We put way too much effort into pointless things.

Dex’s Diner’s Walk-In Refrigerator

[piermanwalter]

I had a dream that Cupcakke released a Backrooms parody EP titled Backwalls that was basically an X-rated fanfic about what happened in Clark’s life that made him like that and detailed descriptions of him gradually going insane, which was widely regarded as better written than the film script itself.

[sleepy-bebby]

Chinese giant salamander (娃娃鱼) a.k.a ‘baby fish’ due to the sound they make that sounds like a baby crying.

The Chinese giant salamander is one of the largest salamanders and one of the largest amphibians in the world. It is fully aquatic and is endemic to rocky mountain streams and lakes in the Yangtze river basin of central China.

The Chinese giant salamander is considered to be a "living fossil". Although protected under Chinese laws, its population has faced severe declined over the last 70 years and is currently (2022) listed as threatened. There are evidence indicating that the Chinese giant salamander may be composed of at least five cryptic species, further compounding each individual species' endangerment.

Here is a video of a 200-year-old Chinese giant salamander that was found in a cave.

[muppetmagic]

the simpsons + my favorite lgbt+ moments

[ginsengstripper]

[only-cat-memes]

[shirleyjacksons]

marcia lucas :((

[shirleyjacksons]

Marcia Lucas Dead: 'Star Wars' Oscar Winner & 'American Graffiti' Editor Was 80

Marcia Lucas, who won an Oscar for editing 1977's 'Star Wars' and got a nom for 'American Graffiti,' both directed by her then-husband Georg

star wars wouldn’t have been anything without her

[crabussy]

crying tears of joy over this photo

[crabussy]

absolutely obsessed with this genre of kākāpō photos. there are less than 250 kākāpō left on earth. how on earth do you end up in this situation

[the-dalm]

So Microsoft just released Microsoft 3d movie maker opensource… how cool!!! I’m so excited to see all the weird shit folks make with it… I think this’ll be the next source filmmaker.

Source: https://twitter.com/shanselman/status/1521698902579159040

Github repo here: https://github.com/microsoft/Microsoft-3D-Movie-Maker

[all-mammal-creechur]

Proboscis Bat Rhynchonycteris naso

It is found from southern Mexico to Belize, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia and Brazil, as well as in Trinidad. The bats are nocturnal, sleeping during the day in an unusual formation: most of them line up, one after another, on a branch or wooden beam, nose to tail, in a straight row.

In the photo, the two bats on the lower left are carrying young.

img source

[all-mammal-creechur]

I really love how dedicated these guys are to queuing.

[elfstrogenized]

You are perma tf'd into the first pokemon you generate on this website, how happy are you wit your new form

[fivetrench]

*Whimpers*

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Shell-Nesting Mason Bees: these bees build their nests in empty snail shells, using crushed leaves and soil to form the inner brood chambers and then sealing the entrance with debris

Bees of the family Megachilidae typically build their nests in the gaps and crevices in tree stumps, rocks, plant stems, and wooden structures, but there are a few species that prefer to nest in discarded snail shells. These shell-nesting bees are primarily found in Europe, North Africa, and the Near East; a few can also be found in North America, South Africa, and Japan.

Above: just some cozy little mason bees

These are solitary bees, meaning that they don't form colonies or live together in hives, and each female builds her own individual nest. The nest is constructed as a series of brood cells, and each cell contains a single egg with enough pollen and nectar to sustain the larva until it reaches adulthood.

Shell-nesting mason bees are known to exist in at least four different genera, including Osmia, Rhodanthidium, Wainia, and Protosmia.

Above: Osmia spinulosa and Rhodanthidium septemdentatum, both of which build their nests in snail shells

When the female is ready to nest, she carefully selects a shell and then drags it into a shaded or well-hidden spot. Moving the shell is no easy feat, but she clings to it with her hind legs and pulls herself along by grabbing objects with her mandibles. A single bee may travel like that for several meters before finally settling on the right spot to prepare her nest.

Above: a mason bee dragging her shell into position

This article describes how the nest is then constructed:

The bee begins to build its nest, mainly within the “whorl” or spire of the shell. A typical nest consists of a few chambers (about two or four in number, depending on the size of the shell) known as cells, the walls of which consist of masticated leaf pulp known as leaf mastic. When fresh, the colour of this material is bright green, but with time, it assumes a brownish or black colour. Each cell is provisioned with a mixture of pollen and nectar, an egg is laid on this, and the cell sealed with further leaf mastic.

The female must make dozens of trips just to gather the provisions for a single brood cell, and completing the entire nest can take days.

Above: the the internal structure of this nest is partially exposed, revealing a central brood cell, a single larva, a supply of pollen/nectar, and several layers of debris

Once the brood chambers have been constructed and provisioned, the entrance to the shell is "bricked up" with several layers of plant pulp, soil, pebbles, and shell fragments. In some cases, the female will also apply patches of plant pulp to the outer surface of the shell as a way to provide camouflage.

Above: mason bees sealing their nests with plant pulp

The completed nest is then carefully maneuvered so that the entrance faces the ground. Some females will conceal the entire nest beneath a pile of twigs, pine needles, and plant stems. Moss and blades of grass are also woven throughout the pile. All of the debris is carefully selected, positioned, and then "glued" together with saliva, forming a tangled, tent-like structure over the nest.

Above: Osmia bicolor, commonly known as the red-tailed mason bee. constructing a protective thatch over her nest

In other cases, the female will conceal the nest by creating a small hole in the sand and then dragging the shell into it, ensuring that the nest is partially buried.

Above: Osmia aurulenta and Osmia rufohirta

This is just one of the many peculiar nesting habits that can be found among solitary bees. Several other examples have been featured in my previous posts, which describe the nest-building strategies of woolcarder bees, resin-pot bees, and a ground-dwelling species known as Osmia avosetta.

Above: the fully-constructed nest of a shell-nesting mason bee

Sources & More Info:

Bulletin of the Amateur Entomologists' Society: Shell-Nesting Bees

The Little Book of Bees: Snail-Nesting Mason Bees

University of Hradec Králové: Bees Nesting in Empty Gastropod Shells

The Wildlife Trusts: Red-Tailed Mason Bees

Journal of Hymenoptera Research: Comparative Biology of Four Rhodanthidium Species that Nest in Snail Shells

Journal of Hymenoptera Research: Biology of Palaearctic Wainia Bees of the Subgenus Caposmia

Cambridge University Press: The Native Shell-Nesting Bee Osmia conjuncta

Wired: Adorable Bees that Live Inside Snail Shells

[shadowen]

This is an anti-despair checkpoint! You must share something you're looking forward to before scrolling on.

[monamoni]

[innerchildabortionclinic]

Smeeped to meet you...

[shadowen]

This is an anti-despair checkpoint! You must share something you're looking forward to before scrolling on.

[herpsandbirds]

Least Bittern (Botaurus exilis), chick, family Ardeidae, order Pelicaniformes, Arizona, USA

photographs by Marcy Starnes

[piermanwalter]

Honestly I'm less mad at this guy for taking the best mercenary jobs than I am mad at him for posting pages of unreadable garbage on every single new prompt on the kink meme writing forum within minutes.