she/they It's getting more and more difficult to pretend I'm straight on my main blog so this is my side blog for Jillian Holtzmann, Holtzbert (and pretty much every gay Ghostbusters 2016 ship), Ghostbusters 2016, Kate Mckinnon, Supergirl, Stormpilot, and probably other gay stuff too. 22. Christian lesbian. Cis or maybe non binary I don't even know. Fiercely protective of trans and bi girls.
remember if you contribute financially to this fund by streaming HP films or audio books or any other media then I don't want to know you and neither do my pals
Everytime I pass the bucket I remember the several freezing nights I spent on the streets because SA turned me away for being queer and I instead donate to a local low barrier shelter.
There seems to be a lot of people in the notes getting pedantic about how border collies are herding dogs, not livestock guardians. I can't claim to know the artist's motivation, but to me, isn't that the point? Isn't the point that we aren't supposed to have to be protectors, and shouldn't have been forced into a position where we have to fight, we should both have higher protections than what we've been dealt, but we don't. Sometimes there's no one else to fight for us except us. So we have a choice. We ignore the slaughter because it's not "our job" and hope the wolf doesn't turn on us next (it will), or we stand and fight to protect those more vulnerable than ourselves. We may go down fighting, but it still shouldn't even be a question; of course we fight.
taking the threshold of adulthood as 18, you are likely to spend at least 52 years as a fully grown adult
at the age of 30 you have lived less than one quarter of your adult life (12/52 years)
'middle age' is typically considered to be between 45-65
it is extremely common to switch careers, start new relationships, emigrate, go to college for the first or second time, or make other life-changing decisions in middle age
it's wild that I even have to spell it out, but older adults (60+) still have social lives and hobbies and interests.
you can still date when you get old. you can still fuck. you can still learn new skills, fashionable, be competitive. you can still gossip, you can still travel, you can still read. you can still transition. you can still come out.
young doesn't mean peaked. you're inexperienced in your 20s! you're still learning and practicing! you're developing social skills and muscle memory that will last decades!
there are a million things to do in the world, and they don't vanish overnight because an imaginary number gets too big
So, first thing you need to know is that is a very visibly healthy adult green iguana. Every part of the iguana is sharp. The claws evolved to haul a ten pound lizard up a tree. The spines are like tiny icepicks. The tail is a bullwhip. The teeth evolved to shred leaves, but they'll just as easily shred your flesh. Good luck making a healthy adult iguana do anything they don't wanna. That puts us on our first thing to look at- is the animal capable of defense and getting away, physically? Yes, definitely.
Next thing to know is what does a threatened or scared iguana look like? When an iguana is threatened, it doesn't stand on its hind legs like that; it stands on all fours and puffs itself up to look bigger, aggressively bobs its head (note: head bobbing is a behavior used for a LOT of things, it does need context- for example, they also head bob as part of mating displays), there is hissing, there is tail whipping- iguanas are not subtle creatures. None of this is the behavior of an iguana that feels threatened or is being a threat!
So what does standing like that mean? That's just simple reaching. The iguana sees something they want and is attempting to reach it, and what they want appears to be uppies, because they settle into the human's grip immediately.
Then, we see some GREAT handling from the human. There's really great communication happening between the two of them! The person picks up the iguana very securely- pelvis and pectoral girdles are well supported, and he doesn't grab. (Iguanas typically do NOT like being grabbed around the sides; many of their predators are birds and coming at them from above or gripping the sides is scary!)
As he goes in for the pet, he lets the iguana support their back half on his knee. The hold is secure but not tight; at any point, if the iggy was distressed, they could leave. But they don't- instead, you see them leaning into the pets, actively participating in the behavior. They're not even closing their eyes to block stimulus. They want this to happen.
This is the kind of bond that's possible when you can prove to a big lizard that you're trustworthy, and easily the best iguana video I've seen in a long time. Thank you for tagging me in!
Some green iguana body language resources under the jump!
Barten 2003. Green Iguana Management and Husbandry. Iguana: Journal of the International Iguana Society. I refer to this guy a lot when thinking about iguana behavior because even though the Green Iguana Husbandry issue of Iguana came out 22 years ago, Steve is a member of my herp society and has forgotten more about iguanas than any of us will ever know.
Burghardt 1977. Social behavior in hatchling green iguanas: life at a reptile rookery. Science.
Yes, Burghardt's iguana stuff is older. Yes, it's still highly relevant in the world of reptile ethology. If you can get your hands on a copy of Iguanas of the World, it's amazing how well it holds up.
Kaplan- everything on anapsid.org is at least 10 years old, but that doesn't change how valuable some of it is. Melissa knows her stuff, she just can't have iguanas anymore and unfortunately her health interferes a lot with what she wants to do.
Behavior article collection
Change-Related Stress in Green Iguanas and Other Reptiles
Interpreting Non-Breeding Behaviors in Green Iguanas
Testosterone, Aggression, and Green Iguanas
Köhler 2003. Green Iguana Communication. Iguana: Journal of the International Iguana Society.
Rice et al. 2022. Heads Nods and Boat Bobs: Behavior of Iguana Iguana Is Affected by Environment and Boat Traffic in Riparian Tropical Forest. Biotropica.
Darren Naish wrote a cool blog post for Tetrapod Zoology that's got a lot of social behavior observations! His blogs are always backed up with great sources and evidence.
Hmmm I know octopuses are generally sweet and gentle and are just curious sea puppies (and I love them!), that being said, the thoughts of being dragged by my feet by one of them into the deep and dark ocean is… safe to say new fear has been unlocked
Marine biologist here: this is the giant pacific octopus, one of the largest species of octopus and cephalopod on earth! And while intimidating, and technically powerful enough to do so, most octopuses do not have reason or instinct to pull a grown adult into the water, as their natural diet is comprised of a very different prey of mollusks, crustaceans, and small fish. (And occasionally each-other) This guy was most likely just curious, as octopuses can have the mental capacity of a small child, making them one of the most intelligent animals in the world. And although yes, all octopuses are venomous to some extent, the potency of the giant pacific octopus, though painful, is not fatally dangerous to humans if treated properly, and is only inflicted through bite from their powerful beaks, which are rarely used on humans. it is also not typically aggressive to us, with only about 4 documented attacks on divers having been recorded in the past 25 years or more. As long as you are calm and careful, you will be ok. What an amazing experience. Protect your marine ecosystems so we can ensure a future for these incredible animals!
kate mckinnon in the 2016 ghostbusters movie was my gay awakening. little me had no idea what i was going to become before i walked out of that theater, i was a changed woman
I know it was largely unpopular but I DON'T CARE I fucking loved the 2016 Ghostbusters and I just watched it again while writing the next chapter of Yearling (I always watch it at least twice every October) AND IT'S STILL GREAT and I needed you all to know that.