#moles

[linseedling]

A highly scientific diagram

#furry 101 #moles

[staff]

Tumblr Tuesday: Mole Interest

*Snufflethudgethurgsnorgesnuffle* Move aside, vanilla extract. Mole interest, comin' through. Thanks to all the mole artists and especially to @sabertoothwalrus for the fun little enrichment to our enclosures this week. Let's dig into it!

@aces-and-anime:

@catadromously:

@chicken-mc-nuggets:

@esther-jester:

@frippp:

@tumblestones:

@leftysage:

@nqsoa:

@electricpez:

@guardianspirits13:

@m1lk-ch3rry:

@hyperkittyjkat:

@nathanielthecurious:

@doctorbunny:

@sleepingjuliette:

@cottelini:

@jaz-stories:

@teoceearts:

@possumofthedead:

@neosatsuma:

#tumblr tuesday #mole interest #we have a mole! #mole art #artists on tumblr #moles #creechures #worms #gif #long post

[marlynnofmany]

Have you heard about mole genders?

I’ve heard of this concept in sci-fi, but thought it was absolutely made up. I know some fish and frogs can change genders, but not in cycles like this. Wild. If I slapped this down in some alien world without explanation, I’d laugh in my own face. But no, real biology IS that bizarre.

Image descriptions:

A series of tweets from @NaturalCalendar that say:

Hello lovely Nature Noticers. It is time for today's thread! Follow me, and we'll delve deep into the subterranean and subversive world of Talpa europaea, the common European mole. We'll begin with a bombshell - there are no female moles.

Genetic researchers have recently discovered that female moles have reproductive organs unlike any other mammal. If measured by the standards of other species, there are no fully female moles. Instead, there are males and individuals that would be considered intersex.

So, lets look at how this works. Female Moles are called Sows. Sows have both ovarian AND testicular tissue They also have vaginas that disappear between breeding seasons!

Most of the year, female moles look and behave like males. They have masculinised genitals, with no external vagina + an enlarged clitoris. When this point in the year arrives, mating season begins. At this point the Sow's testosterone levels drop + they develop a vagina.

As is typical for mammals, Sows are equipped with two X chromosomes and Boars with an X and a Y chromosome. Unlike any other mammals Sows simultaneously develop functional ovarian and testicular tissues united in one organ, the 'ovotestis'. This is unique to Moles.

This testicular tissue does not produce sperm. It does however, produce large amounts of the sex hormone testosterone, meaning that Sows have similar testosterone levels to the Boars -except during mating season.

Scientists have hypothesized that these high levels of testosterone provide an adaptive advantage for the mole's underground life - providing added muscle mass for Sows who need to dig burrows and fight for resources for their offspring.

This is a dynamic process - the ovarian tissue that makes eggs and gets larger during breeding, then regresses. Outside of breeding season the testicular tissue, expands until it’s larger than the ovarian end - flooding the Sow's system with testosterone.

This explains why female moles have male-like genitalia... But it doesn't explain how patch of testicular tissue forms in female moles even though they do not have a Y chromosome. Up until recently the Y chromosome was thought to be fundamental to male sex determination.

In 2020 a team of molecular geneticists studied the female mole's ability to produce testicular tissue without a Y chromosome. They found that changes in the structure of the Mole's genome that lead to altered control of genetic activity.

But what does this mean? In short the female mole shows us that evolution doesn't work in the way that we have assumed since Darwin - their DNA changes within the living organism.

Since Darwin, it has been generally accepted that the different appearances of living organisms are the result of gradual changes in genetic makeup that have been passed onto subsequent generations - but Moles experience changes in the regulatory regions belonging to sex genes.

The researchers found that female moles do not have a Y chromosone but they do have a triple CYP17A1 gene. CYP17A1 is involved in the formation of steroid hormones + the triplication of this gene in the mole creates a dynamic sex regulatory system.

This dynamic process appends additional regulatory sequences to the gene and leads to an increased production of male sex hormones in the ovotestes of female moles, especially more testosterone.

What the intersexual mole shows us is how important the three-dimensional organization of the genome is for evolution. Nature makes use of existing developmental genes and rearranges them to create a characteristic such as intersexuality.

We see in the mole that evolution is not a linear process, arranged around the principle of Euclidian geometry. It is rather a topological process - a structure cast in rubber that is responsive and adaptive to the environment.

The mole also reminds us of the complexity of sexual development. The shifting sexual characteristics of the mole shows how the process of sexual development can, and does result in a wide range of natural variations.

#biology #gender #moles #fun animal facts #intersex #truth is stranger than fiction #yes I’ve read The Left Hand of Darkness #I’ve seen this idea elsewhere too #I had no idea it was based on something so exact #bonkers man #trans #mole genders

[todayontumblr]

Tuesday September 12.

Mole Interest.

On Tuesday, September 12, 2023, Tumblr is awash with mole interest. And quite frankly that's all there is to it.

#today on tumblr #mole interest #moles #bring on the moles #interest in moles

[nathanielthecurious]

these moles have an interest in astronomy. if you even care

#mole interest #i think they have some other interests too. like knitting and maybe marbles? i dont remember #image is from the book ‘the mole family’s christmas’ and if you grew up with it like i did then hiiiii #children's literature #moles #vintage children's books #the hall of fame

[metalchairz]

Townsend's mole is endangered in Canada. It has a small range that is restricted to the highly populated and developed Lower Mainland.

Townsend’s Moles have poor eyesight, but vision is of little use for locating prey in the underground darkness of their tunnels. Instead they rely on a highly developed sense of touch, particularly the thousands of touch-sensitive structures on their snouts known as Eimer’s organs. Their long jaws are designed for rapid biting and are armed with 44 teeth for cracking hard exoskeletons. When a mole captures an earthworm it will skillfully and speedily orient it using its teeth, nose and forefeet, so that the head-end is consumed first. The mole then threads the worm between its forefeet, tearing it into pieces with quick, jerky movements of the head and swallowing each morsel immediately. This method of eating facilitates the “stripping out” of gritty organic material found in the worm’s digestive tract and prevents the worm’s angled, bristle-like setae from interfering with swallowing.

Text Source

#MOLE INTEREST #original art #pixel art #animals #townsend's mole #Scapanus townsendii #canadian wildlife #scapanus #moles

[antiqueanimals]

European mole (Talpa europaea)

Other acceptable names during the 1800's, apparently:

A Natural History of British and Foreign Quadrupeds. Written by James H. Fennell. 1843.

Internet Archive

#mammals #eulipotyphla #moles #european moles

[thesearethedaysofmylife]

#memes #fresh memes #dankest memes #funny content #funny tumblr #best memes #new memes #relatable memes #lol memes #animal memes #tumblr memes #meme humor #memes image #meme #Moles

[yaxaaska]

#mole interest #moles #polls

[guardianspirits13]

hello. I am the mole interest. have some moles

#mole interest #moles #character design #artists on tumblr #sketchbook #jess's art

[jellycatstuffies]

Hibernating Mole 😴

(Moles actually do not hibernate, they stay active all winter and dig down deeper into the earth when it's really cold, but this little guy is still cute just taking a nap)

Ko-fi / Instagram

#stuffed animals #stuffies #stuffed animal #jellycat #jellycats #jellycatlondon #jellycatstuffies #jellycat stuffed animals #mole #moles #zoology #cute #plush #plushie #plushies #plushblr #plushcore #plushiecore #stuffiecore #plush toy #plush toys #soft toy #soft toys #toycore #plush animal #plush animals #fall #winter #sleepy #cozycore

[electricpez]

i love the mole

#tackling the opportunity to post this while mole is relevant #the moles must be seen #mole #moles #animal art #talpidae #mole interest #electricpez art #mixed media #i didn't draw this specifically for mole interest btw. i had it already

[kansasjustgotgayer]

Not sure what the deal with the moles is…. But i dig it!

#moles #mole interest

[italiansteebie]

eddie loves steve's moles

eddie had just gotten out of the shower, watching as steve inspected himself in the mirror.

"i think i want to get this mole removed," steve trailed, hands gliding over the bump on his neck, frowning as he does.

eddie whipped around to face him, wet hair slapping him in the face, pulling a laugh out of steve. "what?"

"i wanna-"

"yeah, yeah, i heard you. why would you do that?" eddie said, waving his hands all dramatically. steve roller his eyes, and shrugged.

"i dunno. aren't they kinda... ugly?"

eddie blanched, mouth opening and closing in shock, trying to get the words out. "steve. you did not just say that- i- oh my god."

steve looked at him with an expression that read 'unimpressed.'

eddie moved in closer, putting his hands around steve's waist, pulling him in. he placed a gentle kiss on steve's neck, right beside said mole, "i love your spots, baby. they aren't ugly. not at all." he whispered, hands rubbing circles into steve's hips.

steve looked away and sighed, "really?" he asked, voice small.

eddie nodded, grabbing steve's hand and leading him to their bedroom before proceeding to lay steve down and kiss each and every one of steve's moles, freckles, and beauty marks.

and if by the end they were both flushed and breathless, well. that was for them to know.

#steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #insecure steve harrington #soft eddie munson #soft steve harrington #moles #steve's freckles #steddie ficlet #body worship #kind of #stranger things #eddie loves steve #steve loves eddie #soft steddie #steddie fic

[morgan-the-lonely-brick]

In response to mole interest, I would love everyone to watch the national treasure that is Krteček, a czech cartoon about a mole. It's for kids and there's barely any talking in it, but it's an emotional experience. Here are some to start with. I couldn't pick favourites so these are random

#mole interest #krteček #moles

[todayontumblr]

#today on tumblr #mole interest #moles #interested in moles #concerned about the economy