The Aggressive Recession @organizedanimalism - Tumblr Blog

Vincent strikes me as the type of guy to just pick up animals with all the self preservation skills of a sunfish

This is his enrichment

This variant of the Goldentail / Bastard Moray is known as the Banana Eel due to its colouration and markings resembling a ripe banana.

(source)

cetitanhasmoved

sorry the what? the what moray

cromerholt

scientist: let’s call you the… goldentail

banana eel: [bites scientist]

scientist: Okay motherfucker, new idea:

thefingerfuckingfemalefury

Aquarium Tour Guide: and here in this tank we have a CRIMINAL

Bastard Moray: I’LL BITE U AGAIN WHEN I GET THE CHANCE

grad-school-fool

Why is Poison Ivy always so hypersexualized she’s basically a magic farmer she should be wearing muddy boots and complaining about how corn subsidies are killing agriculture as well as flora biodiversity in the US

more-muppets

They want her to be a forest nymph instead of the stem field eco-terrorist feminist that she is

ames-draws

…I had to draw it.

yay855

It also fits because she’s a lesbian, and lesbians wear plaid jackets.

rikmach

To be fair, the in-universe explanation is so she can attract rich men who devastate the environment to her so she can murder them.

yay855

…that would only work the first few times.

rikmach

I think you’re underestimating the stupidity of horny men.

trashpandagamer

That previous comment is gold and I love it

radiojamming

I haven’t been able to get the full video but we just celebrated one of our steam locomotives turning 145 by chucking a chocolate cake into her firebox

everythingfox

What cute dogs 😊… wait

everythingfox

One of these things is not like the other

humoristics

A tiny bat stretching

snakeybones

Ca.t and mou.se Photo credit: @celestialhatter

zooophagous

This is such a cool articulation

n-award

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arthurrmorgan

Bones; The Blonde in the Game

virtualsafari

babyanimalgifs

n a p f r i e n d s

thebrainscoop

The Brain Scoop: Conserving Akeley’s Elephants

It’s been about 3.5 years (!) since we’ve talked about Carl Akeley’s fighting African elephants (throw back to that first video here– I was such a baby science communicator!!!). These elephants represent some of the best taxidermy ever created, but after being on display for the last century they’re beginning to show their age.

So, the Field hired a team of conservators to assess the specimens, with the hope of repairing damage sometime this year, so they can continue to inspire and educate our visitors for another 100 years.

aquiraxuno

carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory

Dirty Birds

Comparison of two Field Sparrows (S. pusilla pusilla), one from 1906 and one from 1996.

(Credit: Carl C. Fuldner & Shane G. DuBay | doi:10.1073/pnas.1710239114)

by Pat McShea

Most of the information stored in museum specimens has yet to be read. When museum curators make such claims, they often hint at labyrinths of undeciphered genetic code within the tissue of preserved plants and animals. As a recent study by two University of Chicago graduate students makes clear, “readable” information coats even the exterior of some carefully collected and prepared specimens.

Shane DuBay and Carl Fuldner charted a 135-year record of air pollution across America’s rust belt by examining soot on the breast feathers of more than 1,300 bird specimens in the collections of The Field Museum, the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, and Carnegie Museum of Natural History. A summary of their work was recently published in the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) micrographs of breast feathers plucked from the specimens in the upper image.

(Credit: Carl C. Fuldner & Shane G. DuBay | doi:10.1073/pnas.1710239114)

Because birds molt their feathers each year, and every study skin includes a reference to a collection date and location, the researchers treated the darkened specimens as recording instruments. Scanning electron microscope images were used to document black carbon as the soot component clinging to feather filaments, collection care and storage protocols were reviewed to discount the possibility that birds became soot-coated after becoming museum specimens, and an innovative technique was developed to measure carbon levels differences among the study skins based upon variations in reflected light.

The study’s findings, which cover the period between 1880 and 2015, fill information gaps about pollution levels before the establishment of air quality monitoring standards in the 1950’s. By improving the accuracy of past air pollution estimates, information gleaned from the preserved birds will help refine existing models for predicting future atmospheric change.

To learn more about this innovative study, please visit the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.

Patrick McShea works in the Education and Visitor Experience department of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.