tw: potential gore, ED, sui, SH, nsfw. diy witchy punx. my cat is my only sunshine. roller skating newbie. 26. Ohio to Oregon. Queer. got a big kid job and it doesn’t always suck. i work with genetics and smoke a lot of weed. bachelors in psychology, studying biology and chem now unofficially.
Joys of spending years doing marine biology and interning in a shark lab, your friends let you handle the more fun things pulled up on fishing trips. Both were released back into the water healthy and full of vitality.
My all time favorite animal.
The red-bearded vulture.
The bearded vulture, or lammergeier, lives on a steady diet of bones (more specifically the marrow) and dyes its own feathers blood red.
Bearded vultures come in various shades, from pure white to orange-red. Soils stained with iron oxide give the birds their fiery appearance. Lammergeiers apply the dirt with their claws and then preen for about an hour to ensure a bright orange/red glow. They are also attracted to other red things, like leaves and red wood. Captive birds also partake in this behavior, which suggests the activity is instinctual, not learned.
The soil doesn’t have any practical purposes; it certainly doesn’t make for good camouflage (though the birds have no natural predators anyway). Scientists have noticed that the birds’ age and size are directly correlated to the intensity of color. It is theorized that the hue is a status symbol. More soiled feathers indicates that the lammergeier had the time and resources to find an adequate place to bathe; the brightest-colored vultures should have the most territory and knowledge of their surroundings. Interestingly, these baths are done in secret, so most of the information gathered has been through spying on captive birds.
Bearded Vultures are most commonly monogamous, and breed once a year. Sometimes, especially in certain areas of Spain and France, bachelor lammergeiers will join a pre-existing couple to create a polyandrous trio. Females accept secondary mates because it increases the chances of producing offspring and doubles her protection. The birds usually don’t lay more than three eggs, so they can use all the help they can get.
These giant birds can grow up to 4 feet tall. They have a wingspan between 7 and 9 feet and usually weigh around 10 to 15 pounds.
In other words, this bird is awesome and I love it forever.
This is it. This is the moment I have found my patronus. I love these vain fluff faces forever.
HE IS SMOOCHING THE DEATHMUPPET!!! I’m so jealous!
for for fucking real. this is so important. my mom guilted me, made me feel like continuous shit, and continued to harshly grab my arms every time i was around her to “check”. it makes you shut down and it feels really invasive to be judged harshly from someone who’s meant to be your most stable support system (mine never was but that’s how it “should be”).
I feel awkward for posting this because there are so many good artist here and I’m not that great, so good artist thanks for keeping me inspired and practicing to become great as all of you are
Most amphibians start out in water but grow up to live on land–but not axolotls. These astonishing salamanders don’t change the way other amphibians do. They stick to their watery habitat–freshwater channels and lakes near Mexico City–their whole lives, and hang on to their larval features, including their gills, the feathery structures on either side of the head.
Axolotls also have the amazing ability to regrow entire limbs. They experience no scarring, receive transplanted organs without rejecting them, and can even recover from injuries as grievous as a crushed spinal cord! Scientists are working to identify the genes involved in axolotls’ incredible regenerative abilities in hopes of one day applying what they learn to medicine.
The Alabaster nudibranch is one of my favorites. Can you believe the above photos are of the same species? There is such a diversity in color and shape of the cerata (gills). While they look like beautiful innocent angels, they are voracious predators who eat snails by cracking their shells open with powerful jaws.
Photography by me, photo background edited by Hana Goldroot @screamingsucculents
Never EVER leave any type of sand holes dug up by you or your kids on the beach. These are turtle killers. Turtles come in to lay eggs, fall in these holes and cannot get out. Before you leave the beach, fill those holes up! Save a Turtle’s Life 🐢🐢🐢
Catch me outside tending to my garden, appreciating the scenery of rolling hills and brightly lit forests, strollin through wildflower meadows, daisies in my hair, taking a massive rip out of this bong
