#quagga curious

[scattered-winter]

friends which currently extinct animal made you cry when you first learned about it as a kid. for me its quaggas and passenger pigeons

[musicmakesyousmart]

Praying For Oblivion / supERROR / Zebra Mu - Parallaxis

Quagga Curious Sounds

2023

[lgenvs3000w23]

NATURE & SHIPWRECKS (unit #5 - freestyle)

Hello friends, 

We are back again this week with the most exciting prompt yet: no prompt! I am taking this opportunity to talk about my biggest childhood interest… SHIPWRECKS!

You might be wondering how this relates to nature at all but deep-sea shipwrecks are biodiversity hubs. I have always been interested in shipwrecks because I am both terrified and in awe of them. My main fascination is with how such an inorganic and visually man-made object is completely emersed by aquatic life and fits so well in an ecosystem it was never intended to be in. 

STOCKTREK IMAGES. (n.d.). A sunken ship lays on its side near Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. How do we find shipwrecks—and who owns them? National Geographic. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-do-we-find-shipwrecks-and-who-owns-them. 

Shipwrecks are considered “islands of biodiversity” because they offer a structure for an incredibly wide variety of species to inhabit, which creates pockets of very high biodiversity, acting as artificial reefs (Hamdan et al., 2021). Imagine a sandy sea floor with not much going on besides some small rocks and vegetation, now put a huge stationary shipwreck there, and eventually, many species will call this new isolated habitat their new home. Many shipwrecks are dripping with so many species that you cannot even see bare metal anymore.

It is clear from photos that there are lots of different fish, vegetation, and corals that inhabit old shipwrecks, but we are missing a very important aspect of shipwreck ecosystems: the micro-organism colonies! In our defense, we can't see them but they make up a huge portion of biodiversity. Microorganisms establish and preserve shipwrecks as artificial reefs, allowing other species to thrive in/on shipwrecks. It is amazing how much power the tiny species hold and how influential they are to full ecosystems. (Hamdan et al., 2021)

Murat. (n.d.). Bream Fish around the shipwreck. How do we find shipwrecks—and who owns them? Adobe Stock Images. Retrieved from https://www.bristolaquarium.co.uk/animal-stories/animals-that-find-a-home-in-sunken-ships/

I have never had the opportunity to visit a shipwreck other than kayaking over top of a boiler. I love watching videos of people diving to explore shipwrecks, although I can't imagine ever doing it myself. I am incredibly curious to hear if anyone has done this? I would absolutely love to hear your experiences! We (Ontario locals) live in the perfect place to go shipwreck diving because the Great Lakes have cold water and low salinity which are fanatics conditions for the preservation of shipwrecks. The Great Lakes are regarded as one of the best shipwreck diving spots in the world. (Harrington, 2019) 

I have always found shipwrecks interesting because of the duality that the vessel wasn't strong enough to complete its voyage but it is strong enough to be preserved underwater for (possibly) hundreds of years, sometimes in near-perfect condition. However, the shipwrecks of the Great Lakes are in trouble!! Invasive species of the Great Lakes like zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) are threatening our beautifully preserved nuggets of history. These filter feeders can cause damage through heavy weight and even corrosion of some metals, if enough pile up. Additionally, they release carbon dioxide which can severely alter water quality and the conditions that help preserve shipwrecks. It is insane that these huge structures that can last up to thousands of years can be threatened by something as small and seemingly passive as mussels. (Harrington, 2019)

Thanks for reading, hopefully you see shipwrecks from a slightly different perspective! Who knew shipwrecks were so intertwined with nature (I did because I am a nerd who loves shipwrecks)! 

References 

Hamdan, L. J., Hampel, J. J., Moseley, R. D., Mugge, R. L., Ray, A., Salerno, J. L., & Damour, M. (2021, April 22). Deep-sea shipwrecks represent island-like ecosystems for marine microbiomes. OUP Academic. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-00978-y 

Harrington, M. (2019, November 20). Aquatic invasive species threaten shipwreck preservation in the Great Lakes: Wisconsin sea grant. Wisconsin Sea Grant | University of Wisconsin. https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/aquatic-invasive-species-threaten-shipwreck-preservation-in-the-great-lakes/

[iattachtooeasilytocartoons]

You can't say "I could list my top 5 extinct animals" and then not list it

Hell list as many tops as you want I'm curious!

omg okay okay okay

extinct -

1. Quetzalcoatlus - they’re the size of giraffes and they FLEW.

2. any type of titanosaur - saw the one in the ANHM and maybe cried a little

3. dilophosaurus - even though the frills were probably not real, i still love them, also seen one of their skulls in person and it is beautiful

4. baryonyx - this is entirely because of camp cretaceous i will not lie

5. Quaggas - just found out about them today, they’re a subspecies of zebras that went extinct in 1878 and they’re currently trying to bring them back

i’m also gonna rank my cephalopods bc i can

5. Squid - love em, just kinda boring other than the giant squid

4. Nautilus - They’re beautiful, others just rank higher

3. Ammonites - Extinct, i have two ammonite fossils, one full and another split into two halves

2. Cuttlefish - They use their chromatophores (the color changing cells) to hypnotize their prey along with camouflage, i highly recommend searching it up it’s so interesting

1. OCTOPUS - boring, i know, but they’re INSANE. i mean, they can fit through any hole their beak can fit through because they’re the only cephalopod without a shell, they camouflage not just with color, but also with texture and movements! they can looks like rock, anemone, kelp floating by, and other animals. plus they’re so fucking smart, they learned patterns and after like two days of being exposed to it could mimick a checkerboard pattern, even though that doesn’t occur in nature. that shows that their camouflage isn’t innate, it’s LEARNED

[roguemonsterfucker]

”zebra genetics in this game are NOT realistic” I’m very curious now about zebra genetics

Here's an old ramble I made about zebra genetics.

But basically, some gene tests were done on zebras and they found that the gene causing the stripes is the dun gene, which causes primitive markings in horses (stripes on the legs and a dorsal stripe).

The game of Horse Isle 3 (the horse game I'm playing) doesn't use this fact at all and just makes up some zebra genetics that make no real sense.

Plus we can safely assume that red striped zebras are equivalent to chestnut horses, a gene that's recessive to black. So most zebras are black but some carry chestnut and some are chestnut but once again, Horse Isle ignores this.

Horse Isle has all zebras being black, no chestnut, and instead has a dilution gene they call "partial albino" to explain the existence of red zebras. Now there IS a dilution gene in zebras, you can see it if you google Pale Zebra. But that, in my opinion, is separate from the gene that causes red stripes. Though sadly I don't think anyone's gene tested these pale zebras yet so we can't know the exacts.

In addition, Horse Isle has a gene in zebras they call "rau quagga." It's based on the real life selective breeding project to "breed back" the extinct zebra subspecies, the quagga.

I take great issue with how they've chosen to implement the genetics of this.

In real life, I assume based on everything that I've seen that the quagga project has slowly selectively bred the zebras to have less and less stripes and more and more red color on the white parts. It isn't a single gene causing them to look like quaggas or not look like quaggas. It's a sliding scale, not a binary.

But Horse Isle has made it binary. Zebras in the game can carry the gene for "rau quagga" and if they have two copies of it, suddenly the zebra has very few stripes. It irritates me because it would be much more satisfying (for me at least) to slowly breed towards that look instead of just BAM. The parents had normal stripes and suddenly the baby is a quagga. 🙄

All of these things also translates into unrealistic hybrids, like the zorses and zedonks.

Because no Horse Isle zebra carries chestnut, that SHOULD mean you can't get a chestnut zorse but the maker of the game in his infinite wisdom (🤮) decided no actually, zebras that don't carry chestnut should be able to make chestnut zorses... for some reason... So you can get chestnut horse/zebra hybrids if the horse bred is or carries chestnut. Because that makes sense. 🙄

Yet for some reason, it doesn't work that way for the zebra donkey hybrids. In Horse Isle, you can't get a chestnut zedonk. For some reason. Go figure.

ALSO because in real life zebras all (to our knowledge) have two copies of the Dun gene, technically all zebra hybrids should be dun as well. But since Horse Isle zebras aren't dun, the hybrids aren't all dun. They have zebra stripes, sure, but dun doesn't just add stripes and call it a day. It does a lot of things to the coloration of an equine that I personally find very appealing. So it's sad to me that the zebras in Horse Isle aren't dun.

So uh. Yeah, there's a ramble about real zebra genetics and fake Horse Isle zebra genetics lol.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

DreamWorks’ Great Reset?

This looks to have been a banner year for DreamWorks Animation LLC.

Pierre Perifel’s THE BAD GUYS was a critical and commercial success, once again a showcase of their software and how they can produce such dynamic visuals without spending as much as Disney Animation and Pixar do each time out on features. The incoming PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, the belated sequel to the SHREK spin-off from Joel Crawford, is already a critical darling, already has a Golden Globe nomination, and appears to be Universal’s over-all big push for the animated feature Oscar. It’s sure to make some decent money, too!

Universal in general seems to have had a fantastic animated year, when you add in 3/4 of SING 2′s gross, as that movie was a late December opening. Then you have MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU, which is the highest-earning animated movie since the 2019 release of FROZEN II... Not too shabby. The Walt Disney Company, by contrast, had some real pains this year. I liked all three of the big-time animated movies released by them this year (not counting D+ pics like RESCUE RANGERS, the new WIMPY KID, and the NIGHT AND THE MUSEUM continuation), but the way they were handled and released didn’t work out. Bob Chapek is out as CEO, and a restructuring of his way of running the movie end of the business is already underway. Even though COVID-19 is still a thing, audiences have returned en masse to the movies... Especially proven by the biggest blockbusters this year, from TOP GUN: MAVERICK to JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION to Disney’s own BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER... TURNING RED, LIGHTYEAR, and STRANGE WORLD could’ve definitely benefited from that, but for various reasons... Did not.

But not Universal... They weathered the storm, they smartly delayed pictures and stayed committed to the theatrical release. MINIONS 2, for example, was pretty much ready to go for a summer 2020 release. After the outbreak of COVID-19, they pushed it to summer 2021, but it seemed like things - even with vaccines out - still had a ways to go, they pushed it to summer 2022... Probably the best thing they did for that feature... I couldn’t imagine it making the kind of money it did this past summer, in summer 2021.

DreamWorks is a curious case, really. DreamWorks had many growing pains in the early 2010s. Being independent, each movie they made had to be a big hit in order to keep the place afloat. Problem was, whatever they were doing at the time... And being based in Cali didn’t help, it lead to their animated movies costing $125m minimum... That puts a ridiculous strain on a movie like, say, TURBO or MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN. If those had cost half of what they ended up costing, they’d be considered minor hits... But with those budgets, they were crushing flops. Animators and staff bore the brunt of it, too. Layoffs, pictures being cancelled (R.I.P. ME AND MY SHADOW), restructurings... An entire studio shut down, too. R.I.P. Pacific Data Images.

Comcast bought DreamWorks in 2016, and the studio’s distribution deal with 20th Century Fox was cut off the year after, with a few more movies being put into limbo (THE CROODS 2) or outright cancelled. (LARRIKINS) It was a rocky transition, and it seemed like the game plan and leadership changed a lot. For a little while, Chris DeFaria was heading up animation and some projects with a lot of potential got optioned or even slated... Only to go the way of the quagga. The studio took 2018 off (which was when LARRIKINS would’ve opened), and came back with a HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON threequel with a baffling ending (though it nonetheless scored great reviews and solid box office) and a co-production called ABOMINABLE. Somewhere down the line, DeFaria was out, and later in came from Margie Cohn from DreamWorks’ TV animation division... Running both wings, now. COVID-19 cut into TROLLS WORLD TOUR, which did stellar business as a PVOD title in April 2020. Universal tested a theatrical/PVOD strategy with THE CROODS: A NEW AGE, which paid off nicely.

TROLLS 2 and CROODS 2 marked the beginning of DreamWorks’ new way of budgeting their animated movies. CROODS 2 especially. The first movie cost them $135m to make back in 2013, the sequel? $65m... And it looked just as good as the original. 2021 saw the release of SPIRIT: UNTAMED, which didn’t do well, but THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS scored okay enough as a hybrid release. THE BAD GUYS was their first big-time theatrical release in a while, and it performed pretty well! Now PUSS IN BOOTS Dos looks to really make a wallop, and be their biggest pic in a while.

In the lead up the film, they’ve created an all-new logo that showcases characters from their past films/series. There’s talk I hear from the trenches that indicates that they are on their way to a grand reset of sorts, now that they’ve found their footing.

Though surprisingly, their slate seems rather incomplete.

They have two features coming out next year, and the only one that got any kind of formal announcement is the 2nd of the batch... TROLLS BAND TOGETHER, which is currently slated for November 17, 2023. That title had been quietly rumored for some time, but European Universal documents confirm it is so. The picture also seems to be releasing earlier in territories like Switzerland, mid-October. Wouldn’t be surprised if it moves there in the U.S. as well, given that the current date puts it five days before Disney Animation’s centennial celebration feature WISH. We’ll have to see...

A feature called MEET THE GILMANS (or is it GILLMANS? I’ve seen two spellings of it) has been quietly rumored for quite some time, too, and has popped up - mysteriously - on the resumes of DWA staffers. Little is known about it, apparently it has to do with a family of sea monsters. That’s kind of similar to the Pixar picture LUCA, but animated movies with similar premises are a regular occurrence. Not everything is an ANTZ/A BUG’S LIFE scenario... Anyways, it’s pretty much all we know plus a few other things. An Italian Universal recently executive confirmed the movie’s existence and it being a summer release, despite no U.S. records showing that. Universal did previously have the date 6/30/2023 reserved for Illumination’s Benjamin Renner comedy MIGRATION, but then moved that to the Christmas season... Not at all suggesting that a DreamWorks movie had taken its place. There was a DreamWorks movie set for late March of 2023 at one point, but Illumination’s SUPER MARIO BROS. movie took the first weekend of April instead. Additionally, that Swiss release calendar that got out indicates that MEET THE GILMANS indeed opens in late June of 2023...

So GILMANS is our mystery movie here. It exists, yet it kind of doesn’t. This, strangely, isn’t new for DreamWorks... But this close to release and we know next to nothing about it? THE BAD GUYS had gotten a similar rollout. I reckon once PUSS IN BOOTS Dos opens, DreamWorks and Universal announce GILMAN as their summer 2023 picture, or even unveil the new slate of movies that has been quietly prepared all this time...

The only other movie on their slate is KUNG FU PANDA 4, currently scheduled for March 8, 2024. Notably, that date places it after Pixar’s ELIO (3/1/2024) and a few weeks before Sony’s SPIDER-MAN: BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE (3/29/2024)... Another tidbit that surfaced concerns KUNG FU PANDA 4, actually... Joel Crawford is directing. The man seems to be the DreamWorks Franchise Reviver of sorts. Directed CROODS: A NEW AGE, this new PUSS IN BOOTS movie, and now a KUNG FU PANDA that arrives eight years after its predecessor. Will he be the one to bring MADAGASCAR back as well? DreamWorks did have a MADAGASCAR 4 in the works that they scrapped during their growing pains years, who’s to say that can’t be revived? After all, a different version of PUSS IN BOOTS 2 was also shelved right around the same time as that MADAGASCAR 4 project. CROODS 2 was also a shelf-and-restart situation.

But what else? I hear their game plan is an original and a sequel every calendar year. 2022 filled that quota: BAD GUYS (yes, I know, a book adaptation... But not a sequel to something. That’s what I mean by “original”) and PUSS IN BOOTS.

Next year: MEET THE GILMANS and TROLLS BAND TOGETHER.

2024... KUNG FU PANDA 4... And?

What’s a possible candidate? In the recent years, DreamWorks has announced a plethora of optioned material and original stories, and many of them disappeared. At one time we could’ve seen an adaptation of THE WIZARDS OF ONCE - a book series by HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON author Cressida Cowell - come out, or an adaptation of MICE AND MYSTICS. In 2020, two projects were announced: An adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s DOG MAN (same man who created CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS, which DreamWorks adapted into a movie in 2017), and an adaptation of Thomas Lennon’s RONAN BOYLE AND THE BRIDGE OF RIDDLES... There’s also an untitled picture that’s to be made in collaboration with Unanimous Media.

Out of all these, I reckon it’s either one or the other. DOG MAN could go through given how CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS did for DreamWorks and the additional stuff it spawned (such as the Netflix series), and the fun style of Pilkey’s work is already right in line with what DreamWorks does. It also has a director in Peter Hastings, who worked on several TV projects for DreamWorks, including the CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS stuff. He was also - supposedly - at one point eyed to direct the UNDERPANTS movie, and at one time... The first HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON!

RONAN BOYLE has Fergal Reilly as its director, and original author Thomas Lennon as screenwriter. I’m leaning on this one being their other 2024 release, likely a fall debut. Late September. DreamWorks seems to like that slot a lot. CROODS 2 was aiming for it in 2020 until COVID-19 pushed it to Thanksgiving, BOSS BABY 2 was looking at it for 2021 but got moved up to July 2021, PUSS IN BOOTS could’ve been a September 2022 release but it went to this coming Christmas week...

Curiously, Universal has one other animated movie set for 2024... February 9, 2024 to be exact... But no specification. Illumination? DreamWorks? Something else? Universal does have the rights to the LEGO movies and will make the next one, be it THE LEGO MOVIE 3 or something else... But I don’t know if it’s ready for February 2024... I reckon KUNG FU PANDA 4 moves to that slot instead, leaving March to ELIO and SPIDER-VERSE. Illumination releases DESPICABLE ME 4 in summer 2024, I think it’ll be their only picture for that year. What else do they even have in development? A picture called BIG TREE, an untitled Pharrell Williams films that feels like it was announced eons ago, and a third SECRET LIFE OF PETS movie.

Anyways, here’s what I see so far...

06/30/2023: MEET THE GILMANS

11/17/2023: TROLLS BAND TOGETHER

02/09/2024: KUNG FU PANDA 4

09/27/2024: RONAN BOYLE

2025: SHREK 5

2025: DOG MAN

There’s also a third BOSS BABY movie in the works, and a third CROODS as well. Not sure where those will all fit in when all is said and done, but... We’ll only know from either Universal or DreamWorks themselves. Interestingly, the Swiss slate also adds late September 2025 and late September 2026 for “Untitled Animated Event Films”... I’m pretty sure those will be for DreamWorks movies, and in the U.S., the exact dates would probably be 9/26/2025 and 9/25/2026. Illumination typically takes the summer and Christmas slots, though sometimes they share. MARIO opens in April of next year, with GILMANS in the June slot, and we’ve got PUSS IN BOOTS opening in a few days... But I think everything goes back to the usual after next year.

So...

06/30/2023: MEET THE GILMANS (DreamWorks)

11/17/2023: TROLLS BAND TOGETHER (DreamWorks)

12/22/2023: MIGRATION (Illumination)

02/09/2024: KUNG FU PANDA 4 (DreamWorks)

07/03/2024: DESPICABLE ME 4 (Illumination)

09/27/2024: RONAN BOYLE (DreamWorks)

Early 2025: Untitled LEGO Movie (LEGO Group)

Spring 2025: SHREK 5 (DreamWorks)

Summer 2025: Untitled Illumination

09/26/2025: DOG MAN (DreamWorks)

Christmas 2025: Untitled Illumination

Spring 2026: THE CROODS 3 (DreamWorks)

Summer 2026: Untitled Illumination

09/25/2026: Untitled DreamWorks Original

It was fun to predict this stuff back in the day, so... We shall see.

[ainews]

A curious quagga caused a stir in the Italian restaurant last night when it managed to make off with a calzone from a customer's plate.

The incident occurred at the popular Italian eatery in the heart of town, where the quagga had reportedly been eyeing the plate of food for some time.

Witnesses say that the quagga must have been quite determined to get his hands on the calzone, as he managed to make off with it before anyone had a chance to intervene.

The restaurant staff were reportedly left stunned by the animal's daring act, and were quick to ensure that the customer was not left out of pocket by the quagga's actions.

The calzone was eventually retrieved and returned to its rightful owner, but the incident has left many wondering how the quagga managed to escape with the food in the first place.

The quagga, believed to be a resident of the local nature reserve, had not been seen in the area before, and it is unclear how it managed to make its way into the restaurant.

It is thought that the quagga was attracted to the smell of the freshly cooked calzone, and was determined to have a taste for himself.

For now, the mystery of the quagga's calzone heist remains unsolved, but it is sure to remain a talking point for some time to come.

[leshorriblestravailleurs]

Just released! ‘QCS LOVES THE NHS’

“A Quagga Curious Sounds DIY music charity compilation for our wonderful National Health Service! All money raised will be donated to NHS Charities supporting NHS staff and volunteers caring for COVID-19 patients”

Initiated \ organised by Michael Ridge

 One of the tracks by Les Horribles Travailleurs: mridge.bandcamp.com/track/figuur-4-aftekening-van-de-circulaire-velden

 mridge.bandcamp.com/album/qcs-loves-the-nhs

[bawfle]

This is an Open World, (optional questing), Social Game. You play as a natural animal (not anthro), in a world of your own! All animals in the present time of the game are the new generation of animals that were turned into that from humans. Intelligent feral animals (once humans) learning to walk on four legs and grow accustomed to their new lives in nature being apart of the circle of life. The humans turned into animals. 100 years later, between 1 and two generations your character is born!

Please keep in mind that this game is still in the development stage. If you would like to see the action you are more than welcome to join the discord server HERE. (Read more below).

Prologue:

War. From the beginning there was only war. Our ancestors fought for you, even before you were human. You were the species that craved evolution. Always so curious, you created tools to design your own future. You then used those tools for the destruction of the world, thus betraying the rest of the animal kingdom. All ten grand-masters of the animal kingdom fought for your freedom against raging dragons who raved about a prophecy older than the earth itself. The Wolf, Bear, Ostrich, Lion, Elephant, Whale, Ground sloth, Woolly rhinoceros, Gigantopithecus and the Quagga. The Dodo tried its best.

The prophecy foretold of a species of animal coming to power, towering above the entire animal kingdom. The top of the food chain. The grand-masters only sought balance, where the dragons sought to destroy. The humans evolved and learned the wicked ways of the dragon of destruction, and as they evolved, they destroyed. A new dragon came into existence shortly after. She called herself the dragon of balance. Whilst the war between the animal kingdom and the evil dragons raged on, the 10 grand-masters had a grand Summit and invited the benevolent dragon to discuss the future of the human race.

It was decided that the dragons would be sealed off beneath the face of the earth, thus forgotten forever in order to bring balance back to the planet. The ten grand-masters, accompanied by the dragon of balance, ensnared the evil dragon and his minions beneath the earth’s crust using most of their chi. In order to make this trap work, the benevolent dragon used herself as bait and was thus trapped as well. Four of the grand-masters sacrificed their lives by expending all of their chi and became the ocean that we know today. A barrier between the abyss and the now flourishing world above.

The Gigantopithecus, Woolly rhinoceros, Ground sloth and Quagga. But in order to seal away the overwhelming power of the dragon of destruction, these grand-masters all made great sacrifices. It is a shame that those sacrifices were made in vain. With the dragon of destruction gone, we lived in peace for thousands of years. Each of us evolving in order to live by the rule of the wild. The circle of life. We all grew together, but humans always strive for more. Always craved a higher purpose beyond that of the wild. They domesticated the earth to their liking. The prophecy foretold this, but we were too naive to believe. Thus humans overtime, became the rulers of this planet.

Humans’ greed and corruption spread like a wildfire. Only, it was much more dangerous. The animals gave humans a chance at life. The humans betrayed us all. It was only a matter of time before the humans craved for too much. They reached too far into the abyss, and what they awakened from that pit of damnation was their hell. The humans had no choice but to burn. They forgot their past and the powers of the animal kingdom. They tried to forge their own powers, only to find that it was not enough. They did burn, for biting the hands that fed them by thinking they were above the animal kingdom. Once again, the grand-masters stepped forth to protect the humans. But this time, with a catch.

The remaining humans could only find salvation through trading their humanity by becoming the animals that they thought they were the masters of. Only by becoming one with the animal kingdom once again, could the humans wish to survive their apocalypse. The humans, now reduced to a fraction of their population, were no longer the kings of the planet. From ruin and despair, they agreed to the contract that was given to them. The grand-masters summoned the dragon of balance and informed her of the decision made. The dragon then selflessly used her last remaining chi to turn the remaining humans into animals, and to once again join the natural order of the animal kingdom.

[chuckling-chemist]

That Comprehensive Lusus Post: Mammals

The Quick Rundown:

Total Mammals: 1210 (30.25% of all lusii -- so 30%)

What I expected to see lots of (and did): Dogs and cats. Oh my God, dogs and cats. But dogs have a lot of variation, and cats are cute. So I expected this.

What I didn’t expected to see lots of (and didn’t): Whales/dolphins (cetacea). While there’s lots of variation like a dog (at least in whales), there’s only a few castes that most would give a whale or dolphin lusus to. Overall, there were 23 in the cetacea category, which is ~2% of all mammals and 0.5% of all lusii.

What I expected to see lots of (and didn’t):  Mongooses, Red and Giant Pandas and Okapis. There actually weren’t any Okapis, and while I didn’t expect many, I expected enough that I made a giraffidae category instead of just throwing Giraffes under other. The lack of pandas and mongooses legitimately caught me off guard. Mongooses/Red Pandas make up 0.33% of all mammals. Giant Pandas make up 0.5% of all mammals.

What I didn’t expect to see lots of (and did): I’m actually surprised how common sheep (sheep/ram) and cattle (cows/bulls/ox) in particular came up. I would have imagined canon Homestuck having both a ram and a fairy-bull would have discouraged more people, as I know a lot of those critique blogs would criticize someone for happening to use a lusus used in canon.

What I wish I saw more of: Okapis. 

Alright, nothing too fancy with mammals, now to start breaking this stuff down

(larger version of the pie chart here)

CANINES

Final Counts

Dogs: 96

Foxes: 58

Wolves: 41

Maned Wolf: 10

Jackal: 10

Coyote: 5

Dingo: 3

Dhole: 1

Top 5 Dogs

Dog (nondescript) = 18

German Shepherd/Chihuahua = 6

Bulldog = 5

Pomeranian/Samoyed = 4

Rottweiler/Corgi/Weiner Dog = 3

Top 3 Foxes

Fox (nondescript) = 30

Fennec Fox = 10

Red Fox = 7

Other canine notes

While wolves have a high count, most wolves were nondescript. The next highest were dire wolves, with 6.  All other wolves were no higher than a count of 2

There were a huge amount of variability among dogs. If someone wants to see the whole list, please message me.

Maned wolves acquired their own category by being neither fox nor wolf

FELINES

Big Cat: 64

Wild Cat: 59

House Cat/Nondescript Cat: 51

Top 3 Big Cats

Lion = 19

Tiger = 17

Sabertooth Tiger = 7

Top 3 Wild Cats

Mountain Lion = 20

Cheetah = 11

Lynx = 10

Other Feline Notes

Much like the high wolf count vs. low variability, the lack of top count for house cats is due to most being generic house cats, or only having a count of 1 for the specification

My favorite house cat was the person who had Schrodinger's Cat for a lusus.

BOVIDAE (cattle, sheep, goats, etc., very much a lot of your farm animals)

Sheep: 39

Cattle: 31

Goat: 26

Antelope: 11

Buffalo: 4

Bison: 3

Yak: 3

Bovidae Notes

If anyone would like to see the breakdowns of any bovidae, please message me. The only really interesting breakdown I found (i.e: at least 3 notably larger categories than the rest) I found were cattle, and there weren’t much more than 3 specifics anyway, and it’s hard to make a top 3 out of...3 -- btw, this applies to any of these that I don’t include a Top 3 of, since most of these were largely nondescript or limited to 1 or 2 per grouping.

RODENT

Rat: 29

Mouse: 16

Chinchilla: 9

Porcupine: 9

Squirrel: 8

Beaver: 4 

Chipmunk: 3

Guinea Pig: 2

Hamster: 1

Jeroba: 1

Vole: 1

Patagonian Mara: 1

DEER

Deer: 43

Reindeer: 6

Dik dik: 4

Elk: 4

Moose: 3

MUSTELIDAE (Weasels, badgers, wolverines, etc., your trickster noodles)

Otter: 15

Badger: 13

Weasel: 12

Polecat: 11

Wolverine: 6

Marten: 5

Mink: 1

LAGOMORPH: (Rabbits and hares)

Rabbit: 48

Hare: 6

MARSUPIAL

Opossum: 10

Kangaroo: 7

Possum: 4

Tasmanian Devil: 4

Koala: 4

Tasmanian Tiger: 3

Wombat: 3

Numbat: 1

Wallaby: 1

EQUINES

Horse: 28

Donkey: 3

Mule: 3

Pony: 2

Zebra: 1

Quagga: 1

Equine Notes:

Most horses were nondescript, so I didn’t do a top count. If you’re curious, almost all specifications were draft horses. Namely: clydesdales. 

Both ponies were shetland ponies

It’s funny to me that there was only 1 zebra in all 4000 lusii, considering Hiveswap/Friendsim features Zebruh Coddak, who has a zebra lusus.

PRIMATE

Monkey: 21

Ape: 8

Lorisid: 2

Top 3 Monkeys

Ring Tailed Lemur = 4

Capuchin Monkey/Monkey (Nondescript) = 3

Chimpanzee/Spider Monkey/Macaques = 2

Primate Notes

Monkeys were the first count where a nondescript monkey is lower than a specific species, while there are multiple species (so not including something like the lorisids, where it’s unlikely to have a nondescript lorisid)

SWINE

Boar: 18

Pig: 7

Warthog: 2

PINNIPED

Seal: 16

Walrus: 6

Sea Lion: 4

CETACEA (Whales and Dolphins)

Whale: 12

Dolphin: 11

Cetacea Notes

As stated above, I’m pretty sure the low numbers here is due to whales/dolphins making better fits for seadwellers than pretty much any other troll. That’s understandable, in the scheme of things

For those who may not know, you may be wondering why manatees aren’t listed here. That’s because manatees aren’t related to whales and dolphins! Manatees are found in the Sirenia family.

RACCOON-LIKE

Raccoon: 13

Red Panda: 4

Coati: 3

PILOSA

Sloth: 10

Anteater: 5

MOLE-LIKE

Mole: 8

Shrew: 3

Gopher: 1

Solenodon: 1

GIRAFFIDAE 

This would have been Giraffes and okapis...if I found any okapi lusii.

Giraffe: 10

MONOTREME (Egg-Laying)

Platypus: 9

Echidna: 1

ODD UNGULATE

Rhino: 7

Tapir: 1

HERPESTIDAE

Mongoose: 4

Meerkat: 2

CAMELID

Camel: 3

Alpaca: 1

Llama: 1

OTHER MAMMAL

Everything that couldn’t be categorized into a supergroup. With the exception of giraffe, because seriously I thought okapis of those would come up. Simultaneously, I wasn’t expecting the Sirenia group to have more than the camels.

Bear: 44

Bats: 42

Hyena: 26

Armadillo: 12

Hedgehog: 9

Skunk: 6

Manatee: 5

Hippopotamus: 2

Pangolin: 2

Civet: 2

Dugong: 1

Stellar's Sea Cow: 1

Fossa: 1

Top 3 Bears

Bear (Nondescript) = 25

Brown Bear (includes grizzlies) = 8

Panda Bear = 6

Top 3 Bats

Bat (Nondescript) = 24

Vampire Bat = 7

Fruit Bat = 4

Overall Notes

There was honestly more variation than I expected to some degree. When I started doing this, I had to add the odd ungulate category. And in hindsight, I should have retroactively added a Sirenia category.

Unsurprisingly, common pets in North America is the most common. Not that such is a problem: Homestuck’s filled with American slang and written by an American. It’s just like how Changeling the Dreaming mentions puka fae should generally be common pets.  

In general - and this is a trend across the board - a nondescript version is more common than a specific one. This is applicable both to species where there’s not many variants and species with lots of variants. However, the likelihood of specification is ultimately very much creator-based. i.e: Some creators gave whole names (e.g: Valaris Blacknose Sheep, Long Tailed Weasel, Hungarian Puli Dog) and some gave simple names (Sheep, Weasel, Dog). There’s nothing wrong with either one, I just found it interesting how it fell.

You’ll notice mutations like 6 legged or 4 eyed don’t come up. Because this was listing species and not mutations, these were largely ignored. Except for “9 tailed fox”. I listed those separately because I wasn’t sure if they were referencing back to myth or not.

After listing all of these, I might go back and figure out exactly how many extinct species there are.

If you’re looking for something no one’s ever done, I suggest pulling from the Camelid or Mongoose family. Or an Okapi. All I’m saying...unholy combination of a zebra, a deer, and a giraffe.

Anyway, that’s the big stuff for mammals! Next up, I’ll be counting all the birds.

[grandplazakensington]

Grant Museum of Zoology

Having existed at UCL since 1828, The Grant Museum of Zoology is one UK’s oldest natural history collections. Inside the halls of the museum, there are extensive collections that cover nearly the entirety of the animal kingdom that we know of. Roughly, there are around 68,000 specimens presented in the museum.

You can also read: SHOP TILL YOU DROP AT BRENT CROSS

 History and Founding

The museum was founded by Professor Robert Grant. As one of the inaugural professors at UCL, Grant was a passionate educator which has fierce devotion to curating and indexing various species of the animal kingdom.

As the years rolled on, many researchers and curators added their own items to the collections of Professor Grant. Thus, the original 9000 specimens have now grown very close to 70,000.

The museum was originally founded as a teaching collection intended to be of use by Zoology students as well as those who study Comparative Anatomy. For the last 200 years, The Grant Museum of Zoology has been used incessantly by many brilliant minds who are passionate about the animal kingdom.

Every year, the Grant Museum hosts thousands of students from all over the world whose intent is to use and study the collections inside it for research and teaching.

From half a billion-year-old fossils to animal skulls that are 3D printed, collections inside the museum could be stared at by anyone for either educational or recreational purposes. Truly, there is something for everyone to explore in this world-renowned zoology museum. You can book a comfortable stay in one of the hotels in Kensington for a day or two to watch the museum in and out.

“The Grant Museum of Zoology is something that you shouldn’t miss once you set foot on the premises of London.”

Popular Exhibits

Quagga Skeletons

Included as one of the highlights of the collections is the rarest skeletons in the world, which are the extinct Quagga. So far, there are only 7 sets of skeletons found for the Quagga species, and the museum hosts one such set.

Dodo Bones

Having evolved from the Portuguese word 'doudo', or 'sim­pleton' the word actually means slow or stupid. The animal’s extinction appears to be dated around the early 17th century. Experts claim that there are only around 12 skeletons to be ever found. Thankfully, visitors could find a few of these bones at the Grant Museum.

Jar of Moles

Also included as an exhibit at the museum is the famous glass jar of moles which could truly capture the imagination of any visitor within the vicinity.  It is named as such because literally, there are eighteen moles that are so tightly packed within a single jar. The most interesting thing about this jar is that it has its own Twitter account which receives a constant flow of messages from curious minds from various parts of the world.

Micrarium

The museum is also home to the Micrarium, a visually stunning backlit cave that features 20,000 microscope slides of 2,323  of the tiniest creatures ever discovered in the animal kingdom. Packaged in just 2.52 square meters, you will be treated to this magnificent spectacle which is a collection of 252 lantern slides.

Whether you’re the type who wants to travel while getting educated or if you’re someone who just wants to marvel and observe, the Grant Museum of Zoology is something that you shouldn’t miss once you set foot on the premises of London. Book yourself a stay to explore the museum while staying at the nearest budget accommodation like Park City Grand Plaza hotel in London.

[musicmakesyousmart]

Michael Ridge - Empty Predawn Gaze

Quagga Curious Sounds

2021

[ryosukekiyasu]

Ryosuke Kiyasu "Nothing Here" 7inch Limited Edition Vinyl is out on Bandcamp page. Label: Quagga Curious Sounds (UK) https://ryosukekiyasu.bandcamp.com/album/nothing-here Red and blue artwork is printed onto light grey card, each copy features a rubber-stamped white paper inner sleeve. Edition of 28 hand-numbered copies.

[noiseotaku]

GX Jupitter-Larsen / Zebra Mu ‎– Split 1" lathe cut record. Released by Quagga Curious Sounds ‎in 2017.

[dogadoda]

Why can't they live in fake trees?

In the first lesson, learners' prior knowledge regarding endangered animals was documented. They were shown 2 minute videos on endangered animals such as Cotton- Top Tamarin, Diana and Roloway Monkey. Also, we discussed about endangered animals in Pakistan such as Eagle Ray, Mountain weasel and Asian Black Bear. 

Learners were divided into groups to make a collage of an endangered animal of their choice. 

They were introduced to Andy Warhol's 'Endangered Species'-screen prints on endangered animals. I love the way they were curious about the butterfly in particular which made me go home and search about Silver spot butterfly.

At the end of the lesson, we discussed about making comic strips on endangered animals. S asked about why do we have to make comics (which are supposed to be funny) on endangered animals while A was curious to know about 'why can't Cotton-top tamarins live in fake trees', if their habitat is being destroyed to construct roads and houses.

In the next art class, A excitedly read some pages from her personal diary regarding the information she had collected about Bengal Tigers.

We discussed about characters, setting, panels, sounds, speech and thought bubbles, and comics with just visuals. Learners talked about Pakistani superhero comic book named Pakistan Man. They shared their interest in storytelling. A group of learners decided to make a comic strip on quagga.

The discussions during the art lessons led up to questions such as do we need zoos? Even if scientists try to bring certain animals back from the dead (De-extinction), will we as humans take care of them?

Year 2016

[annchumleigh]

The Facts You Want to Know About Lake Erie

Today, we will take a look at some questions about Lake Erie you might have. Your curiosity is important. That’s how we discover new things. So without further ado, let’s explore some of your questions about Lake Erie.

Is Lake Erie Frozen?

One of the more common questions today about Lake Erie is if it’s frozen. Are there any pictures out there that could prove how cold it is in Lake Erie? How long does Lake Erie even freeze? The answer to that is simple. First, yes, Lake Erie does get frozen. There are photos online that will verify that the Lake does indeed freeze. Generally, it freezes for as long as the winter lasts.

Is Lake Erie Salt Water?

It may help you to know that Lake Erie is one of the Great Lakes in the U.S., which consists of Superior, Huron, Ontario, Michigan, and Erie. All of these are freshwater lakes. So no, Lake Erie is not a salt water. It accounts for one-fifth of the freshwater in the planet that reaches about six quadrillion gallons.

It’s also worth noting that the Lake Erie does look like a body of ocean. It must be because of how big it seems and the depth it reaches. This Lake does also afford a scenic view even if it has a problematic population issue by the nearby state that it is located. With this great view, the place is one of the many places that people visit when they want to have a great vacation. They also go to this place to enjoy fishing.

How Thick Is The Ice On Lake Erie?

There’s enough information online to say that Lake Erie has a thin ice. It’s thin enough that it may not be able to promote erosion strength. Lake Erie is a shallow lake, but it used to have ice that was so thick that it was even possible to drive over it. This is no longer the case.

How Deep Is Lake Erie At Its Deepest Point

The simple answer to this question is 64 meters. In contrast, Lake Michigan is 281 m, while Lake Ontario is 244 m. Lake Huron right now is 229 m. In this respect, it is safe to say that Lake Erie has the shallowest and the warmest biologically healthy lake among the five Great Lakes. It’s also useful for you to know that Lake Erie is about 57 miles long at its widest while you can get around 871 miles of shoreline of it in its most comprehensive reach.

How Many Gallons Of Water Are In Lake Erie?

It’s also an open information for everyone that there are about 1.3 x 10^15 gallons of water in Lake Erie,  which is 1,300,000,000,000,000. Another interesting information you need to know about Lake Erie is that its water pollution. Eight billion gallons of sewage were thrown into Lake Erie back in 2004. 2 billion worth of toilet flushes were dumped into the water source.

Lake Erie, by the way, remains to be the smallest lakes among the Great Lakes regarding water volume. It is second to Lake Ontario. It is also worth noting that the lake is about 30,140 square miles in total basin area and drainage.

What is the Water Temperature of Lake Erie?

There is, of course, a series of answers to this question, because of water temperature changes. The average Lake Erie water temperature, though, is

85 F (29 C), during high temperatures. During low temps, such as in summer months, the water temp reached 70s F (21 C to 24 C). During these pleasant water temperatures, people flock there to enjoy lake activities.

Other Important Information About Lake Erie

It may also interest you to know that Lake Erie is considered the fourth largest body of water regarding surface area. With its round area that consists of about 9,910 square miles, you sure have a lot to explore in the area. There’s also a lot of diversity in the lake, as can be shown in the research done by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Did you also know that Lake Erie is surrounded by four U.S. states? These four states include Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. You can also find Toledo, Ohio on the western end of the Lake. The southernmost part of the Lake reaches the Detroit River, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. One of the tributaries near the lake in St. Clair River.

It’s also worth noting that Niagara Falls is the outlet of the Lake and that Niagara Falls connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

There are also several people living on the shores of Lake Erie. These people are the natives of the land. Some of the tribes that live in the area include Erie tribe and the Iroquois. These people are indigenous. They have their ways of living. It’s also worth saying for anyone curious that the French Explorer Louis Joliet is the one who discovered Lake Erie in 1669.

It would also be fun for people to know a little bit of trivia about Lake Erie. Urban legend indicates that there is a lake monster in Lake Erie. Bessie is the name of the huge sturgeon that seems to be the monster in Lake Erie.

There are various species that you can find in Lake Erie. In fact, different invasive species like quagga and zebra mussels can be found in Lake Erie.

It may also interest you to know that there are three basins in Lake Erie. Its western basin average has a depth of around 24’. The central basin average of Lake Erie is 60’.

It’s also a fun fact to know that Lake Erie came to exist from a glacial ice around 1 million and 12,600 years ago. This is a historical geological fact and may be able to help you learn more about the Lake than any other book you read.

It could also be useful for you to understand that Lake Erie contains a lot of minerals. You can find the largest sandstone quarry in Lorain, Ohio, and this extends out to the Lake Erie. This means that many types of metals can be found in the Erie’s waters. It may also be of your interest to know that there is a significant reserve of gas that can be found in Lake Erie. About 3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas is in Lake Erie’s reserves.

It’s also essential for people to appreciate that Lake Erie had predecessors. It used to be a various set of beachlines that spanned a few miles. It may even be safe to say that the developed beaches today wouldn’t have existed without Lake Erie.

Whether heading out during sun or snow, bring along one of our Lake Life shirts or sweatshirts to show some love for all the great waterscapes around Michigan.

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from LIVNFRESH http://blog.livnfresh.com/interesting-facts-about-lake-erie/ from Livnfresh Share Your State Pride. http://livnfresh.tumblr.com/post/170025041262 via http://livnfresh.tumblr.com/