Mad scientist by day, glitter addict by night

Here’s a gigantic African land snail (Lissachatina glutinosa) to brighten your day! 🐌Found in parts of eastern Africa including Malawi and Tanzania, this jumbo gastropod can grow up to 5.9 in (15 cm)—making it one of the world’s largest snails! This critter inhabits forest edges as well as river and lake shores. It’s a member of the Achatinidae family, which includes a number of similarly sized snails, some of which have become invasive species outside of their natural ranges.

Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena), male, family Cardinalidae, order Passeriformes, OR, USA

Chinese Tiger Gecko (Goniurosaurus araneus), family Eublepharidae, China

Standing in his laboratory, Harvard professor Sean Eddy gazes at a row of vacant work stations. More than a year ago, this lab was filled with over a dozen researchers. On a given day they might be working independently on analyzing genomic sequencing or gathered around the group table, drinking coffee and helping each other troubleshoot questions about genomic data from different species.

Now, after his funding was terminated under the Trump administration, the computer screens are gone and the room is silent. He's one of the last people left.

Dark-breasted Rosefinch (Procarduelis nipalensis), family Fringillidae, order Passeriformes, India

Coastal Rosy Boa or Northern Rosy Boa (Lichanura orcutti), family Boidae, Southern CA, USA

I want to make a note that Rosy Boa taxonomy has been in flux, and the different species have been combined into this one species by many herpetologists now...

It takes about 25-minutes to complete and aims to understand the experiences of gender-diverse individuals in mental health settings through their own words! If you have any questions about this study, please reach out via Asks or via email at [email protected]. Please feel free to repost or circulate as widely as possible!