfish :: Spiny Lobster :: Sea Cucumber :: Flatworm :: Spotted Garden Eel :: Slate Pencil Urchin :: Mantis Shrimp :: Pearl Oyster :: Ribbon Eel :: Tiger Prawn :: Mussel :: Umbrella Octopus :: Sea Slug :: Sea Grapes :: Sea Anemone :: Gigas Giant Clam :: Lobster (who shouldn’t be in this damn tank)

And there you have it. Fascinating stuff, no?

[dogboy-willgraham]

Can I ask what your banner picture is? It... Looks like a fancy crystal to me.

It’s a marine flatworm my dear! They’re personally worth as much as a fancy crystal to me, but they are not shiny rocks. Still amazing, they’re actually really cool, some have regeneration abilities!! (I’ll shut up before I go on too long.) But yeah, it’s a marine flatworm. 

[friday-sea-creatures]

FSC: 6-29-18

It's Friday once again, sea creature lovers! Sit back, relax and enjoy...

I'm excited to announce that this week we have a special guest, my good friend Dr. Amy, who has an actual PhD in Sea Creatures. I hear the University of Chicago doesn't just hand those things out so I think she must be pretty good at Sea Creatures. But I'll let her tell you herself:

"I have a Ph.D in Evolutionary Biology [Ed. Note: also known as Sea Creatures] from The University of Chicago. My research has focused on marine ecology and biodiversity. For my thesis, I studied the sand dollar Dendraster excentricus, which our Pacific coast dwellers are likely to be familiar with as something they might not have realized was ever alive. I’ve been studying marine invertebrates since 2010, when I took Invertebrate Zoology at Berkeley and suffered several weeks of nightmares about worms. My research on snails, sea slugs, crabs, mussels, and more have taken me throughout California, Washington state, and the Bahamas in search of colorful things with unfamiliar body plans."

I asked her to provide some tidbits about this week's sea creature. Which is, by the way:

The Bobbitt Worm (Eunice aphroditois)

Bobbitt Facts:

Let's get this out of the way first: the Bobbitt worm is terrifying. (Seriously, don't watch that video in a dark room.)

My own research indicated that they could grow to be 6' long, but Dr. Amy informs me that in fact there are documented cases of Bobbitt worms growing to over twenty feet in length. Says Dr. Amy, "luckily, they’re still only an inch across, so they’d probably only take off like one finger or so." 

Where can you find these monstrosities? "Species of Bobbitt worms are     found worldwide, at least in Norway and Taiwan and North Carolina. So     avoid those places." Good advice, Dr. Amy!

Oh BTW they're venomous too. Their venom can cause permanent nerve damage. In humans.

The Bobbitt worm is named after Lorena Bobbitt, who is famous for cutting off her husband's junk (he deserved it TBH). Yet again we see that it really seems like sea creatures hate the patriarchy? Keep fighting the good fight, Bobbitt worms.

If fish keep disappearing from your aquarium, you might have a Bobbitt worm problem. At an aquarium in Cornwall, workers noticed that fish were disappearing and coral kept getting sliced in half(!) before eventually discovering a 4' worm in the tank. They named it Barry.

Why is it rainbow colored? "I actually have no idea," says Dr. Amy. Some things will forever remain a mystery to science. My hypothesis? Permanently celebrating pride month.

Any final thoughts, Dr. Amy?

"Bobbitt worms are probably like my 15th scariest worm or so, because parasites are the true nightmare fuel, and maybe my 10th favorite worm overall, because flatworms and sipunculids are awesome. Solid B+ worm."

There you have it, folks.

[secretivemessenger]

1. No i don't infact ily thats why m giving those

2. Male octopi risk their lives to have sex

3. Sharks give the most hickies

4. Flatworms fight each other with their penises during sex

5. Female angler fish literally absorb the males during reproduction

6. Idk where i heard it but apparently you can die if a some marine animals cum inside you a lot?? Idk-

~d@®|×

1- awww ily too i only said that cuse i wanted to post this pic

2- damn why tf all this just for orgasm 💀💀

3- damn i want a lover who kins sharks

4- light sabres war??

5- how, what 😭💀

6- i am horrified wtf 💀 how would that even-

[machudson]

need 2 figure out . a tagging system that in one way or another covers Every animal……

thankfully #marine covers like Most phyla. out of 30ish total phyla there are like 14 that are too bizarre and tiny to worry about. i mean tiny in both like quantity of described species and in like actual size. Have you ever seen a placozoan? I bet the Fuck Not. anyways I’ll probably do a worm tag because there are like at least 6 phyla that can be called worms. (22k annelids + >25k nematodes + 20k? flatworms + 1.3k nemertea lol + …..120 chaetognaths + only 22 priapulid worms WHAT. + a few other minor phyla. = like 69k described species lmao nice. don’t take my word for that tho these numbers are super fucking rounded) oh and acorn worms. whatever

ok then there’s. sponges ctenophores cnidarians echinoderms which are all not worms and definitely marine. im not gonna try to do a species count here actually. but that’s all pretty straightforward. bryozoans also in here. No special tag for these guys they’re just marine

chordata is like 65k species in total? and a solid 30k+ are counted under my marine tag. #beasts is for all mammals which is like 6400 extant species (89 cetaceans + 34 pinnipeds + 13 otters + 4 sirenians = 140 mammal species covered by #marine. if we’re being particular.) unfortunately tho I ddddddont yet have tags for amphibians reptiles or birds (except for a frog tag but I haven’t used it in forever and it doesn’t count salamanders. or caecilians can you imagine deliberately excluding those poor guys.) extra note there are several groups of mammals that get their own tags (goats sheep tamanduas and uh like hamspers i think. I would like to tuch it-style domesticated rodents.)

arthropoda is very very large species wise so im absolutely not going to attempt to do any species tallies but! the decision here is that arachnids, hexapods, isopods, and myriapods are in #entomo and everything else is for the time being in #marine. terrestrial crabs go fuck ur selves. marine isopods are in both <3

which brings me to mollusks. now for the most part this is simple. bivalves are marine. cephalopods are marine. chitons are marine. but GASTROPODS. have MANY TERRESTRIAL SPECIES. Including BANANA SLUGS MY DEARLY BELOVED. and I don’t know what I’m going to do about the terrestrial gastropods. and im too tired to decide now. Lol

[ven0m0th]

i know it’s not a bug, but what do you think about marine flatworms :0 some of them have such weird alien designs, they might be a little bit up ur alley

i love them, are they also known as sea slugs or is there some way of telling them apart? not too knowledgeable on sea life