I'm a shaaaark

Baby Kookaburra

When Rocky finds out earth memes and crabs

Happy mušḫuššu monday everybody

One of the most recognized brand designs in Russia is a can of condensed milk. This design was created in 1939 (or 1937 according to some sources) by Iraida Fomina.

Condensed milk cans of this design were made by dozens and hundreds of manufacturers throughout the country.

1920s and 30s in Russia were the era of avantgarde or futurist design with its love for clear geometric forms, bold color contrasts, and functional simplicity.

The design is so ubiquitous and familiar today that even though I'm a fan of the 20s/30s avantgarde movement, I was perplexed to learn that this too is avant-garde.

The Sir David Attenborough That Lives In My Brain: Being smaller-than-average presents an added challenge to foraging ... but necessity is the mother of invention. A little creativity turns a baguette into a tool, and voilà--

(paper towel roll falls on my face)

Speaking of behavior, this has to be the single best image of thermoregulatory gaping I've ever seen. It could not display more of the hallmarks of a chilled-out croc if it was trying. This is from Crocodiles of the World in England, and features a gorgeous Cuban crocodile:

So let's start from the belly up. How do we know this guy's super relaxed? Look at those legs! We're in full-on sleepy feet! Sleepy feet are a great sign that a crocodilian or lizard is relaxed. When they're comfortable and tired, they'll relax their legs, and the front ones tend to flip over, with the palmar side facing up. They don't do this every time they feel relaxed, but if they're doing it, they feel safe and cozy enough to be in a position that they can't just bolt out of.

Then, look at the lower jaw! See that pouch? You almost NEVER get the pouch! That's the submandibular skin, and it, too, is completely relaxed.

The palatal valve is open- that's the valve at the top of the tongue. It forms a watertight seal so that crocodilians can hunt underwater. You can see that this one is relaxed- another way to help vent heat.

The mouth, even though it's open all the way, is relaxed at the corners. There's no tightness. Crocodilans don't grimace the way mammals do, it's not a grimace- it's just tension from the "I am ready to bite you now¹" muscles as opposed to the "we're gonna keep this nice and loosey-goosey²" suite of connective tissue.

The eyes are all the way open, no squinting or wincing.

This crocodile is about as chill as it is possible to be, and if you know anything about Cuban crocodiles then you know that is hilarious. (If you don't know anything about Cuban crocodiles, they're extremely spicy, temperament-wise. Chill is not what they typically do.)

Refs below the cut.