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coronavirus-ting

The Signs As Snakes

Aries: Kenyan Sand Boa

Taurus: Coral Snake

Gemini: Brazilian Rainbow Boa

Cancer: Royal Python

Leo: Milk Snake

Virgo: Western Hognose

Libra: Corn Snake

Scorpio: Rhino Ratsnake

Sagittarius: Bamboo Ratsnake

Capricorn: Sunbeam Snake

Aquarius: Calabar Burrowing Python

Pisces: Green Tree Python

softest-archive-deactivated2023

I’m ok. I’m gonna be ok. I’m gonna live a beautiful life and I’ll get to know beautiful people. I will create things of beauty and be surrounded by flowers. And I’ll love myself, and I’ll be soft, I’ll be kind. And I’ll be ok.

studious-annabeth

notes masterpost

Hi! OMG IM FINALLY DONE POSTING ALL MY NOTES HAHAH FINALLLYYYY!!!!

I understand it’s pretty hard to collate all my notes together, so I’ve made this masterpost!! :) + some abbreviation legend thing just in case you guys don’t understand the abbreviations i wrote hehe i hope you guys enjoyed these and that these notes helped!! thank you for sticking by me and my irregular posting schedules. Will continue to update this list when i post more notes in the future !!! xx

Biology Notes - based on Biology Matters for GCE ‘O’ Level (2nd Edition), by Marshall Cavendish

Chapter 2 - Cells

Chapter 3 - Movement of Substances

Chapter 4 - Nutrients

Chapter 5 - Enzymes

Chapter 6 - Nutrition in Humans

Chapter 7 - Nutrition in Plants

Chapter 8 - Transport in Humans

Chapter 9 - Transport in Plants

Chapter 10 - Respiration v1, v2

Chapter 11 - Excretion

Chapter 12 - Homeostasis

Chapter 13 - Nervous System

Chapter 14 - The Human Eye

Chapter 15 - Hormones

Chapter 16 - Cell Division v1, v2

Chapter 17 - Reproduction in Plants

Chapter 18 - Reproduction in Humans v1, v2

Chapter 19 - Heredity

Chapter 20 - Molecular Genetics

Chapter 21 - Ecology

Chapter 22 - Our Impact on the Ecosystem

Chemistry Notes - based on Chemistry Matters for GCE ‘O’ Level (2nd Edition), by Marshall Cavendish

Chapter 1-7

Chapter 8-14

Chapter 15-20

Chapter 21-24

skepticraven

15 Adorable Animals That Americans Have Probably Never Heard Of

1) The Quoll (see image below ↓): Quolls are one of the less famous marsupials of Australia. Look at that face! Don’t you just want to boop him on his little pink nose? But don’t by fooled by their cartoon-like adorableness, they are armed with a mouth full of formidable, sharp teeth. These creatures are surprisingly ferocious hunters that primarily eat meat (rabbits, small birds, possums, lizards, snakes, insects, etc) but will also eat fruit and nuts once in a while or scavenge if the opportunity arises. There are 6 species of Quoll, the largest of which gets to be about a meter long. Unfortunately, loss of habitat and various invasive animals have been hard on the Quoll population, particularly due to invasive feral cats and the poisonous cane toad. They also have a quite short lifespan, to begin with (2 and 5 years depending on the subspecies). If you’d like to help keep this endearing little creature around, consider donating to the Australian Quoll Conservancy.

2) The Numbat ↓: Although it’s not a mirror image, something about this charming little animal reminds a bit of Pikachu but perhaps that’s just me. In any case, the Numbat is also an Australian Marsupial, sometimes referred to as the Banded Anteater or as “Walpurti” by Aboriginal people. The name Banded Anteater is somewhat of a misnomer. They actually feed entirely on termites, not ants. Their tongue just reminds people of the Giant Anteater. The fact that they require 20,000 termites a day, has saved them from being poached for the pet trade. Unlike the Quoll, the Numbat is diurnal- meaning awake during the day. Cute as they are, these animals are also critically endangered. There are only believed to be about 1,000 individuals left in the wild which is due in large part to invasive feral cats and red foxes. Consider donating to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy if you like to help.

3) The Vaquita Porpoises ↓: These are the smallest porpoises in the world, reaching a max of 4.5 feet. They are just such happy-looking creatures but their story is actually quite tragic. They live only in the Gulf of California and due to the pervasive use of illegal gill nets by fisherman, Vaquita often become trapped and drown. These animals will almost certainly be extinct soon. As of this year, there were only 12 animals left in the wild. Leonardo DiCaprio has been working to raise awareness and helped push through some new conservation efforts but I fear it may be too little, too late. Even with his efforts, very few people even know these animals exist. If you were ever to donate to help save a species, this is the animal and this is the moment. The World Wildlife Fund would be a good choice. WIthout a lot of human cooperation, these animals will be extinct by next year.

4) The Desert Rain Frog ↓: This frog reminds me of a squeaky toy. And he makes grumpiness look good. People think of frogs as hopping, this one simply walks. His legs are too short and stubby for hopping. Other frogs “ribbit,” this one chirps. I dare you to try not smiling as you watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBkWhkAZ9ds

This chubby little Amphibian is only about 3-6 centimeters long and spends most of its life buried in the sand. It is considered a near threatened species due to habitat loss.

5) The Speckled Cape Tortoise (aka the Speckled Padloper Tortoise) ↓: It resides in Southern Nambia & South Africa and is recognized as the world’s smallest tortoise species, reaching a maximum of 2.4–3.1 inches. Because they’re fun-sized, people naturally think these would make good pets. Unfortunately, they’re wrong. They don’t do well on a captive diet and the environmental change is particularly traumatic for them. Best to leave the pint-sized reptiles be. Doesn’t mean you can fawn over the pictures though!

6) The Gundi ↓: is a delightfully plump critter that looks like a mish-mash of gerbils and guinea pigs. Despite their sweet appearance, the North African environment in which they live has conditioned them into tough, hardy animals that never need to drink a drop of water. Ever. They get all the water they need from the vegetation that they consume. They are also social animals, living in colonies of up to 100 animals.

7) The Jerboa ↓: Or Kangaroo-rabbit-gerbil hybrids as I affectionately call them, also get all of their water from their food in the wild, like the Gundi does. However, unlike the Gundi, the Jerboa travels solo. They are crepuscular animals, meaning that they are most active at twilight. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “some Jerboa plug their burrow entrances with soil to retain moisture and keep hot air out.” That’s pretty impressive for an animal with a brain that’s roughly the size of a pea.

8) The Springhare ↓: Honey, I shrunk the Kangaroo… lol. They reside in southwestern Africa. They can leap almost ten feet at a time, despite only being roughly the size of a rabbit. They are nocturnal herbivores (save the occasional passing insect) and they reside in burrow dwellings.

9) The Lesser Malay Chevrotain ↓: (aka the Lesser Mouse Deer) looks like a tiny vampire deer. Well, the males do anyways because their canine teeth grow into the vampire-like tusks you see in the picture below. And the males do use these to fight for mating rights or territory. They have a pretty extensive range through Southeast Asia. It’s the smallest hoofed animal alive today and they are notoriously shy. Surprisingly, they are quite good swimmers. They can even submerge and hold their breath up to 4 minutes. And in somewhat disturbing news, these chubby, spindly-legged munchkins can mate again only a few hours after giving birth.

10) The Vicuña ↓: Look at those goofy faces! It is a wild, smaller relative of the camel that hails from the Andes in South America. They are also ancestors to the Alpaca. Vicuñas produce small amounts of extremely fine wool, which is very expensive because the animal can only be shorn every 3 years, and has to be caught from the wild. When knitted together, the Vicuña’s wool is very soft and warm. To prevent poaching, a round-up is held every year, and all vicuñas with fur longer than 2.5 cm are shorn .The Inca also valued Vicuñas highly for their wool, and it was against the law for anyone but royalty to wear Vicuña garments. Today, the vicuña is the national animal of Peru and appears in the Peruvian coat of arms.

11) The Margay ↓: looks like a baby Leopard but it’s actually its own, distinct species and it’s fully grown. They live in Central and South America and are known to be highly intelligent. According to Smithsonian.com, a 2009 study reported that a Margay mimicked the call of a small monkey called a Pied Tamarin to lure the primate closer. In addition to monkeys, the Margay will hunt squirrels, opossums, sloths, porcupines, tree frogs, lizards and birds. They are mostly nocturnal, tree-climbers, and weigh between 9 and 20 lbs.. Sadly, thousands of Margays are killed each year for their fur.

12) The Pallas Cat ↓: These felines have been termed the original “grumpy cat.” All I can say is they need to bottle whatever the hell makes the Pallas Cat so damn fluffy. Women would sell a kidney for that kind of volume. lol. They are definitely positively snuggly looking. They reside in the high-altitude, steppe regions of central Asia, including parts of Afghanistan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, southern Russia, much of western China. They’ve been known to roam as high as 16,570 ft. Unfortunately, they are often hunted for their fur and even their organs which are used in traditional “medicine.”

13)The Flat-headed Cat ↓: This feline is both adorable and bears some of the most striking, usual markings of any animal on the list. They also purr which makes them extra endearing! Flat-headed cats are distributed across lowland tropical rainforests in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore Brunei, and Sumatra. They tend to stick very close to fresh water as fish are the primary part of their diet- although they do dine on things like frogs, crustaceans, and rats. The Smithsonian states, “ A 2010 assessment of the cat’s chance at survival noted that over 70% of its habitat has been destroyed by human settlement & agriculture, and researchers expect that the cat’s populations will keep shrinking as development continues. If the flat-headed cat is to be saved, conservationists have little time left.”

14) Pygmy Spotted Skunk ↓: Stinky, cute, and tiny? Am I talking about a baby or a pygmy spotted skunk? lol. What’s not to love? They only get to be a little over a foot long at their largest. It could fit in your hand if you were brave enough to hold it. They are omnivorous and native to western Mexico.

15) The Raccoon Dog ↓: (They are also known as the mangut or tanuki). Raccoon dog is an appropriate name as it literally looks like a hybrid of the 2 animals. However, they actually aren’t related to raccoons at all, only canines. It may live alone or in small groups of up to 6 individuals. They are nocturnal, weighing 7-22 lbs (depending on the sex and where they live), and unlike most canines, they can and do climb trees. They currently live in Japan, Russia, Dagestan, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, France, Romania, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, North Korea, South Korea, Vietnam, western China, and western Mongolia. The ones found in Europe are invasive.

Be honest, how many had you heard of?

the-awkward-turt

do you know of any pets insects that live longer than a few months and are legal in the us, but aren't super high maintenance and aren't too costly? my therapist suggests that i get a get to help me out of this slump i'm in- says caring for something could help me get back into a little routine and give me a reason to be around. i've always loved insects (and spiders!), but due to my depression, i can't be walking thing or doing too much in a day. sorry for the weird question!

I cannot even express how much I love this ask! Bugs are highly underrated as pets and I think they have great potential as a source of engagement/stress-relief for people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to have a pet.

You’ve actually got quite a lot of options. Here are my top recommendations:

1) Madagascar hissing cockroach

Large, can’t fly, slow moving and very gentle. They live 2-5 years with proper care. You can have a whole colony or just a couple. They’ll eat dog and cat food, vegetable scraps, fish flakes, pretty much anything (it’s so cute to watch them eat). They can learn to recognize individual humans and won’t hiss when someone they know and like picks them up.

2) Bess beetles.

Gentle, slow moving, and make adorable noises. They have the most varied vocalizations of any insect; adults live in pairs and raise offspring together (though it’s very rare for them to breed in captivity). They live around 1-2 years and eat rotting wood (if you can’t find a local source there are companies you can buy it from).

3) Tarantulas

Not an insect, but since you mentioned you like spiders I thought I would throw this out there. Tarantulas are very low maintenance pets; just misting (for humid species), refilling the water dish, and feeding every 1-2 weeks. Most species could go for 2 weeks or more without any care and be totally fine. Some of the mellower species will tolerate gentle (and very careful) handling. Tarantulas are a bit more of a long term commitment though as females can live 15-20+ years.

4) Praying mantis

These guys can be a bit more delicate as nymphs, but they are some of my favorite insects to work with. They are gorgeous and so attentive and cute (fun fact: they groom themselves like cats). Exotic species are in a legal gray area so I recommend buying a well-started nymph of a hardy native species from an actual mantis breeder (not from educational websites selling egg cases). These guys need a bit more care as they need live insects 2-3x times a week as nymphs and fairly regular misting (though I’ve never found feeding a chore since it’s so fun to watch them eat). They are a joy to handle when they get larger and adults of most species can live in an enclosure the size of a large mason jar. Downside is they only live a year maximum.

Hopefully that gives you a good starting place from which to do more research. I would be happy to answer more questions if you have any!

adorablesnakes

Beware the Sound of Death

Alright y’all, let me set the stage for you. It is 11:30 in the damn nighttime. I’m winding down for bed, relaxing on the couch, watching Pleiades explore around his enclosure.

Well all of a sudden, he periscopes hardcore. His mouth is slightly agape. His movement is erratic. And a horrible sound rips through the air swift as the Grim Reaper’s scythe.

My snake is dying. He has a respiratory infection. He is stargazing. He is regurging. Everything that could kill a snake seems to be happening to him at once.

Right? Wrong.

He. Was. FARTING.

It was the loudest g-damn fart I have ever heard in all my natural life.

This was Foghorn Farthorn sounding like the Horn of WinterPoot across Buttsneeze Lake.

You don’t know what an emotional 180 truly feels like until you go from almost crying over your dying snake to literally falling on the floor as you laugh at his asstronomical amount of gas.

He even looked a bit embarrassed when I moved him to pick up his Dinosaur-Ate-a-Footlong-Burrito poop.

I can’t believe this beautiful dumbass stink machine.

Oh, hey

#banana ball python #ball python #reptileblr #herpblr #snakeblr #danger noodle

I think one of the weirdest moment in growing up mentally ill is when all your friends grow out of their emo/indie/socially awkward phase when you’re about 13

and suddenly

they’re not depressed anymore or shy anymore

and being those things isn’t cool anymore

you just kind of realise oh it was part of their aesthetic

you feel like you weren’t in on a joke or something

#letstalkaboutmentalhealthbabey #im not saying theyre not allowed to be depressed #in their defense i did pretend to like marvel when i was 13 #depression #recovery #mentalhealth

Ok one side of depression I never hear people talk about is about feeling so numb you can’t listen to music or watch films?

Like during my worst time I couldn’t watch any movies other than horror movies for the whole 3 years, I just couldn’t handle anything with a happy ending or emotional plots especially films about other teenagers

Same with music I couldn’t listen to it without it making me feel 100% worse and I still can’t listen to a lot of stuff now

I don’t know maybe it’s just me

#mentalhealth #depression #recovery #letstalkaboutmentalhealthbabey

before buying more animals

do the animals you already keep have the best possible care including good enrichment, suitable sized enclosures and the best suited diet?

I think it’s important to remember that by buying an animal you should choose to care for it to the best standard, you are never forced to buy them nor do they choose to be bought

If you’re not in a state where you can look after your animals to the best standard then that’s ok! I’ve definitely had times when my health has gotten in the way of my animal care but remember they rely on you

You should prioritise your health and choose not to take on any more animals and get try and help for the ones you already have

It’s not just about not neglecting your animals, you should aim to make them as happy as you can!

#animalhoarding #reptileblr #snakeblr #animals #animalneglect

ok no offence but saying life isn’t fair to someone complaining about something ,,,not ,,,being,,, fair,,, doesn’t solve the problem it’s just another way of saying other people have it bad as well so don’t complain

like life would be better if it was fair let people be angry it’s not and let people be angry if they were born with a disadvantage

Life isn’t fair but that sucks and you’re allowed to think so

#you’re allowed to be angry #lifeisntfair #mental health #deformity #unhelpful

thrashbeatles

mother’s day in moominvalley

the-long-dog

Dirt Snake Appreciation Post

Lets show the brown colored snakes some love. Please reblog with your mud children!

feathers-scales-and-tails

Genetically unhealthy reptiles

So there are quite a few unhealthy reptile morphs out there and I only discovered most of them by fluke, so I thought I’d make a masterpost. There are likely many more which I haven’t heard of yet, so feel free to expand on this post with others.

Enigma Leopard Geckos

The Enigma morph is one that covers the Geckos body in little spots that look like freckles, very cute but it comes with a devastating condition known as “Enigma syndrome” This disorder affects a Geckos fine motor control and results in many secondary symptoms such as stargazing (looking upwards frequently), walking around in circles frequently, wobbly and difficult walking, seizures, and an inability to catch prey due to their aim being affected from this condition. Overall it significantly decreases their quality of life. An animal may not demonstrate this condition for many years, it can come on years into their life. This is a dominant genetic disorder meaning any animal which is an enigma will pass this onto offspring. Even ‘healthy’ appearing animals will carry this gene and pass it along to offspring. The Enigma morph needs to be phased out completely since all who are Enigma have the potential to develop this disorder.

Sunkissed Corn Snakes

The Sunkissed morph is pictured above, rather striking in its vivid colouration. However the price for it is something known as "Stargazing Syndrome” which is pictured in the right side photograph. Stargazing syndrome is a vestibular syndrome (balance affecting condition) which prevents normal functionality of the central nervous system and causes these snakes to twist their necks and heads upwards towards the sky. Basically put, these snakes can’t work out which way is up and are often found upside down on their backs. It affects these snakes by causing difficulty moving, disorientation, inability to right themselves into a normal position if on their backs, and sometimes even tremors and seizures. Once again a genetic disorder, however since its recessive you often won’t know if the snake is a carrier or not. The only way to tell if a snake carries the stargazing trait is to breed them; any who prove to carry this trait should never be bred again.

Spider Ball Pythons

The Spider morph is absolutely stunning, characteristic of that 'drippy’ black patterning on the body and a rather unique head stamp/pattern. It can come in many varieties since it’s commonly bred into other morphs such as pied, banana, etc. However it causes something called “Wobble Syndrome” which is a severe neurological disorder. This is hypothesised to be caused by an error in the neural crest during embryonic development. The neural crest is responsible for arranging neurons in the correct positions and depositing pigmentation. This morph alters where pigment is usually placed in the body, giving them the gorgeous appearance, however it consequently prevents neurons from reaching their correct positions, hence the neurological disorder. Wobble Syndrome causes many severe and debilitating issues to the snake. The most noticeable being 'corkscrewing’ which is where the snake will flip it’s head and neck upside down, right way up, and upside down again in quick succession. However they are also affected by head tremors, difficulty moving, lack of coordination, inability to right itself if upside down, torticollis (neck spasms), poor muscle tone, and difficulty eating due to head wobbling and missed strikes. Wobble Syndrome is a dominant genetic disorder meaning any snake which expresses the spider phenotype will suffer from and pass on this disorder to offspring. It can range from barely noticeable to severe, and an animal may not suffer at first, but can develop the disorder after several years of being 'healthy’. The Spider morph needs to be phased out completely since all who are Spider have the potential to develop this disorder.

Jaguar Carpet Pythons

The Jaguar morph has to be one of the most visually stunning morphs out there, it’s characterised by it’s gorgeous spots which resemble a jaguars. However the price they pay for their beauty is once again, “Wobble Syndrome”. Jaguars are identical to Spider Ball Pythons in their suffering, and it’s even thought that the Neural Crest deformity is the cause for these guys too. It is important to note that there are several species who can carry the jaguar gene. The gene originated in Jungle Carpet Pythons but has since been bred into other Carpet Pythons (CP for short) species such as the Irian Jaya CP, Darwin CP, Coastal CP, and Diamond CP. Pretty much the only difference with the Jaguar morph is that it is not a dominant gene like the spider morph, and it’s not a recessive gene like the sunkissed morph. The Jaguar gene is a co-dominant mutation. What that means is that the Jaguar gene is visible along with whatever other gene the snake carries. You almost always have two genes for something, and in codominance neither of those genes are recessive to the other, and neither are dominating to the other either. This means both genes express, so to put that into a visual sense (but not genetically accurate!) if you bred a black and a white cat together, the offspring would be black and white if they were co-dominant. This just like the spider and enigma morph means any snake which expresses the Jaguar phenotype has the ability to develop Wobble Syndrome and will pass it along to offspring. The Jaguar morph needs to be phased out completely since all who are Jaguar have the potential to develop this disorder.

Silkback Bearded Dragons and Scaleless Snakes

Silkback bearded dragons and Scaleless snakes are exactly what they sound like, they are completely devoid of any and all scales and instead only have the layer of skin present beneath reptile scales. I admit I do not know much about Scaleless snakes, but assume they suffer the same affects as the silkback bearded dragons so have included them here. Silkback bearded dragons are produced when two leatherback bearded dragons are bred together. The leatherback gene is co-dominant (it can also be recessive) and if a dragon receives two copies of this co-dominant gene then they are a silkback. Co-dominance means two genes are working together, so one copy of leatherback and one copy of normal scales means together these genes create a dragon who has reduced spikes and scales but they still have scales! Two copies of the leatherback gene means the co-dominance has nothing to partner with, so the dragon we get is completely devoid of scales. Now, for an animal which is supposed to have scales, having no scales comes with many severe issues. The main being that they suffer extreme shedding difficulty and have no protection from sharp objects or other dragons. Scalesless animals can easily be cut or punctured from ornaments in a tank which are safe for their scaled or leatherback counterparts. Even a basking log, brick, or rock can cut them if they run against it wrong. This means their tank needs to be almost empty or only have soft, pliable decor which provides no risk of injury. This can be severely damaging to the animals mental wellbeing as there is no enrichment opportunities for the animal. Shedding wise, these animals need to be soaked in baths almost daily to maintain skin hydration, and when it comes time to shed their shed will shrink to their skin and it’s often for them to lose toes, bits of tail, or even get pieces stuck around their heads and necks which can cause severe damage. You can also not breed silkback bearded dragons (am unsure about Scaleless snakes?) pairing another dragon with a silkback will cause extreme injury. If the silkback is female, the male bearded dragon will cut her open with his claws as he mounts her and he will tear her shoulders and neck open where he holds her with his mouth. These injuries can be life threatening. Furthermore, if the silkback is male he may receive lacerations and cuts to his stomach upon mounting the female or he may be critically injured if she rejects him and bites or scratches in retaliation. If all of that isn’t bad enough these scaleless animals also have an increased risk of illness due to decreased immunity (immunity decreased due to unknown reason) and suffer extremely reduced lifespans. Scalesless animals are an incredibly unnatural and disgusting morph which needs to be completely phased out.

That’s all for my masterpost currently. There are likely many more unhealthy morphs I have yet to hear of, so please inform me if you know of any others I’ve neglected to mention and I shall research and add them here. Please do not ever support or purchase one of these animals as it encourages the breeding of severely unhealthy animals with significantly reduced quality of life. With so many healthy and wonderful morphs and species available there is absolutely no reason to ever purchase one of these.