#tropical forests tropical forest amphibians

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Golden Poison Frogs: The Gold Standard

Golden poison frogs (Phyllobates terribilis) are a species of frog found only along the Pacific coast in the Amazon Rainforest of Columbia; their total range encompasses less than 5,000 square km;. Their prime habitat is near rivers, streams, and ponds, but the are able to survive in a variety of microhabitats along the forest floor thanks to the forest's extremely warm, humid climate.

The golden poison frog is perhaps noted for its crowning as the most poisonous species on the planet. A single adult contains enough poison in its skin to kill 2-3 grown humans, although the frog would have to be ingested for its toxins to be fatal. However, there is at least one species of snake, the fire-bellied snake (Erythrolamprus epinephalus) which is immune to the frog's toxins and often predates on juveniles. P. terribilis consumes a variety of insects, but gets its poison from the beetles in its diet, and without them individuals lose their toxicity.

Although tiny, the golden poison frog is hard to miss. They are the largest species of poison frog at a weight of 30 g (1 oz) and a length of 6 cm (2.4 in). Females are usually larger than males. The species is named for the most common color moroph, bright yellow, but populations may also come in green, orange, and white. The coloration is a warning to predators to stay away.

Golden poison frogs are typically active during the day. Members of the same sex are highly territorial, but populations within a small area can be quite large. Individuals defend their territory by calling loudly and performing a push-up motion, which can also serve to attract potential mates. The species can reproduce year-round, and both males and females have multiple partners.

After the female has laid a clutch of about 20 eggs, the male carries them on his back up a tree to a bromeliad or small tree hole filled with water. There the eggs hatch as tadpoles after 11-12 days. The tadpoles feed on algae and insect larvae until they metamorphose into froglets, which takes about 2 months. The froglets take a further year to fully mature, and adults may live for up to 5 years.

Conservation status: P. terribilis is classified as Endangered by the IUCN. The species has a relatively small home range, and is seriously threatened by habitat loss. However, there are many private, government, and NGO captive-bread populations across the globe.

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Photos

Victor Fabio Luna-Mora

Micha L. Rieser

Leighton Pritchard

[amnhnyc]

Boo! No need to be afraid of this ghost, because it’s just the ghost glass frog (Sachatamia ilex). Growing up to 1.5 in (3.8 cm) long, this bright green—yet elusive—critter lives in parts of Central and South America, including Panama and Colombia. It’s found in tropical forests, where it blends in with the lush greenery. And it really blends in: This arboreal amphibian is able to “vanish” like a ghost, altering the hue of its green skin to more closely match vegetation of varying shades!

Photo: ross_maynard, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

[muppet-facts]

Muppet Fact #1037

The Hyalinobatrachium dianae, a Costa Rican species of glass frog discovered in 2015 bears a striking resemblance to Kermit the Frog. Brian Kubicki, the man who discovered the frog said this in relation to the media's comparisons to the real frog and the Muppet:

"Prior to the media making the link between Hyalinobatrachium dianae and Kermit the Frog I had no thought about the resemblance, but I can see where they came up with this idea that has created such a sensation with this newly described species. I am glad that this species has ended up getting so much international attention, and in doing so it is highlighting the amazing amphibians that are native to Costa Rica and the need to continue exploring and studying the country's amazing tropical forests.

The frog was named after Brian Kubicki's mother Janet Diana Kubicki, and the Roman goddess Diana.

Source:

"Kermit the Frog Look-Alike Discovered in Costa Rica." Megan Gannon. Live Science. April 22, 2015.

[pleistocene-pride]

Happy 200th birthday Megalosaurus! Megalosaurus is an extinct genus of theropod dinosaur which lived throughout what is now Europe during the middle Jurassic period some 174 to 163 mya. Although it now only exists in drawings what is thought to be the first fragment of Megalosaurus consisting of a partial femur was discovered in‭ ‬1676 from a limestone quarry in Oxfordshire by professor Robert Plot,‭ ‬who due to the unprecedented nature of the find,‭ ‬declared it to belong to a biblical giant. In‭ ‬1763‭ ‬the bone was given the name‭ '‬Scrotum humanum‭' ‬by Richard Brookes,‭ ‬due to the rather crass yet accurate appearance of the end of the bone to a human scrotum.‭ ‬This name/description was never formerly accepted by any scientific body, but did prompt Rev.‭ ‬William Buckland to begin amassing various other remains from that same Oxfordshire quarry including a piece of a right lower jaw, a thigh bone, ribs, some pelvises, a foot bone, and several vertebrae. After years of study Buckland realized that these specimens all belonged to the same species of giant reptile which he named Megalosaurus meaning great lizard on February 20th 1824. Megalosaurus was 1 of 3 genera which Richard Owen used to found the Clade Dinosaur, marking Megalosaurus as the first non avian dinosaur to be formally described. Over the following centuries over 50 species would be classified as Megalosaurus however nearly all have been determined to belong to other taxa, leaving only the original Megalosaurus bucklandi as valid. Reaching around 20ft in length and 1,500lbs in weight megalosaurus was amongst mid-Jurassic Europe’s largest predators. It had a long tail, strong stout legs, a robust body, short yet muscular arms, and large head, equipped with long curved teeth. In life Megalosaurus would have inhabited tropical forests, wetlands, and coastlines feeding upon fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquatic reptiles, and other dinosaurs in the island chain that at the time constituted Europe.

Art used belongs to the following creators

Megalosaurus: Julius T. Csotonyi

Megalosaurus through the ages: Nix Draws Stuff

Megalosaurs 200th Anniversary: NazRigar

[willtheweaver]

A writer’s guide to forests: from the poles to the tropics, part 7

Is it no.7 already? Wow. A big shout out to everyone who has had the patients to stick with this. Now onto this week’s forest…

Dry forest

Water is life. That’s a fact. And especially where it doesn’t rain for more than half the year.

Location: Dry forests are scattered throughout the Yucatán peninsula ,South America, various Pacific islands,Australia, Madagascar, and India. Areas have been cleared by human activity, and the SA dry forests are classified as the most threatened tropical forests.

Climate: Temperate to tropical, with just enough rain to sustain trees. Many are monsoonal, with rain coming in one or two brief periods separated by a long dry season.

Plant life- Hardy trees, such as Baobab and Eucalyptus are able to last with little rain by tapping into groundwater with extensive root systems. Many trees are evergreen, but in India, many species are deciduous. Trees are often more spaced out, and shrubs and grasses grow extensively. Cacti are common plants in the Americas, with some growing tall enough to be considered trees. In order to survive the heat and lack of water, many small plants are annuals, or store water in tubers. Palms can make up a large percentage of the trees, as was the case in the now vanished forests of Easter Island.

Animal life- As they can come and go when they please, birds are common species. Larger animals are active year round, with smaller species of mammals, amphibians, and certain insects only coming out during the rainy season. Isolation means that islands become home to many endemic species; think about Madagascar and the lemurs, or Darwin’s finches, iguanas, and tortoises in the Galapagos. Isolation has also led to the marsupials of Australia developing to fill the niches that would normally be occupied by placental mammals .The introduction of invasive species has brought about the extinction of island fauna.

How the forest affects the story- Water, or the lack of will be the biggest challenge your characters will face. Rivers and lakes may be seasonal, so other sources will have to be utilized. Drinkable fluids can be obtained from various plants and animals, or maybe the bedrock is porous and water accumulates in cenotes. Your characters could come from a culture that builds artificial reservoirs to collect the rain and store it for the dry season. With careful water management, cities can thrive in dry areas. But your characters will have to be careful. Prolonged drought will see societies go the way of the Maya. Deforestation leaves the topsoil vulnerable to the wind, and forests, farms, and grassland will inevitably turn to desert. Whether nomadic or sedentary, your characters and their society will have to find a way to interact with the forest without destroying it or themselves. Can they do it? Can a damaged biosphere be restored before it’s too late? The success or failure of your characters and/or their predecessors can be a driving focus of the plot. Of course ,when the rains do come, it could be in the form of a cyclone. Dry ground does not readily absorb water, and flash floods are a danger. Water can grant life, but it can take it as well.

[fanged-cotl]

Anthropomorphic animal lore (subject to change)

I have been putting off this explanation because it's been daunting to try and fully illustrate it, so i am going to sketch and infodump this out. beware of mistakes or things that don't make sense yet x,O

anthro: humanoid body plan animal

feral: regular animal body

There are 3 main anthro species in my cotl au

Unguibus: "clawed people" canines, felines, rabbits, rodents, ect.

Ungulates: "hooved people" deer, cows, elephants, ect.

Avians: "bird people" self explanatory

All of these anthros are omnivorous, although some require more meat in their diet than others. Main sources of meat in these lands would be large, animalistic insects (like the enemies seen ingame), and feral (non-anthro) species: fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds (will be explained later)

This cannon exists in a mountainous and forested biome with valleys, rivers, and a coastline. Animals that naturally live in these biomes will be seen as colonies, villages, towns, camps, settlements, ect. in this universe. So if you wanted to see elephant people, hippo people, maned wolves, tropical avains, ect. You would need to travel out of the lands. Instead you'll find coyotes, foxes, deer, sheep, raccoons, eagles, ect.

Lands in the old faith that have been affected by their ruling bishops, however, will have different biomes and new people.

Unguibus and Ungulates evolved from their original (feral) forms due to unknown divine intervention: (they used to look like regular animals)

Ungulate and Unguibus groups hunted and ate eachother throughout their evolutionary history. They have joined together, and fought each-other all across the world. The majority of species reserve their own cultural backgrounds and histories, and stigmas to match.

Many of these species have completely different gender identities/roles and cultural norms, which I will explore in sheepfolk and catfolk soon!

For a random stigma example, cats may be called "rat eaters" due to some groups of catfolk's persecution and consumption of ratfolk and other rodent unguibus in the past.

Ungulates of species that are known to scavenge on small animals and carcasses in real life, have eaten smaller "prey" anthros in my cannon. For example, irl deer sometimes eat small animals- so in my cannon, some groups of deerfolk have worked alongside predatory anthro species that used to hunt them, like canines, in order to hunt other anthros.

Other species like sheep lived more docile lives of farming, and some avian or catfolk groups may have only fished, ect. ect.

Most of this is speculative background ideas that won't be looked into that much, because now that magic and cults have taken over and anthros have become more accustomed to living in towns and developing technology, things have mixed together enough for species differentiation to matter less and less over time. Especially in Lambi's cult.

Domestic species like dogs, cats, sheep, ect. exist either because of population isolation or selective racial purity. (yikes i know)

Subspecies exist due to geological location and habitat (ex: indian wolf vs gray wolf, brown bear vs sun bear, ect,)

Species differentiation will eventually only matter for reproduction. Foxes, wolves, coyotes and dogs can interbreed because they are all canines but a zebra and a lion could not. The world will eventually melt together and the concept of visible subspecies and breeds will be history, but i'm getting ahead of myself-

Due to the rise of deities in the lands of the old faith, there are new anthro people emerging from the likeness of the bishops.

I will have to dive into these individual species and what they look like much much more in the future. This post was a bit of a huge fucking mess of me trying to get out my thoughts.

Considering that Unguibis and Ungulates have gone completely anthro, you might be wondering why birds and reptiles can be found feral and anthro in this universe? Bird anthros were created alongside the rise of gods in order to aid them. For example, Clauneck and Kudaai. Althrough this plan did not follow through fully, as there are plenty of individual avians that lived with their own ideas, acting as regular mortals do. Reptiles had a similar treatment, although it must've been even less effective, considering flinky has no humanoid body. Most of this is going to be left up to speculation.

Another thing I will get into besides sheep vs cat gender & culture is "turned" anthros. Which are the main enemies Lambi will fight. The turning of an anthro, and the nature of your physical form changing to suit your god will also explain Forneus's size and age, Clauneck and Kudaai's size & faces, why heretics on crusades.. look like the way they do...ect.

WHOO. ALL DONE RANTING! This is might have a few contradictions in it, but I needed to vomit all of this out in SOME way. It's so hard to communicate this without dedicating all my time to world building instead of character exploration & narilamb.

All of this blurb exists because of my love for spec bio, xenofiction, and some neurodivergent need for furry media to make biological and ecological sense with their species choices because 90% of the time it does not.

[fatehbaz]

Noam Chomsky frog. Resistance-against-mining-corporation frog. J.R.R. Tolkien frog.

Always something fun going on with newly-recorded frog species in the tropical Andes.

Especially within the political borders of Ecuador and Colombia, the tropical Andes are the site of the highest local biodiversity of mammals, birds, amphibians, and plants on the planet.

For example, Colombia is home to over 730 unique species of frogs and is home to 20% of all bird species on the planet.

Saw the news, from January 2023, about the newly-described “Tolkien frog”.

From the paper:

And just a year prior, in 2022, there was the “resistance frog.”

The official common name: “rana cohete resistencia de Intag” or, roughly, “Intag’s resistance frog.”

This creature, an endemic species, lives in forest where the local Intag community/communities have for the past 30 years consistently fought against corporate mining company attempts to build copper mining infrastructure, hence the frog’s name which honors this tradition of resistance.

And then in 2019, there were a whole bunch of newly-described rain frog species also detected in Ecuador.

In this published article introducing the frogs, the researchers note the intense and “extraordinary” biodiversity even within the same species.

For example, although 11 frog species were newly described, here’s a look at the color/pattern diversity within just one single species, Pristimantis multicolor.

Another of the new species was named Pristimantis chomskyi, after Noam Chomsky:

[namorslut]

NAMOR / PEARLS OF JADE

SUMMARY: you're a marine biologist sojourning in the Yucatán Peninsula and stumble upon an underwater cave in the clearing of a dense rainforest. expecting to make an amazing scientific discovery you're swept into a spell down the abyss into the reach of a loveless serpent feathered god who will go to any length to claim you as his.

WARNING: yandere!namor, body worshipping!namor, gift giving!namor, thigh gripping, sub!namor (if you squint) hc!siren!entrancing!namor, human!reader, dub-con (i think)

NOTE:  after reading @jottositto 's post i've included some yucatan maya using a translator although it's not 100% accurate. if this came across a native speaker could you maybe give me corrections as i'd like to be as respectful and accurate as possible. ofc the people living in the peninsula will be speaking spanish as this area was colonised and y/n only has an understanding of spanish. thank u and enjoy!! ps: namor?? more like "mi amor" that man had me kicking my toes and twirling my hair in the cinema on friday. this is dirty af i feel like i'm teasing y'all. might write a part two laterrr. no beta so there are 100% spelling errors which i'll check when i got time.

"Me gustaría ayudarla pero en el tiempo que he vivido en ese pueblo, los que se han atrevido a salir de la seguridad de ese pueblo y dentro de la jungla nunca más fueron vistos. Estarías en mucho peligro si te fueras. No creo que tu proyecto de ciencia valga la pena el riesgo.” The short Mexican woman explained.

Her thinning, silver hair was pulled down into two long braids down her protruding collarbones. Her brows were pulled in a frown, revealing creases running the length of her forehead and the outer creases of her beady, mud-brown eyes.

You pleaded with her, your coffee stained research folder clutched in one hand, as you made contact with her elbow gently.

"Pero señora, forma parte de mi trabajo. Fui enviada para investigar los ecosistemas marinos de esta península."

She considered you for a good minute. Searching your unwavering eyes. She sighed and leant toward you, dropping her wobbling voice to a whisper.

"Has lo que deseas, Cariño. Pero que tengas cuidado." she warned, using her eyes to signal you in the general direction to take to enter the forbidden forest. You trailed her eye line and saw a wooden bridge not so far off camp. You bowed to her as a sign of respect.

The journey through the rainforest was an arduous one as the way was shielded by a mass of coiled, everlasting lianas, strangler figs and long, shallow buttress roots along the soil of the shrub layer of the forest which you tripped over several times. You had to slice through the layers of tropical plants in your way with a machete you "borrowed" from a fruit cutter that was left around camp, making your hiking backpack even considerably heavier than it already was. You didn't stop once to admire and take in the smells of passion flowers or orchids as you moved through the brush; you knew better than to let yourself become the prey of the several species of venomous snakes and amphibians native to this rainforest.

It looked to be late afternoon when you stopped by a tributary, crouching over the crystalline water, you followed the stream with your gaze to check for growths of algae when you noticed a dark entrance. You stood up rigid as your breath stilled, you noticed the eerie silence of the clearing. The sounds of bushes rustling, frogs croaking and flapping wings had died down entirely.

There was utter tranquillity. 

You heard a low, rich brassy voice hum a melody from the rocky cave, the sound reverberating to your spot on the damp soil. You dug the heels of your mountain boots as you felt your body being tugged slowly to the body of water, your heartbeat drumming in your ears, your breaths becoming shallower.

The song sounded like one you would hear as a premonition for bad things taking place in urban legends told around campfires, it spoke of men searching to mine riches out of foreign land to find fool's gold instead and meeting their demise at the hand of otherworldly things. Despite the warning behind the unspoken lyrics, you felt your body lull into relaxation.

You saw him rising from the dark aquamarine pool beyond, his eyes glistening a tawny shade of brown. You didn't miss his long ethereal pointy ears and his full lips. His tanned muscular body was slick with droplets as the rest of his body appeared from out of the water. He was adorned in golden bangles and a thick necklace dating from an ancient civilisation, encrusted with what looks like azurite and pearls of jade.

He floated above the surface and toward you. You felt your mouth dry and heart drop to your stomach as a human-looking man flew slightly above the land slowly in your direction. You fought back a scream as the soles of his foot made contact with the ground, and still towered over you despite that. He scrutinised every detail of your face with an unreadable expression.

You breathed in, mustering the courage to speak.

"What are yo-"

He raised a large hand over your face, your vision darkening and body tumbling forward.

You awoke in what seemed to be an underwater cave with overhanging stalactites, you sat up abruptly from the makeshift bed out of bamboo. You noticed the absence of your backpack beside you. Remembering your phone in the jean pocket of your shorts and pulled them out. Scrambling to get a signal.

"Teech ch'íijsajil despierto." a female voice enunciated in a foreign tongue. You flinched, your pocket phone nearly flying out of your reach. Your eyes landed on a blue skinned woman. A respiratory mask covered her nose and mask.

She wore indigenous print robes and held a spear encrusted in emerald jewels. You noticed how her mouth didn’t move, her voice seemed to have come from inside your head as she stood alone in the middle of the rocky cavern.

"I don't understand" you thought, testing your theory out.

A female voice penetrated in your brain again, speaking to you in what sounded like an ancient Mayan tongue.

"Kukulkán in tu k'áataj a buscara. Búukint le, ku leti'. '' the woman seemed to lecture as she crossed the round room and reached into a clam basket by the foot of your mat and pulled out folded sheets of cream coloured linen, extending them to you. You accepted and forced a small smile to show gratitude.

You put the robe on and the beaded necklaces of jade over the dress, which ran up to your mid thigh and was sleeveless. The material was comfortable and baggy over your body but you felt uncomfortable at the lack of bralette you had underneath, leaving your breast exposed. You found a pair of golden strappy sandals at the bottom of the pile which you put on as well.

The woman from earlier came back for you and beckoned you with her hand out of the round room and past hung tapestries depicting ancient Yucatan gods and monsters. She stood behind you, ushering you to go into the room.

"Cha' k" a familiar voice spoke out. The man from the cave turned from his spot facing the painted mural, his back shifting as he smiled at you as you shivered in fear.

"Teech wilik ki'ichpam yéetel a prendas, a wilik ti' beyo' utia'al in reina” he flirted, in a deep, suave tone advancing toward you, you took a step back. Your eyes caught a glimpse of his rigidly sculpted chest, welded in the image of a divinity and the sleek look of his tanned copper skin. 

"Look, I don't know where I am or what you want with me but I certainly didn't mean any harm by stumbling on your cave. I'm not a threat to your people but I wish to be let go." you raised your hand to your chest, gesticulating as clearly as possible your words, shaking your head. The mythical man let out a boisterous laugh at your words, startling you. He grasped your hand in his firm one, raising it in front of him.

"Oh my little angel, I do know that. But I haven't taken you for that reason." he admitted, speaking to you in English as he interlaced your fingers together.

Fucking bastard.

You shook your hand out of his.

"You can speak my language." you pointed, growing irritated with the man.

"Of course, a dutiful ruler needs to be educated of the world around him." he boasted proudly.

"What is your name?" you asked as politely as you could muster

"My people praise me as Ku'kul'kan but my enemies call me Namor." he tucked a strand of your hair behind your head as his eyes traced your figure, wandering down from your budding breast to your legs.

"Why did you take me? What is it you need?" you defied. He cupped your chin gently with his smooth thumb, inclining your head up to his.

You shrugged against him but felt another hand slithering to your lower back, his touch cementing your body in place. His brown irises dilated as his gaze softened.

"Well if it isn't obvious, I want you. I want you to rule beside me and light a match that will burn the world from underneath their inconspicuous feet. Be my queen and I'll give you all that which your heart could desire."

You shook your head frantically.

He's insane.

His eyebrows quirked at your lack of cooperation.

"I see it in your eyes, that spark of passion and resentment. You've been underestimated your whole life. Your life's work is meaningless to the people around you, you're not getting the recognition you deserve." you grunted, bothered by his assumptions. 

"You know nothing about me or my life.” you stated. 

“I hate to disappoint you my angel but you can either bend to my desire of your own will or we can do things my way.” he remarked as he traced his thumb over your lips, pressing a chaste kiss to them. You felt as if every inch of your body was set aflame at his touch. You reclined your head in disgust.

“St-” 

Your mouth betrayed you as it parted open to receive the soft ones of the God before you as his palms felt their way treacherously down your body to the back of your thighs and your nape. You felt your knees buckling together, the flesh of your upper thighs pressing together as you felt heat pulsating from between your legs. You bit back a moan of pleasure as his imposing form bent down to kneel before you. Your eyes widened as his lips pressed against your vee line. You saw a flash of green in his eyes as he looked up to you. You pressed your eyes tightly shut. 

No. 

Suddenly you pushed against the invisible boundaries around you, stumbling backwards out of whatever spell Namor had put on you. You breathed out painfully. 

“Fuck you.” you whispered. 

“Oh?” he enquired, surprised at your incredible amount of resistance. 

She has the spirit of a warrior queen, he thought. I must bind her to me forever.

Namor arose, striding to you. In a single movement, he coiled his arm around your throat; putting some pressure down onto your windpipes as you clawed at his hand. 

He moved you easily against the wall rubbing his nose onto yours, turning his face toward your ear as he whispered:

“We’ll have to go for that second option then.”

[stygiantechpriest]

THERE'S DRAGONS IN INFEGEDDON???

tell me all about them please!! hit me with everything you've got for them

Well, considering how half the Gimmick™ is that it uses medival fantasy tropes, of course there's dragons

Dragons are a loose umbrella term for a variety of genetically modified lizards and amphibians, all of them being quite large.

Subtypes are

Drakes- no wings

Wyrms-Wings

Some dragons can breathe out gasses, for instance fire dragons like Arctic dragons and desert dragons can expel flammable gas that they ignite via a flint kept in their gizzard grinding against a natural iron protrusion in their throat. *

Other dragosn might for instance expel poisonous gasses, or even spit out acid or other liquids

There will be science used or this isn't Sci-fi, so for example older fire breathing dragons will actually have spearholes in their necks to achieve better flames.

As far as age goes they grow slowly but don't have a size limit, only stopping if their environment cannot support bigger growth.

The Dragoons use desert dragons as mounts for raiding and also make crude Flamethrowers attached to the Dragon's helms, improving their breath attacks.

The druids also have dragons.

Examples of dragons would be like a swamp dragon thats a gator, a forest dragon thats a gecko, a cave dragon thats an Olm, a river dragon thats a salamander or axalotol, a jungle dragon thats a frog, a desert dragon thats a bearded dragon, a tropical dragon thats a monitor lizard.

Dragons act like the animals they once were, but as they grow they get more intelligent, and they can be tamed!

* i have that big red dragonology book

[cricketcat9]

This was so unlikely to happen, and yet!

“Communities in the Intag Valley of Ecuador have won a significant legal victory after a court ruled to halt copper mining in one of the world’s most biodiverse forests.

The Imbabura Provincial Court ruled on March 29 that Chilean copper producer Codelco and Ecuador’s Empresa Nacional Minera (ENAMI EP) had violated communities’ constitutional right to consultation as well as the rights of nature, thus canceling their mining licenses.

The decision represents a major victory for communities in the Intag Valley, who have been resisting mining projects in the region for nearly 30 years in what locals say is the longest continuous resistance movement against mining in Latin America.”

The fight against mining goes 30 years back. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Intag Valley is not far from me; a beautiful, pristine area in the Tropical Andes, the world’s most biodiverse hotspot, ranked first in plant, bird, mammal and amphibian diversity out of all 36 scientifically recognized biodiversity hotspots in the world to date.

[rawcalamity]

Ranammal gluxem.

(Glux)

•

Stats

Height: 1.5 - 2.3 ft.

Weight: 20 - 25 lbs.

Length: 3 - 3.5 ft.

Speed: 25 mph.

Lifespan: 10 - 13 years.

Conservation status: LC.

•

Description: A unique biodiversity of wildlife blossoms within the tropical ecosystems of zerottakída, offering an excellent display of nature. Beyond the trees that line a forest is a lush sanctuary painted in green, sheltering plenty of bizarre, colorful, and often deadly fauna. Dashing swiftly through a forests thickets are nimble prey who have honed their survival strategies over centuries, and continue to evolve with the ever-changing environment. Meet ranammal gluxem: the common glux. Glux are an abundant species of amphibian that populate rainforests. These animals have a wide distribution across vidine and into vinevofort, but subspecies can be found in other regions within zerottakída. Common glux stand at roughly 1.5 - 2.3 feet, while measuring about 3 feet in length. Glux are lightweight, weighing just shy of 25 lbs. The most striking visual of the common glux is their baby blue feathers, which nearly coat the entire body. Complementing these feathers are plumages of pink centered around the face and dorsal regions. Glux boast an assortment of complex patterns, ranging from white stripes to pink spots. The tail is primarily white, with a pink underside.

Glux come armed with two pairs of hooked pectoral claws, of which they use to scale trees. A glux may climb to forage for fruit or to pursue a prey item, but in some instances a glux will climb to avoid a predator. Climbing is not their only survival tactic however, located just behind the hips are two specialized glands that secrete an oily substance. The secretion in question contains trace amounts of a potent toxin which, when ingested, can cause inflation to the digestive system. Furthermore, just touching a feather imbued with this secretion can cause irritation to the skin, and has an absolutely foul taste to boot. Glux will smother their feathers with this secretion to become unappetizing; thus deterring predators from pursuing them as prey.

As mentioned previously, glux are amphibious creatures and not birds — despite what their avian appearance may lead you to believe. Glux begin life as water breathing larvae swarming the river beds. These tadpoles will latch onto any surface and use a sturdy radula to scrape off organic particles to consume. Glux tadpoles will gradually accumulate body mass within the first two weeks of their lives, before entering one of two important metamorphoses. This metamorphosis will mark the start to their transition from water to land, as they begin to grow legs. To start, glux will develop two robust hind legs equipped with a pair of webbed feet. Development on their pectoral claws will also begin, however at this stage they have blunt tips. Lastly, the glux — now 'glutax' — will now have a stunted beak along with a much broader tail. This new body plan allows the glutax to traverse land for short periods of time; enabling them to pursue new prey items such as insects. Glutax cannot remain out of water for longer than an hour, as they risk drying out their mucus coated skin. Glutax primarily prey on small fish and amphibians, however. After another 4 week period, the glutax will begin its final metamorphosis to transition into the feathered, primarily land-dwelling amphibian we‘re all too familiar with.

Glux are gregarious animals who congregate most at dawn, following a crepuscular schedule. For the most part, glux prefer non-vocal communication in the form of beating their tails rhythmically. A glux may also emit a clicking sound with their beak to draw attention to itself. When threatened, glux will ruffle their feathers and chirp.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Caring for the Cane Toad

Also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, the cane toad (Rhinella marina) is a large species of toad native to Central and South America. They are most often found near permanent sources of water like lakes, wetlands, and slow-moving rivers, as well as tropical rainforests and open grasslands. R. marina can also be found in human-modified areas, like gardens and farmland. They have a wide range of temperatures which they can tolerate; some populations in North America can tolerate up to 53% of their bodily fluids freezing.

Despite their preference for living near water, cane toads are primarily terrestrial. They feed on a wide range of arthropods, birds, small reptiles, and small mammals-- anything they can fit in their mouths. Prey is mainly identified via movement and smell, as R. marina has poor vision and hunts at primarily night. During the day the marine toad hides under logs or in foliage to avoid predators. The most common threats in its native region include caimans, birds of prey, snakes, eels, large fish, and bullet ants. To deter these predators, the cane toad can emit a milky-white substance known as bufotoxin, which is poisonous to many species. Individuals will also inflate their lungs, puffing up their bodies to appear larger than they really are.

R. marina is easily identified as the largest species in the family Bufonidae, reaching up to 24 cm (9.5 in) long and weighing an average of 106g(3.75 oz). Females are significantly larger than males. On adults, the head and back are covered with large wart-like bumps, and the color ranges from light grey to red to dark brown. Juveniles have smooth skin and are usually darker in color. Because of their terrestrial nature, marine toads lack webbing between their fingers.

The giant neotropical toad is capable of breeding year-round, so long as resources are plentiful. Males congregate in bodies of slow-moving or still freshwater, and call loudly to attract a mate. Depending on the number of males and the size of their breeding ground, males may also fight for dominance. After a female choses a mate (or several), she may lay up to 25,000 eggs in strings up to 20m (65 ft) long. The eggs take only 2-7 days to hatch, but few make it past the tadpole stage, which lasts about a month. Only about 0.5% of cane toads reach adulthood, which takes about a year. Without predators R. marina can live up to 10 years.

Conservation status: The IUCN lists the cane toad as Least Concern, due to their large native population and adaptability. Unfortunately, the cane toad has been introduced in many areas, including Australia, southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and North America, and is considered a highly invasive species.

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Photos

Chris Ison

John Sullivan

Richard Shine

[supremebirdbracket]

Classic barn owl and his freak (affectionate) cousin

Western barn owls live throughout Europe and much of Africa and the Arabian peninsula in a wide variety of habitats, but most especially favoring open woodland and grasslands. These owls mostly eat small mammals such as rodents and shrews, but will also eat birds, amphibians, lizards, and insects. They hunt by flying slowly over ground and pouncing when movement is detected. Western barn owls are usually monogamous, mating for life. After fledging, young remain with their parents for only about a month. Since barn owls have relatively high metabolic rates, they eat proportionally more rodents than other owls and are thereby appreciated by farmers as effective pest control.

Oriental bay owls live in the tropical forests and mangrove swamps of Southeast Asia. These owls prey on rodents, bats, reptiles, frogs, and invertebrates. There is a very high hatch rate among eggs. While considered least concern, sightings of these owls are rare.

[acamaryseinteery]

Meet Rio.

He's a Herpetological shapeshifter - meaning he can out of all animals shapeshift only into lizards and amphibians.

After many months since the wall broke and people began to spread their explorations and supply searches, far in more tropical lands the rumours of brave knights and hero shapeshifter that saved everyone reach to a creature, who would like to meet this shapeshifter to see that he's not alone.

After crawling in a tiny gecko form on one of the supply boxes, he makes it into the city and disguised as a frog he searches for the brave knights who could lead him to the said shapeshifter. And upon hearing who is the bravest of them all, he follows this said Ambrosius and appears in his flat, asking him to take him to their hero.

Once meeting Nimona it's a great shock for everyone that there are more like them and Nimona is all but happy that she isn't alone anymore.

A few things about him:

Pronounce: He/him

Sexuality: Demi romantic ace gay

Lives with Ambrosius who is trying to be a good influence on him, make him feel welcomed and wants to proof him that their kind are more than bunch of judgemental jerks. He also knows that with Nimona he would cause chaos and he doesn't want to let that happen. He also reminds him of little Bal who is happy that his boyfriend wants to try what it's like to be in his skin.

He loves: chips, popcorn, steaks, crickets, noodles and pancakes.

He's terrified of water because in his human form he can't swim and of sharp and pointy objects after his experience with people attacking him and giving him the eye scar. He's also thanks this terrified of needles.

He hates when animals are bullied, loves to scare humans and visit outdoor ponds and forests to reconnect with his natural and freedom offering habitat. Even though seeing an alligator swim around others is scary, being accompanied by shark is even scarier combination. But they make a great fish catchers.

He loves rock'n'roll music and despite everything that Ambrosius is trying to teach him to live by his own rules.

It takes a few weeks, few arrests and some trust building but he manages to feel less threatened and more relaxed around humanity that he takes on more comfortable form inspired by Ambrosius.

Now Nimona can't tease him about being her baby brother and Rio enjoys his more him form.

He likes to visit library to read more about lizards and amphibians and he goes to cinema just to buy a popcorn for a snack without even going to see a movie.

He likes to visit zoo to hang out with his animal pals and to prevent that the animals will be mistreated. He also is very good sprayer but there and there gets caught and is forced to wash it. Ambrosius and Bal's orders unless they proclaim the sprayed wall being an exception.

That's all about Rio, if you have any questions feel free to send an ask, please don't steal him and etc, just classic stuff. 😉

[neovenatorgirlteeth]

DINOVEMBER DAY 5: 320MYA, VISEAN/NAMURIAN STAGE; SCOTLAND

(Best read with ‘The Arthropluera’ from the Walking with Monsters ost. Sorry abt the delay folks I’m still catching up)

The great forests of the Late Devonian have continued to expand uninhibited, covering huge swathes of the land’s surface. All these trees have been busy photosynthesising, and as a result atmospheric oxygen levels have soared to 30-35%, almost 40% higher than modern levels. This is exacerbated by the fact that microorganisms have not yet evolved to properly digest tree bark, so very little carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere. Here, in the tropical swamps of Eastern Scotland, dead trees fall straight into the mire where the acidic water preserves them, allowing them in the far future to form massive coal deposits.

In the underbrush, a showdown is occurring; a juvenile Proterogyrinus has come across a giant millepede called Arthropleura. She is 2m long, covered in thick chitin armour, and despite mainly eating decaying vegetation, she is very aggressive. Arthropods like her have got larger in size during the Carboniferous thanks to the elevated oxygen levels; instead of lungs, she simply lets the air into her body via vents in her exoskeleton: the higher the oxygen level, the more oxygen she has access to, and the bigger she can get. The Carboniferous is full of giant bugs, like Pulmonoscorpius, a 70cm long scorpion, and Meganeura, a dragonfly like insect with a metre wide wingspan. Arthropleura, however, is by far the largest, and nothing in the coal swamps stands a chance against her.

The Proterogyrinus will back down once he realises he cannot win the fight. He is an amphibian, a group of animals derived from early tetrapods like Hynerpeton. While a group of tetrapods called the amniotes (who we will meet in the next instalment) have wandered further from the water, the amphibians have kept to the semi-aquatic lifestyle of their ancestors. This suits him well in the coal swamps, as he is able to take prey from both on land and in the water: when he is full grown, he will be 1.5m long, the apex predator. The amphibians are doing well in the Carboniferous, and they will remain in place as the top predators right through into the earliest Permian, with some species growing up to 3m long, large enough to take even an Arthropleura.

[willtheweaver]

A writer’s guide to forests: From the poles to tropics, part 2

Dearest writers, and all who find this guide, big shout out to you. Now let’s get back into things and move ever closer to the equator.

Temperate rainforest

While most people think of rainforests as being a purely tropical environment, several exist in more seasonal areas of the planet.

Location- Coastal regions. The North American temperate rainforest is a thin belt stretching from California, through British Columbia and up into southern Alaska. In the southern hemisphere, the largest forest is found along the southern stretches of the Andes.

Climate- Temperate to subpolar. Conditions are wet, with moisture coming in the form of rain and sea mist. Seasons are variable, with summers being warm and winters cold and snowy.

Plant life- Conifers dominate these forests, with deciduous trees restricted to lower altitudes. In the north, the primary species are Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, red cedar, western hemlock, and giant redwoods. Southern forests are dominated by Podocarps, Monkey puzzle, and southern beech. High humidity means that moss, lichens and ferns grow amongst tree trunks and the forest floor.

Animal life- Whilst more densely populated than the boreal forests, the amount of wildlife is limited by resinous conifer needles, and the lack of plants on the forest floor in denser areas. Most species are arboreal, with weasels, squirrels, and various birds along up the majority of life. Moist conditions mean that there are many types of amphibians and invertebrates that live on the forest floor. Southern hemisphere forests have become host to many invasive species, such as deer, beavers, rats, and ferrets.

How the forest affects the story- The most obvious challenge for characters will be the changing of the seasons. What do your characters do as the days grow shorter and colder? And let’s not forget that rain and mist are common. Damp conditions are a breeding ground for mold and rot, so people will have to come up with ways of keeping them and their possessions dry.Then comes the vegetation. What kind of culture would develop among the tallest trees in the world? Do they live on the forest floor or up in the trees? The density of the canopy can make farming impractical, unless done in clearings or tree top platforms. If your characters and their society are arboreal, then how do they travel between trees? Bridges? Zip-lines? Or do they take inspiration from nature and glide between trees? Imagine if people on the ground meet those from up above. How would these two cultures be different? Would interactions be peaceful, antagonistic, or do they have no contact (at least until the plot requires it)? Being close to the coast, does the sea have an influence on characters and their culture? How would you explain this to someone not familiar with this environment? And you are not limited to the Earth. Remember, the California forests were the stand-in for the forest moon of Endor from Star Wars.