The Common Naturalist

A blog for naturalists. On semi-hiatus during a very busy 2022.

[The Common Naturalist @ComnNaturalist]

New guest post by Carla Broom on #vernalpools
https://t.co/vsiU0Jiwpn

Working on some more content this week highlighting these important ephemeral habitats.

#nathist #naturalhistory #ecology #wetlands #endangeredspecies #fairyshrimp

[Daniel Kronauer @DanielKronauer]

One of the most fascinating collective behaviors is chain formation in army ants. The worker ants cling together via hooks on their feet to bridge large gaps. Their sisters can then walk across to reach the other side. Here is Eciton burchellii inside an experimental setup.

[Dr Erica McAlister @flygirlNHM]

It’s #EarthDay2024

One planet we call home. Let’s look after it’s life. Urban nature often gets overlooked but our green spaces in towns/cities are essential for much of our wildlife. Get lazy, get messy, get aquatic & provide habitats for the 1000’s of other cohabiting species

[La Brea Tar Pits @labreatarpits]

Between the extraordinary research happening behind the scenes and in the field with @NHMLA and the #TarPits, to the incredible community science happening in our backyards, we party 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 day like it's #EarthDay: https://t.co/tigR2jLzCo

[La Brea Tar Pits @labreatarpits]

Explore Ice Age L.A. on us! Alongside over 30 institutions, the #TarPits Museum is excited to participate in this year’s @SoCalMuseums Free-for-All Day, Saturday, March 23.

Advance tickets are required, so save your spot today: https://t.co/XgmcyeWH8V #FreeMuseumDay

[Mason Fidino, PhD @masonfidino]

A side project from my PhD is a #topdownloadedarticle from journal of animal ecology this year! We combined historical nesting records housed at the @FieldMuseum with decades of field data to explore 143 years of phenological change in Illinois birds.

https://t.co/8rSspsnSJH

[Mason Fidino, PhD @masonfidino]

Species diversity in golf courses and cemeteries inside the city are actually almost the same as forest preserves outside the city, whereas city parks have roughly half the species. Did you know we have flying squirrels in Chicago? I’ll give you one guess where you can find them.

[La Brea Tar Pits @labreatarpits]

🪨 Rocks or rubble? Think again. Thousands of skin bones or dermal ossicles from Paramylodon harlani, or giant ground sloth, have been excavated at the #TarPits.

Sloths belong to the Order Xenarthra—members of this group are the only known mammals to have developed skin armor!

[Ecology @ESAEcology]

New in @ESAEcology: Leveraging satellite imagery & high-res ocean models, a #GiantKelp study reveals the pivotal role dispersal plays in synchrony among populations - and, by extension, ecosystem stability

https://t.co/oJugtYmuzU

#OpenAccess #NSFFunded
#OpenData in @EDIgotdata

[NatSCA @Nat_SCA]

Many thanks @claredrinkell for the blog on The Herbarium Handbook! For all your herbarium needs. https://t.co/wGraSEDp2G @KewScience
#herbariumhandbook #kewpublishing

[🦈 Dr. Lauren Smith @SaltwaterlifeUK]

🤿 Scuba survey work on the west coast this week followed by a lovely dive at the Picnic Site 💙

📍 A young catshark with the most beautiful eyes
📍Lovely little bobtail squid
📍 Teeny tiny baby ling (10cm max)
📍 Juvenile Grey Gurnard

#scubadiving #diving #underwater

[The Common Naturalist @ComnNaturalist]

@flygirlNHM 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[Daniel Swain @Weather_West]

Question for oceanographers/sea-air folks out there: Do you have good explanation for the most recent bout of very rapid warming in the NW Atlantic (near and east of Newfoundland and Labrador)? SSTs have warmed >3C in less than a week and are now well above 5C warmer than avg...

[The Common Naturalist @ComnNaturalist]

https://t.co/gswVQdGBwR

[La Brea Tar Pits @labreatarpits]

From the 1940s until a few decades ago, coating fossils with a resin called “Glyptal” to protect them from damage was considered good practice—thread.

📷 Stevie Morley

[🦈 Dr. Lauren Smith @SaltwaterlifeUK]

🤩 Still blown away by this encounter with a critically endangered female Flapper Skate (Dipturus intermedius) - the worlds largest skate! During a shore dive at Macduff yesterday with @DiverChrisR 🤯 So so special!!!

#flapperskate #elasmobranch #scubadiving

[Carim Nahaboo @CNahaboo]

Cockroach moult time lapse - a thread

Gromphadorhina oblongonota (giant wide-horn hissing Cockroach) male moulting from sub adult to adult. The process begins, his new larger exoskeleton splitting the old one and expanding...

[Joshua Styles @joshual951]

Well WOWZA…

Presumed extinct in Liverpool for >100 years and Merseyside for half a century, this morn I found this completely diwine beastie in an ancient woodland in Liverpool - Slender St.John’s-wort (Hypericum pulchrum)!! 😍🌱

[Carim Nahaboo @CNahaboo]

Spiny isopod custom I made using one of the smaller Dangomushi Woodlice from Bandai Japan 🙌🏼 I couldn't help myself

[Carim Nahaboo @CNahaboo]

Lobster progress... Homarus gammarus, ink & coloured pencil