proteusolm

[proteusolm]

The Lovers of Valdaro/ Dinosaurs, Laura Gilpin/ Broomistega and Thrinaxodon

[proteusolm]

My heart melted seeing the Lincoln Park zoo pride, the cubs are yearlings and already getting big, they grow up so fast😭. Lomelok just went through surgery yesterday to correct a slipped spinal disc. Plz send good vibes to Chicago! I think Lomelok is a testament to how excellent veterinary care is for zoo animals, in the wild he probably would’ve died before his first birthday as he started showing experiencing weakness in his hind legs and tired easily as a tiny cub. Just wanted to share.

According to the zoo yesterday, he's out of surgery and doing well!

"The update we’ve all been waiting for with bated breath. Last night, around midnight, Lomelok fully stood up on his own for the first time! This is a huge milestone for his recovery but is one of the first literal and figurative steps in his journey. Afterward, he took a long 5-hour nap as the care team observed from nearby via camera so he could rest undisturbed.

Lomelok is currently recovering in a small space that controls the level of his activity during these critical first 72 hours."

[proteusolm]

Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) male, Bovidae, India

Photograph by Pratik Bhatt

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what do you meaaaaaaan this is baby sturgeons youre lying to me.... you just Shrunk him

[proteusolm]

Shaun Tan (Chinese-Australian, b. 1974, Perth, Australia) - The Quiet Town, 2021, Paintings: Oil on Canvas

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Reticulated Worm Snake (Amerotyphlops reticulatus), family Typhlopidae, Amazonian Peru

photograph by A. Giardenelli

[proteusolm]

It makes me happy when they listen

#i love to listen!! #I love to tell too!! #autism unite

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i love this drawing of senshi i think of it whenever i'm in a new place and have to immediately sit down

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TIL the silvery salamander only has females and they reproduce by borrowing sperm from a different species! And 0% of the male's genetic material gets passed down!

That's so weird I love nature!!

[proteusolm]

as soon as we explore 100% of the ocean all the fish will become 2x stronger and a new area will unlock

[proteusolm]

Hi all! My artwork “New Perspectives” is up for auction in the 14th Annual UPwithART fundraiser supporting Unity Project London and Museum London here in Ontario!

You can view this piece in-person at the Museum's exhibition from April 26 to May 3 – free admission. Save the date for the arty-party on May 4 and get your tickets and/or donate now at UPwithART.ca !

This event will help support the unhoused members of our community access shelter and move to permanent housing as quickly as possible. Support would mean a lot for this cause. :)

#Oh!!! Are they loon inspired? #Love

[proteusolm]

yeah, people do lie on the internet, however i am so passionate about things that if i lie it will feel like i committed an autistic sin

[proteusolm]

enough with the wind pollination. stop releasing your microgametophytes into the air like some kind of fucking chump. grow up. either form a mutualistic relationship with some animals like the rest of us or go back to proper alternation of generations with water-mediated fertilization like a real plant

[proteusolm]

Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), Marshall Gulch, Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona.

[proteusolm]

PSA: FUCK CALLERY PEARS!!!

The callery pear, sometimes known by the name of its infamous domestic cultivar, the Bradford pear, is a HIGHLY invasive species throughout the US! At this time of year (late winter to early spring), callery pears bloom and leaf out before any other native tree species, which can lead to overcrowding.

The history of the fuckass Bradford pear:

The Bradford cultivar of the callery pear was introduced into the United States in the 1960s as the ultimate ornamental tree: it flowers and leaves out early, it is naturally straight and tall, and grows super quick. Its leaves are deep red in fall and its toxic fruits are candy to birds. But these attributes would lead to it being a highly invasive species. Where I live, these trees are already greening up when most grass is still barely colored. The fact is that these trees fill in before any others, crowding out younger native plants.

(image courtesy of Leslie Mehrnoff)

Then there are the growing habits of the Bradford pear. The Bradford was originally praised for its rapid, even growth. However, these trees grow so fast that they can't build as much strength as slower-growing species, such as oaks. The forks in limbs and branches are the weak spots, and any amount of wind sends down showers of twigs. When I was younger, I lived in a house with three of these fuckers out front, and it was a hassle to constantly pick up branches and twigs from the lawn.

(image courtesy of Rebekah Wallace)

As a result of their accelerated growth, Bradford pears are HIGHLY susceptible to storm damage, and this can hurt houses, automobiles and other people's property. On top of that, they're not very pretty to look at whenever they're not flowering or colored up for fall.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Pull/dig up any suckers or saplings that you find. Beware that wild-type callery pears have enormous thorns on the ends of their branches, so proceed with caution.

Cut them the hell down. Depending on where you live, you may receive payment or even a free native tree for pear trees you cut down. Note, DO NOT cut down trees on others' property without permission from the owner of said property.

Inform others! The best way to stop the spread of these trees is to teach others about the problem! More people cutting down callery pears means less shitty invasive trees!

Thank you for your consideration!

#the also STINK #their flowers are fishy and uh. often compared to certain bodily fluids in smell.

[proteusolm]

(forgive the terrible photos, didn't realise my camera was dead until I was out there)

Boo no sign of the spring breeding frogs spawning in the vernal pools yet. Come on wood frogs, you're slacking! Bull frogs and green frogs, however, breed in permanent bodies of water and overwinter as tadpoles, so last year's kids were out in droves in one of the ponds. I did hear a few one off lonely calls from an early leopard frog, spring peeper, and wood frog.

Fish are really active now too. Tons of bluegill/pumpkin seed, perch, and one big old carp in the river. One of the ponds was full of brook stickleback, an overhead view of which is below. They're really interesting looking from the side, with spiked backs and really slender tails (the caudal peduncle, for fish nerds).

Plenty of bugs too. The one thing active in the vernal pools was scuds. Tons of back swimmers and diving beetles in the ponds. Scooped out a little dragonfly larva.

Also, at the river a pair of beavers got mad at me for shining my flashlight at them and tail slapped at me to tell me off. Sorry guys. I deserved that.

I think I'll go on a walk to see the wet nighttime creatures

#No beaver photos. I tried but my cellphone camera just couldn't pick them up well with the lighting despite my flashlight being intense

[proteusolm]

Gonna scream oh my Gd