iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

Grant Daniel @gdwildlife.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

Had an awesome time doing work on Taricha granulosa (Rough-skinned Newt) and Taricha torosa (California Newt) last Sunday. Thank you to the ever amazing Kannon Pearson @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social for leading this and having me on to work on this research. The world is an amazing place.

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Tragic Slip and Recumbent Bliss for my orzhov babes 🖤🤍

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Yearning always for salamander emoji. The best I can do is lizard-shaped-amphibian: 🦎🐸

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

I am doing a Q&A with @skypeascientist.bsky.social tomorrow at 10am PST! RSVP here if you want to interrogate me about newts and their poisons 🦎🐸🧪☠️: givebutter.com/2yhDvr

Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

Max M. @ambystomax.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

You need newt squeaks today. Refusing them is not an option.

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

The authors think the squeaks are to startle predators. They whistle (quietly) when touched on the back. And they click when exploring or defending a nice rock from other newts who might try to sit there instead 😠

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

There isn't much research in this area, but newts are thought to make three sounds: squeaks, whistles, and chirps! I highly recommend this adorable article on their sounds: www.jstor.org/stable/38915...

jstor.org

Sounds Produced by the California Newt, Taricha Torosa on JSTOR

James R. Davis, Bayard H. Brattstrom, Sounds Produced by the California Newt, Taricha Torosa, Herpetologica, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Dec., 1975), pp. 409-412

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

It's pretty rare to hear, but newts can vocalize. Listen to this lil guy squeak at me!

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

the award would automatically go to whoever applied closest to the deadline

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

I would love for there to be a real Gay and Struggling Fellowship for travel to herpetology conferences. The application would have two yes/no questions: 1. Are you gay? 2. Are you struggling?

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

At the end of my #JMIH25 presentation, I thanked the Carl Gans Travelling Fellowship for funding my attendance. The auto-generated caption software heard something VERY different ☠️🏳️‍🌈

The bottom corner of Kannon's presentation slide showing the autogenerated caption "I'd like to thank my funding sources"

The bottom corner of Kannon's presentation slide showing the autogenerated caption "in particular, the gay and struggling fellowship"

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

All I want is a cute in-situ photo, is that too much to ask?? 😩

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

I put him there for a pic and he was not having it. He plodded off unharmed (it was only a 5in fall) and I decided he wasn’t worth the trouble to photograph. Silly lad

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

A rough skinned newt falling off a log. He did Not want to stay for a photo

A blurry image of a rough skinned newt falling off a log a log

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

I drew a desert tortoise shell for the @mvzucb.bsky.social specimen art night! You can see the accession number on some of the scutes and exposed bones #sciart #illustration #art #museum

A desert tortoise shell sits on a cardboard box on a table. There is a colored pencil illustration of it in the foregrou d

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Some #art for a friend inspired by @mouseguard.bsky.social! They requested a giant mouse barbarian. I based the character on Petter's mouse, a very big species from Madagascar known from just one specimen! I also included an eastern falanouc teeth and skull, tho the species ranges don't rly overlap

A colored-pencil and ink illustration of a large mouse standing on its hind limbs. It is wearing a green cloak. In one hand is a long halberd and in the other is the tooth of a Falanouc — a Malagasy carnivore. A Falanouc skull and mandible are in the background, along with some Malagasy plants and fungi

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

A long (5ft) and lovely Sonoran gopher #snake (Pituophis catenifer affinis) that I saw in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument last week! #photography #herpetology

A long yellow snake with orangey saddle patches rests in the dappled sun atop a rock

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

A bit belated, but happy trans day of visibility to those who celebrate! I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to exist and be visible as a trans person in professional, personal, and fieldwork settings. Thought it would be fun to share a pic of each!

Kannon holding a newt during a field expedition in San Mateo

Kannon dressed up for a night out: red dragon tshirt, makeup, and ripped jeans

Kannon giving a talk on queerness and herpetology. The slide shows a meme that says: “Inside of you are two frogs. One wants long flowing hair. One wants a shaved head. You are nonbinary.”

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Precisely! California newts lay eggs in clusters. They have the texture of crystal boba imo, tho much deadlier! The newt mothers likely transfer some of their toxin into the eggs before laying, which protects the babies until they start accumulating their own after metamorphosis

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Omg lil babies! These look to me like two California newts (they tend to have eyelids that are lighter than their dorsal color). Rough skinned newts are also found in that pond! And the real tea is that the species are almost impossible to tell apart in the Bay Area, even by herpetologists like me

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Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley @ucbgarden.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

The newts are lingering at the Japanese Pool along with hundreds (thousands?) of egg clusters, & ICYMI: we've just posted a recent video to our website: Know Your Newts, with Kannon Pearson. Don't miss this fascinating talk: botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/learn/garden...

botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu

Know Your Newts - UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

The peaceful waters of the Japanese Pool–a haven for amphibian mating season–also house a deadly surprise!

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

My presentation for the @ucbgarden.bsky.social is online! In it, I talk about deadly coffeepots, intrepid newt journeys, and radical scientific experiments! Here's the link :D www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltty...

youtube.com

Know Your Newts with Kannon Pearson

YouTube video by UC Botanical Garden

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Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California-Berkeley @mvzucb.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

MVZ Professor Jim McGuire and Former MVZ Postdoc Simon Scarpetta find that Fiji iguanas are most closely related to the North American desert iguana — evidence of the longest known transoceanic dispersal of any land animal. bit.ly/3DMIAUD

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

And forgive me if you are here already and I missed you!

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

I have been researching #queer herpetologists (and folks who have amphibian & reptile study systems — not everyone likes the label of herpetologist) and have encountered a decent spread of identities. But I have yet to find openly-transfemme professors who study herps. DM me if you have any leads 🥺

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

My sketches from yesterday’s @mvzucb.bsky.social specimen art night! The theme was #Shrek — look at the lil “shrek ears” on the beaver skull! And a scrub jay to represent the bird that Fiona exploded via singing competition. #sciart #museum #illustration

A crayon sketch of a California scrub jay taxidermy

A brown pencil sketch of an American beaver skull viewed from the front. The reference skull sits behind the sketch

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Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California-Berkeley @mvzucb.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

For #calbiggive we are excited to share profiles of graduate students like PhD Candidate David Tian who says the best thing about working in the MVZ is, “the diversity of organisms, locations, and questions that MVZ members investigate.” To support the MVZ visit mvz.berkeley.edu/supportmvz/

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Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California-Berkeley @mvzucb.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

For #calbiggive we are sharing profiles of graduate students like PhD Candidate Emily Bogner who knew she wanted to be a scientist after watching Jurassic Park, “I thought it was so cool you could dig in the dirt and find remains from animals that are no longer alive.” mvz.berkeley.edu/supportmvz/

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Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California-Berkeley @mvzucb.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

For #calbiggive learn about Staff Researcher Ammon Corl “I get to work with scientists at the forefront of their fields. The strong spirit of collaborative research allows everyone to figure out more than had they worked alone.” Support the MVZ at mvz.berkeley.edu/supportmvz/

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Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California-Berkeley @mvzucb.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

For #calbiggive graduate studentAnaid Cárdenas-Navarrete, who grew up in Mexico City, shares when she knew she wanted to be a scientist. To support the @mvzucberkeley and students like Anaid visit mvz.berkeley.edu/supportmvz/

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Really excited to be involved with organizing this! I sketched a spectacled bear #skull last time. We are ultimately hoping to accession all of the specimen art on Arctos. The theme this week is 💚✨Shrek✨💚, and we will be sketching various swamp creatures! #sciart #art #illustration #museum

A frontal view of a spectacled bear skull, drawn in pen. Written next to the art is "Spectacled Bear. Tremarctos ornatus. MVZ. Kannon Pearson. 2/28/2025"

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Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

they put up the mist nets together?

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Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

Joshua Hallas (Toad Photography) @toad-photography.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Taricha rivularis | Mendocino County | March 2025 Still learning macro techniques, but really happy with this shot of my favorite species of newt. #wildlifephotography #wildlife #herpetology #newt #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin #photography #macromonday #macro #california

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Reposting out of excitement that @msezrafurman.bsky.social has arrived on bluesky! Her music was the soundtrack of my early transition and informed how I think about self and metamorphosis. I couldn’t help but discuss her song, Body Was Made, in this talk on amphibians and queerness (10:00-12:00)

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Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

Anton Sorokin @antonsrkn.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

The San Francisco gartersnake - one of the USA's most beautiful and endangered snakes. Many people don't believe a bright blue and red snake can be discreet - but when seen in its habitat you can see how these snakes can evade notice.

A colorful San Francisco gartersnake resting on tall vegetation.

A San Francisco gartersnake basking on reddish vegetation, although the snake is in the open and vibrantly colored it blends in well and is difficult to see.

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Oh god, not the cell line development demons 😱

An email in Kannon’s spam folder. the preview says “Are you attending the cell line development demons…”

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Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️ @taricha-rivularis.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

I love science spam mail. Ah yes, my review paper about #toad poisons most certainly qualifies me for an obstetrics conference 😌

A screenshot of Kannon’s spam folder. The subject line is “OB-GYN Conference.” The preview is “A review of chemical defense in harliquin toads”

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Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Happy Valentine's day from all the lizards who love you from the bottom of their obturator foramina! (lizard hip bones)🦎🧪💚

a series of eight lizard pelvic girdles (hip bones) in ventral view. the space in between the bones, called the obturator foramen, is in the shape of a heart. the heart shapes and bones around them vary a lot in shape but all are all distinctly heart shapes.

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Reposted by Kannon Pearson 🏳️‍⚧️

The One True Kat @theonetruekat.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

For the places that challenge us and force is to look at them in unique ways, often hold some of the greatest magic. They operate on their own timelines and cycles. Consider, some of the denizens of this hardscrabble land… 3/

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