@twizzt@sauropods.win
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

twizzt

@twizzt@sauropods.win

I am naturalist and macro photography enthusiast. I want to share how I see the tiny things in this world that make life livable. I have a MS in biology which focused on the ecology of plants, their insect herbivores, and the parasitoids that preyed on them.

I may occasionally toot about #chronicPain or #dyslexia but generally only to commiserate with others. You needn't notify my about misspellings as I just don't care anymore...

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

One thing I observed today that I HOPE I can get on video somehow ... Camponotus pennslyvanicus can jump one of the wild ants I was looking at did a leap from my hand to to nearby pole.

It was not just a fall, she launched herself like a grasshopper!

I wonder if jumping is more common in ants than we think...

@alexwild

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@futurebird @alexwild

We really need more people to sit around and watch ants all day. Is there a grant for that? I'll be the first to sign up!

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

Everyone running around excited a non-human primate "used medicine to treat wounds"

I'm just over here looking at ants who have been doing this since before you were an inkling on the evolutionary tree and wondering what the big deal is.

Whatever it is ants did it first.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-ants-can-diagnose-and-treat-their-comrades-infected-wounds-180983526/

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@futurebird Caterpillars who have parasitoids eat toxic leaves as well. There was something else that ate toxins too rid themselves of nematodes. I want to say grasshoppers but I honestly don't remember.

twizzt, to colombia
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

Happy Wednesday! This is a cactus eating weevil. I didn't have a lens that allowed me to zoom out to capture the plant better unfortunately.

gay_ornithischians, to random
@gay_ornithischians@sauropods.win avatar

earlier today at a vegetated area outside of a government office i saw a juvenile (or female) house sparrow carrying something green in it's beak. suddenly another sparrow started biting the juvenile's beak. more and more sparrows joined. each time the juvenile would fly away and land the mob would gather again and attack the juvenile. It seemed like they wanted to take the green thing. eventually they dispersed. the juvenile never let go of the green thing. i wonder what it was

twizzt,
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@gay_ornithischians Mmmm caterpillar! Natures little hot dogs!

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@gay_ornithischians I don't know a lot about bird behavior, but house sparrows are nasty buggers and deserve their bad reputation. I'm sure they serve a valuable role in their native habitat, but I witnessed a big male nearly kill a sick female over a french fry. So yeah, I could believe it. If it were a caterpillar though, it would have been eaten up I think. I dunno.

twizzt, to srilanka
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

Seems appropriate at the moment.

This Large Oakblue caterpillar being tended by its Weaver ant overlords.

This photo won me my first weaver ant battle scar. ...not my caterpillar clearly

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@chris_hayes there's one lyceanid that has turned the tables though. It lives inside ant nests and feeds on the ant eggs and larvae. It is armored and well defended so the ants basically let it do its things. After it pupates, as an adult, it is more vulnerable but as a defense it has massive amounts of large scales which gum up any attacking ants jaws giving it time to escape. Imagine, a carnivorous caterpillar.

futurebird, (edited ) to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

This ant cartoon by falseknees over on tumblr really captures what I think it's like to be an ant.

Everyone is busy. No one really knows what they are doing.

https://www.tumblr.com/falseknees/747594384451813376?source=share

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@futurebird have you read any of Jay Hosler's graphic novels? They are great on so many levels and I highly recommend them for children and adults.

Konenpanien, to macrophotography
@Konenpanien@pixelfed.social avatar

This tiny insect measured less than 1 millimeter, I think it is a type of cicada, I was very surprised by the comet-like tail it had.

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@Konenpanien

These treehopper nymphs are like tiny cicadas. Their mystical tails are combinations of wax and things they couldn't absorb from their sap diets (poop). Thanks for sharing!

twizzt, to colombia
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

Here's a cute caterpillar doing its best to disrupt your feed. This is the Shag Carpet Caterpillar Moth (Prothysana sp.). As an adult, it is sorta a drab triangular brown thing, but as a larva, I find it resplendent. Its larval scales are way cooler than the adult ones.

#Colombia #Lepidoptera #Moth #Insects #Arthropods #Apatelodidae

A side view of the same caterpillar. The White scales have a smokey black base and they look like a mohawk going down its back.

futurebird, (edited ) to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

Easter means a lot to me. I know it's not everyone's holiday, but if you feel like I do about Easter and you have ever wondered if the story of Easter is for you-- don't let anyone tell you it's not.

I can't possibly apologize for all of the harm done in the name of a beautiful story. But, I think it's because of how fundamentally subversive "love thy neighbor" really is, if you take it seriously. So, the message is often poisoned at the source.


twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@futurebird I was raised in an extremely religious household. I was warned of the pagans and all they do. It's hard for me to make sense of Easter in the light of the fact the Christians are celebrating an intrinsically pegan holiday which they outwardly abhor. Jesus didn't rise from the dead on a Sunday.
I like all the love that neighbor stuff, but I could stand behind the Jefferson Bible much more than whatever this is we celebrate now. I mean we are really celebrating Artemis or Estara.

twizzt, to srilanka
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

This male Malabar Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus) has a huge casque (beak extension). When vying for females, they do mid-air battle with them. So why do the females have them? You can tell the females apart because they have white skin around their eyes whereas the males are all black.

twizzt, to colombia
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

Happy #FlyDay

It has been a while so I figured now was as good a time as any to fire it back up. I don't know for sure who this handsome stilt-legged fly is, but I love its face and its coloring.

#Colombia #Diptera #Scipopus #Micropezidae #Insects #Arthropods #Fly

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@gay_ornithischians that made me think of a Gary Larson panel that I can't find so likely just a figment of my imagination...

I love this boys flashy black digs with green highlights though

twizzt, to Virginia
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

Happy

This Granulate Ambrosia Beetle (Xylosandrus crassiusculusis) is out of the archives... Definitely one of the lesser weevils... Sorry about the poor quality. I will try to start processing (and hopefully taking) more photos in the near future. It's been too long.

twizzt, to Birds
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

Beautiful new backyard friend came to visit. Greater coucal or Crow Pheasant (Centropus sinensis) is pretty massive but apparently primarily eats snails. Admittedly, the snails here are also huge.

#Birds #Aves #SriLanka

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

Fact of The Day: Most photos of weaver ants show an ant angry that a photographer is too close to her tree.

twizzt, (edited )
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@futurebird

Hmm... I do have some good behavior pics but yeah...

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

Agonizing over the ethics of ant incest.

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@futurebird And then there are the fig wasps to consider... They don't even let their sisters pupate. To be fair, some of the males don't leave their puparium to conjugate with their sisters. Quite impressive really... I think there is something in Life in the Underbrush series on this.

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

Math classes I wish existed:

The History and Theory of Mathematical Notation Use and Design

Mathematical Communication: Communicating Proofs and Data with Clarity to Varied Audiences

Fingers, Algorithms, Abacuses and Computers: Tools of Mathematical Calculation

What would you add to your dream course catalog?

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@futurebird Perhaps it exists, but practical uses for binary and other bases. Base ten is great, but it isn't always the best

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

The half-baked philosophical conundrum that keeps me up at night most often is simply: why is my consciousness limited to me in particular? Why am I not everyone? Or everything? or nobody? Or you? Or an ant? Or an ant colony? How did I find myself in this particular stream and what is the nature of the boarders that keep me within it?

This idea generally frustrates and freaks me out and I doubt there is a sensible answer, I doubt it's productive to think about, but I worry on it over and over.

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@futurebird @kmck Not sure what rabbit hole made me stumble across this old post, but it needs to be turned into a short story!

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

iNaturalist Pokemon Go Crossover Week--
💭🤔

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@futurebird this is genius. Educate people about natural history without them perhaps even knowing they are learning. I would donate time and effort on this front...

J12t, to fediverse
@J12t@social.coop avatar

Who do wish were part of the who currently is not?

People, professions, fields of expertise, ...

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@cptofmysoul @J12t @Arachtober only seems to come around in october, but they could help. If you tag the photos well, Ill come across them. I'm not amazing at spiders, but I may be of some help.

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@Arachtober @cptofmysoul @J12t

This is kind of a terrible cycle in a lot of fields. No entomologists want to start on this platform because there aren't many entomologists on this platform. It's really unfortunate because if a few more would jump in, people would quickly learn there are a lot of advantages here compared to the fowl site. I interact with fewer scientists here but the depth and quality is better.

twizzt, to colombia
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

Happy and for those who celebrate, a wacky to you too!

The insect pornographer strikes again. This seems to be one of the really odd couplings that don't seem like they should work yet somehow do. Is it just me or does it seem like they like the camera being there? I have no idea what species or even genus these are.

More of a 3/4 top down and side view. You can see these weevils have very broad snouts for being as long as they are. Both weevils seem to be looking at the camera.

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

I had the most awful nightmare that Candice Owens was doing a big musical number— with like … dancing in the streets (kinda like the music video for ‘uptown funk’) to the tune of “by strauss” into “I’d rather charleston” with Ben Shapiro singing the brother in that second one.

It was so disturbing.

Taking this as a sign not to fall asleep with youTube on EVER again.

twizzt,
@twizzt@sauropods.win avatar

@futurebird

And I had just gotten thousands of ants singing "Holly and the Ivy" off key, off beat, and all at once out of my head.

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