make good art. do good science.

Marine ecology nerd, art-maker, word-arranger, and curious human jaywalking the intersection of art and science. https://www.redbubble.com/people/lilseamonster

[lilseamonsterstudios]

Low tide at Coal Oil Point reserve.

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March for Science, April 22, 2017.

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Women’s March, Los Angeles

Trump said in his inaugural address that "we must think big and dream even bigger."

To those looking on: this is not about fear, though many are afraid. This is not about anger, though many are outraged. This is about love, and acceptance, and hope, and driving this nation to a brighter place, against odds.

This is a woman playing "This Land is your Land" on her guitar atop a car in the middle of the road, and the crowd joining in. This is the chants of 100s declaring that "love Trumps hate,” that “this is what democracy looks like.”

This is about dreaming bigger. So much bigger.

[lilseamonsterstudios]

Rough draft - reef eutrophication by Corinne Fuchs

I’m playing with some new thangs for outreach! Here is literally my first ever attempt at a stop-motion esque hand drawing/animation thing. Lighting is uneven and too low, and I’m not sure that actually looks like a reef... But brush pens are great and I think I can build on this quite a bit. More to come!

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Some coastal sunset vistas!

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In appreciation of plants, and adhesion.

More photographs from a lovely, foggy hike in a very light sprinkling of rain!

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Some coastal shots.

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Back in January, I went on a hike with two friends and in the small, shallow canyon/cut we wandered into, there were hundreds of ladybeetles. And that may be an underestimate...

In California, ladybugs half-migrate, half-get blow by the wind coastward in the winter, and aggregate to breed and overwinter in canyons like the one my friends and I stumbled into. There were areas where branched, rocks, and the very ground were, very slowly and calmly, swarming with lethargic lady bugs. Many of them were aggregated such that water droplets were attached between their bodies! (see bottom photo)

[lilseamonsterstudios]

In appreciation of spiders and spider webs.

If you ever get the chance, treat yourself to a hike right after rain. Or, even better, in light rain. And keep your eyes peeled for raindrop-speckled spiderwebs and their architects.

Also, guys, I REALLY want a a macro lens...

[lilseamonsterstudios]

Some terrestrial adventures!

Traipsing about Santa Barabara, CA and (phone) photos from the beautiful Kelso Dunes in the Mojave desert.

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Actual Pokedex/Zoodex #3: The Gharial!  (AKA the gavial, long-nosed crocodile)

[Phylum Chordata, Class Reptilia, Order Crocodilia, Family Gavialidae, Genus Gavialis]

Extended 'dex:

While alligators and crocodiles have special wrists and musculature that let them both "slide" on their bellies and "run" with their bodies high off the ground, Gharials do not. They do have well-webbed rear feet and a vertically skinny tail. Great for swimming, even in the fast rivers they inhabit! The ghara's function is not entirely certain, but probably is a characterisitc for female mate choice and for resonating a loud buzzing noise. Unfortunately, these animals are severely threatened by habitat loss, despite the successes of conservation efforts and captive breeding.

For more information, check out Scientific American, and of course, Wikipedia as a launching pad for further sources!

Pokemon and the Pokedex/setup belong to Nintendo. For educational/fun purposes.

More to come in #Actual Pokemon Project!

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And we break from your regularly-scheduled sciency-pokemon to celebrate the aquatic beasties of MH3U

I can't friggin wait for 4U guys, oh man

cross-posting from my reddit lalalal

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Zoodex #3, the Gharial!

[I'm going to repost this soon when I can link goodies. For now, here's a pretty nice, casual writeup about the jaw

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Trying out a new "pokedex" format. It's a bit less pokemon-y, but hopefully more legible and/or clean?

Also tardigrade is coming soon; my entire life has been dedicated to applying to the NSF fellowship but that's almost over so new content soon, yay!

[cyan-biologist]

Actual Pokemon project #1

Thanks livinginchaosbeauty for sending me the sprite in his full glory; the Pokedex. It looks awesome and actually pretty legit. (why isn’t there a velvetworm pokemon yet?)

Idea “Actual Pokemon project” & template Pokedex - livinginchaosbeauty Sprite Onychophora - me :D

Too see all the Actual Pokemon project posts, go to this blog: artinginchaosbeauty 

[livinginchaosbeauty]

Eeeeeeeeee~~~!

Okay right information:

Another entry to the Actual Pokedex, the velvet “worm”

(Panarthropod (unranked group also including Arthropods and Tardigrades), Phylum Onychophora).

Extended ‘dex:

Carnivorous; excellent ambush hunters, despite terrible sight. Hydrostatis skeleton. Their small (adorable) feet are called “lobopods.” Terrestrial only, found on most land in the Southern Hemisphere. Some give live birth! Sprite (esp. coloration) is based on Onychophorans in the genus Peripatus.

Not actually a worm. Or a bug. Or velvet. Or even an arthropod—but, closely related to arthropods.

Fun fact: one species, Eoperipatus totoro, is named so because of the catbus creature in My Neighbor Totoro.

For more information, check out onychophora.com(excellent site), UCBerkeley, and (of course) Wikipedia.

Also, check out this awesome .gif by the-science-llama (pewpewpew!):

Pokemon and the Pokedex/setup belong to Nintendo. For educational/fun purposes. 

More to come in #Actual Pokemon Project

Bonus animated sprite by yours truly:

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WIP of a tard for the actual pokedex

how do I make cellular structures in pixels ahahahaha -dies-

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[lilseamonsterstudios]

First entry to the Actual Pokedex, the sea “spider”

(class Pycnogonida, order Pantopoda. Phylogeny uncertain).

Extended ‘dex:

It commonly has 4 pairs of legs, thus the common name. They’re so leggy they don’t even have a respiratory system—gases just exchange between the body and water. Species in cold and deep waters can get huge (but are just as spindly).

Most pycnogonids feed with a proboscis, similar to a butterfly or moth.

Not actually a spider. Or a bug. Or an insect. But, a true arthropod.

For more information, check out wikipedia, EarthLife, UCBerkeley, and invertebrate.us (very detailed).

Pokemon and the Pokedex/setup belong to Nintendo. For educational/fun purposes. 

More to come in #Actual Pokemon Project