iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I'm incredibly excited to share that I've been accepted to give a 12 minute talk about my #PhD work at the International Barcoding of Life #Conference in Thailand this November! If you're interested in #CRISPR, #lateralflow, #invasivespecies &/or #eDNA, I hope to see you there! #IBOL #PhDSky

A drawing of a mussel, next to a positive (showing two lines) lateral flow, with a thought bubble saying "Who am I? What am I?".

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Alex Brighten @alexbrighten1.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

8 chapters (5 data chapters); 4 field seasons; 20(ish) GPS loggers; 167 GPS deployments; 156 stable isotope feather samples. 2.5 hours of dynamic discussion. No corrections. Ph.Done. 🥹 Thank you everyone who supported me along this wild journey. Beyond stoked. What a way to end #SwiftAwarenessWeek!

Printed PhD thesis. “Movement ecology of a long-distance migratory aerial insectivore at broad and fine spatial scales; tracking Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)”.

My examiners, Lesley Lancaster and Rob Robinson, my primary supervisor Thomas Bodey and myself.

Viva gifts and decorations from my wonderful friends ❤️

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Alex Brighten @alexbrighten1.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Submitted my PhD. Absolutely stoked. Thank you to everyone who supported me and to those I met along the way. It’s been a journey. And thanks, of course, to these gremlins. Time to crack on with the remaining manuscripts. Bring on the viva!

Photos of Alpine Swift, top left: 15-day-old nestling; top middle: adult; top right 30-day-old nest; middle R: sleepy pile of nestlings; centre: tagged adult; middle L: 2 tagged adults; lower L: adult with bolus; lower middle: cam trap shenanigans; lower R: 3-day-old nestlings and adult

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

🫆Common raven, 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘷𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘹 📍 Isle of Skye, Scotland 📷 Fujifilm X-T5, XF 150-600mm 🎞️ 1/500 • f/7.1 • 502mm • 5000 ISO - #raven #birds #feathers #details #eye #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #Scotland #NC500 #fujifilm #fujifilmxt5 #lightroom #isleofskye

A raven looking straight into the camera. Due to the lighting, its feathers appear to have a blueish hue. The feathers are well detailed showing the different shales and textures. In its eye you can see the horizon reflected.

A close-up of the previous raven picture, focussing on the details of the feathers. The colours show different shades of midnight blue. The top half of the picture has feathers that are pointing downwards, whereas the bottom half has more rounded, overlapping feathers, showing the difference between neck & wing feathers, respectively

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Victoria @vicgillman.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Very happy to share I passed my PhD viva with no corrections on climate vulnerability in freshwater pearl mussels 🎉🎉 Thanks to my supervisors @molluscular.bsky.social @lancasterlt.bsky.social & Vicky Pritchard and examiners @fishyomics.bsky.social @gretabocedi.bsky.social for an engaging discussion!

Five people celebrating a PhD viva, smiling and holding drinks. Kara joins via a screen behind the group. From left to right: Lesley, Greta, Kara (on screen), me, and Arne.

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Found a random “Garden Birds” book, and this has to be my newest favourite house sparrow fact

An illustrated picture of a house sparrow (brown/grey bird) next to some yellow crocuses (flowers) on a patch of grass. Above the picture is the text “Flower Peckers. House sparrows habitually peck yellow flowers, especially crocuses. No one really knows why they do it.”

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

🫆 House sparrow (female), 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 📍Madrid 📷 Fujifilm X-T5, XF 150-600mm 🎞️ 1/1000 • f/7.1 • 420.3mm • 8000 ISO 🪶 #housesparrow #sparrow #birds #wildlife #tree #photography #Spain #Madrid #fujifilm

A brown, female, house sparrow hanging on a twig, sideways. It has some seed remnants around its beak, and is looking into the camera. There are a few twigs in the background, and the rest is a creamy light and dark green.

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Kara Layton @molluscular.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

I’m so thrilled to share @vicgillman.bsky.social first first-author paper just published in Conservation Genetics 🎉🧬🦪 (not a FW mussel). This is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s to come from Victoria - stay tuned! link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.com

Genomic evidence of local adaptation in Scottish freshwater pearl mussels - Conservation Genetics

Conservation Genetics - Climate change is a global threat that is already impacting populations and species across diverse ecosystems. Local adaptation of populations, identified through...

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

🫆 Siskin, 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 📍 El Pardo, Madrid 📷 Fujifilm X-T5, XF 150-600mm 🎞️ 1/500 • f/8.0 • 600mm • 2500ISO 🪶 #siskin #birds #wildlife #alder #tree #photography #Spain #Madrid #fujifilm

A small green/yellow finch like bird (a siskin) gripping the brown cones of the alder tree. The siskin has black feathers in its wings and tail, and a black crest. The background is blurry with a light brown colour.

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Black-Headed Gull, 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴 Aberdeen 📷 Fujifilm X-T5, XF 150-600mm 🎞️ 1/2000 • f/8.0 • 600mm • 6400 ISO 🪶 #gulls #birds #wildlife #photography #portrait #moody #Scotland #fujifilm

A close-up portrait of a juvenile black-headed gull. Its face is not fully black, but is peppered with black and white. The bill is a dark red/orange. Light is shining on the gull's head from the right top corner, with the left-bottom corner being darker.

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Happy holidays to one and all ❄️! On the Friday before Christmas 🎄 I’m excited to share my first first-author pre-print. Are you interested in molluscs 🐚, developmental biology, CRISPR F0 KOs, Pax6, eye 👁️ development and evolution? Then here’s a thread for you. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

First preprint from my PhD is out! If molluscan developmental biology and genetics, gene-editing methodology in non-traditional model systems, or the function and conservation of pax6 interests you, please give it a read! 🐚🎉

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Catherine Sheard @sheardcat.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Like big trait databases? Think biology should think about humans more? Fascinated by house plants? My fantastic colleagues and I are advertising a PhD project based at the University of Aberdeen on the ornamental plant trade. Come join us! www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

findaphd.com

QUARTILES DLA CASE: Trait-based drivers of the ornamental plant trade at University of Aberdeen on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - QUARTILES DLA CASE: Trait-based drivers of the ornamental plant trade at University of Aberdeen , listed on FindAPhD.com

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

An absolutely EYE catching project, with a great group & and an even greater supervisor!

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Charlie T @agentlaughingperch.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Looking forward to this week's department seminar with Rob Wilson @robwilsonmncn.bsky.social from the #science museum in Madrid, invited by @camilarocabado.bsky.social

A seminar slide in a lecture theatre which reads: population and community effects of global change revealed by butterflies

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Rowan Kuminski @rowankuminski.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Last year I wrote this for Transgender Awareness Week because of the challenges I've faced in my institution. Sharing it again as this week we celebrate trans identities and remember those who have been targeted for being themselves www.britishecologicalsociety.org/five-steps-t...

britishecologicalsociety.org

Five steps towards being a trans ally - BES

Five steps towards being a trans ally - BES is the largest scientific society for ecologists in Europe. We're working towards a world in which nature and people thrive.

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Alex Brighten @alexbrighten1.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Reflecting on #BESMove2025, nice couple days chatting all things #MovementEcology and meeting friends old & new. Thank you @besmovesig.bsky.social and the meeting organisers for your hard work to deliver a stacked and smooth running schedule and fun socials. Looking forward to the next one!

Top left; UEA broad just after sunrise; top right meeting welcome sign; lower left reflections of a bridge; lower right my poster and me.

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Tilly S Scott @tillysscott.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Here are all the talks I attended and sketched at #ESEB2025 ! Only a fraction of the 642 speakers at the conference 😮 I had an absolutely amazing week chatting about lots of fascinating science #sciart #eseb #esebcongress @eseb2025.bsky.social

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Alex Brighten @alexbrighten1.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

It’s already been a week since #EOU2025! Fun week meeting and chatting cool bird science & geeking out at the cool tech! Presented another poster made from my tent in Bulgaria. 😅 Even got work done on the 14hr train journey, 🌱 but France took my Leatherman; rookie error not checking my field pack! 🥲

Collage of photos from the European Ornithological Union (EOU) conference 2025. Clockwise from top left: an amazing plenary about robust avian science by Antica Culina with a slide on FAIR data; a tiny solar GPS transmitter, the Menai bridge at sunrise; me and my poster; Welsh flag with bonus Welsh jackdaw; Vogelwarte research group; first Guinness after 2.5 months in Switzerland; cool hummingbird mural on a house; and in the centre: Vogelwarte research group - Team Alpine Swift-Barn Owl-Dipper et al!

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Charlie T @agentlaughingperch.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Very moving presentation from one of the recipients of the EUEA award from @eseb.bsky.social . As a trans academic myself, seeing effort being put into inclusivity has been refreshing. Thank you for platforming this topic and supporting people like this speaker 🏳️‍⚧️

Another presentation slide which contains some Qr code links to resources and some steps which academics could take to make space for trans academics. These steps are as follows:
- apply for DEI grants
- support LGBTQ+ scholarship funds
- learn about local medical/legal systems to offer newly-arrived colleagues guidance
- Avoid harmful rhetoric and behaviours

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Tilly S Scott @tillysscott.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

I'm excited for my @eseb2025.bsky.social presentation later today. I'm part of the symposium on the Genomic Basis of Evolutionary Innovations! I will have stickers to give out too (if bribery is required for attendance) 😁 #eseb2025 #sciart #eseb

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Tilly S Scott @tillysscott.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

I've had a wonderful 1st day at @eseb2025.bsky.social Here are the sketches from some of the talks I attended today. My highlights include Tristan on the adaptive genomics of colour spots on owls, Vicky on pearl mussel's response to climate change & Rebekah on firefly TEs & TE-induced mutations

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Charlie T @agentlaughingperch.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Looking forward to presenting my poster later at ESEB 2025 🐸 board 166 come find me if you're here

A person standing in front of a scientific poster and smiling

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Ella Benninghaus @ellalillyy.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

I have been trying to make time for pottery alongside my PhD. I did my first official market last weekend at the Bowhouse. I was very nervous before but it was so lovely to speak to so many people about my work! I have added a few leftover pieces to my new website the-puffins-burrow.sumupstore.com 🐧

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georgia 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @blahttodea.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

the big butterfly count starts this friday! all you have to do is spend 15 mins outside and log your butterfly/day-flying moth sightings. it's super easy to log your sessions on the website or app (click the link in the below post) and they have id guides to help too! 🦋

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

why did nobody tell me that there is a small strait between two small islands off the westcoast of Scotland that has the worlds THIRD largest whirlpool, which also caused George Orwell (YES THAT ORWELL) to shipwreck with his 3-year old son

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

#Question! For the #eDNA crowd. My lab has polyethersulfone membrane filters, but the expiration date is December 2023. Does anybody know if I can still use these filters? They're still sealed etc. #PhDSky #AcademicSky #environmentalDNA 🧪🧬

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Rowan Kuminski @rowankuminski.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

At the end of #Pride every year I post this because I would not be where I am without the friends, mentors, and Allies who have gotten me through the hardest years of my life at Aberdeen. Happy Pride to those who provide me with support, safety, and hope so I can do what I love, study seabirds 💙

A light pink background with a digital drawing of several seabkrds standing together in a group: the bird in the front center is a fulmar, which has the colours of the non-binary flag (yellow, white, purple, black); the birds behind it are seabirds (gulls, auklets, penguins, terns, and a guillemot) in their normal colours

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

I just got informed that whales are considered as ungulates. I am unhappy. (please don’t ask me to elaborate I still don’t fully understand) #phylogeny #whales #ungulates

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Laura McBride @gallowayselkie.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Got to hang out with a bunch of cool people from Biota Trace testing out an automated sampler (lovingly known as my wee robot pal) to collect water samples from Loch Craignish. @seawilding.bsky.social were also kind enough to let us use their shed and kept us company 😁 🐟 🤖

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

I’ve reached the point in my PhD where I need to redo my experiments because the initial analysis was wrong which I found out by reanalysing said results a SECOND time with a different (better) program so I can generate results and analyse those for a THIRD time. ah joy #PhDSky #AcademicSky

A nonsensical picture of a non-descript person with smooth mannikin-esk head, wearing a white labcoat and pink gloves holding a flask with pink liquid. They are standing in front of a pink/purple background with scribbles of chemical reagents. In big back letters in the left hand corner of the picture it reads “SCOIENS”

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georgia 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @blahttodea.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

first day back in work after a few weeks and it brings me a lot of joy seeing our pride month noticeboard 💕 (also knowing how mad this board makes the department bigot)

blue noticeboard covered in various posters and flyers and decorated with progress flag bunting along the top and side. many of the posters are related to pride month, as well as others advertising various activities around the department/uni/local community

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

uhm since when can you catch pokemon in google!? There’s a progress bar and animation and everything!!? #Pokemon #Google #PokemonGo

A screenshot of googling the Pokemon Medicham, which shows pictures of the Pokemon and a small Pokeball in the righthand corner

A screenshow showing the option to “Carch a Pokemon”. There is a button to “Search to Catch” and a progress bar of 0/151 Pokemon caught. The Pokemon’s silhouette is Graveler, with the hint being “Evolves into Golem”

A screenshot of the Pokemon Haunter being caught with a Pokeball, infront of the google search screen

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Tegan Gaetano @tegangaetano.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

I have to highlight this amazing profile created for #PollinatorWeek and the folks studying them by the @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social Zoo & Roots student organisation. ❤️🐝❤️🐝

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

hi. can we PLEASE stop with AI being pushed down our throats? #PhDsky #AcademicSky

A picture of a compterscreen open on Windows Word with a blank white document. Above the blank page it is giving writing prompts for AI, reading left to right as “Write an interview guide for a software engineer intern position at Microsoft”, “Write a funny poem to was Happy Birthday to my five-year-old sister”, and “Create an outline for a resume with headings”

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

Puffin(s), 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢 📷 Fujifilm X-Pro1 XF 70-300mm 🎞️ 1/1000 • f/5.6 • 300mm • 1600 ISO 🪶 #puffin #birds #wildlife #photography #symmetry #coast #cliffs #Scotland #fujifilm

A picture of three puffins on the cliffside. The two puffins in the middle are looking left and right, where the puffin lower down the cliff has its face turned into its feathers, possibly cleaning itself. The cliff cuts the picture diagonally, making it look like a triangle. The cliff is covered in dark green grasses and mosses, with rocks inbetween. The entire picture has a white border

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

A Tale of Two Birds 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢 (L) & 𝘈𝘭𝘤𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢 (R) The puffin got spooked by the razorbill who also wanted some of the limelight, looked at me, & said "hi :))" I love their little personalities 🪶 #puffin #razorbill #birds #wildlife #photography #coast #cliffs #Scotland #fujifilm

A picture of a puffin sitting on a rock, facing with its colourful beak to the left. The rock is covered in white birdpoop. In the foreground are blurry pink flowers. The background is a blurry blue sea.

A picture of a razorbill sitting on a rock, facing to the left. It has it's head upwards and it's beak a little bit open, almost as if it is smiling and saying hi. The rock is covered in white birdpoop. In the foreground are blurry pink flowers. The background is a blurry blue sea

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Sebastian R.vH @sebastianrvh.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Another University that is using silence/lack of communication to keep people, within the uni and outside, in the dark. Thank you to the LGBTQ+ Staff Network for this open letter to shine a light on what's happening! #PhDSky #AcademicSky #LGBTSTEM #QueerInSTEM

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Rowan Kuminski @rowankuminski.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

After 2 years and ~1000 papers, I'm nearing the end of my broad-scale #synthesis thesis chapter! However there are still papers I can't access, if anyone has access to these journals (papers listed in link) and could send them to me, I would greatly appreciate it!! 🪶 docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Light blue background, with a digital drawing of an albatross flying on the right side. The uppermost text is in grey and says "Do you have access to these journals?", with a list of journals underneath in black: Ibis, Emu, Ostrich, Journal of Zoology, Australian Wildlife Research, Wildlife Research, Biological Conservation, Vida Silvestre Neotropical, Prairie Naturalist, Pacific Conservation Biology, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, Ardea, Mammalia, Chinese Journal of Zoology".
At the bottom in grey is the text "please help me find the papers in the attached spreadsheet for my thesis chapter! Thank you for your help!!!"

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Methods in Ecology and Evolution @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

🚨Our latest special feature is open to proposals until the 29th of June! 🌍 🧪 💡This feature aims to highlight recent technological advances that address some of the challenges unique to sampling rare species using eDNA 👉Find out more and submit a proposal: buff.ly/k3hxZ3H

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Guillermo Esteves @allencompassingtrip.com · 27/05/2025

Fort Point, San Francisco. March, 2015. 📷 Fujifilm X-T1 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR 🎞 55 mm – 1/850″ – f/8 – ISO 800 🏷️ #Photography

A surfer carrying a surfboard walks on rocky terrain near Fort Point. In the background, there is a pier with people and a hillside with trees. San Francisco’s skyline is faintly visible in the fog in the distance.

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kate bush’s husband @airbagged.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

“Bluesky is dying!” The biggest news on Twitter is a bunch of transphobes celebrating a 17 year old girl killing herself. I’d rather be here than there.

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Mindy Weisberger @laminda.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Please enjoy these delightful images from a 1993 paper on walrus vision, showing estimated visual fields in different poses (I especially love how they look like alternate covers for a scifi novel about space walruses with ray-shooting eyeballs) Source: www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/wp-content/u...

Two panels—one on top of the other—with each panel showing black-and-white illustrations of two walruses. In each panel, grey triangular fields extend from one of the walrus' eyes, showing the field of view. The walrus in the top panel is looking over its shoulders at the second walrus; a walrus in the bottom panel has its head raised and is looking straight ahead at the walrus in front of it.

Two panels—one on top of the other—with each panel showing black-and-white illustrations of walruses. In each panel, grey triangular fields extend from one of the walrus' eyes, showing the field of view. The walrus in the top panel is looking down at a smaller walrus; the walrus in the bottom panel is looking down at the seafloor.

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