The Travelling Taxonomist @markscherz - Tumblr Blog

FAQ

I get a lot of asks on tumblr—my inbox is sitting well over 1000 unanswered messages—and I of course cannot expect you to scroll through my erratic post history on tumblr before you ask anything (though you can browse my tag #Answers by Mark, if you want). So instead, I have pinned this post that has an FAQ, which you can refer to before submitting a question, to check if it has been asked before.

Personal Questions:

What is your favourite frog/lizard/…?

How old are you? Where do you live? Where are you from? What languages do you speak?

What do/did you study?

Are you going to [insert meeting here] conference?

How did you get into Malagasy herpetology?

What is your relationship status?

How did you get where you are today?

That bread you make looks really fucking incredible, where do I get a recipe so I can get it in my FACE?

Science-related Questions:

How do I become a herpetologist/any advice for someone interested in a career in herpetology?

What is it like being a taxonomist?

How do I learn about the taxonomy of reptiles or amphibians?

I’m travelling to Madagascar; can you give me some advice?

How can I get into field research in Madagascar?

What is the best part about field work?

What is Zoology like as a career path?

Should I be a zoologist if I’m not good at school/not passionate about it?

How much money will I earn as a zoologist?

Will I struggle in herpetology/zoology as a female?

Can you recommend American colleges to me to study Zoology?

Can you identify this herp for me?

Can snakes hear?

I want to be a vet, can you give me some advice?

Is the distinction between poisonous and venomous really that important?

Are you a lumper or a splitter?

Can you help with my homework?

#FAQ #answers by Mark

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madame-hagfish

species with funny binomials discovered this year

Zig (genus de novo) zag (a Malagasy legless skink related to Paracontias), March 2026. Zig is the first new genus of Malagasy skinks discovered since the 19th century, so this is quite notable! New species discoveries are common, new genus discoveries are much rarer. Some new Scincidae genera have been named recently in the form of splits from other (wastebasket taxon) genera, however, discovering a completely unknown highly divergent lineage like this is a rarity. Zig zag is a special little boop noodle.

Solenostomus snuffleupagus (sp. nov), May 2026 (literally, study was released a week ago), a new species of ghost pipefish, named for its fuzzy appearance bearing resemblance to Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street (pictured above). The genus Solenostomus contains six other species of ghost pipefishes. However S. snuffleupagus is so highly divergent in appearance, that when it was spotted in 2001 it was immediately known to be strange. It took 25 years of searching the Great Barrier Reef to officially find & scientifically describe this bizarre fish.

S. paradoxus, the type species of Solenostomus.

S. leptosoma, another species, to make clear the typical appearance of a ghost pipefish and why S. snuffleupagus is distinctive.

Though not all species were sequenced, genome sequencing suggests that S. snuffleupagus is the most evolutionary divergent of all Solenostomus (Maroubra, a syngnathid true pipefish, is used as the outgroup).

For context, what Solenostomus is:

Solenostomus is a monotypic genus (the only genus in its family) in the family Solenostomidae. They comprise the sister taxon to the Syngnathidae (the true pipefishes, seadragons, and kin, which contains the famous seahorse Hippocampus). Unfortunately, in Solenostomus, males do not get pregnant (the only thing that would have made S. snuffleupagus even more incredible), but they are closely related to the true pipefishes (all of which exhibit male pregnancy).

Those are two incredible discoveries within just the span of two months, here's to more wonderful scientific names!

#emphatic yes #taxonomy

eartharchives

Turtles finally have a place in the tree of life: X-ray study of South African fossils was a decider

Palaeontologists have got a clearer picture of where turtles fit in the animal kingdom, thanks to analysis of a southern African fossil. Image credit: Gabriel Ugueto

https://theconversation.com/turtles-finally-have-a-place-in-the-tree-of-life-x-ray-study-of-south-african-fossils-was-a-decider-282871

markscherz

How very timely, I get to integrate this into my lecture for next Tuesday!

#turtles #animals #evolution

please post the naked geckos

Back in 2017, @leotide posted this incredible piece, which is easily one of my favourite scientific illustrations of all time.

An actual photo of a skinless Geckolepis (here a never-before-posted photo of a G. cf. maculata, not G. megalepis) is below the cut. There is no blood or gore, but I could see how this would make some uncomfortable, so I have hidden it.

#lizards #animals #the more you know #wildlife #nature #Geckolepis #Geckolepis maculata #cw gore #cw body horror #Answers by Mark #Anonymous #anon

pnglove

Mate, you’ve got a chubby lizard on your dashboard

markscherz

Graced by Geckolepis typica from Madagascar. I love that they’re quite round creatures and then they have these dainty little toes. Also, their scales are full bone and both scale and skin come off when they get grabbed, which is…unpleasant. Consequently, catching these geckos for research without damaging them requires special techniques. 19th century researchers used bundles of cotton wool, but I imagine this wasn’t very effective, because cotton still has a lot of friction and the friction would pull the skin and scales off. In my (quite extensive) experience, the best technique is to carefully and quickly flick the geckos from their tree trunk or branch into an open dry plastic bag using a finger or stick.

mrskayathefrog

'scuse me, Mr @markscherz, does it harm the gecko for the scales to come off?

like, of course it harms them but... can they grow back? like how some lizards can drop their tails and eventually the tails grow back

markscherz

Not only do they grow back, but they come back so well that we cannot even tell where they have ripped off before. This is very weird, because when a lizard loses its tail, it is very obvious where it has been lost and regrown. Not so these chaps. They seek out a humid place to hide, and within a few weeks, skin and scales have started to regrow. The fact that they can do this so well is the reason a team has just sequenced their genome. I believe it is hoped that the skin regeneration tech they have built into their cells could eventually be harnessed for human skin grafts.

#geckolepis #I have pictures of scale-less ones but I am afraid of posting them on the internet because I think a lot of people do not want to see that #but we did include a photo in the description of Geckolepis megalepis back in 2017 #and you can find that one on the internet really easily #in fact there was even fan art about it

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Look if you can't handle me at my

you don't deserve me at my

[src1][src2]

#memes #science #animals #Caecilians #Gymnophiona #Typhlonectes #this counts as lecture prep I think

Today I caught one of the largest frogs of my life. This gigantic Pelophylax ridibundus belongs to a Balkan lineage (formerly P. kurtmuelleri) that has an established introduced population in one lake in central Copenhagen. They are about twice the size of our native green frogs!

#frogs #animals #selfie #at work #science #my face #that thing on the front of my skull #gpoyt #Pelophylax #Pelophylax ridibundus #Pelophylax kurtmuelleri #it’s giving mad frog scientist vibes #which I think is what you’re all here for anyway?

Hi Mark! Does anyone know why Fire Bellied Toads (genus Bombina) have triangular Pupils?

For the bokeh

#this is a photography joke #photography #bokeh #because I literally have no idea #Bombina variegata even has heart-shaped pupils #but I wouldn't have the first idea why #Answers by Mark #theclumsyswordsman

wholeheartedsuggestions

CREATE BAD ART

fliesandlilypads

i love frog doodles js :3

markscherz

Here are some I doodled for my son on our whiteboard at home a few years ago.

#frogs #doodles #art #bad art

dashcon-two

VirtualDash Panel Programming!!!

Welcome, welcome, one and all, to the VirtualDash panel programming! We are very excited to share with you the list of all the panels that will exclusively be running virtually. Panel programming will run from 10am - midnight EDT on Saturday August 1st, and 8am - midnight EDT on Sunday August 2nd.

Get your VirtualDash ticket over at https://simpli.events/e/virtualdash-2026

DashCon 2 - and by extension, VirtualDash - run during the weekend of August 1st and 2nd 2026. However, we are also running a short-but-sweet block of virtual-exclusive programming the weekend prior to DashCon 2! Join us on July 25th for the Tumblr History Kahoot by @anonymoussong and a few other treats :)

Saturday August 1st panels

Saturday, we have a very special treat for everyone. We are hosting Tumblr University! These panels are educational, extra-curricular, or a mix of both. We hope you enjoy your classes - and maybe we'll even host a Tumblr Prom for all of our graduates!

'Frog tongues attach at the front of the mouth' and other fun facts: science and stories from the Curator of Herpetology at the Natural History Museum Denmark - @markscherz

Fanmusic: How to Create the Illusive Middle Child of Fandom - @caramiaaddio

Unmasking the Masq: What to know before joining your first Cosplay Masquerade - @mackdizzy

Yarn wig styling with Julie Joyful!

3AM to Ao3: A Guide to Writing and Posting Your First Fanfiction - @publiccmenace

Fanwork Exchanges 101 - @antimony-medusa , @mackdizzy , @jaybin-superiority , @creetchure , and @that-fall-guy

The Muppet Joker's Quiet Sock Puppet Craft Corner - @the-muppet-joker

Syd and Marti Dissect Classic Literature: Why The Road not Taken by Robert Frost is an Allegory for Dreamnotfound - @disaster-syd and

Strange Croaker (TTRPG) - @em-7dice

Sunday August 2nd panels:

On Sunday, we have a grab bag of panels somewhere on the spectrum between informative and bonkers, with some deep dives into Internet/Tumblr/DashCon 2 history and peculiarities!

Bionicle and Gender - @LucasBuilds

"I block all blaze posts, but yours." - @millenniallust4death

The Unofficial Neopets Crash Course to Late Stage Capitalism

Unsinkable: A History of Shipping Culture - @watchinghimrakeleaves

Underpants on the Outside - @ohnoitstbskyen

Intro to Presidentblr (Or How I Found Myself Dedicating an Absurd Amount of My Time Pretending to be President Richard Nixon on Tumblr) - @nixon-official

A Musical Analysis of Shrek: Let’s Get this Ogre and Done With - @biggestdumbestduck

da fanfiction of da fanfiction: Adapting My Immortal for the Stage - @myimmortalplay

Vampires Never Die: Why Vampire Fiction & Symbolism Never Goes Out of Style - @yvesdot

Gregoria: A Historia - Lizzie Teddy & Gregory

We still have a few surprises in store, so LOOK OUT! :3

markscherz

Sneak peek at my upcoming virtual panel at DashCon 2:

#DashCon #DashCon2 #DashCon 2 #VirtualDash

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pukicho

A man was in our backyard at midnight looking for amphibians tonight.

pukicho

Mother was afraid, but surely no more than the frogs

pukicho

I get that it sounds like a joke but there was an actual man in my backyard hunting for wet toads last night and I am being fully honest

behold-a-cat

@markscherz

markscherz

to herp, verb.

the act of searching—often largely without success but nevertheless with enthusiasm—for amphibians and reptiles (‘herps’).

#herpetology #herping #field herping #try not to trespass when herping #in some parts of the world it can be a fatal mistake #and everywhere else it is just bad form

ilinit

@markscherz Hey! I just saw a terrible pun (100/10 will recommend) by you and remembered that two weeks ago during our vacation in Cambrils, Spain Costa Daurada,

My partner and I were listening to the frogs and we both were "ah wish I knew more about frogs so we could identify them by there calls"

So.. since you are the most competent to ask.

Can you help us?

Lots of Love from Germany!

markscherz

You might have noticed the similarity to your familiar Teichfrösche, Pelophylax kl esculentus and their relatives. This is Pelophylax perezi, a widespread and very common species in Spain. You can read a bit more about them on iNaturalist, and also see their distribution and other observations.

aqualinux

Frog Father, @markscherz , please tell me how the ever loving heck you could tell the genus by just the call, without being familiar with the exact species. I know how to use dichotomous keys but I have only ever done this with plants, which are remarkably silent.

markscherz

Calls of related frogs tend (in general) to sound more similar to each other than they do to less related species. It just happens that I live in a country where we also have Pelophylax, and most members of that genus have laughing/quacking calls that are pretty characteristic. I can actually do an impression of P. kl. esculentus that is good enough to get them to call back. So I know them well. What I heard in this video is a similar, albeit higher pitched and faster call. What threw me off a bit was the fact that I can hear two different kinds of calls in this video (the continuous trill, as well as the quick 'squelch' sound), so I first had to find a video of the local species of Pelophylax, which showed that these indeed are both made by the same species.

Also, you know, listening to and identifying frogs is kind of part of my job, so… I'm kind of good at it? through many years of practice?

#herpetology #frogs #bioacoustics

ilinit

@markscherz Hey! I just saw a terrible pun (100/10 will recommend) by you and remembered that two weeks ago during our vacation in Cambrils, Spain Costa Daurada,

My partner and I were listening to the frogs and we both were "ah wish I knew more about frogs so we could identify them by there calls"

So.. since you are the most competent to ask.

Can you help us?

Lots of Love from Germany!

markscherz

You might have noticed the similarity to your familiar Teichfrösche, Pelophylax kl esculentus and their relatives. This is Pelophylax perezi, a widespread and very common species in Spain. You can read a bit more about them on iNaturalist, and also see their distribution and other observations.

#frogs #animals #nature #if you want to know how I figured this out:#I knew it was a Pelophylax by the call #but used iNaturalist to find out which species is present in this area #and then googled ‘Pelophylax perezi call’ to verify #Pelophylax #Pelophylax perezi

fishdetective

really really awesome image

markscherz

Oh this is handy

#I will maybe use this for teaching #and also for puns

Hi! I made a pull-apart one :) each ball is filled with cinnamon sugar which melted into a syrup.

Um, wow, amazing innovation, how was it‽ Is it soft enough to work as a monkey bread?

#baking #Answers by Mark #ohgodthatcandlesmellsbad #Hefe…bällchen?#Hefekranz #this is a baking blog

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barksbog

look at her go

barksbog

this is my leopard gecko wheel propaganda post now

promote physical health (walky!)

promote mental health (fun!)

extremely cute to watch them toddle about in there

they love to sleep squished under them

apparently promotes healthy bowel movement (prepare for poopy wheel)

genuinely i know it looks silly and weird but it changed my leos life they use 2-4h a day just calmly walking

it reduced them scrabbling at the glass doors

my friend who has a disabled leo got him one and he is now moving so much more, which is good for his legs (muscles being built)

it's really cute

wheels should be at least 20cm diameter and solid, the wooden ones are great for grip and safety

leos don't go faster than this. successful wheel usage looks like Popcorn is demonstrating

#if you put a big walking wheel on a playground kids will just use it for hours #if you put one in the forest squirrels and stuff will use it #this is somehow a very basic urge #and works wonders for pets’ wellbeing #I approve this message

Spring in the north means tadpoles in our lakes and ponds! These little common toad tadpoles are in one of the little ponds at the Botanical Garden here in Copenhagen (part of the Natural History Museum Denmark, where I work), which is also full of newts in full breeding dress. 😍

#tadpoles #spring #animals #wildlife #toads #Bufo bufo #Bufo #this was just on my walk to the all-staff meeting at the museum this morning #glorious weather for some wiggly waggly pollywogs #it is bizarre to me that anyone is at all interested in planets other than our own #when all the evidence indicates that there is more life in this pond than in all the rest of the reachable universe

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