iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Getting out on a different pair of wheels today, finally. #motorcycle #vulcancustom

Blue jean clad leg with black boot on the brake pedal of a black motorcycle.

Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Texas Cooters (Pseudemys texana) are interesting because of the non-sex related variation in eye color. I saw two turtles today with different eye color. Some of the texana also have a brilliant blue color. One of these turtles has a more subtle blue coloration while the other is an amber #turtles

Texas Cooter in the water. It has a light blue eye

Texas Cooter in the water, this one has a more amber colored eye

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

That's a great looking atrox! It's kind of giving off culminatus vibes with that tan facial stripe. Very cool coloration! Thanks for posting.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Is it a common thing for graduate level textbooks to be over 10 years old? I've encountered a few things in my books that are already out of date. It's for a biology program too.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

So ready for the Iron Maiden show! Probably close to the 20th with the first one in 1988.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Internally laughing at the people wearing a Metallica shirt to a Megadeth show😂

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

El Paso Zoo has or had some.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The only Gopherus tortoise I have not personally seen.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

New term started. Exciting to be taking a wetlands class. First challenge...find a wetlands in the San Antonio area to write about.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I've wandered that park many times. There are a few tough trails hidden away in there but most are pretty easy. It's a nice close hike.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Great picture, of a Red-eared Slider. It's a melanistic male.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

One of the great things about having a herd of tortoises is people give you fruit and vegetables that go bad for people but are good for tortoises. They prefer over ripened fruit. A friend donated a bunch of mushy strawberries and the redfoots love them! 🐢🐢 #tortoises

Three Redfoot tortoise eating strawberries

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Found these weird objects on branches of Sargassum fluitans. Does anyone know what they are? They do rub off so I'm thinking it's maybe an egg mass or something like that. Anybody know? I sure don't. #Sargassum #oceanlife

Some weird scale thing on Sargassum fluitans.

close up of the weird scale thing on Sargassum fluitans. I don't know what this is

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Turtle presentation next weekend! Yours truly presenting on Alligator Snapping Turtles! Victoria, Texas #herpetology #turtles 🐢

Flyer for Texana Nature Day, Turtle edition

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

And if you had a Texas Tortoise one I'd be all over that!

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Band merch for $40?! That's a great deal.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I usually cannot get a decent picture of warblers. Today, this Northern Yellow Warbler sat for a few seconds where I could get a clear picture. Thanks little one. #birds #birding

A Northern Yellow Warbler poses in a spiny tree (I can't remember which kind). The branch it is sitting on has a few big thorns.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Dam Turtles Two Guadalupe Spiny Softshells and two Texas Cooters (both endemic) basking on Espada Dam on the San Antonio River. #turtles #herps

Two softshell turtles and two Texas Cooters basking on a concrete dam with the San Antonio River on the right side of the picture. The dam is covered with bird crap.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I've seen probably thousands of these birds but never one on a beach with rocks. It's cool to see they really do live up their name!

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

It's not very often that I learn about a group of terrestrial animals I've never heard of before. Today I did...the Anomalures

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Thanks! Something else to add to my TBR list.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Had the honor of visiting a bat cave and watching the emergence of about 4 million Mexican Free Tail bats at Eckert james River Bat Cave outside of Mason Texas. Incredible experience.

Mexican Free Tail bats emerging en masse from a cave near Mason Texas

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Yeah, I was kayaking in Village Creek a few weeks ago and had to drag the kayak several times.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Ginger Cat Appreciation Day! Here's my ginger girl that was found as a little kitten crawling under my fence 14 years ago. She is demanding I show my appreciation now and go feed her.

An orange ginger female cat glares at the camera

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

What's crazy is I barely got anything. Less than half an inch of rain and no wind. A friend who lives 2 miles away had severe winds and lost power for a day.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Yes, sure. And here's a cat picture. An indoor cat having a drama queen moment because her dinner is late.

Fat orange tabby leaning her head over the table in hunger pains

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I've been seeing a lot of pictures here lately of some outstanding birds. I have to get some love out there for my South Texas favorite. The Green Jay! I need to go back to The Valley and get pictures with my new camera. #greenjay #birds #wildlifephotography

A Green Jay perched in a tree with some yellow ball flowers, of which I can't remember the name.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Yes, I'm procrastinating again

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I have some catching up to do! Love this podcast

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Looks like her name has morphed to Edie over the years. When I was there, her name was Ede. The name does have a meaning that only a few people know.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

When a tortoise I used to take care of shows up on your feed. Ede is a very sweet tortoise. Her unusual name does have a meaning that many 5 people know, including myself of course!

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I used to take care of this tortoise. HER name is Ede. She is a very sweet tortoise, super gentle. I researched where she came from. She showed up at the zoo from a wildlife importer in 1967 with one of the male tortoises still at the zoo. They were both already full-grown.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I had to look this bird up to make sure the video is real. This bird IS real! Incredible! I still love the Green Jays, but damn. This bird is beyond outstanding.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I always thought it was interesting that two "symbols" of the American West, wild mustangs and tumbleweeds, are invasive species.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Me being here and not working on a paper seems to be a trend. So here I am again. This is from a kayaking trip in the Big Thicket last weekend. A Sabine Map Turtle (Graptemys sabinensis). Picture was taken with cellphone from a moving kayak. Not bad. #herps #turtles #wildlifephotography

A Sabine Map Turtle sits on a branch over a river. another branch is holding up the one the turtle is sitting on

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Procrastinating on a school project to post some stuff for World Snake Day. Snakes are definitely my favorite non-Chelonian reptile Something so awe inspiring about the abilities snakes have. They can do so much inside just a tube. Just fascinating animals that deserve much more appreciation! #herps

Face on picture of a black tailed rattlesnake with its tongue fully extended.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

They have HUGE babies! I once read if a human were to have a baby the same proportion of a skink, it would be like birthing a 6 year old. The mother's will also protect the babies. For a herbivore, they have an incredibly powerful bite too.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Listening to @commondescentpod.bsky.social podcast on vipers while cleaning snake tanks and this dude looks on.

Close up of a Sidewinder rattlesnake face

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Green Jay has entered the chat

Green Jay with a bright blue face and black apron sits in a tree

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Advertise your Bluesky account with a Simpsons GIF Aside from the dentures, basically me. An old man chasing turtles

static.klipy.com

Grandpa Simpson Chases Denture-Wearing Turtle

Alt: Grandpa Simpson Chases Denture-Wearing Turtle

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Just returned from a week long trip to Washington and Oregon Main purpose was to take care of a few things at school #GoBeavs another reason was to find Northwestern Pond Turtles! Happy to say that was a great success! Such a fascinating species, I hope to work with them more 🐢 #herpetology #turtles

Three Northwest Pond Turtles basking. two are facing the right and are lower and one is higher on another log facing left

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Literature Review almost done. Time to procrastinate at the lake with the subject 🐢. #herps #redearedslider

A large female red eared slider basks on a log. There is a mirror like reflection in the water below. A tree is behind the turtle

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Two male Red-eared Sliders basking. One melanistic, one normal. Took a break from my paper on invasive Red-eared Sliders to go photograph native Red-eared Sliders. #herps #turtles 🐢

melanistic male red eared slider basking on a log in front of a normal colored male red eared slider.

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Reposted by Sal

Riley Black 🏳️‍⚧️ 🦖 @restingdinoface.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

A fossil thought to be key to turtle evolution turns out to be something else - which clarifies where our shelly friends came from. Today’s free newsletter is out (short article + my latest writing + upcoming events + ear perks from the week).

buttondown.com

Friday Fragments #15

Turns out a proposed turtle ancestor isn't, but that makes the origins of our shelly friends clearer.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

I posted about the box turtle and the bees I saw during my Texas Tortoise field survey (under TPWD permit). Here is one of the tortoises as first observed. Gives you a good idea of Texas Tortoise habitat. Scrubby plants and cactus. 🐢 #herps #tortoises

A Texas Tortoise in bottom right of picture on red sandy soil. There is a prickly pear cactus in the top right. Various scrubby plants are behind the cactus behind a few strands of a wire fence.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Field survey for Texas Tortoises. Only found four.

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Sal @thesalamander.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Another cool bee observation from the tortoise weekend. There hundreds of tiny holes in the ground and flying about an inch above the ground were a lot of Cactus Chimney Bees. I read that when the females emerge, the male bees swarm them. I was able to get a picture of this behavior. #WorldBeeDay 🐝

a swarm of Cactus Chimney bees on red dirt, apparently they are swarming around a female bee.

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