#zoology
Wolverine (Gulo gulo)
The wolverine is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids. A solitary animal, it has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times larger than itself. The wolverine is found primarily in remote reaches of the Northern boreal forests and subarctic and alpine tundra of the Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest numbers in Northern Canada, the American state of Alaska, the mainland Nordic countries of Europe, and throughout western Russia and Siberia. Its population has steadily declined since the 19th century owing to trapping, range reduction and habitat fragmentation. The wolverine is now essentially absent from the southern end of its European range. Though its legs are short, its large, five-toed paws with crampon-like claws and plantigrade posture enable them to climb up and over steep cliffs, trees and snow-covered peaks with relative ease.
photo credits: Jonathan Othén
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Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia)
The Glanville fritillary is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. These butterflies live in almost all of Europe, especially Finland, and in parts of northwest Africa. It has been discovered that this butterfly only mates one time in June or July and lays its eggs. It does not provide any protection to these eggs or care for the offspring. As adults, the Glanville fritillaries are short-lived; they spend most of their lives as caterpillars. As caterpillars, Glanville fritillaries enter a stage of diapause, which is a period of suspended development, during the winter time. The spiked speedwell and ribwort plantain are the Glanville fritillary’s preferred plants to lay eggs and to eat as larvae. Female butterflies will show a preference for one plant species over the other when deciding where to lay their eggs, but the caterpillars have no preference once they hatch. After entering the adult phase the fritillaries feed on nectar of the spiked speedwell and ribwort plantain, among others. This species of butterfly is at risk of population decline because it is not a migratory species.
photo credits: Harald Süpfle,Sven Damerow
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I spent my day working on describing new species of Rhombophryne, the ‘diamond frogs’ of Madagascar. I’ve been working on these frogs since 2013, and have described more than half of the currently known species, but there are still so many species to describe.
Here, I am working on the second most important part of the description of one new species: the holotype description. This involves very careful examination and description of the features of the one specimen that ‘carries’ the name of the species. As you can see, I talk with myself a lot while I am doing this. I’m noting aloud features that are substantially different from other species, or things that are worth describing. I find this quite the best way to keep the features in my mind while I am looking at a lot of things at once—but of course it only works while I have my office to myself.
The *most* important part of every species description is the diagnosis. This includes the list of features that are the ones that ‘define’ your new species, and in many cases also the way that it can be told apart from all the other relevant species. In the case of the paper I am working on here, that is the last thing I will be doing for each species, as it will depend on having everything described and ready beforehand.
Happy #WorldSnakeDay! To mark the occasion, I have just released this new poster showing 13 of the 19 genera of pseudoxyrhophiid snakes from Madagascar! These snakes are really amazing, showcasing the evolutionary potential of the snake bauplan, and occupying niches from slug-eating to egg-eating, vince-snakes to racers, and everything in between.
You can get it on my RedBubble page—link in my profile!
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#snake #langaha #science #taxonomy #snakes #Psuedoxyrhophiidae #Pseudoxyrhophiinae #poster #scienceposter #scicomm #biology #zoology #herps #herpetology #herpers #herpetofauna #Madagascar #reptile #animals #forest #rainforest #wildlife #nature #infographic #animal #diversity #RedBubble #findyourthing #evolution
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCt42QRsnAs/?igshid=1l752her4ogp4
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I am thrilled to introduce Madagascar’s newest frog species, Rhombophryne ellae! This new diamond frog is presumed to be endemic to Montagne d’Ambre National Park in the far north of Madagascar. Its uniquely orange legs and large black hip markings set it apart from all other Rhombophryne species so far. I have the great pleasure of dedicating the new species to my partner, Dr Ella Z. Lattenkamp, in appreciation of her support of my work, and celebration of her recent PhD defence! You can read about the new species and get a link to the #OA paper published in Zoosystematics and Evolution on my blog at http://www.markscherz.com/archives/4598 (link in bio)
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#frogs #Madagascar #newspecies #diamondfrog #Rhombophryne #science #taxonomy #systematics #research #herpetology #wildlife #animals #zoology #Microhylidae #rainforest #frog #diversity #vertebrate #Malagasy #amphibian #beautiful #cute #animal #amphibians #naturalworld #herping #fieldwork #wildlifephotography #species
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBdpa_pMplR/?igshid=5vo2pwu4ug5g
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BIG UPDATE!
I’ve finally finished my biological patches set! After many months of designing, editing, and trial and error, I’m proud to post up photos of the final products!
They are woven with bright, beautiful colors that will endure many washes and adventures to come. They’re only $8 in my store:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Monsternium
Here are the first five patches in my biological patch set. Once all ten are made, the rainbow of studies will be complete! Each one is illustrated, digitized, and embroidered by me. Stay tuned for more! Next up is herpetology ;)
Reblogging this post for the update!
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I have added onto my Biological Patches rainbow with the new Ichthyology Patch!
The first protoypes for my Ichthyology patches
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BIG UPDATE!
I’ve finally finished my biological patches set! After many months of designing, editing, and trial and error, I’m proud to post up photos of the final products!
They are embroidered with bright, beautiful colors that will endure many washes and adventures to come. They’re only $8 in my store:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Monsternium
Here are the first five patches in my biological patch set. Once all ten are made, the rainbow of studies will be complete! Each one is illustrated, digitized, and embroidered by me. Stay tuned for more! Next up is herpetology ;)
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What’s in a tail? We see dogs wag them, cats flick them and Kangaroos jump with them. But what are they really?
If you look closely, you can see the tail is made up of vertebrae (caudal section), lots of tendons and even muscle tissue. The tail is an extension of the spine and has lots tight tendons; making it easy to be used as a type of rudder for the Fox. Tails have a lot of variation across species though and it’s truly fascinating to notes the differences.
Here you can see I’ve made an incision up the bottom of this Island Fox tail and have skinned it out. I’m then peeling it back for removal.
In the taxidermy mounting process, I will make a replica of the tail with wire and wrapped cotton.
I am aware that some taxidermists slide the tail out, aka ‘tubbing it’. For me, I cut it so I have full access for fleshing and tanning.
The Devil Inside
Remember our adorable little friend, the sea angel (Clione limacina)?
This is the sea angel in hunting mode.
When feeding and hunting, C. limacina can rapidly shoot out three pairs of buccal cones which latch onto its prey (and fellow pterapod), the sea butterfly. These cones are lined with adhesive ridges and excrete a viscous material that help prevent the sea butterfly from escaping.
Then, as C. limacina holds the captured sea butterfly in front of its mouth, it uses specialized hooks to extract its prey’s soft parts to be devoured. Mmmm…heavenly!
Image source: Alexander Semenov
Reference:Hermans and Satterlie. 1992.
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Armored ‘Flight’…?
Like its fellow pteropod the sea angel, the sea butterfly(Limacinahelicina) is a 'wing-footed’ pelagic gastropod that spends its time fluttering about in the water column.
But unlike the sea angel, the sea butterfly is equipped with a tiny shell. This shell is among the thinnest recorded for shelled gastropods: shells measuring 0.5–6 mm in diameter are only 2–9 μm thick! Yes, their shells are just a thousandth of a millimeter thick.
The thinness of the sea butterfly’s shell makes its function in defense doubtful. However, this lightweight shell has allowed L. helicina to take to the 'skies’ (or rather, the water column)—a way of life denied to its more heavily-armored, bottom-dwelling cousins, the sea snails.
Image source: Alexander Semenov
Reference:Sato-Okoshi et al.2010.
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Secretary bird - Sagittarius serpentarius
I love me some secretary birds. They’ll up and stomp a snake just for gettin’ in their territory. And don’t come at them when they’ve got eggs! Breeding season is year-round depending upon food supply, so you never know when you’ll be smacked down!
Their name is thought to be because of their quill-feathers, resembling a secretary with a quill pen behind their ear, as was common at the end of the 18th century, when the bird was first described by a European.
While they’re one of only two terrestrial birds of prey (the Caracaraof Central America and northern South America being the other), secretary birds fly easily. They’re about 4.5 ft (1.4 m) tall, and primarily hunt small animals. Mice, hares, crabs, and lizards make up the bulk of their diet, but they’ve been known to hunt snakes, tortoises, baby gazelle, and even baby cheetah at times.
Album of Abyssinian Birds and Mammals. Entries by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. Published by the Field Museum of Natural History [Chicago]. 1930.
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It’s been a tough year, but I’ve still managed to create some amazing art thanks to everyone that supported me in 2020. Thank you so much! <3
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#aphelionnecrology #biology #curiosities #diaphonized #diaphonization #houston #htx #macabre #oddities #pathology #queerart #science #taxidermy #vultureculture #wetspecimen #zoology #art #weird #strange #odditiesandcuriositiesexpo #odditiesandcuriosities #handmade #animals #sale #goth #skull #skeleton #wunderkammer #cabinetofcuriosities #spooky (at Houston, Texas)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJWlkJWpfmG/?igshid=1qecbjl7xvg3k
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I love these little bunnies
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#aphelionnecrology #biology #curiosities #diaphonized #diaphonization #houston #htx #macabre #oddities #pathology #queerart #science #taxidermy #vultureculture #wetspecimen #zoology #art #weird #strange #odditiesandcuriositiesexpo #odditiesandcuriosities #handmade #animals #sale #goth #skull #skeleton #wunderkammer #cabinetofcuriosities #spooky (at Houston, Texas)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJMNwBIppAO/?igshid=1qvj39uxm9kyk
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It’s my birthday today! Check the site for a surprise!
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#aphelionnecrology #biology #curiosities #diaphonized #diaphonization #houston #htx #macabre #oddities #pathology #queerart #science #taxidermy #vultureculture #wetspecimen #zoology #art #weird #strange #odditiesandcuriositiesexpo #odditiesandcuriosities #handmade #animals #sale #goth #skull #skeleton #wunderkammer #cabinetofcuriosities #spooky (at Houston, Texas)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJEOjauJkkm/?igshid=1mmq55a1466ca
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