young-supernovae:

lio-plural-don:

sticks m’ legy out real far

@why-animals-do-the-thing

why are they doing the thing? i’m guessing trying to impress a mate with their legs

I don’t know what species this is, but googling ‘frog leg extension behavior’ found this paper:

Visual display in Blanchard’s cricket frogs (Acris blanchardi)

Abstract: Most reports of anuran visual displays (especially those involving extension of the back legs) are of tropical species living within noisy habitats. Here, we provide a descriptive report of visual displays involving back leg extension in a temperate anuran, Blanchard’s cricket frog (Acris blanchardi). We observed male cricket frogs engaging in bouts of display, lasting an average of 2.9 min and incorporating both visual and acoustic signals. In a typical display bout, frogs near each other began circling (during a chorus at the pond) within a small area while extending their back legs and occasionally vocalizing. Rarely, the frogs would attack one another by hopping onto, then off, an opponent. Bouts ended when individuals stopped displaying while remaining near each other. The most common behaviors observed during a display bout, in order of decreasing frequency, were leg extensions, direction changes, forward movements, and vocalizations. These observations increase prospects for the study of evolution of visual displays in anurans occupying relatively open, quiet habitats.

This one sounds like it’s an intra-male competition behavior, but I can’t tell if that’s for territory defense or mate aquisition. It probably depends more on the specific species represented, and could likely be either – although I’d guess more male competition because size/length of limbs is a ‘I’m bigger than you’ thing, and mate displays tend to more often represent fitness or reproductive quality.

We just talked about flagging/leg waving in Herpetology on Thursday. Frogs that do this apparently use it instead of calling due to competing sounds from their habitat, like flowing water.

“If fat people just ate less calories, then they’d lose weight.”

iusemyfreedomofspeech:

coverartistlol626:

Oh honey. Let me explain to you a little thing called set point. The set point is the theory that our bodies weight is predetermined at birth by outside factors. Such as our genetics and environment. When your body becomes accustom to a certain weight it will do everything in it’s power to stay at that weight. Like changing your hormone levels to increase appetite. Not everyone is meant to be a size 2, an that’s ok. Instead of us forcing others to conform to our social standards by shaming them, lets learn to embrace everyone’s differences and understand them.

Notice how you said theory, as in not proven. Chris pratt was fat as fuck and turned ripped. Dont give me the “waaahhh i just gain it back” shit. Try.

I was gonna ignore this but I have to step in and say that neither of you is using the word “theory” correctly here.

If we’re talking about biology, OP, then you should probably have used the scientific meaning for the word “theory” rather than its everyday meaning. Unless you have study upon study supporting this idea completely, and nothing that shows it to be invalid, this should be called a hypothesis. And yes, there’s a big difference. Evolution is a theory. As in there is literally so much evidence in support of it that until we find evidence otherwise it’s how we will assume things to work.

Here’s Wikipedia’s definition, which puts it pretty clearly:

“

A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is acquired through the scientific method and repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation.”

If it has not been tested with valid scientific means, then you can’t just talk about something like it’s 100% fact. There’s a reason scientists have to be able to reproduce the procedure of a study, because otherwise it can’t be repeated and thus the results can’t be verified.

I see this problem on the internet a lot, especially with psychology-related stuff, where ONE study will show somewhat conclusive results about a subject and people make huge implications about the results as though they’re facts. And that’s not how it works. This is how false information gets spread and becomes impossible to get rid of.

i just moved to texas like two weeks ago and i am overwhelmed by all of the texas things, like, i went to HEB and there was cheese shaped like texas i was crying??

jeauxlyne:

fangirl0013:

governor-megachris-percent:

kineticpenguin:

notthegrouch:

luxwing:

shithowdy:

littlebearie:

mermaidkaila:

memedaddy-signless:

stratosphericstrawberryslimexlr:

equius:

prospitans:

maid-of-heart:

sleepyspoonie:

like other states make fun of texas but they genuinely fail to grasp how texan texas is we have texas shaped everything

texas shaped gravestones

texas shaped mirrors

texas shaped cheese

texas shaped pools

texas shaped glasses

honestly i could go on tldr is that if you can think of it you can probably buy it shaped like texas

What about texas shaped eggs?

texas shaped eggs

and since youre here for breakfast why not sit down and have some

texas shaped waffles

texas shaped toast

and a texas shaped cup to hold your drink!

i can’t make this up

this post makes me cry bcuz i live here now

WELCOME TO TEXAS

From my personal collection:

Texas Shaped party trays

Texas Shaped stepping stones at a Hospital

Texas Shaped cookie cutters

Not Texas-shaped but just marvel at these

And not from my own photographs:

Texas Shaped Pizza

Texas Shaped chips

Texas Shaped Chocolates

As someone who’s lived here almost 25 years I can confirm: Texas has NO chill.

Having lived in Texas hella long, it weirds me out that other states don’t have this

This isn’t normal? lol

@irritatedhiss

I can confirm that all of this is 100% accurate, I’ve seen most of this, and im surprised no one listed the birdbaths

note the boots

also, hate the crust on ur PB&J but wanna show how much u fuckin love texas too? Get this piece of shit and ruin ur life

Not good enough? HOW ABOUT A GODDAMN TEXAS FUCKIN SINK

OR A TEXAS TABLE

or something completely useless

i hate this state please help me

Does Colorado have this too? or Wyoming?

Everything vaguely square-shaped is already Colorado and Wyoming-shaped, so you can show your state pride much more cheaply, albeit less obviously

I just bought Texas-shaped pasta the other day. It was only $0.65 a bag, and provided several meals for me for REALLY cheap. Texas pasta just makes it cooler. 😀

From texas, and none of this is an exaggeration

I HAVE LIKE HALF OF THIS LIST IT KINDA PISSES ME OFF

A lot of hotels have Texas-shaped waffle irons for breakfast.

taskitron:

nervous-princess:

thegreenwolf:

sachimo:

abeardfullofbees:

alilnugget:

wanashou:

beatonna:

If you aren’t totally quaking in your boots at the news of millions of bees dead, yet again, you’re nuts.

this should be concerning a lot more people than it is

not only because bees are one of the most important animals in the world and their job is a lot more than gathering honey but also because they are what scientists refer to as an “indicator species”

this means that when their populations start dwindling and then rapidly dropping, humans need to watch their shit because that means that environmental factors are too difficult for THEM to live in, so it might be difficult for US to live in, too. bees basically act as an indication that humans have a lot to worry about and when they start dying like this it deserves a lot more than a few headlines.

last year my biggest worry was the steep decline in bee population and apparently thats not about to change anytime soon. people have told me to my face that they think its strange I’m so concerned for the bees. read this you selfish fucks

Get excited, motherfuckers. Without bees, we will die off. Bayer and Monsanto continue to produce the chemicals that have been proven to kill them, and the government has their backs. Bees pollinate 30% of our food in the US and we are passing legislation to PROTECT the scumbags responsible for killing them.

I preach this shit to everyone who will listen and I always get “WAAAAH I HATE BEES THEY STING AND THEY ARE BIG MEANIES!” but think about your future life without kiwis, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, peaches, sunflowers, cotton, apples, plums, pears, mustard, celery, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, beans, cherries, melons, turnips, canola oil, alfalfa, soybeans, lemons, oranges, and I could go on forever.

Bees are amazing creatures who are responsible for the comfortable lives we lead in this country and we cannot sustain and feed our population without them.

Alright you guys, there’s a good amount of notes on this but it’s only making us aware of the problem, not telling us what we can do to help. We can do something to help and YOU CAN HELP, YES THAT MEANS YOU. ALL YOU NEED IS DIRT, A FEW BUCKS, AND A MOMENT OF YOUR TIME TO MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE, LITERALLY.

Plant flowers that bees like and that attract them.

Bees prefer flowers that are blue, purple, and yellow. Choose flowers that bloom successively over the spring, summer, and fall seasons such as coreopsis, Russian sage, or germander. They especially love clover! Other plants include sage, salvia, oregano, lavender, ironweed, yarrow, yellow hyssop, alfalfa, honeywort, dragonhead, echinacea, bee balm, buttercup, goldenrod and English thyme. Buy seeds online.

GET RID OF THE PESTICIDES!!

If pesticides are killing off the bees so easily, what do you think it’s doing to us? The EPA says studies have shown pesticides can cause birth defects, nerve damage, and cancer. There are other ways to get rid of pests in the garden than using chemicals. Organic Garden Pests shows you how to keep off the bugs the organic way.

Give the bees a free home!

Giving bees a “bee block” alone is a huge load off their backs! You can buy homes here or You can even build your own.

Please, if you have already reblogged this, reblog this is again with what I have posted onto it so you know what you can do to help. We can make a difference.

Sources and other helpful links:

5 ways to help our disappearing bees

How to “Friend” Your Native Bees

Why gardening is good for your health

Silence of the Bees

Quick mention of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a nonprofit group doing a LOT of good work for bees and other pollinators, among others.

signal boost

Another thing you can do is write to your government. It may seem like writing a letter and throwing it directly into a trash can, but if enough people fill that trash can with letters, that trash can will start to wonder if its losing votes.

Also, look for ways to support native bee species in addition to honeybees. Because those guys are important as well.

Source: beatonna

ifuckingloveminerals:

Chalcedony (Var: Agate)

St. Louis Mine Exploration, Laurium, Houghton Co., Michigan, USA

I was convinced for a moment this was some kind of weird melted ice cream.

Source: mindat.org

zooophagous:

unclefather:

veganwithcarnist:

veganism-is-unstoppable:

just-shower-thoughts:

I wonder what animals think roads are.

I wonder wh…I wonder if… no.. I … no … Do animals ever, like…

no…ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm… whatchamacall it..

STOP FUNDING ANIMALS SLAUGHTER IN THE NAME OF FASHION, TASTE, ENTERTAINMENT, TRADITION, ETC. IT’S NOT NECESSARY.

@just-shower-thoughts being garbage again!

and if you take a look to your left you can see some tumblr users making no gotdamn sense

What the fuck is going on

How was that at all relevant to what they were just talking about

The amazing lioness who has grown a mane proves animals can be gender fluid too

bizarrolord:

projectqueer:

Scientist discovered the lioness/lion, called Mmamoriri, on the plains of the Okavango Delta in Botswana, southern Africa. They believe evolution is helping the lionesses there grow manes so they fool invading prides into thinking they are males – helping their survival. Mmamoriri in particular not only has a mane but also a deeper and more masculine roar. If that’s enough to scare off other prides trying to invade her family’s territory, it will be a big genetic advantage – helping her pride’s cubs survive.

The scientists believe there are five other lions in the area with the same evolutionary adaptation, meaning they have higher male hormone levels.

While children are taught to believe all animals are either male or female and all are straight, the natural characteristics shared by LGBTIs in the human world are widespread beyond our species. Other examples include male deer which don’t grow antlers and are therefore able to ‘sneakily’ breed with females while the other males are fighting for access to the does.

Mmamoriri is one of the stars of the new documentary, The World’s Sneakiest Animals, which will be shown in Britain on BBC2 at 6.30pm on Christmas Day. The show, presented by Chris Packham, also shows cuttlefish that can change their color and skin texture to disguise themselves and the Californian Ground Squirrel, that rubs itself with the skin of rattlesnakes, its main predators, so they can’t sniff it out.

I wouldn’t call this “gender fluid”, though, that implies they can go back and forth (like some species of fish). This animal is probably intersex, has the feline equivalent of PCOS if it exists, or is a freemartin, phenomena that have been documented in other species of cats (including housecats). Not only a differing brain map but awareness of the self as an entity is actually required to be transgender- and the recognizing of self is pretty much limited to primates and cetaceans. (Want proof? Put a housecat in front of a mirror. Watch them fight the “other cat” in the mirror.) Scientists who want to research transgenderism in other species should honestly try chimps or dolphins.

Even in fish, though, that’s a sex change and not really “genderfluid”. I don’t know that there’s really a way to show true evidence of genderfluidity in animals without them being able to tell us.

There’s also the fact that gender is about the brain, not the body itself, so a lion growing a mane wouldn’t mean its brain is suddenly male. I doubt lions have a perception of gender the way humans do. Wouldn’t this be more comparable to cis human females who develop facial hair? It’s a physical feature but it doesn’t mean they’re suddenly male, either mentally or physically.

I’m not trying to start an argument; I just think it’s important to not make such huge assumptions about things like this in animals without any evidence. The part about evolutionary advantage sounds potentially legit, but the fact that they’re concluding that lions have a perception of gender and this one chose to alter its appearance to better match its gender doesn’t make any sense.

The amazing lioness who has grown a mane proves animals can be gender fluid too

Higurashi > Inuyasha

rika-against-feminism:

left-leggus:

female-anti-feminist:

inspectorneo:

spunkyy:

u mad

No show let alone anime has had an impact on my life the way higurashi has

Higurashi is phenomenal. There’s nothing quite like it.

I agree with the above two comments. Higurashi changed the way I think about a lot of things.

earthbound-is-best:

tuhmblr-logic:

stopmakingliberalslookbad:

galaxyprincet:

friendly reminder that its ableist to tell a mentally ill person to get help or to take medicine

@galaxyprincet as a self-diagnosed person, you’re not allowed to speak on behalf of mentally ill people. Go away and stop speaking over us.

Suggesting that a mentally ill person seek help is not ableist. Signed, an ACTUALLY mentally ill person.

I hope these people never end up having kids.

“Don’t get help or medicine uwu”

If I didn’t get help or medicine I’d likely be dead by now.

I personally like being a functioning member of society and my medication is what lets me do that, so no, I will continue taking my medication and trying out management techniques to help my brain work as efficiently as it can. I do not like struggling with mental disorders. I doubt anyone who actually has one does enjoy it. My brain can’t do its job on its own so I have to help it out.

Also, one of my good friends finally started treatment for depression in part because I had recommended she do so and I honestly don’t think she would have made it through the semester had she not been on medication. She’s so much better than she was and she’s able to do things she didn’t have the energy to do before.

Telling people they shouldn’t help themselves is ridiculous.