#mixed-species environments

[informationatlas]

Scientists believe that the remarkable intelligence of beluga whales is demonstrated by their ability to learn and communicate using the complex language of whistles and clicks. This has been observed in a specific case where a beluga whale, living in captivity alongside a pod of bottlenose dolphins, has successfully acquired and adopted their unique language.

(via Beluga whale learns to 'talk' to pod of bottlenose dolphins )

[reasonsforhope]

"Inspired by an innovative Chilean forest restoration effort, the English town of Lewes is enlisting the help of dog walkers to rewild a local nature reserve.

Heavily degraded by foot traffic, the project co-opts dogs’ tendency to run about in the woods to spread wildflower seed from saddlebags strapped to a harness around the dog’s abdomen.

The idea mimics the function that wolves once played in that part of England, roaming over vast distances getting grass and flower seeds stuck in their coat, only to fall off and germinate somewhere else.

This helter-skelter seed-spreading is actually how many plants evolved to reproduce, and it’s key to maintaining a biodiverse and native ecosystem.

“We’re really interested in rewilding processes, but they often involve reintroducing big herbivores like bison or wild horses,” said manager Dylan Walker from the Railway Land Wildlife Trust who organized the project back in 2019.

“In a smaller urban nature reserve it’s really hard to do those things. So, to replicate the effect that those animals have on the ecosystem we aimed to utilize the vast number of dog walkers that are visiting the nature reserve daily.”

The saddlebags are filled with a variety of perennial plant seeds mixed together with sand. This allows the seed to be spread for longer across larger distances, while also providing a helpful tracking sign to inform the Trust’s employees where dogs are walking.

THE REWILDING MOVEMENT IN ENGLAND…

Salmon Return to the Heart of UK for First Time in 100 Years After Dam Removal: ‘It’s very rewarding’

‘Give Nature Space and it Will Come Back’: Rewilding Returns Endangered Species to UK Coast

Farmer Combats Flooding by Returning Creeks to Nature: ‘Wildlife That Has Come is Phenomenal’

Finally Rid of Invasive Shrubs, Scientists Use Lichen to Regrow the Celtic Rainforest in Loch Lomond, Scotland

2 Beavers Named Hazel and Chompy Reintroduced to English County–the First Ones to Live Here in 400 Years

“I signed up because it sounded like such a good fit. I was asked to place a harness on my chocolate cocker spaniel called Bertie and he ran around spreading seeds like wolves used to do many years ago,” Cressida Murray, a dog walker who regularly uses the nature reserve, told The Guardian. 

Wolves were persecuted to extinction in England as early as the reign of Henry VII, who reigned during the latter third of the 15th century.

“A community-based project like this not only helps engage and teach people about the ecological impacts of wildlife but also allows us to make our wildlife and environments richer in the process,” said Walker."

-via Good News Network, July 30, 2024

[shirecorn]

What we call "ponies" are actually 3 different species that have managed to intertwine with each other through centuries of love and friendship.

Earth ponies are unique in their strength and solid, powerful hooves built for running and moving heavy objects. Ancient ponies only displayed earth tones in their fur and hair, but even one pegasus ancestor many generations ago can imbue colorful hues to all their descendents.

Pegasus are completely covered in feathers, with long feathers forming crests much like horses' mane and tails. They are usually the smallest species, but some exceptions do appear. Hooves are usually small and cloven, with prehensile dewclaws for gripping branches and perching in trees.

Unicorns are much closer to deer than horses, and their horns are actually a set of two antlers that wind around each other from a single base. The coiled structure pulls magic from the world around them and concentrates it at the tip, allowing the unicorn to cast whatever spells it wishes, while the other species can only use magic for flight and affecting the environment.

That is, until new alicorns began to ascend and through their power, grant magical properties to intangible concepts like friendship and love

Alicorns are mysterious, ethereal giants who fill the entire sky as they pass by. They are not a mix of unicorns, pegasus, and earth ponies, but a creature beyond any of the species; an ascended form that could supposedly happen to anyone... But but that's just an old foals' tale. Right?

[powdermelonkeg]

Trying to figure out TP Link's diet based on his environment.

Livestock-wise, we've got cuccos and goats. That means

Eggs

Milk

Butter

Cheese

Potentially meat, but I don't think they get eaten unless they're old. Too valuable otherwise | EDIT: Oh yeah you need to breed goats every couple years to get milk. Add in cabrito veal!

And we know for a fact that Ordon Goat Cheese specifically is a thing. Stamped wheel and everything.

There's also fish

And bees/hornets(? It's called bee larva, but the enemy is a Hylian Hornet)

Useful for bait, but Link can eat them.

Did some more research, and apparently in Japan they eat wasp larvae? Specifically in Kushihara. So I'm counting it.

Then plants-wise we have pumpkins

And...corn. Somehow. I've never seen corn growing, but Link has some hanging in his house, so it exists.

I'm choosing to believe it comes from these plants that grow in patches around Ordon.

That gives us a lot. We've got

Cornstarch

Cornmeal

Corn oil

Corn shoots

Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seed oil

Pumpkin flour

Pumpkin blossoms

No source of sugar, but depending on how the pumpkins in Ordon taste, they could be naturally sweet. Like pie pumpkins. Also corn syrup is a thing if it's a sweet corn. So corn syrup needs cream of tartar which comes from grapes and apples and such. It's a byproduct of wine. No corn syrup.

Edit: Malt sugar, though!

Now for hypothetical foods.

Ordon is surrounded by pine trees, so that adds pine needle tea and pine nuts to the mix. I was a little worried about species, but apparently there are a lot of pine trees that make edible seeds, so on the list it goes.

Then there are frogs near Rusl and Uli's house, wild songbirds on cliffs, and a squirrel that talks to Link directly, so those are huntable sources of meat.

Is horse grass a cattail? Maybe? Initially, I thought it was—the ends look like cattail seedpuffs, but the leaves are completely different.

I want to treat them like cattails. Cattails that also are probably the main food source for Epona and the goats.

If we do that, that means, on top of all the other uses cattails have like stuffing and tinder and antiseptic, we get

Roots

Shoots

Ground seeds

Can't find a good match for hawk grass though. Concluding that that's not edible. Equivalent exchange and all.

Side note, how do you think horse grass spreads? It's almost always in groups of two or more plants, so that suggests rhizomes, but the image of Link picking one up to blow and stuffing flying out the end of the horseshoe is hilarious to me.

Up next, there are ferns, primarily near trees. After very careful and way-too-deep analysis of a pixelated fern's leaves, I think it's bracken fern.

Which is mildly poisonous.

And also edible.

On the list it goes!

Then finally, Sera has some kind of herb hanging in her shop.

I don't know what it is. I'm calling it Ordon Spice. Congratulations, Ordon Pumpkin Spice is now a thing.

[thelightfluxtastic]

Dungeon Meshi is like...the polar opposite of Same Face Syndrome.

Characters stay recognizable in different outfits, different haircuts, different environments, even different races/species.

It's an amazing showcase of Ryoko Kui's character design work, but it also makes things easier for the reader! I don't end up confusing "character at an older age" with "character's father". When half a dozen elves were introduced all at the same time, it took a while to learn their names, but I never got them mixed up. Action scenes are easier to follow. Designs foreshadow plot and character backstory. As the plot expands to include bunches and bunches of characters, it's easier not to lose track of everyone.

[headspace-hotel]

Chemically sterilized...or mechanically sterilized?

It is clear that applying chemicals to your yard and landscape, be it fertilizers, weed killers, or pesticides, has devastating effects to the community of life that is present in every place.

But is the terrifying decline in insects explainable by chemicals alone?

When i am in mowed environments, even those that I know have no lawn chemicals, they are almost entirely empty of life. There are a few bees and other insects on the dandelions, but not many, and the only birds I see are American robins, Grackles, and European starlings.

Even without any weed killers at all, regular mowing of a lawn type area eliminates all but a few specially adapted weeds.

The plants of a lawn where I live include: Mouse ear chickweed, Birds-eye Speedwell, Common blue violet, Dandelion, Wild Garlic, Creeping charlie, White Clover, Black Medick, Broad-leaved plantain, Mock Strawberry, Crabgrass, Small-flowered Buttercup, Ribwort Plantain, Daisy Fleabane, a few common sedges, Red Deadnettle...That sounds like a lot of plants, but the problem is, almost all of them are non-native species (Only Violets, Daisy Fleabane, and the sedges are native!) and it's. The Same. Species. Everywhere. In. Every. Place.

How come...? Because mowed turf is a really specific environment that is really specifically beneficial to a number of almost entirely European plants, and presents stressors that most plants (including almost all native north american plants) simply can't cope with.

The plants mentioned above are just the flowering weeds. The grasses themselves, the dominant component of the lawn, are essentially 100% invasive in North America, many of them virulently and destructively invasive.

Can you believe that Kentucky bluegrass isn't even native to Kentucky? Nope, it's European! The rich pasture of the Bluegrass region of Kentucky was predominantly a mix of clover, other legumes, and bamboo. The clovers—Kentucky clover, Running buffalo clover, and buffalo clover—are highly endangered now (hell, kentucky clover wasn't even DISCOVERED until 2013) and the bamboo—Giant rivercane, Arundinaria gigantea—has declined in its extent by 98%. Do European white and red clovers fulfill the niches that native clovers once did? Dunno, probably not entirely.

One of the biggest troubles with "going native" is that North America legitimately does not have native grass species that really fill the niche of lawn. Most small, underfoot grassy plants are sedges and they are made for shady environments, and they form tufts and fancy sprays, not creeping turf. Then there's prairie grasses which are 10 feet tall.

What this means, though, is that lawns don't even remotely resemble environments that our insects and birds evolved for. Forget invasive species, lawns are an invasive BIOME.

It's a terrible thing, then, that this is just what we do to whatever random land we don't cover in concrete: back yards, road margins, land outside of churches and businesses, spaces at the edges of fields, verges at bypasses and gas stations...

Mowing, in the north american biomes, selects for invasive species and promotes them while eliminating native species. There's no nice way to put it. The species that thrive under this treatment are invasive.

And unfortunately mowing is basically the only well-known and popular tool even for managing meadow and prairie type "natural" environments. If you want to prevent it from succeeding to forest, just mow it every couple of years.

This has awful results, because invasive species like Festuca arundinacea (a plant invented by actual Satan) love it and are promoted, and the native species are harmed.

Festuca arundinacea, aka Tall Fescue, btw is the main grass that you'll find in cheap seed mixes in Kentucky, but it's a horrific invasive species that chokes everything and keeps killing my native meadow plants. It has leaves like razor blades (it's cut me so deeply that it scarred) and has an endosymbiont in it that makes horses that eat it miscarry their foals.

And this stuff is ALL OVER the "prairie" areas where I work, like it's the most dominant plant by far, because it thrives on being mowed while the poor milkweeds, Rattlesnake Master and big bluestems slowly decline and suffer.

It's wild how hard it is to explain that mowing is a very specific type of stressor that many plants will respond very very negatively to. North American plants did not evolve under pressures that involved being squished, crushed, snipped to 8 inches tall uniformly and covered in a suffocating blanket of shredded plant matter. That is actually extremely bad for many of the prairie plants that are vital keystone species. Furthermore it does not control invasive species but rather promotes them.

Native insects need native plant cover. Many of them co-evolved intimately with particular host plants. Many others evolved to eat those guys. And Lord don't get me started on leaf removal, AKA the greatest folly of all humankind.

So wherever there is a mowed environment, regardless of the use of chemicals or not, the bugs don't have the structural or physical habitat characteristics they evolved for and they don't have the plant species they evolved to be dependent on.

Now let's think about three-dimensional space.

This post was inspired when I saw several red winged blackbirds in the unmowed part of a field perching on old stems of Ironweed and goldenrod. The red-winged blackbirds congregated in the unmowed part of the field, but the mowed part was empty. The space in a habitat is not just the area of the land viewed from above as though on a map. Imagine a forest, think of all the squirrels and birds nesting and sitting on branches and mosses and lichens covering the trunks and logs. The trees extend the habitat space into 3 dimensions.

Any type of plant cover is the same. A meadow where the plants grow to 3 feet tall, compared with a lawn of 6 inches tall, not only increases the quality of the habitat, it really multiplies the total available space in the habitat, because there is such a great area of stems and leaves for bugs and birds to be on. A little dandelion might form a cute little corner store for bugs, A six foot tall goldenrod? That's a bug skyscraper! It fits way more bugs.

It's not just the plants themselves, it's the fallen leaves that get trapped underneath them—tall meadow plants seem to gather and hoard fallen leaves underneath. More tall plants is also more total biomass, which is the foundation of the whole food chain!

Now consider light and shade. Even a meadow of 3ft tall plants actually shades the ground. Mosses grow enthusiastically even forming thick mats where none at all could grow in the mowed portions. And consider also amphibians. They are very sensitive to UV light, so even a frog that lives in what you see as a more "open" environment, can be protected by some tall flowers and rushes but unable to survive in mowed back yard

[yellydany]

VAMPIRE KILLER FROG 🐸 🩸 (Nosferas Venari) Also known as Eztlicueyatl (Blood frog) or Tzinacamiztli (Bat death)

"A voracious amphibian-like species that adapted to hunt vampires. Its origins are vague and shrouded in mystery but an hypothesis suggests it could have been the result of selective breeding or nature’s “way” of dealing with the ecological imbalance vampires caused through centuries. Whichever the reason, one thing is clear: these hunters evolved in such fashion they became the night creatures’ bane.

Every bodily function feels almost engineered in eerie accuracy to strike at their very weaknesses- such as the tip of the tail (bone) they sharpen to resemble a stake, the muscle reflexes and athletic composition to catch up with their supernatural agility and a blackened coat which absorbs the bouncing light of nocturnal eyes paired with drastically lowering their body temperature (essentially becoming ‘invisible’ in the dark). Although they may prefer a stealthy approach they show no fear if they must engage in direct confrontation. There’s no sexual dimorphism albeit females are more common in nature compared to the rare male sights and not much is known about the behavior with others of their kind as they are solitary. But such is their intelligence that it would be safe to assume they study- and learn from both their prey’s movement and environments given the observations on this beast.

Worse yet- for vampires- they have more cunning ways of hunting for a meal.

The Nosferas frog is able to produce a unique secretion mix of blood, mucus and gastric fluids which is all over their bodies- from the inside and out. More interestingly they have a way to regulate its acidic components to either use as a melting gag weapon, dissolving and trapping pathogens or simply increasing its PH. Essentially, the body is extremely moldable thanks to this odd slimy substance that makes it almost feel like liquid and comes in handy in various situations such as protecting their brood eggs by swallowing them. It is also the most crucial function in the capturing of their vampiric prey as the scent of this bloody secretion lures them and other carnivores in. Once they come in sight they eject their multiple stomachs through gastric eversion to latch onto the victim and begin the digestion early. The vampire skulls are then proudly kept and displayed given the very transparent look of the lower side of the body.

Despite it being a terrifying organism by all means, they have shown vague signs of affection toward humans- some of whom have tamed and kept them as exotic guardian pets against the supernatural plague. In most areas of the land however they underwent a ban given their dangerous and unsettling nature."

[lingrimmart]

We're excited to announce that we've completed the base for our adopt species, Bulochki aka Bao! With this base, you can create adopts or personal characters—or maybe both! :>

Price for this base: $7

Comment or DM to buy it!

What you can do:

Create/sell adopts

Make personal characters

Modify/add details

Guidelines:

Credit us

Don’t claim as your own

Don’t mix with other species

Don’t resell the base

P.S. We've included examples of designs we've made using the base. Remember, these are not for sale; they're custom designs purchased by others. Feel free to get inspired, but please don't copy ;>

Bulochki are a yokai clan from a world called Fukuide. So, quite literally, they are ghosts or spiritual beings. While some of these spirits are kind to humans and other creatures, others can be quite evil. However, most of the time, they remain neutral.

Bulochki can also absorb human spiritual remains, known as Echos. By doing this, they can change their appearance or even their character.

It's also known that Bulochki are very sensitive to their environment. Though they love to travel, when they stay in one place for a long time, the atmosphere affects them significantly. In pure and peaceful places like temples, they become rounder in shape and calmer in nature. Conversely, in "evil" places, their appearance and demeanor change accordingly.

Some of them can occasionally form friendships with mortals, such as humans. When this happens, they become stronger and more dragon-like, drawing power from the mortal's willpower and emotions.

However, some Bulochki become corrupted by negative places or after killing a human (or any other mortal). As a result, they transform into evil, haunting versions of themselves.

These corrupted Bulochki often fixate on negative ideas, causing people to suffer. This behavior gives rise to "urban legends" and dark stories about haunted places. Such Bao may repeatedly act out specific scenarios, like killing anyone who can't answer three questions or targeting people wearing red outfits, etc.

[bethanythebogwitch]

Welcome to a topsy-turvy Wet Beast Wednesday where I'm discussing one of my favorite cnidarians, the upside-down jellyfish. These are 8 species of jellyfish in the genus Cassiopea, which is the only member of the family Cassiopeidae. What makes these jellies notable is the fact that they spend most of their time lying upside-down on the seafloor.

(image: an upside-down jellyfish swimming. It has a light brown and white striped bell and multiple tentacles that are tuck and white. The tentacles branch and are lined with feathery, light brown structures)

While the majority of jellyfish are predators who drift through the water at the mercy of the currents, upside-down jellyfish have essentially become farmers. Their eight branched oral arms that contain symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae. These algae are photosynthetic and live in a mutualistic relationship with the jellyfish. The jellyfish gets food from the zooxanthellae and they get protection from predators and a place to live. Upside-down jellyfish can survive entirely on the nutrients produced by the zooxanthellae, but they will still feed on zooplankton and other small prey. Upside-down jellies are not the only jellyfish to utilize zooxanthellae, many other species also survive primarily on their symbiotic algae, but they are the only ones to have adapted the benthic lifestyle. They can reach a bell diameter of up to 25 cm (10 inches), or as one source for this stated: about the size of a pie pan.

(image: multiple upside-down jellyfish lying on sand. They are ov various sizes and mostly light brown, but have thicker, green tentacles sticking op)

Upside-down jellyfish are found in warm coastal waters in Florida and the Caribbean and in Micronesia, Melanesia, and parts of Polynesia. They require shallow waters to allow enough light to reach their zooxanthellae and are usually found on shady or muddy bottoms. They are highly associated with mangroves and may play an important role in the mangrove habitats by mixing the water to recirculate oxygen and nutrients. They are rarely found alone, instead congregating in large groups that can cover portions of the seafloor. They attach by using their bells as suction cups and rhythmically pulse using the edges of the bell. This pulsing forces water over the gills and can force zooplankton into the stinging cells to become food. Stung prey will fall on the oral tentacles, where it is broken down into fragments that are then intaken through the numerous tiny oral openings on the tentacles. Interestingly, some species have cycles of reduced movement, which is believed to be the first known example of sleep in an animal without a central nervous system. While upside-down jellies can swim, they will usually only do so to escape predators or if their environment becomes unsuitable.

(image: an upside-down jellyfish swimming. The majority of its body is light brown, but it has many tentacles that are dark blue and outlined in white)

While a very neat thing to see underwater, many snorkelers avoid upside-down jellyfish due to a phenomenon called stinging water. This is when people will receive the symptoms of a sting by the jellyfish without actually touching it. While the cause of this was a mystery for a long time, it was solved when a 2020 paper was published in Communications Biology by Ames et al. The scientists discovered that upside-down jellies release clumps of mucus into the water. This mucus is filled with zooxanthellae and stinging cells and many of these clumps also have ciliated cells that allow for limited swimming. These clumps, named cassiosomes, are the source of the stinging water. The paper, titled "cassiosomes are stinging-cell structures in the mucus of the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana" speculated that the cassiosomes are used for defense and feeding. The cassiosomes could be released to sting a potential predator from a distance, discouraging it from approaching the jellyfish. Presumably snorkelers trigger this defense when they swim over the jellies, resulting in stinging water. They could also be used to catch prey as zooplankton killed by the stinging cells would have a high likelihood of falling onto the jelly that released them. Because the cassiosomes have zooanthellae in them, they could survive for likely up to several days after release.

(image: a microscope image of three cassiosomes. They are irregularly-shaped blobs somewhat similar to popcorn. They are a dark color with grey outlines. Spots of green algae and white stinging cells dot their surface)

Upside-down jellyfish are threatened by habitat loss as many mangrove forests are torn down for development. They are also threatened by pollution. They are not considered dangerous to humans. The sting of an upside-down jellyfish can result in mild to severe rashes and itching, but is not lethal.

(gif: a lone, light brown upside-down jellyfish on black sediment. The edge of its flat, circular bell regularly pulse upward to move air over its gills and tentacles. This one's pulsing has slowed, which is speculated to be the result of it going through its sleep cycle)

[markscherz]

A friend of mine sent me a yt video of a guy who was relocating frog eggs (prolly a vernal pool) and showed 1000s of baby frogs coming out of the water in his backyard. she asked me how I felt about it as a ecologist. I felt like it was irresponsible to do, especially to post videos on it, but probably not "ecological terrorism" like people in the comments were saying, because I see baby frogs in nature come out of water in hoards sometimes too. Kind of a mixed bag.

But I wanted to ask you, since you're a herpetologist and waaay more experienced than me: how do you feel about the yt channel "frog army YouTube"?

Many frogs and toads are classical R-strategists. Some toads can lay 20+ THOUSAND eggs in a single clutch. The whole point of that strategy is that not all of the offspring survive. In fact, it would be really rather bad if all of the offspring were to survive, because (1) they wouldn't be feeding the predators and decomposers that live off of their noble sacrifice, and (2) they will require massively more resources than they otherwise would. It can have all kinds of detrimental down-stream effects.

This is the reason we often see swarms of tadpoles darkening some small pools (especially ones where there are no fish!), and later hoards of froglets (that's the technical term) emerging from pools at once. It's an evolutionary strategy, that only few individuals survive to achieve reproductive age.

Point 1: it is *fine* if not all the tadpoles survive to adulthood. That's how the system is supposed to work. You are not doing the system favours if you are changing tadpole survivorship to 100%.

Now, humans really are fucking things up in a lot of environments. Environmental pollutants, like heavy metals, can cause major issues for wildlife, and especially frogs, which (1) are not as vagile as e.g. birds and medium- to large-sized mammals and thus cannot escape the problem zone effectively, and (2) are EXTRA sensitive to the environment because of their permeable skin.

Point 2: we do have some responsibility to do something if we notice that there is a major problem emerging, which could dramatically alter the population dynamics for one or more generations of frogs.

However, *moving* clutches of eggs that are found in polluted pools is not the right move, especially for your average person. There are many reasons that it is not the right move, but chief among them are

(1) A lot of frogs that lay eggs in vernal pools have tadpoles that cannot survive being in larger ponds, and certainly cannot survive in streams or other bodies of flowing water.

(2) A lot of frogs that lay their eggs in vernal pools are already adapted to less than ideal conditions, and have excellent strategies to overcome those conditions, such as incredibly quick metamorphosis (sometimes just a few days!)

(3) By moving clutches of eggs, you could easily be moving the pathogens or pollutants that are causing the problem in the first place.

(4) If there is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis fungus around, you are spreading chytrid, and that is VERY bad. Chytridiomycosis has already driven several frog species to extinction, and caused massive population collapse in several others.

(5) If you do not know the species, attempts to rescue them might be aiding the advance of an invasive species.

(6) It's often illegal to intervene! Many species are protected by law, and you are not allowed to remove them from the wild. Consult your local laws.

Point 3: the responsibility to do something does not include removing the frogs and raising a frog army.

So what should we do if we find a clutch of eggs in an oily pool? Or in a nearly dried out puddle?

First assess the nature of the problem. Is the pool just about to dry out? Then leave it alone. The tadpoles will probably be fine (and if they're not, they'll provide rich nutrients to predators and decomposers). But are there signs of pollution? Then assess: is the pollution covering a larger area? Or is it localised? If you find dead frogs or other amphibians is a major warning sign, and it needs to be brought to the relevant authorities. Contact your local environmental agency/department, and notify them of the precise location of the problem, and its extent. Document everything with photos and videos.

Point 4: there are organisations and agencies specifically tasked with intervening in cases of environmental damage. It is *your* job to bring it to their attention, but unless instructed by them, you need not take any further action. It is their job to know what to do, and to take appropriate action.

TL;DR: 'Raising a frog army' is for the likes, not the frogs, and is not environmentally responsible or ethically defensible. Build a home for the frogs, and they will come.

[heavenlyraindrops]

Fantasy World Building: Species/ Countries,Nations, Tribes

I said in my world building checklist post I would make a separate post for this so here u go besties 😄👊

things to consider when writing a fantasy book with different species and nationalities in it ‼️

Appearance

What defines their species looks wise?

features such as nose shape, hair texture (if they even have hair), skin tones should be considered

what environment/ climate/ habitat they come from will affect their physical traits

which features are more common in them?

maybe species A are known for having super pale skin and really long, pale-almost-translucent-hair- while species B are known for tanned skin, pale slitted eyes and wild curly hair

what about other FANTASY physical features such as

wings, webbed feet and hands, slitted eyes, pointed ears, tails, clawed fingers

differenr types of THOSE features

As in different types of wings, different shapes of pointy ears, different types of tails blah blah blah

differences between their features in diff stages of life

differences between the genders

also sizes, average heights and all that jazz

Abilities

Physical and magical

lets start with physical

maybe species A are known for being quick and agile

and species B are slow and lumbering

maybe species A are super flexible

and species B are very strong

consider these points:

agility

strength

intelligence

their physical traits as well, such as allergies, resistance to certain things ect.

like how maybe some species are allergic to a certain metal

maybe some are resistant to certain diseases

maybe some don’t burn and are resistant to heat

alr now magical!

do these species have magic at all?

if so, what kind of magic? (Gonna make a separate post for magic)

is this magic woven into their physical being?

are they born with it?

Or do they learn it?

does it come to them naturally? Or do they use incantations, books, artifacts, ect? (Again, separate post for this shit)

is there certain magic they can’t do?)

Culture

Traditions

superstitions

festivals

religion

clothing styles

architecture

famous figures in their community

mythology

places of importance to them, religious or in other ways idk, for example we have Makkah for Islam

accessories

things they believe to be sacred

prejudiced beliefs

Reputation / other stuff idk

Stereotypes

are they persecuted in certain countries?

other rival religions, countries or nations

who are they looked down upon by?

what are they known for?

e.g., being kind, being bloodthirsty, being miserly, being isolated/ secretive/ elusive

how are they treated? Are they seen as a superior species/race?

Do they mix with other races when it comes to marraige, relationships, friendships, business? there’s loads more so I might make a part two if people ask me to, hope this helped 👊 😄

[isatling-husbandry-guide]

Talked to a friend today who has an Odile, and realized that not a lot of people in my area know that Odiles can have enclosures that aren’t strictly Ka-Bue styled? And that maybe other people ALSO don’t know this??

For context, I live in the costal Poteria region. Odiles aren’t the most common here, as most people prefer Islander species like Siffrins or Loops due to their uses in theater and their striking/unique appearance being a big draw for us- along with Poterian species as well, of course. Odiles aren’t very common in my area, so it didn’t shock me too much, but: woah!! Odiles are so cool and allow so much enclosure variety- what do you mean you’re worried about mixing up her tank??? Have fun with it!! It’s healthy!!

Odiles are a much more flexible species than most people believe. Their reputation as “unloving” or “avoidant” couldn’t be further from true: it’s just that they’re less likely to express affection through physical means or gift-giving.

Enclosure wise, an Odile can have so much variety and freedom in their environment decor. Ka Bue styled enclosures are definitely a good option, and some of them can get perfectly elaborate! It’s an understandably popular style to go for, but there’s somehow still a misconception that it’s the only allowed style. In truth, an Odile can be placed in any style enclosure as well and still thrive (it can be noted that they actually benefit just as much, sometimes even more, in Vaugardian styled ones or with Change-cycling decor methods, meaning things in the enclosure are shifted around every so often). An Odile needs an environment that interests her: if there is nothing to observe, she’ll get bored and irritated. This leaves SO MUCH room for creativity and personality for an Odile enclosure! Please use it!!!

Really, there’s no perfect enclosure for an Odile (beyond making sure it isn’t incredibly tall). Instead, you’ll find your Odile is happier with tankmates (yes, multiple) of nearly any sort.

[cherryfennec]

So this was originally supposed to have a kickass artwork of the bros using the power- up and stuff but then I got sick and then I realised Im out of time and here we are so uh hieee everyone and welcome to my post-

Happy MAR10 Day! For the occasion, let's go back to the (not discussed in a long time) Power-Up headcanons. This time I'll focus on the Ice Flower (most of the lore under cut like last time)!

This was surprisingly requested by some (3) people. I'm going to be honest, I barely remembered this one at first. I kinda know how it looks and generally what it does, which will have to be enough to base this entire thing on. With that being said, I did some thinking and here's what I've got:

General headcanons;

This one has difficulty surviving outside of it's original environment. If you want to keep a batch in the house your best bet is to use the fridge/freezer, otherwise it looses both it's blue look and the stored energy. See, the Ice Flower originally wasn't (and still technically isn't) it's own flower species. Let me elaborate:

Nowadays the conditions there are not as harsh, however a rather long time ago travelers heading towards places like the Snow Mountain needed to be both be specially trained and very well equipped to even attempt a climb. A heat source was a big must, and it so happens that it often consisted of Fire Flowers. They'd put some in their coats to keep warm, as well as store a few in the backpack just in case they needed to protect themselves from monsters. When setting camp during their journeys these hikers would use the Power-Ups energy to start fires and cook food. After the flowers were depleted of their energy and entered their hibernation stage (I talked about it in my Fire Flower post), they would be simply thrown away like trash. Waiting for them to recharge was often not beneficial, especially in conditions like this, so there was ultimately no point in keeping them. However like I mentioned before, Fire Flowers are very adaptable, which actually wasn't that known at the time. Instead of wilting, these stubborn plants would try gathering energy like the usual, but since it was very cold and direct sunlight was limited, they decided to collect something else. While not all flowers made it, a few managed to amass the eminating frost and turn it into a new kind of energy which proved to be enough for their survival. With time even their petal colour changed to blueish hues. And thus the Fire Flowers in the area became Ice Flowers and over the years started populating the mountains and snowfields.

The Ice Flower is a multiple use Power-Up in theory but more often than not you'll find yourself without a place to freeze it after using one. If it's not placed in a cold environment during it's hibernation it'll either die or, more uncommonly, simply revert back to being a Fire Flower after a long process.

Mario and Luigi specific headcanons;

While the idea of being able to freeze stuff sounded cool it wasn't very fun to learn.

In Marios case imagine: you're good at something, really, REALLY good at something. Okay great, now imagine being told that your knowledge doesn't matter because now you need to do the opposite of what you've learned. Back with the theme of "elements don't mix", Mario absolutely hated how much effort he needed to put into focusing the newfound energy to barely make a tiny projectile. Even before he got the Firebrand he had enough difficulty with it, so it only got worse from there. This was one of the rare times where learning the bare basics instead of mastering a Power-Up was enough for him.

Luigi didn't really mind. The main complications came more from the vague instructions he received during training rather than his own inability. Suprisingly or not the Thunderhand didn't make this one much of a pain either, I guess anomalies attract eachother. While he doesn't consider this Power-Up as a favourite he still finds it pretty fun that he can freeze and walk on water. Did you know, he used to be pretty good at skating in high school. If you didn't he'll make sure to bring it up at a given occasion. Back to ice powers, he definitely outdoes his brother on this one, even if not by much.

There's probably one more thing I should mention. Despite the contrary belief the Ice Flower does NOT increase ones tolerance to cold temperatures. To be frank it might even decrease it by lowering the bodys natural temperature, making the chances of frostbite higher. And so, they learned it the hard way.

In conclusion, this is more of a situational Power-Up. It's neither easy to find or preserve which can be annoying but despite all this it's hard to deny that it's ultimately a useful tool.

Few bonus headcanons!

I don't know how much sense I conveyed through my broken wording and less than average writing skills but it's not that shabby if I say so myself. Just like last time some details might change in the future but for now that's the general idea that I have considering the Ice Flower. Once again thank you to whoever took the time to read this!

[transgenderer]

The crocodile icefish or white-blooded fish comprise a family (Channichthyidae) of notothenioidfish found in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. They are the only known vertebrates to lack hemoglobin in their blood as adults.[2]

Although they do not manufacture hemoglobin, remnants of hemoglobin genes can be found in their genome. The hemoglobin protein is made of two subunits (alpha and beta). In 15 of the 16 icefish species, the beta subunit gene has been completely deleted and the alpha subunit gene has been partially deleted.[13] One icefish species, Neopagetopsis ionah, has a more complete, but still nonfunctional, hemoglobin gene.[14]

Red blood cells (RBCs) are usually absent, and if present, are rare and defunct.[15] Oxygen is dissolved in the plasma and transported throughout the body without the hemoglobin protein. The fish can live without hemoglobin via low metabolic rates and the high solubility of oxygen in water at the low temperatures of their environment (the solubility of a gas tends to increase as temperature decreases).[2] However, the oxygen-carrying capacity of icefish blood is less than 10% that of their relatives with hemoglobin.[16]

Myoglobin, the oxygen-binding protein used in muscles, is absent from all icefish skeletal muscles. In 10 species, myoglobin is found in the heart muscle, specifically ventricles.[17] Loss of myoglobin gene expression in icefish heart ventricles has occurred at least four separate times.[2][18]

To compensate for the absence of hemoglobin, icefish have larger blood vessels (including capillaries), greater blood volumes (four-fold those of other fish), larger hearts, and greater cardiac outputs (five-fold greater) compared to other fish.[2] Their hearts lack coronary arteries, and the ventricle muscles are very spongy, enabling them to absorb oxygen directly from the blood they pump.[19] Their hearts, large blood vessels and low-viscosity (RBC-free) blood are specialized to carry out very high flow rates at low pressures.[20] This helps to reduce the problems caused by the lack of hemoglobin.

The Southern Ocean is an atypical environment. To begin with, the Southern Ocean has been characterized by extremely cold but stable temperatures for the past 10-14 million years.[26] These cold temperatures, which allow for higher water oxygen content, combined with a high degree of vertical mixing in these waters, means oxygen availability in Antarctic waters is unusually high. The loss of hemoglobin and myoglobin would have negative consequences in warmer environments.[12] The stability in temperature is also "lucky", as strong fluctuations in temperature would create a more stressful environment that would likely weed out individuals with deleterious mutations. Although most research suggests that the loss of hemoglobin in icefish was a neutral or maladaptive trait that arose due to a random evolutionary event,[27] some researchers have also suggested that the loss of hemoglobin might be tied to a necessary adaptation for the icefish.[27] Most animals require iron for hemoglobin production, and iron is often limited in ocean environments.[28] Through hemoglobin loss, icefish may minimize their iron requirements. This minimization could have aided the icefish survival 8.5 million years ago when Arctic diversity plummeted dramatically.[27]

???

[deathworlders-of-e24]

Danny, Security Chief

Part 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watching his team get shot all morning was starting to get depressing in Danny’s opinion. It’d started out pretty entertaining, but…

The security personnel had been split up into two teams, just as Danny had planned, giving them an even mix of officers in each. He’d appointed the highest ranking member the leader of team 2 and allowed them to train however they pleased in order to compare notes later. And taking a tip from Captain Skitch, Danny decided to test out his crew in the GRID.

Early into the Earth’s time as a GAIL member, the human race had gotten its hands on the Padrino’s environmental code, something they used for data storage if Danny remembered correctly. But when the Humans got a copy of it, they used the code for anything they could think of, and the greatest breakthrough that came of it was what would be known as the GRID, a totally holographic environmental simulation, used for anything from military training to video games. Amazingly, those two things weren’t that different these days. It’s probably what was fueling the Deathworlder rumors. It couldn’t be helping, to say the least.

Danny had booked the GRID environment room for training purposes, and at first the team had been doing alright, playing to their strengths. However, they didn’t seem to get how to work as a team, as a single unit. After the first round it had all be downhill from there if he’d been honest. He understood that it was just day one, but Danny figured if he could just get a running start, so to speak, then the rest of the mission would be smooth sailing.

The team filed out of the GRID and stood at attention. Team 1 was made up 2 Quintin named Ritz and Coola, siblings, a Doun from the same detail Danny had been in at the embassy on Earth named Homet, and someone from the ‘living stone’ species, the Sed, named Grite. The Sed weren’t actually stone, but they did have a rigid exoskeleton and massive calcium and keratin deposits throughout their bodies, giving them the appearance of gray marble.

All four stood in a line, awaiting their evaluation. Danny looked them over as he walked the line, hands behind his back.

“Anyone know what’s going wrong in there?” He asked. Grite stepped forward, looking annoyed.

“The setting are too high, commander. There are only 4 of us and dozens of them. It’s clearly a no win situation.”

Homet snorted, and Grite glared at him. Ritz and Coola took a step back to get out of the way. Danny hated to think this on just day 1, but Grite was being pretty detrimental to morale. Every round in the GRID he just ran out first and became a bullet sponge instead of even attempting to make a plan with the others.

“Ensign Grite, why do you think the simulation isn’t winnable? I’ve been in this exact situation before on Earth, and as you can see, I’m still here.”

Grite looked at him and snorted.

“Prove it.”

Danny was impressed at how fast Homet moved to the controls in his freezer suit, imputing new parameters into the machine.

Guess he kinda needs this, huh, Danny thought. Homet and he went way back, so he figured he knew the guy pretty well. He also figured a stiff like Grite would get on people’s nerves after a while, especially the Doun man.

“Homet, turn it up a bit too man, gimme a challenge.”

“You’ll scare them if you go too hard in there you know.”

“They can take it. Give them a show.”

Danny walked into the GRID simulator. The room was dark, save for a single blinking red light on the wall. A synthesized voice sounded from speakers built into the room.

[Simulation beginning in 30 seconds. Please select equipment.]

“E24, American Army Ranger standard issue.”

In a flash of ‘pixels’, Danny was wearing army fatigues, carrying a rifle in his arms with a pistol on his hip. Strapped to his flak jacket was a knife, a few extra magazines, and two grenades. He felt almost snug in the holographic armor.

A less synthetic voice sounded in the room, though it was a little more gravelly.

“Don’t like energy weapons commander? Got a little too much kick for you?” Grite sounded like he was smirking, Danny was calling it.

“Homet, if Grite talks again you have my full permission to shoot him. Now set the Pirate protocol to max and hit shuffle on my playlist.”

Homet laughed as he hit the button.

“Good luck commander.”

[Simulation: Pirate Boarding Party beginning in 10 seconds]

Danny took a deep breath, turned his hat backwards, and breathed out as the music started.

Dubstep.

Nice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When asked later, the security team under Chief Ducane would say they didn’t understand what they saw. The simulation itself was simple, the Pirate Boarding Party dropped you in a random part of the Noah, under attack from hostile forces trying to take over the ship.

The part they didn’t get was that Chief Ducane tore through them like they were made of paper. First hostile came through a door 10 meters ahead of the Chief, and they were taken out before the door was all the way open, almost tore in half by the ballistic weapon he was wielding. Then a squad of three came from around a corner, but Ducane barely moved except to keep walking forward, loosing three short bursts from his rifle, felling the enemies the moment they came into his sights.

Another pirate came out of a door, using a simulated crew member like a human shield. That one gave pause to Danny’s advancement. He set his weapon down for a moment and put his hands up. The Pirate shoved the crew member aside and pointed their ray at him, but was immediately blown full of holes from Danny’s sidearm, old west style.

“Get to safety,” was all he said to the holographic crew mate, who nodded and ran off. Danny went back to work.

Wave after wave of hostile forces came out of the woodwork, firing holographic energy weapons and throwing ion or plasma explosives, and Danny Ducane destroyed them all. An entire platoon came at him and he barely slowed down. The security crew even questioned if their commander remembered this was only a training exercise, given that he was roaring and taunting the holographic enemies.

“Sister, do you think he knows they’re not real and they can’t actually kill him?” Ritz asked.

“Yes, I’m sure he knows they can’t kill him, brother,” Coola replied, in awe of the chief. “We are recording this, yes?” Her brother nodded.

“Haven’t seen him in a while,” Homet said. “He…he’s actually better than the last time I served with him.”

Grite said nothing, just a tight grimace on his stony face as he watched the simulation unfold.

Meanwhile, in the GRID, Danny had finally run out of ammunition, and there was one Pirate left. This one was bigger than the others, with better armor and a blaster. Danny threw down his rifle and charged, knife drawn, roaring like a berserker as he went.

The pirate shot high, clearly aiming for his head. Dimly, Danny knew someone, somewhere had said ‘humans only die if they get shot in the head’, and quietly laughed to himself that that little detail had made its way into the coding for the simulation. He’d seen the shot coming a mile off.

Danny dropped to his knees and skid the rest of the way, slashing the pirate’s leg as he slid past. The hologram howled and dropped to one knee while Ducane spun and buried the knife in the creature’s side, striking vitals. The pirate ‘died’ almost immediately. It dropped to the floor and evaporated into a cloud of ‘pixels’. Danny stood up, breathing hard, but grinning.

Hotem and the Quintins ran in, congratulating him, saying things like “Commander that was amazing!” and “I’ve never seen anyone fight like that!”

“That’s the ‘Ducane the Destroyer’ I remember,” Hotem said, clapping him on the back.

Danny noticed immediately that Grite was still in the control room, watching them. His face seemed conflicted. After a moment, Grite left the GRID all together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was almost the end of the shift when Grite made his way into Danny’s office. Danny had been eying the clock for a while by then, wondering when the Sed was going to come explain the request he’d put in.

Grite walked in through the sliding door and stood at attention.

“Ensign Grite, reporting.”

“Go ahead ensign, say your piece.” Danny figured he knew where this was going.

“You received my request to transfer to the other shift. I was not aware I was required to list a reason.”

“You’re not, but humor me anyway.”

The Sed had that conflicted look on his face again, and Danny now realizing it was more like apprehension. Possibly even…anger?

“It doesn’t seem necessary to have me on this shift, what with your…capabilities.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Sir, I really don’t think-”

Danny held up a hand to stop him. Grite’s body language was stressed, full of tension, even with the exoskeleton Danny could see the telltale shake of blood pressure rising.

“Grite, you don’t have to like me. Hell, you can even hate me if you want. But if you’re asking me to change personnel schedules for you after just the first day, you’d better have a good reason.”

Grits looked at him with clear disgust.

“I am Sed. We are Borin, Highest Peaks, bred to be warriors. We conquered our world, and are trained since birth to be the best. And you humans come here, no birth advantages, nothing, but you do alone what we can not do in entire squads. You…embarrass us.”

Danny just looked at him for a moment. He certainly hadn’t expected all that. He’d offended him by… one-upmanship?

“So what you’re saying is-”

“What I’m saying is put me on the other security team.”

Danny sighed. Clearly this wasn’t going to go anywhere. Not anywhere productive, anyway.

“Fine. Request granted, Ensign Grite.”

Grite stood there rigid, nodded, and left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, or cycle as it was called in space, went smoother. The change in personnel seemed to bring the team’s morale up.

“Good shot, Hayte!” Hotem called out to the new Indroprime on the team, Grite’s replacement. The simian like young man was using his excellent agility go jump and dive through holographic enemy fire. Danny thought that despite the reason why, it would end up being a good decision to send Grite to the other team, for everyone.

Danny cocked his pistol and dove into the fray with his team.

“Form up on me guys, we’re advancing!”

“Follow the Destroyer!” shouted the Quintin siblings in unison. Homet howled with laughter and Danny grinned, feeling the rush of adrenaline starting to pour into his veins.

This would be a good team.

Danny would make sure of it.

[flowerishness]

Lotus corniculatus (bird's-foot trefoil)

If I was more interested in social media approval I would never make an invasive weed like bird's-foot trefoil the star of the show. Generally, I get the most likes/hearts/ticks for pretty garden flowers, followed by interesting native plants. Unfortunately 'weeds' usually come in a distant third. Bird's-foot trefoil is a wildflower, originally from the grasslands of Eurasia and North Africa, but is now a common invasive plant throughout the lawns and roadsides of the temperate world.

'Weeds' often bring advantages to the struggle for existence and bird's-foot trefoil is no exception. As a legume it can fix it's own nitrogen and it does well in poor soil. Farmers like it as a non-bloating forage crop for livestock and it's often used to stabilize sloping land for erosion control. It's even included in some wildflower mixes because bumble bees love it's abundant nectar.

However, these advantages belong to a plant that easily enters native environments and regularly outcompetes local species. Like it or not, it is now a permanent member of plant communities around the world. Although this 'weed' may be driving many native species to the edge of extinction, I have a feeling that the bird's-foot trefoil's long-term survival is guaranteed. Thanks largely to our help.