#specimentality

[orcinus-veterinarius]

I’ve seen this video circulating recently and was wondering if you had any idea what’s going on and why the orca is doing this. I don’t know much about cetaceans

Hello! Thanks for the ask.

So this gentleman is Nakhod, one of the adult male orcas at Chimelong Spaceship (which is in China, so it would not be even remotely affected by the SWIMS Act promoted in the video’s caption). Let’s preface by saying that since I don’t actually know this animal or the specifics of his care, I can’t come to any hard and fast conclusions from watching a 20 second video.

The Instagram page you linked is using this clip as proof of “mental health issues.” First off, animals can’t be diagnosed with mental health disorders as we understand them, but I think it’s safe to say they’re referring to stereotypies.

This could absolutely be a stereotypy, and I definitely don’t want to diminish that possibility. However, but its very nature, a stereotypy must be repeated. In this 20-second clip, we only see Nakhod smack his head once before swimming off, so this particular incident doesn’t seem overly stereotypical. Personally, I think it’s more likely he’s displaying misdirected aggressive behavior, particularly since he opens his mouth afterward. As for what’s causing him to be so frustrated, it could be he’s annoyed at the guests. But the fact that he very clearly smacks his genital slit against the acrylic really makes me think it may be sexual.

Chimelong is actively breeding its orcas (Nakhod himself has already sired a calf), so we know their whales are not on birth control (at least not all the time). It’s certainly within the realm of possibility that there was a female in estrus that he was either separated from or rebuffed by. From personal experience, male cetaceans tend to get a little crazy when the females are receptive, and that includes aggressive displays. If I had to go with my gut, I think this is sexual behavior. But again, that’s pure speculation on my part.

So, in conclusion, I don’t know for sure what’s going on. He could be developing a stereotypy, or he could be frustrated, sexually or not. It’s not a benign behavior, but it’s also not automatic evidence of extreme distress.

Note: Normal orca vocals sound sad and pathetic. They’re not screaming or wailing, that’s just how they are. Not sure if the video said “sound on” to hear that or the thuds from him banging the acrylic.

Another note: My overall feelings on Chimelong are really complicated. They purchased their whales from wild captures 8-10 years ago, but their current facility is by far the largest and certainly the most enriching orca habitat ever built. They’ve also had a lot of success breeding healthy calves, which indicates they’re at least doing something right. At the same time, the park is outer space themed for some reason, and since I can’t read or speak Mandarin, I have no idea what the educational value of the aquarium section is. But I hope the Chimelong pod does for China what Shamu did for the United States—inspire a passion for orcas.

[sidver]

[refugeintheunreal]

leave me aloe

[wormwoodpit]

𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠 (F)

[tunapesto]

Hi your Blobs art is BEAUTIFUL from one Bloberta fan/artist to another (she's also my pfp)

AYAAA THANK YOU ^.^ I Love bloberta and I'm happy she has a fanbase hehe... always love women in fiction that are divisive . also ur art is gorg

[onmykneesforhotdilfs]

Does anyone know if there is discord for people who thirst over Luka Modrić?

If there is, can I join and if there is not, why not and should I make it?

[thingsdivine]

It's giving boyfriend show off kind of energy and i honestly digging it 💕

[lord-angelfish]

SAPPHIRE - I want you to put you under a microscope and study you

You know what. That is fair.

[eonars]

4:30am I have reason to believe my hair is thinning the instagram reels algo is only giving me niche iranian humor and central cee fancams and I literally cannot retain a single bit of important information in my head for longer than five minutes

[mapleleavesart]

I digitalized some of my sketches from Discord shenanigans

Idk why this last one is so crunched lmao - it was probably smaller than i'm used to working with.

Hehe i had fun

[good-morning-czernobog]

incredibly funny to me that magnapinna squids are named for their fins and not the fucking elder god grabby arms they got.

i mean i know WHY, but its still funny

[skyberia]

i would like to take a moment to describe something that happens in the moralist route that drives me absolutely insane, for the sake of the people who've played through DE but cannot be bothered to be a centrist, just so you can... idk, inherit my brainrot (endgame spoilers ahead):

in the moralist route, the event quest you get for it is one where you get soona (or noid? potentially?) to help you turn the statue at the roundabout into a huge antenna to contact the moralintern airship that's flying above revachol, in order to tell them about the upcoming civil war in martinaise and/or the 2mm pale hole in the church and so on.

while you're trying to establish communications, you run into a lot of radio interference. it's a lot of people speaking in different languages, number stations, and so on, but then all of a sudden, you hear kim's voice.

"it's cold now..." he says. "... someone's been maintaining it, the wiring has been repaired..."

when you turn to look at him, kim's just as confused as you are. he insists he hasn't said anything, he doesn't know where that's coming from. it sure SOUNDS like him, but how can it be him when he's right there next to you?

soona cuts in and explains, this is just some pale interference. entroponetic crosstalk, it happens. "a particularly eerie speciment, but still just a harmless piece of the past returning to surface." and kim's like "right, i just wish i could remember what i was talking about..." that mystery solved, you resume your mission and continue trying to contact the airship.

but then, much, much later, after the tribunal, when you arrive at the island, you both walk into the seafort to find a generator. kim places his hand on it to check for warmth and then announces to you:

"it's cold now, but someone's been maintaining it. the wiring has been repaired."

neither of you acknowledge it out loud. there's no time, you have to question the suspect, you have to close the case, you have to move on. but still, inland empire reminds you, haven't you heard that before?

(and if kim doesn't make it to the island somehow, if he gets shot during the tribunal and you end up taking cuno with you, he's the one who checks the generator instead. "this shit's cold," he says. and inland empire Immediately senses that something's wrong.

"'It's cold now,' he was supposed to say. 'But someone has been maintaining it. The wiring has been repaired'..."

"But he's not here to say it. Something *else* got in the way. Events *intervened*...")

[tiny-tf-faces]

*gently places*

You somehow timed this perfectly with my failure to queue a post for today! Thanks for solving my problem with these pleasantly crunchy speciments!

[wormwoodpit]

St. Valentines day is coming! 🫀🫀🫀

Dog's heart wet speciment (out of jar) 🐕🫀

Stray animal was hit by a car, and it was lethal. I decided to collect dog's heart & bones and keep them to make a wet speciment and a skeleton later. So heart is almost ready and skeleton is coming soon.

[wangxianficrecs]

Follower Recs

~*~

WWX is frozen in ice for years until someone found him. He then transfered to university and researcher wants to thaw the ice. After thawing, WWX wakes up and this is the story. I like the characterization in this story. And! WQ and NMJ working together?! (Plus LWJ) it hooks me up. WQ, NMJ, LWJ tries to protect WWX and make all reasearchers see WWX as a living human not a living speciment -Anon

The Shade of Old Trees

by Kryal

T, WIP, 64k, Wangxian

Summary: “We rest in the shade of trees our ancestors planted.” They called the man in the ice Yiling Laozu, after a folk hero associated with the town in the foothills of the mountains where he was found. No one expected him to be alive!

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[specimentality]

ISOPODS!!! close ups + merch previews below. on both of my shops (more on rb)