@optimisticpeachdetective - Tumblr Blog

christmas is when jesus was born, and easter is when he died. in between is when he did various baby crimes bad enough to warrant capital punishment at 3 months old. very bad baby

marinebiologyshitposts

vernadskova-deactivated20230803

i-fear-neither-death-nor-pain

Do they not have skulls!? Why is it mushy there!?!? @bunjywunjy

bunjywunjy

well of course beluga has a skull!! that's just not where it is.

see, you wouldn't necessarily pick up on this, but beluga skulls (and most cetacean skulls in general) are pretty much

flat...

so what's going on up there? well, most of the beluga's head is taken up by soft tissue and a large organ called the melon, which is basically a big ol waterballoon of semiliquid fat!

(boob. it's a head boob.)

this organ is found in every toothed whale and dolphin species on the planet and it's INCREDIBLY important, because the melon is what lets them echolocate!

the actual sound-producing organ is inside their nasal passage of all places, which sits up behind there, but the melon is what's actually used to fine-tune the soundwaves into the laser-accurate pinpoints that dolphins and toothed whales are so famous for.

tldr: without their head boob, belugas and their relatives would be literally flying blind!

puppetbilly

does slapping the melon like that hurt it ? like does it affect how it works or anything

proteus-no

@weirdgirlwambsgans @vampire-juicebox you guys are in luck bc it does not! Belugas will squish their melons voluntarily against things like rocks and glass. Think of it like when you squish your butt (but at the same time not, bc they have no nerve endings beyond the skin) they even voluntarily let humans play with it!

This is a strong creature, if that hurt or bothered it, you would know

thegreenpea

There are many benefits to being a marine biologist

toastbutteregg

random-jot

Standing directly in the doorway to achieve peak mental health.

beautiful-basque-country

Did you know...?

Bahlul ibn Marzuq was a rebel that freed Huesca from the tyrannical government of the Banu Salama with a huge popular support and established his own - short-lived - independent kingdom in the 9th century. A free territory from nowadays Nafarroa until the Mediterranean.

Bahlul was the son of Marzuq ibn Uskara. Uskara is still how certain regions of Euskal Herria call Euskara nowadays, and it’s widely believed that Bahlul’s dad was of Vascon origin: literally, his name meant Marzuq, son of the Basque.