last born son @radioquikr - Tumblr Blog

my second gouache piece! i have a lot to learn but i think i figured out a lot through the process of making this one. took forever tho. anyway enjoy this heron

nepeta

Flame-faced Tanager!!

Really living up to their name out here

sildurs

Late night

cleverreports

We report: we think something happened while we were under the cover of the trees, but we are unsure what it was. For a moment, though the sky had been cloudless since dawn, the light dimmed, and the wind suddenly rose. On the ground, the shadows of the leaves shifted.

yurucamp

recent oil paintings

inber

let's struggle to dine with mama

run-bird-run

Three-banded Courser (Rhinoptilus cinctus)

herpsandbirds

Cape Barren Geese (Cereopsis novaehollandiae), family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, Phillip Island, VIC, Australia

photographs by Greg Wisnia

herpsandbirds

La Brea Poison Frog (Oophaga occultator), family Dendrobatidae, Chocó region, Colombia

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.

photograph by Alejo Grajales Echeverry

diaryofandnwoman

A fish swimming in the Great Lakes today may have been alive before many colonial settlements existed in the region.

A new scientific study suggests lake sturgeon may live far longer than previously believed. Using 44 years of tagging and recapture data from five Great Lakes populations, researchers estimated that male lake sturgeon may live 90 to 279 years, while females could potentially reach 99 to 427 years.

For many years, scientists estimated sturgeon age by counting growth rings in fin spines, similar to tree rings. Researchers now say that method becomes less reliable as lake sturgeon age because their growth slows and the rings become increasingly difficult to distinguish. By tracking individual fish over decades, the study offers a new way to understand how long these ancient fish may live.

The findings also align with knowledge long shared by some Indigenous communities, whose oral traditions have described lake sturgeon as exceptionally long-lived beings. In many Great Lakes cultures, sturgeon hold deep importance as part of foodways, seasonal knowledge, and relationships with waterways.

Lake sturgeon were once heavily harvested and treated as nuisance fish in the late 1800s, contributing to major population declines. According to Michigan DNR reporting, less than 1% of historic Great Lakes lake sturgeon numbers remain. Because they mature slowly and reproduce over many decades, recovery takes time across generations.

The study highlights the value of long-term monitoring and collaboration among Tribal Nations, fisheries researchers, universities, and conservation agencies. Protecting healthy rivers, spawning habitat, and connected waterways remains important for the future of this species.

Sources: WWMT, Great Lakes Commission, WXYZ 7 News

mitsukara7

192929020202020

snailkites

Crested Caracara being allopreened by two Black Vultures! This is such an interesting behavior and one that's typically one-way (preening by vultures to caracara). Here you can see the caracara either attempting to reciprocate but getting rebuffed by both vultures, or telling them to stop for now.

[Video source]