#pliestocene pride

[pleistocene-pride]

Happy Pride Month! And Happy Dinosaur Day! Heterodontosaurus is a genus of heterodontosaurid dinosaur that lived throughout what is now southern Africa during the Early Jurassic around 200–190 million years ago. The first specimen consisting of a crushed but nearly complete skull and some now lost associated postcranial remains, was unearthed from the side of mount Tyinindini at an altitude of about 1,890 m (6,201 ft), during the British–South African expedition to South Africa and Basutoland (former name of Lesotho) in 1961–1962. Today, it is housed in the Iziko South African Museum. The animal was scientifically described and named in 1962 by paleontologists Alfred Walter Crompton and Alan J. Charig. The genus name refers to the different-shaped teeth, and the specific name honors George C. Tuck, a director of Austin Motor Company, who helped fund the expedition. In 1966, a second specimen of Heterodontosaurus consisting of a near complete articulated skeleton was discovered at the Voyizane locality, in the Elliot Formation of the Stormberg Group of rock formations, giving a much better understanding of the animal. These finds were remarkably important to the understanding of dinosaur evolution as prior next to no early ornithischian dinosaurs were known. Heterodontosaurus helped establish that ornithischia and saurischia were directly related and that dinosauria was a natural monophyletic group. Something not previously thought to be the case. Since then several additional specimens including multiple skulls have been recovered. Reaching around 3ft 10inches to 5ft 9 inches (1.18 to 1.75m) in length and 4.4 to 22lbs (2 to 10kgs) in weight, whilst heterodontosaurus was small for a dinosaur it was one of the largest members of its family. The skull was elongated, narrow, and triangular when viewed from the side. The fronts of the jaws were covered in a horny beak. It had three types of teeth; in the upper jaw, small, incisor-like teeth were followed by long, canine-like tusks. A gap divided the tusks from the chisel-like cheek-teeth. The body was short with a long tail. The five-fingered forelimbs were long and relatively robust, whereas the hind-limbs were long, slender, and had four toes. This ancient bipedal dinosaur is thought to have been herbivorous or possibly omnivorous feeding upon a variety of plants, insects, and possibly small vertebrates.

HETERODONTOSAURUS by MarioLanzas on DeviantArt

Heterodontosaurus by tnilab-ekneb121 on DeviantArt

Heterodontosaurus by NTamura on DeviantArt

Heterodontosaurus tucki by Dinostavros on DeviantArt

Crying About Dinosaurs

Hetero-DON’T-osaurus. Old joke is old... but I only managed to get one thing out for pride month so I wanted it to be inclusive of everyone.

Early Jurassic Rewind… Extreme Mexican dinosaurs?!

Just a few scraps of Early Jurassic dinosaurs have been found in the Huizachal Canyon, Tamaulipas, Mexico… but thanks to the work of among o

A Dinosaur A Day

Heterodontosaurus?  More like Hetero-DONT-osaurus!  Dinosaurs don’t stand for your heteronormativity.  By @ryuukibart

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Ice Age Australia

[pleistocene-pride]

Antrostomus vociferous, better known as the eastern whip-poor-will or whip o whill, is a species of bird within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, which is endemic to the deciduous forests and mixed woodlands of North and Central America from Canada in the north to Costa Rica in the south and from the east coast to the great plains. Often migrating to the north of there range to breed and to the south of there range to overwinter. It is named onomatopoeically after its song as whilst the whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, it is rarely seen because of its elaborate camouflage. Eastern whip-poor-whills are a nocturnal species which spends there days resting amongst leaf litter, tree roots, branches, hollows, and fallen logs, emerging at night to feed upon various flying insects such as beetles, flies, mosquitos, and in particular moths. Eastern whip-poor-wills are generally solitary preferring to spend time on their own; however, during migration, they may form loose flocks. Reaching around 8.5 to 10.5 inches (22 to 27cms) in length, 1.5 to 3 ounces (42 to 85grams) in weight with a 17.5 to 19.5 inch (45 to 50cms) wingspan, eastern whip poor whills sport a large head and broad body. They have mottled camoflauged plumage: the upperparts are grey, black and brown; the lower parts are grey and black. They have a very short bill and a black throat. Males have a white patch below the throat and white tips on the outer tail feathers; in the female, these parts are light brown. Breeding often begins in March, with pairs meeting up and building a loose nest on the ground, in shaded locations among dead leaves. Here a female will usually lay 2 eggs at a time. Incubation lasts 19-21 days performed by both parents. Eastern Whip-poor-wills lay their eggs in phase with the lunar cycle, so that they hatch on average 10 days before a full moon. As when the moon is near full, the adults can better forage at night and capture large quantities of insects to feed to their young.The chicks hatch well developed covered in down but with their eyes closed. They are fed and protected by both parents and start to fly at the age of 20 days. Eastern whip-poor-wills usually produce 1 or 2 broods per year and females may lay a second clutch while the male is still caring for chicks from the first brood. Under ideal conditions an eastern whip poor will can live up to 15 years.

[pleistocene-pride]

Acanthaster planci, better known as the crown of thorns starfish or the COTS is large species of starfish which is native to the tropical and subtropical latitudes of the red sea, Indian ocean, and pacific ocean. Here they inhabit coral reefs and hard coral communities, where they are predators of the corals themselves as well as encrusting sessile invertebrates and carrion. These starfish feed by extruding there stomach out through the mouth over the surface, the stomach then secretes digestive enzymes that liquefy the corals soft tissues allowing the starfish to slurp up the coral. This leaves a white scar of coral skeleton devoid of living tissue. An individual crown of thorns starfish can consume up to 6 square meters (65 sq ft) of living coral reef per year. These starfish sport elongated, sharp spines which cover nearly the entire upper surface of there arms and bodies which give the creature its name and serve as a mechanical defense against predation. These spines and other tissues of the starfish contain a mix of bitter foaming saponin toxins known as asterosaponins. While A. planci has no mechanism for injecting the toxin, if attacked the spines perforate the tissue of a predator releasing said toxins. In In humans, this immediately causes a sharp, stinging pain that can last for several hours, and persistent bleeding, nausea, and tissue swelling that may last a week or more. Surprisingly there are around 11 species known to prey upon COTS including pufferfish, triggerfish, small painted shrimp, polychaete worms, a hermit crab, a sea urchin, a large polyp-like creature of the cnidarian genus Corynactis, and the tritons trumpet snail. Reaching 10 to 14 inches (25 to 35cms) across, the crown of thorns starfish sports a central disk from which radiates up to 21 arms. Although the body of the crown of thorns has a stiff appearance, it is quite soft and is able to bend and twist to fit around the contours of the corals on which it feeds. Under ideal conditions a COTS may live upwards 8 to 17 years.

[pleistocene-pride]

Torpedo torpedo, better known as the common torpedo, common torpedo ray, ocellate torpedo, or eyed electric ray, is a species of electric ray in the family Torpedinidae which is endemic to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. These rays typically dwell in coastal and nearshore waters but can occasionally be at depths up to 1,300ft (400m), however they tend to prefer warm sandy flats and sea grass beds. Torpedo rays are generally solitary and nocturnal ambush predators which feed on a variety of fish, crustaceans, and worms. They are themselves preyed upon by seals, sharks, and large boney fish. As with other members of its family, the common torpedo can subdue both prey and predator with strong electric shocks of up to 200 volts which are generated from a pair of large kidney-shaped electric organs which are visible beneath the skin on either side of the head. The electrogenic properties of this species led it to be used in medicine for the treatment of pain and diseases such as gout by various cultures in antiquity such as the Greeks, Egyptians, and Carthaginians. The Romans in particular used the common torpedo to treat headaches. Reaching around 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61cms) in length and 7 to 16inches (18 to 41cms) in width, with females being slightly larger than males, the common torpedo has a nearly circular pectoral fin disc and a short, thick tail with two dorsal fins of nearly equal size and a large caudal fin. The eyes are small and followed by spiracles of comparable size. The dorsal coloration of the common torpedo is rusty orange to reddish brown which is adorned with prominent blue spots on its back, which usually number five but may vary from zero to nine. The underside is cream-colored, with dark disc margins. Breeding typically occurs from December to February. Common torpedos are aplacental viviparous, with the developing embryos nourished by yolk and histotroph ("uterine milk") produced by the mother. Females produce litters of up to 28 after a gestation period of 4–8 months depending on the geographical region. Common torpedo reach sexual maturity at around 10in ( 25cms) in length and may live upwards of 10 years.

[pleistocene-pride]

Rüppell's vulture also called Rüppell's griffon vulture, named after Eduard Rüppell, is a large bird of prey in the genus Gyps which is native throughout the sahel and eastern Africa including the countries of Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, The Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Here they tend to inhabit grasslands, mountains, and open woodland. Rüppell's vultures are diurnal and very social birds, roosting, nesting, and feeding in large flocks. They spend much of their time flying at great altitudes, using strong winds and thermals to efficiently soar they are known to regular cruise at upwards of 20,000ft (6,000m) above the ground with some known to go as high as 37,000ft (11,300m) making them the highest flying bird. These vultures locate food by sight only, and often follow herds of animals. Once they find a carcass they swoop down, land a little way off, then bound forward with wings spread and their long neck outstretched. Even amongst old world vultures, Rüppell's vultures are specialized feeders with a spiked tongue and strong beak they can strip flesh with ease, and feed upon pelts, hides, and even the bones themselves.  Reaching around 33 to 41in (85 -103cms) long, 14 – 20lbs in weight, with a 7.5-8.6ft (2.26 -2.6m) wingspan. They are one of the largest vultures in Africa, both sexes sport mottled brown or black feathering overall with a whitish-brown underbelly and thin, dirty-white fluff covering the head and neck. The base of the neck has a white collar, the eye is yellow or amber, the crop patch deep brown. The head does not have feathers. This species of vulture is considered to be monogamous, forming lifelong breeding pairs. They nest on cliffs in colonies up to a 1,000 strong. After courtship a pair will work together to build a nest using sticks, grass, and leaves that they have gathered or stolen from other nests, here the mother will lay 1 egg. Both parents share in incubation of their egg over a period of 55 days. Once the chick hatches, both parents will feed and tend to it for about 150 days when it fledges. Young remain dependent on their parents after fledging, not reaching independence until the next breeding season. Under ideal conditions a ruppells vulture may live up to 50 years.

[pleistocene-pride]

Macroglossum stellatarum, better known as the hummingbird hawk-moth is a species of hawk moth found across temperate regions of Eurasia from as far west as the Iberian Peninsula and British Isles to as far east as the Korean peninsula and Japanese archipelago, and as far north as the steppes of Russia to as far south as Northern Africa. Here they inhabit gardens, parks, fields, meadows, and woodlands. These diurnal insects are also notably active at dusk and dawn. Like there name sakes, these moths feed primarily upon nectar-rich flowers which they drink from using there long proboscis. As they avoid competition with other insects by going for flowers with longer tubes, these flowers inturn typically present the feeding animal a higher nectar reward. Their larvae usually feed on bedstraws or madders (Rubia) but have been recorded on other plants such as those in the genus Centranthus, Stellaria, and Epilobium. Reaching around 1.6 to 1.8 inches (40 to 45mm) in size, hummingbird hawkmoths sport a long flexible proboscis, large well developed eyes, and a wide body. The forewings are brown, with black wavy lines across them, while the hindwings are orange with a black edge. Hummingbird hawkmoths are most active through spring, summer, and fall, but adults typically do not survive the winter except in the southern parts of there range where they may overwinter in crevices, under rocks, inside trees, and inside buildings. Adults typically produce two to four broods each per year. Each brood is comprised of up to 200 glossy pale green eggs, which hatch some 5 to 8 days after laying. Newly hatched larvae are clear yellow, and in the second instar assume their green coloration. The larva is green with two grey stripes bordered in cream along the sides and with a horn at the rear end typical of sphingids. The horn is purplish red, changing to blue with an orange tip in the last instar. The pupae are pale brownish with a prominent, keeled proboscis, and two sharp spines at the end of the cremaster. They are enclosed in loose silken cocoons among the host plant debris or on the ground among leaf litter. Depending on there location an adult hummingbird hawkmoth may live 3 weeks to 7 months.

[pleistocene-pride]

Eumicrotremus orbis, better known as the pacific spiny lumpsucker or pacific spiny lumpfish is a species of bony fish in the family Cyclopteridae which inhabit the Northern Pacific coast of North America from Washington state, to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, as well as the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea, and around northern Japan. The tend to be found in near shore waters up to 500ft (150m) in depth, where they dwell around eelgrass beds, rocky reefs, kelp patches, bays, ship wrecks, docks, harbors, and other aquatic structures. They tend to live alone or in small groups and feed upon various slow moving invertebrates such as worms, small crustaceans, and mollusks. They are even know to occasionally pick the parasites off other fish, a behavior that has lead these lumpfish along with there relatives (particularly the atlantic lumpsucker) to be kept as a form of biological parasite control on fish farms. Pacific spiny lumpsuckers are themselves preyed upon by cod, sablefish, sculpins, and lancefish. Reaching 1 to 7 inches (2.5 to 18cms) in length, Pacific spiny lumpsuckers are a globular-shaped fish with a wide mouth, large lips, protruding eyes, squared dorsal fin, rounded caudal fin, and thin, transparent pectoral fins. The lumpsucker's pelvic fins have evolved into a large, fringed suction cup, allowing it to attach to surfaces like rocks or kelp. This sucker also compensates the fish for its lack of gas bladder, also they are poor swimmers they tend to set motionless and use camouflage to avoid detection. They do not have scales, instead the body of the fish is covered in cone-shaped plates, called tubercles. They may vary in color from green to yellow to brown to red to orange. Spawning occurs in shallow warmer waters from July to October with females laying around 200 orange spherical eggs in a sheltered hole. After the eggs are laid they are guarded and cared for by the male until hatching some 3 to 8 weeks later.