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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

HONEY BADGER STILL DON'T CARE because Gila Monster CAN NOT inject venom!!!! Gila Monster's venom oozes slowly down tooth grooves during prolonged feeding, this is why it 'hunts easy pickings' nestlings!!! (Mackessy 2022; Beck 2005) #2026MMM

A close up of the lower jaw of a Gila monster showing replacement teeth growing in behind current teeth. There is a narrow groove visible on the surface of the tooth

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

BUT GILA MONSTER LATCH BITES ONTO HONEY BADGER'S PAW!!!! Is Honey Badger resistant to the venom of the Gila Monster evolving 160 Million years since the last common ancestor with cape cobra?!?!!? #2026MMM

A chart illustrating the evolutionary distance between Gila Monster and Cape Cobra, indicating that they last shared a common ancertor 161 million years ago

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

BUT HONEY BADGER DON'T CARE, HE IS ADAPTED WITH REPTILE VENOM RESISTENCE!!!! #IBeenTanglingCobraSinceYouWereAnEggBoi (Drabeck et al. 2015) #2026MMM

A honey badger bares its teeth standing on bare rocky and sandy soil

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Gila Monster's "phfhist" the open mouth teeth display, & the bright colors (aposematic coloration) warn that this lizard is locked & loaded with death-dealing venom! #2026MMM askabiologist.asu.edu/gila-monster...

A gila monster stands amongst dead branches against red soil. It has a vibrant orange body and black splotches. Its mouth is slightly open, showing sharp teeth

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Honey Badger considers the loose bark of the nearby gumtree... that could be a likley location for a delicious gecko, the Mighty Mustelid trots toward the tree trunk to begin a CLIMBING HUNT (Begg et al. 2003) #2026MMM

A honey badger scales the rough-textured bark of a tree, digging in with long claws

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Trees continued to die from fire-damage for 2 years after the megafires, but the forest is recovering with eucalypt & acacia, coarse woody debris & leaf-litter again blanket the forest floor providing shade & concealment for Australia's spiders, snakes, & small mammals (Volkova et al 2025) #2026MMM

A eucalypt forest recovering from a fiew. The treest are dry and somewhat bare, with new green growth emerging from the ground

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Gila Monster, well adapted to desert life, will feel the heat; hotter, drier patterns in the Mojave affects plants- essential microhabitats for Gila Monster & the primary producers for the primary consumers this carnivore hunts. (Hromada et al. 2025) #2026MMM

An orange and black Gila Mosnter walks along reddish sandy soil. Its tongue is extended

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Honey Badger's flexibility about food- they will eat A LOT of different species, allows them to adjust their travel depending on who's about. Honey Badger is less detected where leopards are active, but more detected when spotted hyena are active on a landscape. (Kheswa et al. 2018) #2026MMM

A honey badger eats the tail of a yellow and brown snake

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Ever alert, Chital notices the movement of the large, ambling herbivore and freezes at the edge of the treeline. Threat assesment is a key for survival as a small deer in an ecosystem with tigers. Nearby, other chital pick up the signal & freeze as well. #2026MMM

A female spotted deer stands alert in tall grass near dense green foliage at kanha National Park, India. her golden brown coat is marked with birght white spots under sunlight.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

As dusk falls over Chitwan, a lone Indian Rhino rises from the water of the floodplain, where he has been resting in the heat of the day. His folded skin helps hold onto the cool water as he stands, taking a long drink. (Sankar et al. 2004) #2026MMM

An Indian rhinocerous lounges on the shore of a body of water, its stomach and legs in the water and coated in mud.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

The Chital, or Indian spotted deer, stands 70–90 cm tall and weighs 25–75 kg. A golden brown, white spotted coat and sociable nature mark this herbivore, which grazes in herds across South Asia’s forests and grasslands (Shrivastava et al. 2013) #2026MMM

A chital walks through a sunlit forest clearing, its golden coat marked with white spots and tall antlers gleaming

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

The Indian Rhino's charming scientific name (Rhinoceros unicornis) refers to the rhino's distinct single horn. This grassland unicorn is also recognizable by layers of thick, folded skin - which serve as armor, but may also help them release heat during hot summers! (Endo et al. 2009) #2026MMM

An Indian rhinoceros stands in tall grass with tick gray armor like skin and a single horn.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

On the rocky shore of Lake Saimaa, Ringed Seal drags himself up out of the water - not onto ice, but onto land! Unlike other seals, who use ice for their spring moult, Saimaa Ringed Seals often return to the same place on land each year to shed their old fur (Biard et al., 2021) #2025MMM

A ringed seal rests on the rocky shoreline of Lake Saimaa. The seal is dark with a white pattern resembling rings along its back. It rests near the water on a rocky outcropping with grass behind it.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

In the 1980s, researchers determined that "approximately 70% of [Saimaa ringed seal] pups drowned each year after becoming entangled in gill nets," in Lake Saimaa, Finland (Bell et al., 2008). #2025MMM

A ringed seal pup rests in the snow. The pup is light gray with dark gray circles around the eyes and a subtle ringed pattern on the body

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Using models of future climate impacts, researchers anticipate that the current habitat for Ginkgo will shift in the coming years, and that areas in the southern edge of Ginkgo's range may experience significant habitat fragmentation (Xie et al., 2024) #2025MMM

A figure from Xie et al. (2024) higlighting two potential habitat change scenarios for Ginkgo biloba in the wake of climate change. Areas in red show habitat loss, blue shows habitat gained, and purple shows habitat retained. The top map shows some habitat gained in the western side of the range, but loss scattered throughout. The bottom map shows some habitat retained, but significantly more fragmented habitat in the southern part of the range.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Frilled Shark's needle-sharp, barbed teeth close around Tuatara's torso... #2025MMM

A close-up of the head of a preserved frilled shark. The teeth each have three points and are arranged in lines, with 4-6 teeth in each row. Rows are spaced out in the mouth of the shark.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Mid-March marks the end of the courtship season for Tuatara, so our competitor is looking for a last chance at romance on Stephens Island in New Zealand. He proudly puffs up & displays his spines, strutting around in a "proud walk" (Gans et al, 1984) #2025MMM

A tuatara stands on dirt and roots. The tuatara is a dark greenish-brown color and resembles a lizard. It has several spines along its neck and back, which are standing upright.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

We're back in Suruga Bay, Japan, where Frilled Shark lies in wait in the midwaters. Their eel-like form and fins positioned near the back of their bodies suggest that they may wait for food to come to them, then strike with snake-like precision! (Ebert and Compagno, 2009) #2025MMM

A scientific illustration of the frilled shark in black and white. The shark has rows of wavy gill slits behind its face and a long, slender body with fins close to the shark's tail.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

The Tuatara is one cold-blooded competitor - literally! Because they can't regulate their own body temperature, they use behavior to beat the heat or survive the cold. They're sensitive enough to change the temperatures they prefer based on humidity! (Corkery et al. 2013) #2025MMM

A tuatara stands on a dirt surface. The tuatara is green and brown with long claws and a row of spines on the back of the head. The tuatara tands with its head lifted and tilted slightly. It has a long, scaled tail.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

The Frilled Shark, fresh off the fern-y carnage of round one, is hungry for battle (and squid)! While these sharks spend a lot of time in the ocean depths, especially in warmer summer months (Tanaka et. al 1990), they spend time higher up in the water during cooler months looking for a meal #2025MMM

A mounted specimen of a frilled shark. The shark's body is tannish-brown and its teeth are arranged in rows, grouped together. It has a small fin on the lower side of its body near the head.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Tonight's battle takes place in Eastern Europe. In winter Starry Sturgeon lurked along the bed of the Black Sea, chowing down on fish, worms, & crustaceans detected with her whisker-like sensory organ (barbels). Without teeth, she suctions prey into her large, bottom-facing mouth. #2025MMM

A map of Eastern Europe showing the historical and current range of the Starry Sturgeon. Shades of blue indicate that the species still exists in the Black and Caspian seas and rivers that feed into them, but red coloring indicates that it used to be present in several more seas and rivers in the region.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Don't be deceived! Even though Tuatara look like lizards, they are in fact the only living member of the order Rhynchocephalia, which means "beak head"! The name Tuatara comes from a Māori word meaning "peaks or spikes on the back." This reptile tips the scales at 2.2 lbs (4.5 stoats) #2025MMM

A close up of a tuatara's head. The tuatara has a dark colored eye and is covered in dark brownish-green scales.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Sturgeons as a group are known for their elongated snoots (formally "rostra"). They contain electroreceptors, which allow them to sense electric fields in the water! Like their cousins the paddlefish, sturgeon use these electroreceptors to tell when dinner is nearby! (Zhang et al. 2012) #2025MMM

A close up of a lake sturgeon, another sturgeon species, focusing on the face and rostrum. The fish is underwater along the ground. Its rostrum is slightly upturned and it has several small whiskers (barbules) extending from the underside of the rostrum.

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Erin Rowland-Schaefer @docrowschaef.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Clocking in at a whopping 180 lbs (364 stoats) and 7.2 feet (6.5 stoats) long, the Starry Sturgeon is a real aquatic heavyweight. Maxing out at 29 years old, these fish are also older and wiser, making for a powerful combatant (Bakhshalizadeh et al., 2012). #2025MMM

An illustration of a Starry Sturgeon in black and white. The fish has a long rostrum that narrows to a point. It is dark colored on its back and lighter colored on its underside. Along the back and sides of the fish are several lighter colored scales that project out slightly.

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