#my favorite snake species

[fyanimaldiversity]

🐛

I’m not sure if I mentioned it on my other animal blog or here, I LOVE caterpillars, but the idea of touching one terrifies me! Even seeing pictures of other people handling harmless ones gives me the willies. Their spikes and fluff and warning colorations absolutely work on me, I don’t want to mess with them! Complete opposite of edible! Maybe I was a hungry predator in a past life who fucked around and found out?

Oddly enough, most venomous snakes are shaped like friends to me! I know better not to, but they look soooo touchable.

[oozeandgoo-art]

heard it's open season on yachts down here

[brokenbutunbowed]

I'm so in love with him he's so beautiful and so calm (so far, at least).

Thai bamboo ratsnake (O p coxi) 2023 male

[kirexa]

Aa aaaa aaaaaaa OH!!!

[sukimas]

i really like that tiki in engage gets to use every different kind of breath. really cute mystery secret shop reference. she can even use the darkstone this time!

[caracoloco]

i just read after god

that was something

really recommend it but i will say its graphic and has a lot of weird shit going on

[doodleduck]

Trying to redesign my fursona but I cannot for the life of me pick just one animal.

[hxney-lemcn]

When You Nerd Out (Biology Edition) — Overblots x gn! reader

summery: the overblots find out you're more of a nerd than they realized...

tw: mentions of bugs (not really but I digress), mentions of arachnids (literally just the name of one lol), mentions of reptiles (idk maybe people are scared of them), mentions of snakes.

a/n: a reptile show is happening soon and I've been looking into so many reptiles/invertebrates/amphibians I had to get this out of my system somehow. What better way then to ramble to fictional characters? (Help me)

wc: 1.2k (~180 per character)

Master List

❥ Riddle Roseheart

When Riddle first met you, you were downtrodden, having just been thrown into a new world filled with magic and flair that yours didn’t. Your grades weren’t the best (but far from the worst), and you always seemed tired no matter what. So when your eyes lit up when he showed you the flamingo and hedgehog cages/pens he was surprised at the amount of facts that spilled from your lips. From how flamingos get their color to how hedgehogs are carnivores. Or how you could even ramble on about flowers and plants, like how tea garden roses are the most short lived species. From then on, Riddle would come to you for even the smallest of things. Did you want to feed the animals with him? This rose bush is wilting, are there any tips to bring it back? Do you know the meaning behind the colors of roses? No particular reason for that last question…just don’t question the bouquet of white and red roses mixed with baby’s breath that show up on your doorstep the next day.

❥ Leona Kingscholar

It was hard not to notice when you seemed to be on the brink of exploding. How you’d stare at awe in Leona’s presence, as you should. But your eyes would always wander to his ears, teeth, tail, nails. It got to a point that he felt like you were mentally dissecting him. It was his downfall to growl out a short “what”, as you started to pile on questions to the beastman prince. “Are your nails sharper than a humans?”, “How much better can you hear?”, “Does your tail help you balance?” All Leona could do was stare at you with boredom. Who knew his herbivore was a nerd? He supposes he could humor you for a little bit. Press his sharp nails lightly into your skin, a teasing smile as he asks if you’d like a test. Perhaps a nibble to show you how well his canines work? It all goes awry when you start taking interest in other beastmen, who cares about the cheetah or leopard bestmen when you have a lion prince right here?

❥ Azul Ashengrotto

Azul never thought twice about where he’s come from. He’s seen many kinds of merpeople, many kinds of fish or crustaceans or sharks. But he knew land dwellers didn’t have that, which is why he has the giant aquarium in his lounge. He got used to the awed expressions as well, more focused on swindling the poor souls. So when your jaw dropped and how you clearly restrained yourself from running up to the giant aquarium, Azul felt giddy. He could offer you something most couldn’t. He’d watch as you’d point out a fish or ray that you saw and explain how much you loved the color or how magnificent it looked. When you brought up how smart you thought octopi are, it was over. His heart couldn’t take it. You know he was an octopus merperson right? You were basically complimenting him without realizing it. He couldn’t get over how you stared in wonder at the blue ringed octopus that was waving back at you. And oh sevens you were giggling at it? He wasn’t getting jealous over another octopus, no way…

❥ Jamil Viper

Jamil noticed the excited look in your eyes when you learned his last name was Viper, but nothing had happened at the time. It wasn’t until Kalim had you rambling about animals did Jamil realize just how much you seemed to love snakes. How you named your favorite in a heartbeat to how you scrutinized the ones you looked into as pets. It wasn’t until Kalim started to offer to buy you all those snakes and more did he have to step in. Yet Jamil felt flustered when your gaze landed on him, your eyes that had been filled with fondness while rambling about snakes had only seemed to get brighter when looking at him. Reluctantly, Jamil let you drag him to a reptile show, something Kalim had pushed him to do. For his own sanity, Jamil ignored the giant pouch of money Kalim tried to stealthily hand you, instead, focusing on your awed expression at the variety of animals. He couldn’t help but watch the snakes in awe with you, and when you asked him if he wanted to help you set up an enclosure for one…who was he to say no?

❥ Vil Schoenheit

Vil is a busy man. With photo and movie shoots to interviews to taking care of himself, there isn’t much time to stop and smell the roses. But with you, he tries to make time, and it's like a breath of fresh air every time. It was nice to sit outside and bask in the sun (with sunscreen of course) and talk with you. Something had clearly caught your eye when you dropped from the bench to scoop something off the ground. Vil thought he knew you well enough…apparently not. He hadn’t expected to see you shove a rolly polly, pill bug, potato bug, whatever you want to call them into his face…okay maybe he��s exaggerating. You held the little thing far enough away that it wasn’t all too startling. He swore he never saw you so excited about something, or how you rambled that they weren’t bugs, but crustaceans that live on land. The way you gently held the critter to how fondly you looked at the curled up thing made Vil’s heart flutter. You always seemed to find beauty in things most would shudder at. How odd.

❥ Idia Shroud

Idia had no idea how you managed, but you had convinced him to get a plant. You had called it a zz plant, and thought it would be perfect to liven his room up as it didn’t need direct sunlight. He watched the plant as it sat next to a grow light, it needed something since he didn’t have any windows. The dark purple leaves were pretty, you were right. As much as he tried to keep up with watering, he would forget, but Ortho seemed to have it covered. When little leaves started sprouting, Idia felt proud, a weird feeling he wasn’t used to. When you came over and saw how well it was doing you beamed. That stupid fluttery feeling filled him as you praised him, not to mention it mixing with feeling proud. Not a good combo, as now he was thinking of asking you if there’s any other plant you may recommend, just to get you rambling once more about different plants that could thrive in his little cave of a room.

❥ Malleus Draconia

Although Malleus loves to hear your voice, you always seem content to hear him ramble. The way your eyes watched intently, trying to find what he was pointing out on a gargoyle, or how you’d ask questions about the differences of a gargoyle and grotesque. At first, he was concerned when you gasped, had you gotten hurt somehow? Yet he found you excitedly pointing out a house gecko that stood near the gargoyle he was talking about. He watched you in awe as your eyes glittered, and how you were basically jumping up and down. Then you started going on about geckos, reptiles, and all sorts of odd things people keep as pets. The way you basically swooned at the thought of owning a crested gecko or a crocodile skink, Malleus was ready to hand you all the money you needed. He is the best and worst, as he’ll never tell you no and fund your hobby till your heart’s content. Just make sure to pay attention to him too, yeah? Unlike skinks or tarantula’s, he likes your affection. Plus, he’s the best reptile of them all, no? He’d gladly show you his dragon form.

[goodolreliablejake]

Fantasy races are an uncomfortable concept, because they present a world that literally works the way racists think that it works. The attempts to mitigate this problem often fail to address the core concern, merely making the idea more palatable.

A big example is trying to correct by changing the language from "races" to "species." This attempt fails for two reasons:

1) Exactly! Racists think that people of other races are a different species. That's the foundation of "race science," phrenology, all of it.

2) Are demihumans different species, though? Like, the interactions between elves and dwarves don't resemble the interactions between different species in our world. They don't act like snakes and lemurs, or whales and krill, or even cats and dogs. More often we've got different groups of people, who may speak different languages and have different cultural practices, engaging in diplomacy or war and struggling to coexist. In practice, they are treated as nations: ethnicities. Except they're ethnicities who are biologically distinct enough to have objective differences in ability.

This is something that puts me on edge in Mass Effect, otherwise one of my favorite games. True, the game ultimately lands on condemning the genophage, and it's not subtle about that. I mean just look at the name... But it's still considered debatable, morally grey, and Mordin Solus remains one of the most charming and enduring heroes of the series. The setting has bent over backwards to make every racist stereotype and talking point as legitimate as possible. In this setting, it is objectively true, scientifically proven that it is in the DNA of Krogans to naturally be violent, warmongering killing machines whose explosively rapid breeding poses an existential threat to the galaxy. That in turn is meant to make us think that maybe forced sterilization is something worth considering. It's hard to ignore the parallels to real life racist propaganda. I don't think it's malicious, just ungrounded and thoughtless; the result of creators to whom these ideals are abstract thought experiments, rather than reflections of real history.

Another big example is Dark Elves. They try to make it okay, to mitigate the message by fleshing them out as characters, by scapegoating an abusive deity rather than an ingrained nature, by erasing the monster manual description that reads "Always Chaotic Evil," by trending skin tone away from black and towards purple, or gray, even pale white. But none of it really changes the core issue, does it? The idea of drow is to equate dark skin with evil, to fetishize that idea, and to tell a story about a subsect of people cast into darkness as a result of sin in a direct parallel to racist Christian beliefs about dark skin being a curse or punishment from God.

So, do I think we need to cancel Mass Effect and stop playing D&D or telling stories about drow? No, not really. I mean... I do all these things. Truth is, I don't have an actionable solution, for myself or anyone. But the dynamic is clearly present and worth describing. And the attempts to challenge it are often insufficient, more about making ourselves feel better about what we're already doing than enacting real change.

[wildfairies]

✧*̥˚ wildmelon cas game *̥˚✧

i've been seeing lots of oc challenges on pinterest recently, so i wanted to make a cas game that doubles as a little personality quiz! i'm sorry if your real favorite is missing from a category, just go ahead and choose your favorite out of the options provided :) things like skin tone and gender identity are up to you/the occult type! the entire challenge is typed below the cut in case the image is too hard to read for anyone ♡

✧*̥˚ here's my sim! (she's a spellcaster btw, i have a december birthday ♡) tag me and show me the sim you make! *̥˚✧

species: your birth month

january/february: human march/april: alien may/june: plant sim july/august: werewolf september/october: vampire november/december: spellcaster

hair length: your sociability

if you’re an introvert: long hair if you’re an extrovert: short hair if you’re an ambivert: medium hair

hair color: your favorite fruit

banana: blonde hair strawberry: red hair blueberry: brown hair apple: black hair kiwi: green hair watermelon: pink hair mango: blue hair raspberry: purple hair

eye color: your favorite season

winter: blue spring: green autumn: brown or hazel summer: grey

extras: your favorite subject(s)

history: add freckles english: add tattoos math: add beauty marks foreign language: add eye bags art: add colorful eyeshadow science: add piercings

clothing color: your ideal pet

dog: red cat: black lizard: green snake: orange guinea pig: neutrals hamster: pink fish: blue horse: yellow

[herpsandbirds]

may I request a gaboon or perhaps a rhinoceros viper? They're my all time favorites, they're just so unique

Gaboon Viper (Bitis gabonica), family Viperidae, found in West Africa

Venomous.

This species has the longest fangs of any venomous snake, at a length of up to 2 inches (5 cm).

photograph by Mark Kostich

Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica), family Viperidae, Zambia

Venomous.

photograph by Johan Marais

Rhinoceros Viper (Bitis nasicornis), family Viperidae, Uganda

Venomous.

photograph by Cristian Torica

Rhinoceros Viper (Bitis nasicornis), family Viperidae, Uganda

Venomous.

photograph by Cristian Torica

[lovercraftian]

i want a snake hybrid to catch me stealing from his hoard

he'd scold me for being such a stupid boy, for thinking i could sneak into his cave and take his treasure, as he coils his long tail around my waist. with a quick jerk of his tail, he'd tear my clothes in two, and as he discards my shirt and pants and underwear to the side, he'd tell me that he forgives me, because he just found an even better treasure than gold or jewels.

he'd rub his cloaca against my thigh until his stubby, thick hemipenes peek out from his slit. they're about five inches long not counting their shared base, but they're so thick and covered in barbs and spines that they're more daunting than any other cock i've ever seen.

as he grinds against my thigh, he'd worm his long, forked tongue into my boycunt, his piercings rubbing along my insides as he explores every last inch.

once my cunt is nice and slick with his saliva, he'd wrap his tail around my ankles to keep me in place, and then he'd grind against my cunt, trying to get his cocks into me. his cocks would keep slipping just as he's about to get his tapered tips inside, and he'd eventually get so frustrated that he would grab my hips, no longer allowing me to wriggle away from him, and yank me down as he gives one good, hard thrust.

he'd tell me that my cunt feels so good, that i'm the most perfect creature he's ever had the pleasure of breeding, that he wants to keep me in his hoard like i'm his new favorite treasure.

his cocks would fill me up so fucking well. i wouldn't be able to do anything but whine and babble as he fucks me slowly and passionately. i cum once, twice, three times before i regain my ability to speak, albeit senselessly, and start begging to be let go.

"no! you can't go yet, my precious," he'd purr insistently. "i need to make sure my eggs take."

eggs?? that couldn't be right. i'd start struggling more, confused and scared. he'd hold me close, kissing my chest as he coos reassurances and murmurs praise, and his thrusts would get more frantic.

i'd scream and cum a fourth time when he thrusts one last time. one of his cocks coats my insides with his cum; the other swells and contracts as soft, golf-ball sized eggs squeeze their way through his shaft and into my boycunt.

he'd stroke my head as i calm down, telling me in a hushed voice about his species' mating process and reproductive anatomy. i wouldnt be listening, already drifting off.

he wouldn't let me leave ever again. he would spoil me like a prince as he makes sure that his eggs stay safe inside of me. when his eggs re-emerge from me and hatch, he'd be quick to pump his eggs and cum into me again, eager to keep me full of new broods of babies for us to raise together.

[markrosewater]

Has there ever been any thought to combining the Ox and Minotaur creature types? Such as simplifying both to simply "Cow?"

I'm a huge fan of bovines in all forms and it would be nice if all of the Ox in magic worked alongside their more anthropomorphic cousins the Minotaur. As it is now we're lucky to really get cards of *either* type printed. There's resonance to the name Minotaur, no doubt, but it also has its share of baggage. It has Greek connotations and that's probably a big reason Minotaurs are almost strictly in Theros (although some favorites, such as Neheb, are from other planes).

I was happy that Outlaws had more Ox cards, but it also highlights my dissatisfaction: Holy Cow is an *ox* not a cow, despite the name. It feels like a retread of the Hound or Naga debacle all over again. Hound was simplified to Dog and all Snakes, from rattlesnakes to Naga, are simply the type Snake now. This allows snakes and dogs of all walks benefit from a shared unity. Cats had it right, we didn't need Leonin as a separate type.

I just feel like there's unnecessary separation being created by dividing Ox and Minotaur and it has the same resonance failings as all dogs being labeled "hounds" had. If it's important for a particular creature to *be* a minotaur then they can just *have* minotaur in their name, like ~30% of minotaurs already do. There's also the simple fact that Minotaur is a longer average creature type, limiting design space for other types to be included. It's hard to justify why a Minotaur is on a random plane, but much less so if it's simply a "Cow Warrior" for example.

As for why I think "Cow" should just be the combined type name, I simply think it fits. Cow is a resonant name. Almost everyone, East to west, knows *of* cows if only because their milk is such a widely used commodity. We don't call it "Ox's milk" after all. More than that, it's fun! Cow is *funny* in the same way *squirrel* is funny. It's amusing to see "Squirrels you control" in this game full of fighting. In that vein, "Cows you control" is an amusing line that can help break up the seriousness of a setting.

I know this is making a mountain out of a molehill, but magic is a game of different perspectives coming together and creating something new. Cows are my favorite animal and it's simply dissatisfying, to me, that my Holy Cow can't benefit from a Kragma Warcaller. That Angrath, colloquially named "Cow Dad" in the community, would have the creature type "Minotaur." The only downside I can see is that "Cow" *does* specifically refer to females of a bovine species. But that is a distinction few, if any, seriously take into consideration. If one sees a field of cows, they're not saying "I see lots of cows and 3 bulls!" They're going to say "I see cows!"

So to bring the thesis back, has there been any discussion internally to simplifying the Minotaur and Ox creature types under a single banner, such as "Cow?" I would also happily settle for "Cattle" as the new type. I just feel the current Ox vs Minotaur divide has to go, for both flavor and mechanical reasons, and the sooner the better.

I have been on Team Cow (as I was on Team Dog) for many years. I even made Cows in Un-sets. I still believe Minotaur should be its own creature type though.

[otiksimr]

Top 5 moth species :)

witch moths (Both the black and white species). I've said this in a previous post but they are so beautiful. The wing pattern is so simple (literally just waved lines) but so beautiful.

2. Prometheus moths (male and female have different color variations). They're pretty 'plain', as in they don't have a very interesting color scheme or pattern compared to the 'fan favorites' (Rosy maple moth, deaths hawk moth, luna moth). But I personally find it very pretty, just look at the how those colors fade in on those wings. Also this is to be said for my interests but eyespots are always extra points in my book.

3. Atlas moths. Mainly due to just how striking their colors are. Look at that beautiful orange, also the clear spots on their wings are just mwah, chefs kiss. Plus the fact that their wings mimic snake heads is such a pretty thing.

4. Lygodium spider moths. I- they mimic spiders. Just look at them. Imagine seeing this thing skitter up to you, imagine the heart attack. For that alone I love them dearly. And they're so tiny! 10/10 moth.

5. Peppered moths. I think at this point you can tell that I am a SUCKER for mimics. And this one is no different. Not only are they beautifully speckled, look at how good of a mimic they are. No one is going to catch you little buddy.

[soph-the-podcast-nerd]

i was going to reblog a post @tristomisto tagged me in a bit ago about favorite animals but I dont have a favorite animal I just have a list of species I think are really cool so I was like ill share that

but then I checked how long this was and it was a lot longer than I thought

so im just making my own post

Olm

2. Rose finch

3. Mountain bluebird

4. Skelton panda sea squirts

5. Giant Australian wood moths

6. Sunbeam snakes

7. Golden Mole

8. Chevrotain

9. White browed tit warbler

10. Dik dik

11. Viscacha

12. Lavender corn snake

13. Snow corn snake

14. Jewel caterpillar (and what it looks like as adult)

15. Octopus Stinkhorn (oh yeah I got a couple plants in here too)

16. Strawberry Squid

17. South Philippine Dwarf kingfisher

ok I ran out of photo space so there will be a p2

Reblog with a weird species you like

Pt 2

[bestanimal]

Round 2 - Chordata - Myxini

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

The Myxini, commonly called “hagfish”, “slime eels”, or even “snot snakes”, is the most simple class of vertebrates. They have one order, the Myxiniformes, and 3 families.

Hagfish have a cartilaginous skull but no vertebral column, though they do have rudimentary vertebrae. They also have tooth-like structures composed of keratin. Species range from 4 cm (1.6 in) to 127 cm (4 ft 2 in) long. They have elongated, worm-like bodies, and paddle-like tails. The skin is naked and loose, attached only along the center ridge of the back and at the slime glands. They have simple eyespots which only detect light, six or eight barbels around the mouth, and a single nostril. Their jaws move horizontally rather than vertically like other vertebrates, projecting two pairs of horny, comb-shaped tooth plates that grasp food and pull it into the mouth. They are marine predators and/or scavengers.

Hagfish are most well-known for their defense mechanism: releasing copious amounts of slime from specialized mucous glands in their skin. The slime reacts to seawater, expanding to 10,000 times its original size in 0.4 seconds. This slime is flexible, more durable and retentive than the slime excreted by any other animals. If a predator is not deterred by the sudden mouthful of slime, hagfish can also tie themselves into a knot to scrape more slime off of their bodies, wiggling free from their captor while its gills are clogged. Hagfish will also use this traveling knot behavior to clean themselves of any excess mucous.

Very little is known about hagfish reproduction. They are split into males and females, with females usually outnumbering males. Depending on species, females lay from 1 to 30 tough, yolky eggs. The eggs stick together with velcro-like tufts at either end. They do not have a larval stage and hatch as miniature adults.

The oldest-known stem group hagfish are known from the Late Carboniferous, with modern forms first being recorded from the mid-Cretaceous.

Propaganda under the cut:

Hagfish thread keratin, the protein that make up their slime filaments, is under investigation as an alternative to spider silk for use in applications such as body armor.

Hagfish slime threads can also be used as ultra-strong fiber for clothing.

Hagfish skin, used in a variety of clothing accessories, is usually referred to as "eel skin". It produces a particularly durable leather used for wallets and belts.

Remember this?

In 2017, a truck carrying 7,500 pounds of live hagfish got into a road accident on U.S. Highway 101. The aggravated hagfish then released enough slime to cover the road and nearby cars. Horror movie situation tbh.

But why were several tons of hagfish being shipped in a truck? Well, they were on their way to Korea for seafood purposes. Yeah. They are eaten in Korea and Japan.

Hagfish have a sluggish metabolism and can survive months between feedings; this is likely due to the scarcity of food on the seafloor. When food is present, such as a dead whale, they can go into a feeding frenzy.

Here I am listing all these ways that humans use them, but hagfish are also an important part of the deep sea ecosystem. Plus… I think they’re cute and I too wish I could produce a bunch of slime when I don’t want people to touch me. I mean, Howl in “Howl’s Moving Castle” does it and people love him, so…