#Signals Space and Shrimp

[icy-vulpine]

Esraniki- Psst.. hey, Esra.. secret question. Don't let Argemia see.. have you ever considered letting Kel glimpse you? Not fully see, obviously; I'm sure you know that'd make Argemia.. well, you know how they can be. But, just by "accident", a glimpse, maybe?

[Response written as of chapter 19]

Esraniki: “Well I know it goes against dozens of GLC laws, and I’m actually a little afraid of how Kellin might react but… I admit that the idea has come to mind more than once…”

[gigaroni]

Esraniki forgot her indis suit during sunrise (rookie mistake)

Showcase of the WIP tail design for my headcanon on arirals

[only-somewhat-lost]

UC**

Guided only on dreams, bright your eyes, needed one, alone hand.

[icy-vulpine]

THERE SHE IS! THE FANGIRL HERSELF! SHE’S LOOKING SO CUTE! THANK YOU DEERLING!

I am genuinely amazed at how much people like Isorleah, myself included. I just needed a generic background character but then thought to myself “What if this was a big fan of Esraniki?” And so I figured I should flesh her out a bit more.

So yeah, I had suddenly and accidentally created an Ariral OC. But I mean, what are ya gonna do? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Believe it or not, somebody else has drawn Isorleah on the EternityDev Discord. They don’t have any social media that I can link here to share it though. I’ll see if I can find a way to add it into the next chapter, with proper credit as well as their consent of course.

Fanart of this wholesomely adorable character from my wonderful friend @icy-vulpine’s votv fanfic!

I couldn’t resist, I had to try and draw her!

[transentiencestudios]

Just a couple of sketches of the alien shrimp bois I wanted to share—the Nar-Haan! They’re a peaceful, tribal-like civilization living deep within the caves of Blue Moon, a rogue planet orbiting a black hole. With Blue Moon, I wanted to emphasize the idea that life always finds a way—even in the most extreme and unexpected conditions.

The Nar-Haan never developed advanced technology, but they use bio-organic gadgets powered by natural biological processes to help them in their daily lives. While their intelligence is high enough that they could become a spacefaring species if someone uplifted them, nobody even knows they exist—until the crew randomly encounters one of them: Vek-Tor (the one with the purple face).

The only light source in the Nar-Haan’s caves comes from bioluminescent fungi growing along the ceilings. However, their environment is usually very dark, which is why their most important body regions can emit pulses of light to communicate over long distances.

When interacting up close, they use their feelers to physically connect, exchanging brain signals directly. This allows them to understand each other’s thoughts and even emotions without words. Their entire form of communication is based on electrical signals rather than spoken language.

I’ve already written some pages about their culture and other details, but I don’t have much time to fully develop them at the moment. I might, though—depending on how much people want to see more of these guys, lol. I’ve just been and still am extremely busy drawing art for our overall setting.

Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to develop Blue Moon in its entirety someday. It’s been my passion project for years—a way to explore a strange planetary environment in deep detail. Aside from my character (the Commander), it’s the only thing that truly reflects how emotionally connected and fascinated I feel to space and evolution as a whole.

- Eight

[mydogatemymotivation]

Zeb hot take? Are we good with a Zeb hot take?

I don't think he has a good sense of smell. I know it's super popular that he can track people through scent and stuff but I don't think it makes biological senseeeeeeeeeee I'm sorry. Here's the thing, his nose is tiny. It's takes up no room on his face whatsoever. His nose is the size of a house cat's and, yeah, okay, cats have a good strong sense of smell but they also weigh ten pounds. Proportionally, their nose makes sense for the size of their body and it takes up a significant portion of their face. But Zeb is seven feet tall. If he's going to have a brilliant sense of smell, his nose needs to be more proportional to his size. Look at a lion, and how big a lion's nose is compared to the rest of their face. That should be closer to Zeb's nose size if he's going to have that kind of ability.

Also his nose isn't mobile. Part of the reason dogs and cats have such good noses is because of how much they can move, but Zeb's short nose bridge doesn't move at all (and also reminds me of a pug I'm so sorry and I kind of think that breathing problems might be somewhat common for Lasat). Even human noses end in cartilage instead of bone so that we can move our noses while we smell.

A running gag through the show is that Zeb doesn't know what he smells like. The only time he acknowledges it is, I think, the disruptors episode (if I remember correctly) [EDIT: It was Siege of Lothal Pt. I. I did not remember correctly] where Zeb is hidden in a crate and carted around and coming out of the crate he makes too much noise, for which he apologizes and says 'have you smelled me?' and that was when he was in a small enclosed space.

What I'm surprised about is that people don't talk more about his sense of hearing. And his sense of sight. He's picking up radio signals and seeing shrimp colors. Or he might have incredible tactile ability. If he's from a species that can climb I feel like his fingers would be sooo sensitive to what they're touching that he can pick up on so much more than others.

Or when people are writing about him and Kallus and talking about how much he loves Kallus' scent. It's cute and all, but imagine him leaning on Kallus' chest to listen to his heartbeat instead? Or being able to hear his heartrate change? This may be slightly inspired by Superman being able to pick out the heartbeats of the people he loves out of all the humans on Earth, or the one (and only) cute thing Twilight did with Edward being so tuned into Bella's heartbeat, and Zeb has those ears and no one does anything with themmmm. I love the idea of someone with super hearing being able to pick out the heartbeat of their love interest because they love the sound of it. Or with his tactile ability, him feeling Kallus' skin heat up when he touches him? Or running his hands through Kallus' hair so he can memorize the way it feels?? There's so much potential but people focus so much on his tiny little nose.

I want you to breathe in through your nose while you move it side to side. You can feel the air come in differently. That's a decently wide range of smell, and Zeb can't do that.

[modcroissant]

The list of beautiful names and what they used to be:

Cosmic Signal > Vee Space

Salted Caramel Sprout > Baker Sprout

Purple Elegance Teagan > Fancy Dress

Dino Snore > Shelly Dino

Prismatic Pal Finn > Fish Finn

Thorned Geode Pebble > Gem Pebble

Alpha Sleeper > Alpha Wolf

Seafoam R&D > Aqua Raz

Ebony Detective Rodger > Ace Detective

Dark spikes Shrimp > Punk Shrimpo

Sapphire Dots Poppy > Blue Poppy

Caramel Drizzle Cosmo > Cosmo Baker

Cutesy Calico Scraps > Who?? It's not even in the shop??

Also some of the Christmas skins suffer the same thing

But I haven't checked those yet xD

This is also account specific?? Because my main account doesn't have these names but my alts do..

Why did I read Aqua Raz as Aqua Rizz.....

[icy-vulpine]

EXCUSE ME? WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO COME IN HERE AND MAKE MY DAY SO INCREDIBLE? THE ABSOLUTE AUDACITY!

I adore everything about this! Kel being casual about taking the photo, Esraniki panicking and improvising something to stop him, immediate regret.

My absolute favorite though is Kel being so nonchalant about being injured. Just “oh. I’m bleeding. How about that.” It’s hilarious!

this scene from chapter 5 of Space, Signals & Shrimp was so funny to me @icy-vulpine I had to draw it

[indigitalembrace]

[ooc: since this is a long message I’m not encoding it, but it is encrypted in-universe]

spooky. sup.

i got somthin big cookin. but for this to work i need intel.

first, i need a favour. i cant do much thanks to the watchdog. i so much as twitch my fingers on the keyboard in the wrong place an time and this whole operation will come crashin down. so. if u can, watch the shrimp for me when they are online doin mundane stuff. because if they do stuff like use social media, play games that require a registered account, use their email and especially if they get online deliveries to their house, those all will have info that will help me figure out where they live irl.

second: tell me everything u know about how pinkie can access an affect the real world. whats the limitations. how much warning would i get. what r the access points. do devices need power for it to be able ta use em? how functional do they have to be? would pinkie be able to exit a screen the size of a pager or somthin? does it need an internet connection to jump pcs or can it do that without it?

and can it be hurt in the real world? can it be hurt by destroying its host device while its occupyin it? or is the only way to kill it digitally? did you ever have a program specifically set up for that (if so, y u no gimmie dat earlier!? rude!). how long would it take?

also any info u have picked up on shrimp or their livin space that might be useful for an irl confrontation would be suuuuuper handy as well.

give me all ya got on all these things. if its a lot, just send me a zip file or somthin lol.

i do have some unfortunate news. i think we gotta change our 'meeting site' soonish. ill send ya some prospectives later. i have a feelin that it might get compromised.

i mayyyyyy have poked the shrimp with a stick. don’t worry, they wont be able to tell the actual pc I used. I am da disquise master. it is me. also i lied. ive scrounged up some burner laptops anyway. my friends r awesome (dont worry they aint involved they just knew I needed the laptops for reasons and they are used to me Enacting Shenanigans).

oh. And one last thing. when I get there, hightail off that pc asap. im gonna signal u and give you a path to a safe pc. Do Not Hesitate. cuz trust me no matter how I decide ta play this u will *not* wanna be on that computer when im doin my thing. and ill almost certainly be disabling the wi-fi in the process.

id like u ta not be double dead. low key fond of ya spookster.

Goblin out

[ooc: If there is a lot of info to give and you don’t want to post it all here, message me and we can work something out like a google doc or something. Or maybe there’s not much for Sonny to say. I dunno, I’m not driving this crazy train lol]

[ENCRYPTED MESSAGE] Ty. Kqgwkh'j tpx cex nhw voe zrtpxf rec tpx rrmr ywn bvxu… lcvyzep fwk mfn, ye'a wwjmiakmsu. Ted abbtx Z czxokxu hqf… W bgfw zbuym nhmks yx jtwksj xmezrhybeg. [SENDING ENCRYPTED FILE "SHRIMP_DATA.zip"] Myab lvfncd ptjv xmezrhybeg ghi exvd. Qm'g vovrgmvzgx tpth jipivz afgjtmk yehns. Ghi dtp nwm vrov mcvv ntinqgu navn px uvmj avzfp. Xmev t qffgubxf tkrspbbx pfn'b lhfi yiu. As ytj fcez thetzhz fovr bas jrjtmf, pfmy ibl vrkuwiks rgu swyhntie. Bas dhjt qgjrlzvm iffziau B'jv xmez lsvg. Zf ghi jxv hql tfkd sbtfk mf cptbxx, rnl as'j zioeg wemf a nhfd pztp vzrpj, ib'l hfh cabx. Wk'l vxbko khf lims zy ye ohsj betw awj lyalhk-chfkqgu whim. Px ceep dwxg kart ease av's zxocep, rmtzcr gialsu ted thgzgx cwghihc on awj xdobbcel. Khmks zl… eo etm kh wioah fk fubkie azm, aacim ff jhcbbeg qm hf mye vxoixjt xeotx waz yoi tnag yfff rng xzvvkrwgwt wvvqvsj. B uo vhh bgfw phk ktcl ghi rkv, bcm W uhlbb rcl tie wosi mvn igr r arln ysvm kate. Vv'l rlah trlk. Efmfvfvlg yojm. Rnl mvzgbs ynwtdcy, bhc, vovn qy vv wfeag'h dtbe bas dhjt zthzheat wstbjiwgg. Z wf nwm yehn hql zzfztimwfgj iv msifj on lqixvn abnv, ult Q wc bgfw pbg andpqgu wkfm avfvxe tw lqixvn wnhjbue bas ubxibtz nhill lsvfj ivwsgxedmgh fy rn qghvkeeb vcegvcbbce. Fp bmlh kavozr wj myab tg r wzgqmoc uvivz, vv bj ciiosev on zsexiabbbx azs wpb thenmvhzhe on lcdx jozm, plm vvmg W uhe't nnzcr lnlxfjmrnl awd. B lsmw hf arvm t yzec sebhta ff ahfkl. R bivyuhfr bh rvevtm awj lvrdxfj. Nefwkhlgrtmem, yx wocgr kart utbp rvazl oxh. Jeiesu bk ux, wsjmiogxr nartmosi av cwnzu, vyavzsu tcl bas gtjsehful. Nhimsmxi ywn rf, rfuz usjm thigqv hw sckjzorl ql hf frkm liix ye lhsjg'k smx mfn, fr pxoi rfu, wk smxe nwmwtx poc'ks kavrm. Mvrm jhzbag gvvmk zvtmea mvvbi rwha, yheeamzp, ted Sbbzmf's iekrrj wimqybeg. Ghi exvd bh ardv scks yx zsv'm ocxitmw, ci bk's otav hmez yci rfu. Ohcu elcs, fm wkzevw. Gktp siys.

[rotationalsymmetry]

Humans are space manta shrimp

"Oh! You can tell the science and medical staff because they're wearing blue uniforms."

Xorphlomp tapped the side of his translator device, worried that it might be malfunctioning. It sounded like the human had said medium dark gray, and as far as Xorphlomp could tell, all the humans were dressed in medium dark gray.

***

"Do the colors mean anything?"

"The what?"

"I mean, half of your fleet is purple and half is a sort of muddy green, but they look like the same type of ship to me. So, what do the colors mean?"

(It turns out they're just different batches of paint, that look like the exact same shade to the colorblind Tarrlops.)

***

"So, is dating a human weird?"

"Not as much as you might think. I'm starting to really appreciate spicy food -- when I first tried it, it just hurt, but I've started seeing it as something that provides interest and novelty. My datemate does keep asking if I like it when they dye their hair a new "color", and I've learned to just say I like it even when it all looks the same to me. I tried getting more specific, but apparently "the lighter tone looks good on you" wasn't really the response they were looking for.

"Also, they keep describing people by things like eye color, and I have to keep reminding them I can't see colors, and then they'll act like I can't tell light from dark! It is irritating."

***

"So, how's living on Earth going?"

"Mostly good! I've been stymied in my attempt to learn to drive human motor vehicles though. It's not operating the devises that's the problem. They insist on using traffic signals that apparently are clearly distinguishable shades to them that, uh. Are basically the same to the rest of us."

[the-most-humble-blog]

🔥 EARTH TO HUMANITY: ALIENS DON’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU, DUMBASS

"Would you enjoy teaching a chimp how to use toilet paper? No? Then why the hell do we think extraterrestrials want to talk to us?"

Humans love to fantasize about first contact. 🚀 "Aliens will visit us one day!" 🚀 "They must be watching us, waiting for us to evolve!" 🚀 "We’re sending signals into space, hoping they respond!"

Buddy, let me crush your dreams real quick.

👽 If aliens are real, they aren’t avoiding us because we’re ‘too primitive.’ They’re avoiding us because we’re the intergalactic equivalent of a toddler shitting in his hands and clapping.

🚧 THE PRIMATE PROBLEM 🚧

You wouldn’t waste your time teaching a chimp how to code, right? You wouldn’t explain nuclear physics to a hamster. Hell, you wouldn’t even bother teaching your dog how WiFi works.

Now multiply that intelligence gap by about a billion, and that’s what we’re asking aliens to do.

📌 Humans are barely intelligent by our own low-ass standards. We only became “advanced” because we figured out how to make fire, build walls, and stab each other more efficiently. 📌 We just discovered electricity 200 years ago. That’s nothing. The dinosaurs ruled for 165 million years, and they still got curb-stomped by space rocks. 📌 We still fight over invisible concepts like "borders" and "religion." If an alien civilization is even 1,000 years ahead of us, they probably look at us the same way we look at a raccoon fighting over garbage scraps.

🔥 Why the hell would they waste their time talking to us? 🔥

🚧 WE’RE EMBARRASSINGLY STUPID ON A COSMIC SCALE 🚧

You really think an intergalactic species that mastered space travel wants to ‘make contact’ with a planet where:

✔ Half the population believes the Earth is flat. ✔ People still drink bleach because they saw it on Facebook. ✔ We have nuclear bombs, yet we still elect leaders who can’t even do basic math. ✔ A species that hasn’t even figured out ‘stop killing each other over dumb shit’ wants a seat at the big boy table?

📌 We barely made it to the Moon 60 years ago. Meanwhile, any aliens watching us have probably been zipping through galaxies since before our ancestors figured out fire. 📌 We send radio signals into space hoping for a response. Bro, that’s like tossing a paper airplane into a hurricane and expecting a phone call. 📌 We can’t even communicate properly with dolphins—one of the smartest species on Earth. But sure, let’s expect some hyper-advanced species to come down and have a TED Talk with us.

🔥 Aliens aren’t ignoring us because they “haven’t found us.” They’re ignoring us because they HAVE. And what they saw made them hit the ‘Do Not Disturb’ button real quick. 🔥

🚧 THE BEST-CASE SCENARIO: WE’RE ZOO ANIMALS 🚧

If aliens are observing us, it’s probably not with respect.

They’re not thinking, "Oh, let’s uplift these poor, primitive beings!" Nah. They’re thinking, "These dumbasses keep blowing each other up over imaginary lines. Let’s just watch them for entertainment."

📌 You ever go to the zoo and watch monkeys throw shit at each other? Congratulations. That’s probably how aliens view our world news. 📌 You ever see a nature documentary about a predator chasing down a weak, stupid animal? That’s what our wars look like to them. 📌 You ever see a kid burning ants with a magnifying glass? Yeah. That’s the kind of "alien contact" we should be worried about.

🔥 If aliens wanted to wipe us out, they wouldn’t even have to invade. They’d just flick an asteroid at us and call it a day.** 🔥

🚧 WORST-CASE SCENARIO: WE’RE ON THE MENU 🚧

Maybe aliens DO want to communicate with us. Maybe they’re just waiting for the right time.

🟢 What if they show up? 🟢 What if they land and say, "Greetings, Earthlings." 🟢 What if they… start licking their lips?

Because let’s be real—humans don’t communicate with cows. We don’t share wisdom with chickens. We don’t exchange culture with shrimp.

🔥 We eat them. 🔥

If we ever make alien contact, let’s pray they don’t have the same energy we have toward every other species on this planet.

📌 We’re either too stupid to talk to, or just smart enough to be considered food. Pick your poison.

🚧 FINAL CONCLUSION: SHUT THE HELL UP ABOUT ALIEN CONTACT 🚧

If we were the superior species, we wouldn’t even bother looking for them.

✔ We don’t go looking for cavemen. We study their fossils. ✔ We don’t talk to ants. We step over them. ✔ We don’t communicate with cows. We raise them, milk them, and eat them.

That’s us, on the universal scale.

So the next time someone says, "Why don’t aliens talk to us?" just ask them:

❓ Would you enjoy teaching a chimp how to use toilet paper? ❓ Would you waste your time explaining iPhones to a hamster? ❓ Would you build a spaceship, travel across the galaxy, and then spend your time talking to… Florida Man?

Yeah. Didn’t think so.

🔥 We’re not too special to be found. We’re just too dumb to be worth the effort. 🔥

🚀 Reblog this and remind the idiots that aliens don’t want us—they’re actively dodging our calls. 🚀 Comment if you agree that if aliens ever visit, it’s not gonna be for "peaceful contact"—it’s gonna be for a meal. 🚀 Follow for more unapologetic, fact-based reality checks.

Ready for more unapologetic truth bombs? Follow The Most Humble Blog for sharp takes, dark humor, and the hard conversations no one else will have.

🔥 No survivors. No apologies. Just facts. 🔥

[icy-vulpine]

Esra, what’s your favorite thing about that funky little human thing?

[Response written as of chapter 20]

Esraniki: *Whiskers twitch in a slight blush.* "Um. Well. There's honestly a decent amount. I admire Kellins curiosity, his generosity, his kindness, and other stuff too! He was afraid of us at first, but now that he's more comfortable we've been seeing his personality more and more."

[icy-vulpine]

ESRANIKI. HOW. HOW DO YOU JUST FORGET YOUR ENTIRE STEALTH SUIT.

I adore this more than words can explain. I think my favorite bit is Kel seeming so nonchalant about it.

“Oh hey, they are big alien catgirls. Neat.”

Esraniki forgot her indis suit during sunrise (rookie mistake)

Showcase of the WIP tail design for my headcanon on arirals

[meteormind]

⟢ ✦ Masterpost ✦ ⟣

I'm Rel. I write bkdk stuff.

ao3: meteormind

discord handle: relkion

discord server: citadelic

Because people terrify me, I'm prone to skulking and lurking. If I don't answer, I either don't know how to respond or I'm tired. I also crave comments because I'm starved for validation and my self-esteem is low. I'm a funny little creature, don't worry about it.

✦ Key

🌱 : ideating

🪴 : outlining

🌳 : writing

🌸 : finished

🍄 : hiatus

✦ Longfics (bkdk)

🌳 Midoriya-sensei - smutty crack-dusted series

🌸 Thesis

🌳Anti-thesis

🪴Untitled for now

🌳 Remontant - hanahaki bang, cyberpunk, amnesia

🌳 Fetch - bkdk big bang, middle school, isekai, enemies to lovers

🌳 Gold and Gleam - fairy tale bang

🪴 Havoc-sent - choose your own adventure madness

🪴 F(r)iction - cracky fanfiction madness

🪴 Plus Fucking Ultra - kacchan worldhopping fic

🍄 Days After - low tension post-war, reworking to include some canon stuff now that manga has wrapped

🍄 Breaker - bkdk vs a cursed city, spinning my unloved baby round and round

🍄 Game Changer - gamer quirk izuku, angsty with a happy ending canon-rewrite, my first fic, I think about this all the time. I WILL PICK THIS UP AGAIN.

🍄 Beholder - skye collab, vampire quirk, I haven't forgotten you

🍄 Momentum - martial artist kacchan x violinist izuku

🌸 Momentum - ballroom dancing au

🌱 Velocity - figure skating add-on

🌸 white space - post-war getting together chatfic

🍄 Soft, Dyed, Merciless - pistol shrimp kacchan x dumbo octopus deku mer au series

🌸 to the Touch

🌸 to the Bone

🪴 to the End

🌱 Reverse - dragon kacchan and dryad deku

✦ Oneshots (bkdk)

🪴 Dulce Duel - ice cream parlor AU, highschool rivals + sweet summer gig

🪴 Encoded - zay's word quirk accident idea

🪴 Perfect - autistic bkdk

🪴 Hymn - vigilante deku whump

🪴 10-14-25 - jungle kacchan whump

🪴 Adamant - kiri POV days after au

🪴 Couture Clash - model!izuku x fashionDesigner!kacchan + kiritodo

🌱 Armed (Reprise) - amputees bkdk

🌱 EXP-LODE - middle school blind online dating au with a side of minecraft

🌸 First - kacchan whump

🌸 Peace Lily - MCD with dead deku and grieving kacchan

🪴 Vault - MCD x 2. i don't have the strength or mental health to write this lmao

🪴 Atomy - MCD with dead kacchan (this one either)

✦ Crack! One-shots (bkdk)

🌸 Girded! - deku gets a big dic fic

🌸 Cleaved! - literal bkdk quirk accident

🌸 Armed! - spider kacchan x arachnaphobic deku

🪴Triggered! - asmrtist kacchan x insomniac deku

🌱 Flipped! - house flipper deku x contractor kacchan

🪴 Walled! - deku gets stuck in a wall (no sexy time)

🪴 Pumped! - fuck or die (also no sexy time)

🌸 Hooked! - crochet fic

✦ Other (than bkdk)

🌱 About Love - Togachako

🌱 Signal Fire - canon divergent Dabi kidnaps Shouto

🪴 Tie-breaker - Inasaroki

[kuramirocket]

Drones spot pink flamingos at Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve in Yucatán. Photo: CONANP

In early May, aerial surveys recorded 14,757 nests built by pink flamingos in the Angostura zone of Mexico’s Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, according to the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP). The count, conducted using drone photography, revealed a 40 percent hatch rate, with the remaining eggs expected to hatch within days.

The numbers represent an improvement over previous counts in that area of the reserve, the commission reports.

Flamingo nests at Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve in Yucatán. Photo: CONANP

The survey also confirmed a Florida-Yucatán migration pattern. Among the thousands of birds surveyed this year, researchers identified a flamingo bearing the US02 ring. The sighting underscores the species’ extensive migratory patterns across the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region.

Long-term breeding data suggest conservation efforts continue to yield results. The peninsula’s flamingo population has recovered from a low of 5,000 birds in 1956 to an estimated 40,000 today.

Pink flamingos’ patterns

Flamingos follow predictable seasonal patterns across Yucatán. Large flocks concentrate in the Celestún Biosphere Reserve on the western coast from December to March, using the shallow lagoons as feeding grounds. In spring, they migrate nearly 300 kilometers eastward to Ría Lagartos, establishing breeding colonies in remote salt flats near El Cuyo.

New behavioral patterns have also been detected, with flamingo populations expanding to unexpected locations. That summer, flocks established a new colony near the port city of Progreso, drawn by fresh food sources in mangroves just 20 meters from the main road. The development marked the first time flamingos had been regularly observed in that location, demonstrating the species’ adaptability to changing environmental conditions.

Flamingo nests at Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve in Yucatán. Photo: CONANP

The birds construct cone-shaped mud nests elevated above ground level to prevent flooding during the rainy season. Both parents share incubation duties for 27 to 31 days, typically producing one egg per breeding cycle. Chicks emerge gray and develop their characteristic pink coloration over months as they consume carotenoid-rich brine shrimp and algae.

More tourists, fewer birds

Tourism presents a particularly complex challenge. Irresponsible visitors can disrupt breeding activities. A biologist noted that tourist numbers at Ría Lagartos increased significantly after pandemic restrictions lifted, coinciding with a sharp decline in nesting pink flamingos from 30,000 in 2021 to fewer than 2,000 in 2022.

“Many photographers don’t respect the flamingos and invade their spaces looking for the perfect image,” said Nelly Quijano, a conservation photographer working with local organizations. Tour operators now enforce minimum viewing distances of 500 meters from nesting areas.

Pink flamingo populations are still being monitored at Ría Lagartos. Photo: CONANP

The comparison between 2019 and 2024 nesting numbers highlights the species’ vulnerability to environmental disruptions. The 2019 record of 21,960 nests occurred during relative stability, before the tourism surge that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. The subsequent decline to 14,757 nests suggests increased human activity may affect breeding success rates.

The birds serve as environmental indicators for the region’s coastal ecosystems. Healthy flamingo populations signal well-functioning mangrove forests, salt flats, and lagoons that support numerous other species. The mangroves provide nursery habitat for fish, mollusks, and crustaceans while housing over 395 bird species, crocodiles, and jaguars.

Flamingos typically inhabit areas near Uaymitún, Isla Holbox, and Río Lagartos, but their expansion to new territories like Progreso demonstrates their ongoing search for suitable habitat.

Local communities have increasingly embraced conservation efforts. Fernanda Linage, founder of the NGO Flamingo Conservation, works with coastal residents on environmental education programs.

Government agencies coordinate monitoring efforts across multiple protected areas, including reserves at Río Lagartos, Celestún, Los Petenes, and the Flora and Fauna Protection Area of Yum Balam. Since 1999, researchers have documented the birth of 154,446 flamingo chicks in the region’s reserves, with 7,142 individuals tagged for scientific tracking. The Celestún reserve reported 162 nests during the current breeding season.

Climate threats

Climate change poses long-term risks to pink flamingos’ habitat. Rising sea levels and altered rainfall patterns could disrupt the delicate salinity balance required for brine shrimp populations. Researchers have observed changes in breeding timing and location selection as birds adapt to shifting environmental conditions, including drought and hurricanes.

Conservation groups conduct habitat restoration, monitor breeding colonies, and rescue abandoned chicks. The Pedro and Elena Hernández Foundation has coordinated monitoring efforts since 2002.

The birds’ low reproductive rate—one egg per year—makes populations particularly vulnerable to disruption.

The decline from 2019’s record nesting numbers to 2024’s count represents a conservation challenge and an opportunity for renewed protection efforts. While the recent survey demonstrates the species’ continued presence in Yucatán, the reduction underscores the need for sustained habitat protection and responsible tourism practices across the peninsula’s fragile coastal ecosystems.

[icy-vulpine]

AAAHH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Words are not enough to describe how much I love this!

You’re amazing Deerling, don’t ever forget that!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go and cry tears of joy while I stare at this for the foreseeable future.

Silly little art I like to call:

“When you’re ‘patiently’ waiting for the next part of the fanfic your friend is writing”

(“Signals, Space, and Shrimp” a Voices of the Void fanfic in progress written by my friend Icy Vulpine)

I had no idea about the game Voices of the Void but after watching some gameplay recommended by Icy, I definitely have better understanding and appreciation of the foundation for this story.

I would absolutely recommend it to any one who’s interested!

The writing is easy to follow, fun, and personally has me hooked to keep wanting more, @icy-vulpine is a wonderful friend and writer.

He’s also pretty good about posting updates on the progress of each chapter on his account. ☺️

(and I swear I’m only playfully impatient, I know quality work takes time)