dandelion apologist

from a protest a couple days ago.

Acknowledging that the sea mammals were far from being “awe-inspiring, beautiful creatures or a splendor of nature,” an embarrassed David Attenborough finally admitted this week to exaggerating the wonder of seals. “While I did several monologues in voiceover claiming that sea lions have a quiet majesty, they are actually just stinky, slippery wet dogs with fins that are mediocre at best,” said Attenborough, contritely confessing that he used hyperbole to mislead the public into thinking seals were worth paying any attention to at all.

A pair of fishers (Pekania pennanti) hanging out in a tree hollow in Minnesota, USA

Posted my Maraldichthys the other day on Insta and as it is really hard to explain without visual aid I put this together. Every time I post about this guy people don't know how to look at it. I hope this helps. And yes, this is not taphonomy, there are several specimens and close relatives.

To further explain what going on I took Rhinopycnodus, a more normal looking relative, and morphed it into Maraldichthys. Color coded to keep track of fins.

As you can see the cloaca actually barely moves, the body just gets super short and the pelvic fins shrink :P

[Video ID: A closeup video of a bright green grasshopper with pale blue eyes holding onto a leaf, chomping big bites into the side. Its intricate mandibles move in methodically to bite a semicircle shape into the leaf. End ID.]

urticating hairs

tail fall off as a decoy

puff up but not just with fur, MORE, like a puffer fish

active camouflage cuttlefish style

herd behavior

toxic coating on fur (applied by licking)

get bigger

so soft that your attacks don't do anything

shoot blood from eyes

they get REALLY stinky