#sandtiger

[msbarrows]

Yup, it's not exactly rocket science to win a cat's trust. I was doing fostering for the Toronto Humane Society back in the early 90s and one of the cats I ended up with was a feral mother with kittens. She was very aggressive to start, as in I had to dress up in multiple protective layers the first day after getting her home, because she'd torn up the plastic liner of the litter box to hide her kittens inside the lining; not a safe or healthy location for them. I didn't get seriously injured but I did end up with a bruise the size of the palm of my hand where she tried to bite my forearm through a parka plus a couple other layers of clothing. I named her Tsunami at the time because she was kind of overwhelming.

After that, she decided to hide the kittens in behind a bookshelf in the fostering room; I didn't see them again until they were old enough to start walking. Initially even just feeding and watering her was an ordeal; I'd stick to the end of the room closest to the door, and use a broom to pull the dishes over to me so I could reflll them and then push them away again before retreating. The broom handle acquired many deep bite marks.

There was a wooden trunk under the window at that end of the room; I got in the habit of spending time in the room sitting on the trunk, reading or singing aloud so she wouldn't forget that I was there and could tell I wasn't doing anything for her to get angry about. After the first couple days of this she stopped doing the dashing-out-immediately-to-spit-and-yowl thing.

Eventually she stopped attacking the broom. Eventually, I was able to do litter box changes without having to put on protective layers to cross over into 'her' most-of-the-room. Eventually, she started very cautiously approaching me, sniffing at me, stropping once or twice against my legs before quickly retreating again, playing with a cat dangler toy I was wielding, and letting me scratch her head with the tip of it (though it, too, acquired bitemarks).

Eventually, she even started joining me on the trunk, to look out the window from right beside me as I talked to her, and, as long as I was slow and careful and let her see my hand coming well before it got close, I could pet her. Head and shoulders only; trying to go too close to her tail (obviously kinked and possibly grabbed and broken at some time in her past) was a big NO that would have her whipping her head around and glaring (but not biting or swatting). The belly and legs were clearly right out too.

Eventually, she started closing her eyes, tucking her head down, and pressing her forehead against my arm as a sign she was open for petting.

I adopted her of course (and renamed her - to Sandtiger for her sandy coat colours and ferocity). I had her for a little under 10 years, during which time she was mostly a big fat slug of a cat - as long as you paid attention to her boundaries about good touch and bad touch areas, she was open to affection and handling and liked few things more than curling up on top of me for a nap. She learned to get along well enough with my other two cats (sisters) for all three of them to share space without anyone getting territorial about it. While she was not much of a cuddler with them, on rare occasion I'd find her pinning one down to groom with a "my instincts are making me do this and I Hate It" long-suffering look on her face.

Twenty-some years later and I still miss her grumpy ass.

this is amazing 🐈 ♥️♥️

[moonstonecanyon]

(December 2024.)

December doodle dump, full of Robot Master OCs and some original characters of mine, too. :)

[mathorart]

Fish studies

Frilled Shark

Sharpnose Sevengill, Basking Shark, Port Jackson Shark

Thresher Shark, Sandtiger Shark, Megamouth Shark

Chinese Paddlefish, Ghost Shark, Alligator Gar

Most of them are based on particular photos, but none of them are traced. These studies mark the beginning of my fish obsession:)

[monsoon-of-art]

Say, what kind of fish are the Megamer, and how do their abilities work?

Also, I'm guessing that their names are just "Ice" "Guts" "Time" etc. Are they names they chose for themselves because they liked it, or is it short for the scientific names Light gave their species?

So I'll put it under a readmore, and I must shoutout out a buddy on discord (shy, wishes to remain anonymous) who came up with about half of these ideas

I want to mention that because they're actually biological creatures, I've jumbled the timeline a bit; Dr Light had the Robot Masters first as puppies, then Blues, then Rock and Roll (I have not thought up the MM9 yet, only up to MM2 and some of the Archie Comic/Megamix Manga)

Time is a Jellyfish, Oil is a Blanket Octopus, Cut is a Lionfish, Guts is a Dunkleosteus, Ice is a Harp Seal, Bomb is a Porcupine Fish, Fire is a Firefish Goby, and Elec is an Electric Ray. Rock and Roll are both very young Koi fish, and I'm unsure if Blues is also a Koi fish, or if he's a Guppy.

(And while we're here, for the 2nds, Metal is a Sandtiger Shark, Air is a Basking Shark, Bubble is a Sea Turtle, Quick is a Sailfish, Crash is a Pistol Shrimp, Flash is a Flashlight Fish, Heat is a Nautilus, and Wood is a Shipworm.)

At first, Dr Light referred to them as numbers (in the order he found them in, so in this, Time is actually 001 and not Rock), but as they grew older, he gave them nicknames, and the nicknames stuck. Dr Light/Wily are not good with names lmao.

I tried to keep their abilities as close as I can to their original counterparts; Ice can shoot ice, Elec can make electricity, Guts is very strong, etc etc. Not all of them wanted to play nicely with me, but I did what I could. Example: Cut doesn't have his scissors, but he can pluck out one or two of his spines and throw them (very sharp very durable spines).

Rock's special ability is the ability to copy others, lmao. Anyone (or sometimes, objects) he touches, he can copy their abilities and subtly change his colors (Blues can do something very similar, but can't copy the colors as well). Roll currently doesn't have any powers, but I did consider healing?

[just-a-girl-who-likes-sharks]

what is your favourite shark?

It’s so difficult to pick only one!

(Sandtiger sharks)

(But also whale sharks)

(And leopard sharks) (and I do mean actual leopard sharks and not zebra sharks that people mistake for leopard sharks)

(Also epaulette sharks)

Thanks for the ask! 💛

[boyfeminism]

good sandtiger shark morning

[fairyspheres]

14 and 40!

14 What was an important, defining moment you’ve had with fish/aquatic animals?

probably when i worked at my local zoo on the bird and reptile unit! i was often assigned to the penguins (since my degree is marine bio) so got to see how they act up close. i later did my dissertation on those penguins and their behaviours. another moment would probably be when i fed sharks.

40 Share a pet peeve about something marine-related (e.g. a misconception, a portrayal or lack of portrayal of an animal, etc.) that drives you up the walls.

ohhhhhh man i have a whole list of pet peeves and irritants:

when films that include penguins in it can't even be bothered to research said penguin and continually call them by the wrong species name. there was a film i watched some time ago that was set in a zoo, and the protag was meant to be an ~expert~ on the penguins. except that the penguins in question were magellanic penguins and the protag kept calling them adelie penguins. the two look nothing alike and i spent an hour just fuming.

the vilifying of gulls in every day life. people call them flying rats and all sorts of names and there's so much hostile architecture put in place to stop them landing when really gulls are absolute sweethearts. if you have a lot of gulls (as you usually do when you live by the sea), you tend to have less of a rat population, which you'd think would be good, right? well, it's not good enough for most people apparently. they don't even see gulls as living beings half the time, just letting their kids kick at them. and they might be on the protected species list in the uk now, but it doesn't stop said hostile architecture from appearing. i want to burn any building that has it to the ground.

the use of the term 'seagull'. no such thing as a seagull. in marine bio they're just called gulls, with their other name before 'gull' (ie lesser black backed gull, herring gull etc).

SHARK PORTRAYAL SHARK PORTRAYAL. jaws has ruined the reputation of sharks and has severely harmed shark conservation efforts. great whites do not act like the jaws film says they do. if they bite a human, it's because they mistake them for seals or are just curious. no shark species acts the same as the other (greenland sharks don't act like whitetip reef sharks don't act like goblin sharks). the only shark that actually deserves a reputation of ferocity is the sandtiger shark, and they cannibalise their own siblings in utero. (also sharks are mostly ovoviviparous and give live births and i am tired of media not acknowledging this).

edit: i forgot my most rage inducing one: PENGUINS DON'T JUST LIVE IN ANTARCTICA. there are around seventeen officially acknowledged species of penguins and only two of them live in antarctica proper. the rest generally live in tropical areas.

sorry lmao i got carried away with the last question but i have a lot of rage in me about this subject. i subject everyone i meet to at least one of these rants.

ty for the ask!!! <3

marine biology ask meme

[bitchybylershipper]

1 is an orca obviously 2 is a hammerhead but im not sure which species its supposed to be because the hammer is shaped like that of a winghead but its not long enough to be a winghead 3 is probably supposed to be a sandtiger based on the conical snout and head shape although im not sure why it has spots 4 is the classic great white of course 5 is probably a whaleshark based on the spot pattern 6 is blahaj, no species necessary 7 also seems to be a whaleshark althought this one is grey 8 is also an unidentifiable species of hammerhead and 9 is a beluga whale :3

hope this helps

#SEA CREATURES !!

[labradorite-princess]

A specific color that gives you the ick?

What animal do you look forward to seeing when you visit an aquarium?

Favorite disney princess movie?

What’s your favorite or go-to outfit?

Thank you v much for asking!!!

A specific color that gives you the ick?

I'm not a big fan of neon colors. They hurt my eyes.

What animal do you look forward to seeing when you visit an aquarium?

Sharks! Normally it's Sandtiger Sharks on display.

Favorite disney princess movie?

The Little Mermaid

What’s your favorite or go-to outfit?

I normally just wear black leggings and a t-shirt.

[circadiancrunch]

Posted publically Patreon and Kofi. Designs for the big shark pin and sticker project, and I love opinions. Not sure if the seaweed is reading, what do you think?

[jimabernethy]

Image by @jim_abernethy // While most people look at this image and they see a frightening monster mostly because of the horrific teeth that stick out of the jaw of the Sand Tiger Shark, The truth is these sharks are very peaceful and easy to get close to in order to get pictures like this. When I 1st started diving decades ago we used to have sand Tigers in aggregations on all of the wrecks here in Palm Beach County but unfortunately we killed them all and I haven't seen one in decades! This picture was taken off of the shipwrecks off t shirt coast of North Carolina! Unfortunately this shark is very easily kept in captivity in large aquariums and is one of the most viewed sharks in captivity because of this! Viewing them in the water in their large aggregations is it tremendous life changing experience that we should all make a point of seeing if you truly love sharks! Enjoy but please protect! @jim_abernethy @wildlifevoiceinc @sealegacy #sandtiger #ilovesharks #worthmorealive #savesharks #FinBanNOW #epic #love #bethevoice #gorgeous #Bethechangetheworldneeds #stopneedlessslaughter (at North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD9AiA7p0xX/?igshid=a2xd76gcyd31

[typusdata]

Sandbar sharks are seriously cool! These guys are mackerel sharks. Mackerel sharks are a family of sharks that contains some of the most popular sharks - like great whites and the very extinct Megalodon. Sand tiger sharks are nocturnal, and spend the daytime resting, often in caves. A cave-dwelling relative of great whites? It’s no wonder these guys are so popular in aquariums. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #sandtigershark #mackerelshark #shark #sharks #sandtiger #sharkeducation #sharkconservation #dontfearthefin #replacefearwithfacts #seaworld #seaworldsandiego #parktoplanet (at Sea World San Diego)

[jeypawlik]

Swim On 8 Pieces

My submissions for this year's Swim On zine, a zine that I run every year and all proceeds go towards shark conservation over at finfree.org

Grab the zine here Zine info Zine Tumblr

[mastertortilla27mod]

Winning a hard level after losing 15 times straight

[msbarrows]

Was looking through old photos last night and decided I wanted to post these; I’ve sorted them more-or-less into chronological order. The first is me, circa probably mid-90s, when I had a perm and silver-framed round glasses.

The second shows what my computer setup looked like way back when. Depending on whether this was early/mid or late 90s, I either had a 286 or an early Pentium Pro, in a tower case in a stand off to the side. If you look at more recent photos of my computer setup, you’ll notice I am still using the same giant white behemoth of a white-coated particle board desk. It weights a ton and is a bitch to move even disassembled, but I have definitely gotten my money’s worth out of that late 80s purchase. I also still have and use the keyboard hutch/monitor stand in the picture, and still had that chair (long since reupholstered in a dark green canvas to replace the grey olefin) until about two years ago.

The dark striped and black cats are sisters I’d adopted from an informal shelter (a mother and adult daughter who took in strays, got them their shots, and got the males spayed at a discount from their local vet). The striped cat is “Little Demon”, her sister is “The Witch”. They were very sweet, and very shy of people-not-me, since I only rarely had visitors over so they weren’t particularly socialized to deal with strangers; I used to refer to them as the alleged cats, as in I said I had them but almost no one ever actually saw them. They loved cuddling up with each other and with me. The Witch adored playing fetch and would make the cutest little murping noises as she scurried back to me with whatever her object-to-throw of the moment was (loose socks, singular mittens, squiggy balls, crinkly balls, plastic rings from juice bottle, crumpled paper...). Little Demon also liked fetch but wasn’t as clear on the “carry it back for it to be thrown again” part of things. She adored their cat dancer toy, and one that was a circular plastic track with a ball that had multiple ways to reach inside and interact with the ball.

The singular cat is Sandtiger, whom I refer to as my obligatory big fat orange cat (I like to believe that any owner of multiple cats will at some point in their lives have a large orange one). She came to me as a semi-feral mother with newborn kittens when I was doing fostering for the Toronto Humane Society. She was an aggressive mistrusting asshole that was extremely defensive of her kittens, but after a lot of work on my part eventually decided to tolerate me. I was so upset when I had to return her and her kittens at the end of the fostering period, and didn’t have the money to adopt her right away; it was a Saturday, iirc, and my next payday wasn’t until the Thursday. I was woken up by a phone call first thing the next morning; she’d bitten the vet while being examined, they wouldn’t be able to adopt her out due to her aggressiveness... did I still want her? For free? I said yes, of course, and had her for about a decade afterwards. She treated my other two cats with barely-there tolerance most of the time, so it was always nice to spot the few times she did decide to cuddle up with one or both of them (and it tended to be aggressive cuddling, of the pin-them-down and wash their face or ears with her own ears tilted back and an “I’m only doing to this satisfy my social instincts and I Hate It” look on her face). She was not big into playing, except the very rare times when she’d suddenly decided out of nowhere to play-murder a random item.

It’s been about 20 years since I had to give them up (fucking allergies) and I miss them still.

[othercat2]

TFW

You want to be deeply snarky about The Chronicles of the Cheysuli by Jennifer Roberson but you are reasonably certain that Very Few People are familiar with it. But you still want to be deeply snarky about it anyway because for some reason you are strongly remembering it, and your general frustrations with Fantasy Eugenics: The Good Guys Can't Keep It In Their Pants And Keep Getting Seduced by the Bad Guys. (I will probably be snarky at some point about the series. Just. Good grief.)

Frankly, I also want to be snarky about the Other Jennifer Roberson Series I Generally Snark About, Sandtiger and Del, or as I have nicknamed it, The Adventures of Straw Feminist and Cheap Knockoff Conan in Fake Orientalist Sexist Bullshit Land.