[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Gills are for usually for breathing- but not for the lancelet! These primitive animals diverged from fish-- and all other chordates-- during the Cambrian era, so even though they share plenty of traits with modern vertebrates, they've undergone a process known as exaptation, in which certain traits change function. For example, rather than use their gill slits to breathe, they exclusively use them to filter out plankton for feeding.

(Image: A trio of Mediterranean amphioxus (Branchiostoma lanceolatum) by Vincent Moncorgé)

[animalphotorefs]

Photo of the Day: fuzzy dwarf lionfish

The Animal Photo Reference Repository is an independent, permanently open-access project and funded entirely by donations. Artists creating derivative or transformative works (without AI) have blanket permission to use all photos in the repository as references.

**Patreon** -- **Ko-Fi**

[all-mammal-creechur]

Risso's Dolphin Grampus griseus

It is found in oceans worldwide. These dolphins grow to be about 10 ft in length and can be identified by heavy scarring that appears white. Scars may act as an indicator of male ‘quality’ during aggressive social interactions. They feed almost exclusively on squid.

image by Kip Evans

[all-mammal-creechur]

Short-finned Pilot Whale Globicephala macrorhynchus

It has a worldwide distribution with a global population of about 700,000, and there may be 3 or 4 distinct populations—two in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Its range is moving northward due to global warming.

The short-finned pilot whale has been reported as being highly playful and social. It typically travels in pods of 10–30 members, usually family, but has been observed moving in groups of several hundred. Like killer whales, it has a matrilineal social hierarchy with an elder female at the head.

image by Cayambe

[inatungulates]

Pygmy hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis

Observed by roylesafaris, CC BY-NC

[inatungulates]

Longman's beaked whale Indopacetus pacificus

Observed by elsonchen, CC BY-NC

[wolffyluna]

Inktober day 3! A sea slug (or sea bunny to be specific) for @corviiids

[inatungulates]

South Island Hector's dolphin Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori

Observed by tobiasbauer, CC BY-NC

[comparativetarot]

Six of Cups. Art by An-Nhien Nguyen, from the Spellbound Tarot Deck.

[here-be-descriptions]

[Image Description: a tarot card featuring artwork of a red goldfish looking up at a red dragon, surrounded by six blue and white teacups. Tiny sailing ships float within four of the teacups. End image description.]

[comparativetarot]

Four of Cups. Art by An-Nhien Nguyen, from the Spellbound Tarot Deck.

[here-be-descriptions]

[Image Description: a tarot card featuring artwork of a blue dragon entwined around four blue and white teacups, within which float tiny sailing ships. End image description.]

[comparativetarot]

Ace of Cups. Art by An-Nhien Nguyen, from the Spellbound Tarot Deck.

[here-be-descriptions]

[Image Description: a tarot card featuring artwork of a golden dragon, and two orange goldfish; circling a blue and white teacup, atop which rests a red flower. End image description.]

[here-be-descriptions]

The Crystal Palace Plesiosaurs, designed by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins in the 1850s.

Fun fact: the macrocephalus statue originally had a larger head, befitting its name. The statue’s head had to be replaced after being destroyed during the Blitz.

Crystal Palace – Plesiosaur Directory

Plesiosaur – information about the Crystal Palace statues

[inatungulates]

Chinese humpback dolphin Sousa chinensis chinensis

Observed by yangming1991, CC BY-NC

[inatungulates]

Atlantic spotted dolphin "Stenella" frontalis

Observed by colorblindbirder, CC BY-NC

[skyransketches]

ART FIGHT ART FIGHT!!

Starting off with an experimental lineless piece of @chicken-mc-nuggets's cryptid siblings, Kawa and Moss <3 they're adorable!

[miyudeesper]

Smaugust Day 10: Aquatic Plants🐠

Dragalge my beloved... (ㅅ´ ˘ `)

[here-be-descriptions]

[Image Description: artwork depicting Dragalge-a pokémon based on a weedy seadragon-in a sunlit kelp forest. Swimming alongside the Dragalge are a Lumineon, an Alomomola, a Sharpedo, and a school of Luvdisc. End image description.]

[inatungulates]

Ganges River dolphin Platanista gangetica

Observed by ikbal_babu, CC BY-NC