action alert: defend the endanger species act (united states)

The House is considering six resolutions removing protections for particular endangered species—including the gray wolf and Montana grizzly bear as well as the Northern long-eared bat—plus a resolution to severely limit what types of habitat can  be protected under the ESA. Last week, three of these bills (including the one removing protections for the Northern long-eared bat) were approved in committee and will soon face a vote from the U.S. House of Representatives.

Absolutely insane take, if cats are invasive to Europe all land life is invasive to land.

The domestic cat is descended from the the African wildcat (Felis lybica) and was first domesticated in the Middle East. As a domesticated animal, they have no niche in the wild anymore. Free roaming and feral cats, by definition, are classified as invasive and non-native and are responsible for declining wildlife population and at least 33 extinctions (x)

just learned that magnolias are so old that they’re pollinated by beetles because they existed before bees

They existed *before beetles*

Why is this sad? Why am I sad?

https://xkcd.com/1259/

This is how I feel about Joshua Trees. They and avocado trees produce fruit meant to be eaten and dispersed by giant ground sloths. Without them, the Joshua Trees’ range has shrunk by 90%.

(my own photos)

Not only they, but the entire Mojave ecosystem is still struggling to adapt since the loss of ground sloth dung. their chief fertilizer.

Many, many trees and plants in the Americas have widely-spaced, extremely long thorns that do nothing to discourage deer eating their leaves, but would’ve penetrated the fur of ground sloths and mammoths. Likewise, if you’ve observed a tree that drops baseball or softball-sized fruit which lies on the ground and rots, like Osage Oranges, which were great for playing catch at my school, chances are they were ground sloth or mammoth chow.

You can read about various orphaned plants and trees missing their megafauna in this poignant post:



First quote from the linked article. Found it poetic.

Saddest thing ever is reading an academic paper about a threatened or declining species where you can tell the author is really trying to come up with ways the animal could hypothetically be useful to humans in a desperate attempt to get someone to care. Nobody gives a shit about the animals that “don’t affect” us and it seriously breaks my heart

“No I can’t come out tonight I’m sobbing about this entomologist’s heartfelt plea for someone to care about an endangered moth”

This is how I learn there's a moth whose tiny caterpillars live exclusively off the old shells of dead tortoises.

[Image description: text from a section titled On Being Endangered: An Afterthought that says:

Realizing that a species is imperiled has broad connotations, given that it tells us something about the plight of nature itself. It reminds us of the need to implement conservation measures and to protect the region of which the species is a part. But aside form the broader picture, species have intrinsic worth and are deserving of preservation. Surely an oddity such as C. vicinella cannot simply be allowed to vanish.

We should speak up on behalf of this little moth, not only because by so doing we would bolster conservation efforts now underway in Florida, [highlighting begins] but because we would be calling attention to the existence of a species that is so infinitely worth knowing. [end highlighting]

But is quaintness all that can be said on behalf of this moth? Does this insect not have hidden value beyond its overt appeal? Does not its silk and glue add, potentially, to its worth? Could these products not be unique in ways that could ultimately prove applicable?

End image description]

because we would be calling attention to the existence of a species that is so infinitely worth knowing

I was so inspired by this I made it into a piece of art for a final in one of my courses for storytelling in conservation

Lipstick lady beetle, Cheilomenes bidentata, Coccinellidae

Found in South Africa

Photos by tonyrebelo

girls love to eat soup

i promise i have proof here

they love apple more than god

another cool bug on this site is when youre on mobile and suddenly the ads will just move and cover the post youre reading

im so sorry ill make it up to you

enjoy the WOOLLY CHAFER BEETLE

Photographer Levon Biss Illuminates the Strange, Otherworldly Chrysalises of Butterfly Pupae

news is good sometimes.

gay bugs!! you can get them as stickers here

Serpent silk moth, Loxolomia serpentina, Saturniidae

Found in Brazil

Photos 1-3 by ronaldperet, 4-5 by carlosvidigal, 6-7 by pedroalvaro

Golden tortoise beetle transforming from gold to red

What

@gayterenus

When your 24 hour premium skin wears off

Alright, y'all. Bug nerd here. Yes, this is real. This is Charidotella sexpunctata. It’s able change color like this by filling and emptying its elytra (the wing covers) with water. The mirror-like gold effect is caused by it forcing water into separate layers of its elytra, smoothing them out to the point where they actually reflect light. By drawing the water out, the red pigment beneath is exposed. They do this whenever they’re disturbed as a defense mechanism, likely to mimic foul tasting lady beetles.

So, there’s a fun fact.

A spy

No.

A friend.