#ECHOLOCATION

[spark-glow]

⸻ BUY MY BRACELETS & HELP ME NOT DROWN.

Hey y'all! My financial situation hasn't gotten much better since the last batch of orders I got, and I'm admittedly getting a little scared about it. All of my emergency funds have gone into covering extra expenses while my house has been getting fixed up, and I don't have much left.

I don't really like to ask for much but not having a proper cushion to fall back on in case I need to flee (or worse) is not... great. I got a ton of new beads and things a few months ago with JoAnne Fabrics closing down, so if you've ever wanted to buy something from me, now would be a great time! I have way more variety now than I ever did before.

Here are some examples of my work. I can do just about anything! You get a batch of 4 for $15!

Please DM me here if you're interested. More guidelines over on my ko-fi shop;

˗ˏˋ [ ORDER HERE ]  ˊˎ˗

Additionally, if you're not interested in bracelets but would like to help a native lesbian out, then you can donate directly to my ko-fi here. I also have a cashapp ($sparkglow) and paypal, which you can DM me for.

Any help means the world to me and my family. And thank you again to everyone that's already supported me. Philamayaye, wakhan thanka kici un.

﹕BLUESKY POST ﹕TWITTER POST ﹕

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Poplar Lappet Moths: these moths are able to mimic the dead leaves of a poplar tree (there is at least one moth in each of the photos below)

Above: the photo at the top shows two poplar lappet moths disguised as foliage (the two "leaves" on the left-most end of the branch are actually moths) and the photo on the bottom shows another poplar lappet moth clinging to a leaf

The scientific name of this species is Gastropacha populifolia, but it's more commonly referred to as the poplar lappet moth. It's also known as pappelglucke in German and feuille-morte du peuplier in French.

The moths are distributed across large sections of Europe, Russia, China, Korea, and Japan, but they're regarded as a rare species throughout most of Europe.

The shape, color, wing pattern, and resting position of this species all contribute to its unique disguise, as it bears an uncanny resemblance to a dead leaf. It even has a dark, snout-like projection (the labial palpi) that mimics the stem of a leaf, and its wing pattern completes the illusion with a dark, raised line forming the central "vein" of the leaf; the soft ridges and scalloped edges of its wings also add to the effect.

There are many other leaf-mimicking moths out there, but this species is particularly impressive.

The caterpillars also have a knack for blending in -- thanks to their cryptic coloration and fuzzy, setae-lined sides, they are easily camouflaged against the bark of a poplar tree.

Above: the photos at the top show Gastropacha populifolia caterpillars blending in by pressing their bodies flat up against twigs/branches, and the photo at the bottom shows one of the caterpillars in a more conspicuous setting

These moths are defended by more than just mimicry, though; they can also produce ultrasonic clicks that interfere with the echolocation signals of predatory bats, which allows the moths to avoid being detected (and ultimately eaten) by bats.

Above: the adorable face of a poplar lappet moth

Sources & More Info:

Nota Lepidopterologica: Continuous Long-Term Monitoring of Daily Foraging Patterns in Three Species of Lappet Moth Caterpillars

Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Belgium: Gastropacha populifolia

Moths and How to Rear Them: Gastropacha populifolia

Wikipedia (German): Pappelglucke

Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa: G. populifolia

EurekaMag: Effect of the Scale Coverage of the Moth Gastropacha populifolia on the Reflection of Bat Echolocation Signals

[mindblowingscience]

When a colony of bats leaves their cave and takes to the skies at night to hunt, they often do so in such big groups that they almost look like one giant blob. How these winged mammals can achieve such tight densities–sometimes numbering in the hundreds of thousands of bats–yet do not crash into one another has puzzled scientists for decades.  Now, researchers believe they’ve figured out how bats can still hear amidst the din similar to a noisy cocktail party. They appear to change the way they echolocate in order to get a better idea of where exactly the bats closest to them are located. The findings are detailed in a study published March 31 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Continue Reading.

[pixie-inkk]

Well, here are the designs for my AU!!!🐍

Made in commission by my lovely friend @yulyeong-k 💜

She did my girls justice!!!

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

"Echo"

Daniel Kish is an echolocation pioneer, teaching fellow blind people to navigate the world independently. By clicking or tapping and listening to how the sound reflects back, Kish and his students are able to construct a mental map of the world around them.  (Video and image credit: The New Yorker) Read the full article

[thatsbelievable]

[nautistorm]

You would not believe the amount of scholarly discussion that went into the cannibalized first square. We were stuck debating over Swerve or Rewind for like 10 minutes.

[thecurefordepression]

[mayapapaya33]

Oh yeah lmfao I forgot they canonically are practiced in the use of echolocation, thanks tinker bell metaphor induced flamenco claps!

[spark-glow]

⸻ Help me make my elderly indigenous mother more comfortable.

Hey there. To keep a long story short; My mom is in a lot of pain and it's only getting worse as we transition into the colder months. She's in her 60's, and has been battling a combination of fibromyalgia, diabetes, and an as of yet undiagnosed autoimmune disorder for many years now. I can see how uncomfortable she is every day, and I really want to do something to help her, but I need a hand myself.

I'd like to get her a heated blanket as well as a heated back support. For that, I need around $80 and some extra for tax.

I've set a goal for $100 over on my ko-fi. You can either donate directly to that goal, or, you can purchase some custom kandi bracelets over on my ko-fi's store.

Boosts are appreciated. Please DM me if you have any questions! Wakhan thanka kici un. 💜

KO-FI LINK CUSTOM KANDI BRACELETS CASHAPP: $sparkglow

DM FOR PAYPAL. Boost the same post over on twitter.

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun chapter 37

Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't been updating the series on tumblr. If you want to see all my fics, i always update them on ao3. That said, I hope you enjoy this! leave a comment and reblog if u do qwq

Here's the ao3 link if you prefer to read it over there!

And here's the masterpost <3

Or keep reading to read the chapter here <3

It had been a week since Damian was taken by Skulker, since Danny had to flee for his life from Amity Island, and since precious secrets were blown wide open by Bruce freaking Wayne and the Fenton parents.

Now Tucker’s parents and Sam’s knew about their illicit aquatic activities after school (and during school if he was gonna be honest), and had put them under house arrest for the time being. Tucker cursed the himbo billionaire under his breath, careful not to alert his mother and draw agro (she’d taken to personally driving him to school during his grounding).

He admired the man! Sam admired him! And then he went and did them dirty, all because he believed the same baseless propaganda Danny’s parents and the GiW were peddling. That all sirens were ruthless evil killers blah blah blah etc etc insert more blahing here.

Just when you think there might be one decent billionaire in the world, huh?

And yeah, he realises that he could’ve avoided all this suspicion and drama from his parents if he’d just decided to stay further back and not be so active helping Danny, but seriously? Abandon his BFF in times of need? Tucker was many things, but he was not some traitor. He saw the way Val’s friends jumped ship the moment she lost her job, and he would never, ever do Danny the way they did Val.

It could be worse. Mr Wayne could’ve spilled the beans to the whole town, or even the GiW, and then the whole trio would get to be dissected together, joy, but he didn’t. He had to give the man credit for not being as completely awful as he could’ve been (Tucker still hated the man, though).

And, of course, Danny’s secret could’ve been outed. For all he beat himself up over the last week, Tucker took solace in one fact, that at least he and Sam had managed to prevent the biggest secret of their lives from leaking, even if some smaller ones got out.

When Danny got home, he was so gonna celebrate with a million Nasty Burgers.

As for the situation in Amity Island, well.

The ground rocked from an explosion. Tucker gripped his seat. Outside the car, two GiW trucks rushed in after a trio of hydropuses. An agent leaned out from the window of the leading truck, firing wild shots that left craters in the pavement, and none of which that hit the hydropuses.

Even though the bigger names seemed to have abandoned ship (hehe) for the time being, there were still the occasional small fry, namely generic oceanic monsters that would’ve taken Danny (or Sam, or hell, even Tuck with a wrist ray) seconds to beat back.

He didn’t miss the way his mother’s grip tightened ever so slightly on the steering wheel. Yikes. Despite being a whole week, his parents had not cooled down in the slightest.

Part of it hurt. It was like there was one flick of a switch and suddenly his own parents thought he was in cahoots with a supervillain. They never had any strong opinions on Phantom before! Why now? The past week had left him with a much more intimate understanding of Sam’s rebellion.

They drove past the Gastons in White and continued up to school without much more ado, the car ride silent as it had been for the last week. Once they arrived at Caspian High, Tucker shuffled out of the car, with the unreadable stare of his mother going down on his back and ignored to the best of his ability.

If home was tense, school was a mine field that only grew more treacherous. Day after day, he and Sam watched sides form and solidify in the school hallways and in the teacher’s lounges. Was Phantom a hero? Did Phantom kidnap and/or kill the D kids?

Was Danny his accomplice, or his sidekick?

Neither of them could stand back. Sam practically threw herself into passionately defending both of Danny’s names. If they couldn’t fight the sea monsters, then they’d fight the tides of public opinion.

Seemed Sam had gotten a head start today.

“You’re just jealous your loser crush is gay for Phantom instead of you.”

That statement made Tucker feel a lot of things, and comfortable was not one of them. A crowd had gathered around Dash and Sam, two people who were together in the ‘Phantom is not evil’ crowd but clashed about as often as if they weren’t thanks to their very different opinions on Danny Fenton.

“There is so much wrong with that statement you couldn’t be more wrong than Chamberlain. Firstly, that’s disgusting. Danny was kidnapped. Secondly, YOU HAVE A SHRINE TO PHANTOM IN YOUR ROOM.”

Seemed like Dash couldn’t lay off the bullying even as kids were beginning to wonder if Danny was straight up dead. Like, wow. Sure the first 48 hours is the best chance to find a missing person, but there was literally no reason to think Danny would have kicked the bucket right now.

If you ignore the fact that, without knowing what he and Sam knew, there was a 99% chance that some siren did it, even if it wasn’t Phantom. And the fact that he was the son of siren hunters. And the fact that most people believed sirens were bloodthirsty maneaters.

Well, when put that way, sure he and Sam looked like grief-ridden lunatics grasping at straws, but you know what? Tucker was never, ever one to care about his public image (that was a complete lie).

“It’s not a shrine, it’s a dedication, and it’s manly as fuck. The heroic spirit, the manly vibes, the body of an Olympic swimmer, no, god!” Dash swooned.

Tucker pushed his way through the crowd in time to see Sam doubling over and gagging like she had a stone in her throat, and he was right there with her.

For one, Danny definitely did not have the body of an Olympic anything. That shit was reserved for guys like Superman who didn’t get shot by the government on a daily basis. 99% of what Danny ate just went into healing what little muscle he had on him.

“I’m sure Phantom’s heroic spirit would really appreciate you badmouthing Danny while he’s literally missing.” Oh boy, that was 10% more venom than Sam’s normal. Time to pull out and fast.

“Phantom wouldn’t care for a twink like Danny, who’s way below his league, and I bet Fentina knew it too. Hell, I’d bet Fentina did a Fentumble into the water once he realised how hopeless his life was.”

Oh shit. Tucker sprinted.

Due to some sorcerery-related mumbo jumbo he half-got, a good punch from Sam would literally turn Dash’s nose into a pan cake and send the jock spinning like a ballerina, and as satisfying as that would be in the moment, they really didn’t need to give their parents any more reason to be angry.

Tucker jumped in front of Sam’s advancing fist, which was one of the most terrifying things he had ever laid eyes on, only for the crystalised death to halt a millimeter from his face.

“Get out of the way, Tucker.” Sam’s face contorted something fierce.

“Y-yeah! Get out of the way, Foley. A real man can fight his own battles, thank you very much.”

“Shut up, Dash!” Both she and Tucker shouted.

Tucker gave Sam a look. Sam glanced to the side, and the fighting stance shifted into casual dismissal. “Whatever. Who needs to punch a ticking time bomb when it’ll destroy itself in time?”

“I have no idea what that means, Manson, but you wanna say that again to my face?” Dash shouted, which Tucker found hilarious, seeing as Sam literally just did that.

The duo retreated from the crowd and into the school, with Sam’s glare keeping anyone from following them. The thing, or person, that Tucker saw? Valerie Gray, who’d been on sick leave for the last week, and still looking objectively terrible.

With attacks still happening, the GiW causing more problems than they solve, and the daunting tides of public opinion, there was still a lot to do for Tucker Foley and Sam Manson back at home.

“Alright, just click, like this.” Danny let out a bat-like click from the back of his mouth. The echoed far and wide and reverberated across the water. Miliseconds later, the sound returned in loose, uneven patches in between more delayed and smooth echoes. “The earlier they come back, the closer the object is. The first bit was for the whale pod. The second part tells us the terrain is flat. Now you do it.”

Damian closed his eyes underneath his blindfold, and produced the same sound. The echo tickled his outstretched ear fins, dozens of nuggets of information packed to within the span of a millisecond. “I can see it, almost. Or hear it.”

“Ok, then. What’s in front of us?”

The younger boy stilled in his seated position atop his folded tail. He focused on the way his scales tingled with sensitive touch upon the mother whale’s skin, how the gentle current tickled his fins, and how his ear fins latched onto each and every sound. Danny had also taken the liberty of wrapping him up tight with cloth in order to block off his lateral line, and prevent him from relying on that. Damian called out three times, and three times did the sound return to him. Without sight, his ears picked out something that felt distinct and rigid, sharp even. There was also the slightest variation in one of the pitches across the three echoes. He turned his head to the direction of that shape, and called again.

“One of the calves is in front of us. From their size and speed, I think it is Runt.”

“Bingo!” Danny clapped. “You’re getting good at this.”

Damian beamed with pride so much that even his fins puffed up. “I was born to excel.”

“You rich kids and your egos.” Danny sighed with fondness. “Right, let’s try some harder targets. How many fingers am holding up?”

The smaller siren noted the stronger scent from Danny from his outstretched hand. “You call that difficult?” Damian chirped a low note. “Easy. Four.”

“Uhh… No. Try bobbing your head side to side.”

Damian’s cheeks heated, and he shook his head strongly. “That sounds ridiculous and juvenile. Laughable, even.”

“I mean it! Helps you get perspective and stuff. Ever heard of the parallax effect? It’s like, one of the most important navigational tools ever.”

“I am well aware, however, I do not need such a crutch.”

“Uh uh, and how many fingers am I holding up?”

Damian clicked, and answered. “Six!”

“Nope.”

Chirp. “Five.”

Another call. “Guess again.”

“Nine?”

“Dude, that was not even close. You sure you’re actually hearing my fingers, and not my ear fins?”

Damian pouted. “Of course not!” He said, while also focusing closer on where he believed Danny’s hands were held up. His next call resounded sharply off the ridges of a membrane, what he hoped was his friend’s hand webbing and not his fin membranes. A soft echo returned, then a slightly louder one. “Is it two this time?”

“Yayyy! You did great!” Then came the sound of clapping. Damian hissed and snapped his teeth on whatever was in front of him. He did not catch them, judging by the empty feeling in his mouth and the whooshing of water.

“Do not patronise me.”

“I wasn’t! Just a pointer. Try a higher note. It’ll help get the smaller details, thanks to a shorter wavelength.”

The younger boy tutted, although inwardly he berated himself for not thinking of such an idea sooner. When everything about your body is new, the minutiae of optimal behaviour tend to slip away from you.

“I knew that…”

“Yeah yeah, how many fingers?”

This time, Damian focused his voice into a piercing note an octave above his previous attempts. The feedback resulted in something akin to image, but which was felt, not seen. He could tell that it was definitely more than two fingers, but the shape was blurry to him.

So he sighed, and privately admitted defeat. This echolocation practice had been going for a good hour, and he was itching to make proper progress. With a resigned slump, Damian shifted his head to the right, and clicked again. The returning echo gave him another look on the hand, a wide shape suggesting a fully fanned webbed hand, but it was narrow, as if the thumb was down.

“Four,” he decided.

“Told you so,” Danny said with a snicker.

Damian swiped his hand at Danny, and smirked when his claws caught a couple scales, much to the other boy’s shrieking surprise.

On the deck of the SAV, Jack Fenton hammered in the last adjustment to the Fenton Siren Spy Drone. The spy drone’s design was Maddie’s stroke of genius. He’d been trying to perfect a compact and light design that caused minimal disturbance to the local environment, but just couldn’t get the thing to be silent. Then Maddie proposed a whole new propulsion system, and suddenly it was as quiet as a mouse! Then Brucie came in and suggested some ideas from Wayne E’s RD department for a more aerodynamic frame

And that was a good thing, because the less their targets knew about their observation, the better. This last week had shoved in their face just how little they understood about sirens in general, and the one they were pursuing.

He couldn’t get the image of Danny out of his mind, his boy being trapped and alone. Brucie had hit up his contacts in Panama seeing if they could help with the search on land, but there was no news yet. He wondered if what Mads saw was just a trick by another suffering sirenito; even she was beginning to doubt it.

As Jack stepped back from the spy drone, and tested its controls, he had to wonder just how long will it take to find their boys.

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Grote's Bertholdia Moth: when this moth detects a predatory bat nearby, it emits a barrage of ultrasonic signals that "jam" the bat's echolocation system, allowing the moth to remain hidden

Several different moths are known to produce their own ultrasonic "clicks" or "chirps" as a defense mechanism against bats, but Grote's Bertholdia moth (Bertholdia trigona) can emit these signals at a staggering speed of up to 4,500 "clicks" per second, which is much faster than any other species.

When the moth detects the acoustic signals that bats use to navigate and hunt, it responds by blanketing the surrounding environment with a barrage of ultrasonic "clicks," effectively cloaking itself from sonar detection.

As this article explains, adaptations involving ultrasonic signals have played a major role in the evolutionary arms race between moths and bats:

Like other nocturnal insects, moths need to contend with bats. Unlike grasshoppers or beetles, they have soft bodies without spines or hard cuticles to protect them. Yet bats’ reliance on echolocation has given moths a way to avoid ending up as food: by tapping into their predators’ acoustic signals. Many have evolved ears that can hear the calls of bats. Some moths make ultrasonic squeaks, chirps, or clicks to warn their predators (honestly or not) that they are poisonous. Others generate near-constant, ultrasonic buzzes capable of jamming bat sonar. 

Sources & More Info:

Smithsonian: How One Moth Species Can Jam Bats' Sonar Systems

Knowable Magazine: Prey Tell: How Moths Elude Bats

Journal of Experimental Biology: How Do Tiger Moths Jam Bat Sonar?

The Scientist: Many Moths Speak Up to Ward Off Bats

Science: Moths Block Bats' Sonar

The Telegraph: Tiger Moth Wards Off Hungry Bats with Ultrasound

PubMed: High Duty Cycle Moth Sounds Jam Bat Echolocation

Journal of Theoretical Biology: Neural Representation of Bat Predation Risk and Evasive Flight in Moths

[mindblowingscience]

Bats, as the main predator of night-flying insects, create a selective pressure that has led many of their prey to evolve an early warning system of sorts: ears uniquely tuned to high-frequency bat echolocation. To date, scientists have found at least six orders of insects—including moths, beetles, crickets and grasshoppers—that have evolved ears capable of detecting ultrasound. But tiger beetles take things a step further. When they hear a bat nearby, they respond with their own ultrasonic signal, and for the past 30 years, no one has known why.

Continue Reading.

[blindbeta]

Hello.

I am writing a superhero series and I have a blind superhero character. I am currently trying to research how to portray this character in a respectful and accurate way.

For context, this hero is part of the supporting cast, and is a character the MC meets later on in the story. Every character in this world has some sort of superpower. His is the ability to control sound waves. While he can use them in an echolocation sort of way to detect enemy attacks, he can't use them in his everyday life as using your power is just the same as doing any physical activity, it's tiring.

Though, some blogs I've seen seem to discourage giving blind characters superpowers. I don't think this character's powers necessarily "cancel out his disability" I just want to make sure I'm writing this character respectfully.

I guess what I'm asking is, do you have any tips for writing blind superhero characters?

Blind Characters, Echolocation, and General Tips for Writing Super-powered Blind Characters

I answered a similar question that might be helpful. It explored some problems with the echolocation trope. You can read it here.

Limiting the Use of Echolocation

I like the fact that he can’t use it for very long and that it is draining, much like eye strain or using echolocation in real life. Echolocation is also challenging to learn and is not a replacement for a cane or other mobility aid. It would be unhelpful with most day-to-day activities. I’m glad you are considering the possibility of a superpower erasing his blindness and avoiding it in daily life.

Although, I still wonder about his superhero life.

Can he be an active superhero without echolocation? If it is something he relies on to be a superhero, maybe that would be something to consider. If he is an active superhero without it, you’re on a good course.

Furthermore, does he only use his powers for echolocation? I would assume not, although I could not tell from your question, as your main concern is the echolocation aspect.

Addressing Common Concerns With the Powers Often Given to Blind Characters

1. Negating blindness

Controlling sound waves doesn’t necessarily negate blindness outside of echolocation possibilities, as far as I can imagine. Aside from the overly common trope of giving a blind character a sensory-based power, that is. My concern is less about superpowers in general and more about powers that negate blindness, such as those that provide sight. An example would be a character who uses visions of the future to be able to see the way a sighted person would.

Does he still navigate in a way that might be familiar to blind readers? Does he use orientation and mobility techniques? Does he use Braille or large print or brave regular text with headaches so frequent his pockets are full of medication? Does his blindness impact his life?

Blindness need not only limit a character. Is he better able to orient himself? Can he pick up on sounds and landmarks and changes in light with more ease than his teammates? Is he used to getting hurt while playing blind football and thus able to withstand typical scrapes and bruises without being slowed by them? These are only a few ideas and they will change depending on his level of vision, exposure to the blind community, and how long he has been blind.

2. The Power to See is Boring

Additionally, these powers usually focus on addressing blindness, rather than being powers in their own right. This is the difference between a superhero with the power to see and a superhero who can manipulate emotions with a brush of their hand.

Could you consider other uses for this power that aren’t echolocation? For example, could he use his powers to facilitate or conceal communication? To amplify sound? Think of applications for the power that don’t involve echolocation or creating a way to see. Create other uses for echolocation. From your question, it seems you are already considering this.

The way you described use of the power doesn’t seem to negate blindness to me. I also think that considering other uses of this power outside of echolocation (which is often written to negate or reduce the impact of blindness) would be helpful.

Also, as I was reading your question again, I wondered if there are any other blind characters in the story. Since everyone has powers, that could be interesting to explore even if they don’t decide to be superheroes.

I hope this gives you some ideas to explore. Feel free to send a follow-up ask if needed.

[oneandocey]

On bats

Charcoal wings against the midnight sky,

Invisible to even their own kin,

Desperately they scream into the world,

'I am here ',

And the world replies in booming echoes,

'And you are right where you need to be'.

[corwynnasmith]

From first grade on I was told every year my prescription was worse so I naturally assumed I'd go blind someday.

My preparations? Walking around with my eyes shut and thinking up jokes for the future.

"Ope, didn't see you there - (nasally) HAH"

"Looks great to me!"

Accepting any offer to feel a face so I can find their nose and, "Honk honk!"

"Everyone always honks when I'm driving like get over it, I'm blind."

"The colors speak to me. Like literally. No I hear them and they're asking you to do better."

"Let's see here, looks to me like it appears to be a visual representation of an image" at any picture, painting, etc that I know exists in my proximity

(any time someone is being loud) "You're Fucking with my echolocation!"

Taking advantage of collisions to pickpocket people under the pretense of needing help to get back up and then going, "Is THIS your card?" with their wallet

"Didn't see that coming."

"I only watch movies with captions ON."

"I'm not seeing anyone but that's pretty normal for me."

In any argument, other person, "Look-" me, "I can't"

Weirdest mixed tragedy of my life that my sight stopped degrading during university but I can always fall back on the classic,

"I can't see without my glasses!"