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my pet seaweed

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Anishinaabe Mermaid!

This was recommended over on my TikTok! In Anishinaabe myths there are Nibiinaabe, water spirits that have human torsos and fish tails! They are also very shy and easily startled. I based this design on Anishinaabe/Ojibwa jingle dresses and rainbow trout.

I am the artist! Do not post without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: instagram, tiktok or check out my coloring book \ („• ֊ •„) /

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low tide rising // tunnel beach, oregon, july 2025

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Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina)

Photo by Philipp Salveter

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6 moons later and I’ve finished the selkie wip I started up in orkney

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UNMASKING THE BLUEBOTTLE REVEALING FOUR DISTINCT SPECIES THROUGH GLOBAL CITIZEN SCIENCE

For over two centuries, the Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia spp) was considered a single, cosmopolitan species, drifting across the world’s oceans and stinging unsuspecting swimmers. But new genomic research has overturned this long-held view, revealing that Physalia is not one species, but at least four: P. physalis, P. megalista, P. utriculus, and a newly described species, P. minuta. Researchers sequenced the genomes of 151 specimens from around the globe and found strong reproductive isolation between genetic lineages, even when their distributions overlap. This evidence aligns with historical descriptions from the 18th and 19th centuries, which proposed several species that were later dismissed due to limited data.

Crucially, the study integrated over 4,000 photographs from iNaturalist, using citizen science to match distinct morphologies with genetic lineages. These images, contributed by amateur naturalists, swimmers, and lifeguards, allowed researchers to confirm physical differences that earlier taxonomists could not consistently observe due to preservation challenges. The result is a rare success story in which modern genomics, historical records, and participatory science come together to clarify the taxonomy of one of the ocean’s most recognisable creatures.

The discovery not only rewrites the story of Physalia but also challenges assumptions about biodiversity in the open ocean, reminding us that even the most visible marine life can hold hidden complexity, and that everyone, from sailors of the past to today’s citizen scientists, has a role to play in uncovering it.

Reference: Church et al., 2025. Population genomics of a sailing siphonophore reveals genetic structure in the open ocean. Current Biology.

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sat among the soft seagrass🌾🐚

✦ find me on instagram @the.flightless.artist ✦

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Grey-Headed Albatrosses are the definition of glowup. This thing is barely recognisable as a bird. Mould spore type creature

And it grows up to be one of the cuntiest species in the South Pole

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love this animal……. The shart

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Old and wise

|commission design, not for use|

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[ID: Two photos at slightly different angles of a ribbon seal sitting on an ice floe. The background is of pure blue water with smaller ice floes in it.] via

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Sketchbook spread for mermay 👄

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Regenerative Aquaculture. Lindsay Olson. Cotton thread, collage on cotton and linen fabric.

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take my mermaid quiz boy

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Carved this small gallery after filling the shell with resin first, to try and make smaller windows (so it won't break).

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shout out water that shit is salty or fresh depending

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green anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica)

San Mateo county CA Jan. 2015 / ZS25 /