arerybird

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Magisterial and Terrifying

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A virtual penguin heart for July! ❤️️ I hope you all feel the love! 

Chibird store | Positive Pin Club | Webtoon

[arerybird]

When you’re trying to do homework but you can’t because birds

[arerybird]

Bird brains AU Part 1 

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(PS! Back my Kickstarter for a plush of my cat!!)

Nubs, apex predator

[arerybird]

Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman in Caos Pt.3 Music Video Trailer || Straight to Hell

[arerybird]

Short comic, while I work on something bigger on the side. It is nevertheless a very important topic. A lot of seabirds die because they eat plastic. They feed their chicks with the waste. It’s really tragic.

[arerybird]

“even amidst the hatred and carnage, life is still worth living. it is possible for wonderful encounters and beautiful things to exist” ‒ hayao miyazaki

[arerybird]

THE EARLY WORM GETS A TURN

hi everybody, welcome to another excellent episode of Weird Biology! I definitely had some trouble picking an animal for this week. 

“bunjy,” you say, wringing your hands dolefully, “it’s been a while since you did an invertebrate, maybe do one of those”

well, you couldn’t be more right! 

so without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to a good, soft boy.

a good, good boy!

“oh,” you say dejectedly, still wringing your hands, “worm?”

okay first off, how dare you, worms are great. second, they aren’t even worms, despite the name. Velvet Worms are actually panarthropods, most closely related to arthropods and tardigrades (though they look more like a multi-legged velveteen slap bracelet). Velvet Worms consist of about 200 known species in their very own adorable phylum, Onychophora. 

the panarthropods first wriggled into existence all the way back during the Cambrian Period, 540 or so million years ago (you know, plus or minus a few million). they have changed very little since then, making the transition onto land but keeping the adorable alien-teddy-bear look. 

if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Velvet Worms are found across the tropics and southern hemisphere, and reach lengths of 0.2 to 8 inches depending on species. they come in many colors, though Red Flavor is probably the most well-known. they are velvety squooshy soft to the touch, and have between 13 and 43 pairs of adorable tiny feets (depending on species). also, they don’t have a skeleton and operate entirely by hydraulics.

unlike vertebrates like you, the Velvet Worm moves by rapidly inflating and deflating parts of their squishy squashy bodies with internal fluid. just imagine that they’re made entirely of water balloons that can wiggle awkwardly in any direction. 

wobble wibble wobble.

given their soft wobbly balloony body and adorable face, it may surprise you to learn that Velvet Worms are actually voracious predators. they are efficient and successful killers, mainly eating insects and other small creatures. 

Velvet Worms hunt by sneaking up on possible prey and papping it gently with their retractable antenna to see if it is good for eating. which is, uh, not the stealthiest option. I mean, can you imagine if every time you wanted a snack you had to walk up to it like “LET ME JUST RUB MY HANDS ALL OVER YOU TO SEE IF YOU’RE EDIBLE, HOLD STILL PLEASE”. it seems to work okay for the Velvet Worm, though.

but anyway once it has the prey lined up in its sights, the Velvet Worm unleashes its secret weapon.

SLIME CANNON SLIME CANNON SLIME CANNON SLIME CANNON

that’s right, the Velvet Worm turns its whole face into a high-powered hose that jets a double stream of slime up to a foot away! it’s the super-soaker of nightmares. once the target is slimed, it ain’t goin nowhere. the slime rapidly hardens into a solid mess, literally gluing the victim in place. 

it’s the most badass special attack of any invertebrate short of the Bombardier Beetle. 

SLIME CANNON SLIME CANNON SLIME CANNON SLIME CANNON

what? how could I not be excited about what is basically a real-life Pokemon move? 

moving on. after the Velvet Worm has immobilized its prey, it unleashes its even more secret weapon. hidden in that soft gooshy adorable face are a pair of razor-sharp nightmare jaws and a powerful dissolving enzyme. the Velvet Worm uses them both on its victim, making quick work of prey.

some species of Velvet Worms will even hunt cooperatively, using their x2 Combined Slime Cannon to bring down large prey they wouldn’t be able to handle separately. these hunting parties are led by a female warlord (wormlord?) who will eat her fill before the other Velvet Worms are allowed to feast.

cold, merciless and completely adorable.

this group hunting behavior shows that Velvet Worms have surprisingly complex behaviors. but it’s still got nothing on their reproductive strategy, which has been best described as “yikes”.

after a brief courtship that varies between species, the male Velvet Worm just kind of plops a packet of sperm onto the female’s back and leaves. which, not very romantic, but okay. but then the female then proceeds to dissolve some of her skin and absorb the sperm into her bloodstream. holy shit. several months later, the female gives birth to a new crop of wriggly babies. it’s a functional strategy, but probably leads to an interesting domestic life.

“don’t sass back at me mister, I dissolved my skin for you!”

though Velvet Worms in all their splendid weirdness are still commonly found across the world, we don’t actually know how they’re doing ecologically because they aren’t studied very often. we do know that Velvet Worms are threatened by habitat destruction and human expansion, and scientists suspect that individual species range from near threatened to critically endangered. this is not allowed.

conservation programs need to be enacted for these good soft boys, and soon. we hope that Velvet Worms and their many many soft gentle feet stick around for a long time to come.

–

thanks for reading! you can find the rest of the Weird Biology series here.

[arerybird]

Hey Bunjy, I've recently found out about a creature from the Cambrian Explosion called the hallucigenia and I think that would be an amazing creature for weird biology if you do extinct creatures too.

ah, Hallucigenia! the “walking worm” that might be related to our modern velvet worm! it was indeed, SUPER WEIRD.

but you know what? there are plenty of animals in the ocean today that are at LEAST as weird, if not weirder. check it out!

the Feather Star (yes, it SWIMS)

the Sea Pig

Phylliroe, the sea slug that thinks it’s a FISH

Melibe, a whole GENUS of sea slugs with nightmarish balloon mouths

and who could forget the noble Squidworm, which is a real actual living creature alive right now?

life has always been weird. life is still weird. enjoy it!

[arerybird]

That rabbit/hare post is messing me up. I’d thought they were synonyms. Their development and social behavior are all different. They can’t even interbreed. They don’t have the same number of chromosomes. Dogs, wolves, jackals, and coyotes can mate with each other and have fertile offspring but rabbits and hares cant even make infertile ones bc they just die in the womb. Wack.

[arerybird]

listen this is the most wholesome and pure video on the internet and it only has like 9000 views please watch it [x]

[arerybird]

Rooster Emoji Ratings

@tinysaurus-rex told me to do this.

1. Apple

4/10- I mean decent, but it just feels kind of lackluster to me, like the rooster seems sad. He’s got earlobes and wattles and rooster feathers though, so that’s cool.

2. Google

5/10- Good use of colors, pretty lively, but that eye and tiny beak throw me off, and not sure what the comb is doing.

3. Microsoft

7/10- I like the clean minimalism look, plus he looks very proud.

4. Samsung

1/10- That’s a hen.

5. What’sApp

6/10- Nice a perky, pretty cute.

6. Twitter

6/10- Not really rooster shaped but super cute!

7. Facebook

9/10- Seriously looks like a rooster, but the colors feel a little washed out to me. Bonus point for the tail fluffies.

8. EmojiOne

10/10- Very proud and the stylized comb works well here! Simplistic but still has his spurs.

9. Messenger

2/10- Comb looks frost-bitten, not a fan of the body shape.

10. LG

0/10- Please take this one to the vet, he looks sick.

11. Emojidex

6/10- Decent head, but the butt is lacking rooster feathers.

12. HTC

5/10- I mean it’s okay but not great, and the tail looks henny to me.

13. Mozilla

7/10- Like an upgraded version of Twitter’s, cute and nice if not super roostery looking.

[arerybird]

#spring#birds#bird#birdart#art#illustration#dress#shirt#pillow#birdstore#merchandise#bag#aves#ave#euphonia#flowers#flores#pink

Prepare yourself for the #spring with this flowerish Elegant Euphonia (Euphonia elegantissima)~!

On Redbubble  www.redbubble.com/es/people/arerybird

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#birds #bird #birdart #art #illustration #dress #shirt #pillow #birdstore #merchandise #bag #aves #ave #euphonia #flowers #flores #pink

~Arery https://www.instagram.com/p/BuegCm1Fxjo/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15jasmxu7vvd7

[arerybird]

Chase your prey with your favorite clothes and accesories with this unique design of Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)! On Redbubble www.redbubble.com/es/people/ar… Find merchandise: dress, t-shirts, leggings, cups, notebooks, clocks, acrylics, tote bags and more here: www.redbubble.com/es/people/ar… Follow me: Facebook: www.facebook.com/arerybird/ Twitter: twitter.com/arerybird Instagram: www.instagram.com/bluebirdofha… Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/arery/ ~Arery 

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Artist: Aykut Aydoğdu

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Nesillas

Subdesert Brush Warbler by Francesco Veronesi, CC BY-SA 2.0

Etymology: Island Thrush

First Described By: Oberholser, 1899

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Australaves, Eufalconimorphae, Psittacopasserae, Passeriformes, Eupasseres, Passeri, Euoscines, Passerides, Core Passerides, Sylviida, Sylvioidea, Acrocephalidae

Referred Species: N. brevicaudata (Grand Comoro Brush Warbler), N. lantzii (Subdesert Brush Warbler), N. longicaudata (Anjouan Brush Warbler), N. mariae (Moheli Brush Warbler), N. typica (Madagascar Brush Warbler), N. aldabrana (Aldabra Brush Warbler)

Status: Extinct - Extant, Least Concern

Time and Place: Within the last 10,000 years; in the Holocene epoch of the Quaternary period  

Nesillas is known from Madagascar and the nearby islands

Physical Description: Nesillas, a group of Brush-Warblers, are small, round passerines from a variety of habitats in Madagascar and the neighboring islands. They range from 15 to 20 centimeters, making them a little bit smaller than the American Robin in terms of size. These birds are brown in color, with the specific shade of brown varying based on species; they all tend to have black stripes across their eyes. They have small, pointed beaks and fairly short tail feathers. They also tend to be darker brown on their backs, wings, and tails; and are lighter brown or even white on their chests and bellies. 

Madagascar Brush Warbler by Brian Ralphs, CC BY 2.0

Diet: These birds feed mainly on small invertebrates, such as spiders, beetles, moths, caterpillars, ants, bugs, flies, grasshoppers, and sometimes seeds. Nesillas forages mainly within the cover and understory of the forest, usually by digging through leaves. They can forage alone or in pairs.

Behavior: These birds make a variety of clackity calls, as well as rattling calls and - as the name suggests - warbles. They also often make sharp notes and whistles, depending on the species. They are usually silent while foraging, and are mostly very shy in terms of general behavior, hiding in the dense undergrowth where they feed. They usually breed starting in August and continuing through January, with the bulk of breeding and nesting occurring in September and October - though this varies based on species. They usually lay between two and three eggs, either high up in the trees or more close to the ground (with the desert dwelling species nesting exclusively on the ground). There is little information available at this time on whether or not they form monogamous pairs, though it doesn’t seem likely. These birds do not migrate.

Ecosystem: Most species in this genus live in evergreen forests, usually at lower elevations; they also can be found in undergrowth and human created habitats. They prefer denser vegetation and forest levels. The Subdesert Brush-Warbler lives in scrubland and along the edges of forests near desert habitats, rather than in denser forests. 

Madagascar Brush Warbler by Heinon Lein, CC BY-SA 4.0

Other: The Madagascar Brush-Warbler and the Anjouan Brush Warbler may actually be the same species; debate is ongoing as to whether or not they are sub-species of the same species, or two different species in the genus.

While most of the species are not threatened with extinction, the Aldabra Brush Warbler went extinct within the 20th century. This is due to its small range (it was only known from one atoll, rather than a small island or Madagascar) and due to introduced mammalian predators, such as rats and cats; habitat destruction probably also played a role in its extinction.

Species Differences:

The Madagascar Brush-Warbler is usually dark brown and olive, with yellowish belly feathers and dark brown cheeks. The Anjouan Brush-Warbler, on the other hand, is more of a yellowish, light brown, and doesn’t have much differentiation between the belly feathers and the back feathers. The Moheli Brush-Warbler is more green along its back, with yellow-orange belly feathers and green stripes along its chest. The Grand Comoro Brush-Warbler has even more extensive striping, with long black stripes going across its neck and lighter brown stripes along the belly, and even some slight striping along the dark brown back. The Subdesert Brush-Warbler is lighter in color than the other species, given that it lives in the desert; it is taupe on its belly, with some darker brown striping on th eneck, and has a slightly darker back. The Aldabra Brush-Warbler had the most distinctive stripe across its eye, with a contrasting white stripe above the black eye stripe; it also was dark brown on its back, and white on its belly.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the cut 

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