#invertebrates — Public Fediverse posts

Cressida cressida, the clearwing swallowtail or 'big greasy' butterfly. Large and conspicuously coloured - it is toxic to potential predators. Toxins are absorbed from the food that it eats as a caterpillar. Seen in Cape York. FNQ.

#nature #photography #australia #wildlife #insects #butterflies #invertebrates

Cressida cressida, the clearwing swallowtail or 'big greasy' butterfly. Large and conspicuously coloured - it is toxic to potential predators. Toxins are absorbed from the food that it eats as a caterpillar. Seen in Cape York. FNQ.

#nature #photography #australia #wildlife #insects #butterflies #invertebrates

Cressida cressida, the clearwing swallowtail or 'big greasy' butterfly. Large and conspicuously coloured - it is toxic to potential predators. Toxins are absorbed from the food that it eats as a caterpillar. Seen in Cape York. FNQ.

#nature #photography #australia #wildlife #insects #butterflies #invertebrates

Cressida cressida, the clearwing swallowtail or 'big greasy' butterfly. Large and conspicuously coloured - it is toxic to potential predators. Toxins are absorbed from the food that it eats as a caterpillar. Seen in Cape York. FNQ.

#nature #photography #australia #wildlife #insects #butterflies #invertebrates

Cressida cressida, the clearwing swallowtail or 'big greasy' butterfly. Large and conspicuously coloured - it is toxic to potential predators. Toxins are absorbed from the food that it eats as a caterpillar. Seen in Cape York. FNQ.

#nature #photography #australia #wildlife #insects #butterflies #invertebrates

Here are some hymenopterans 🐝🌿

#bugsky #invertebrates

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:66x6tziyavg3nmt3x46xu2bw/post/3mv6r4n6npk2s

Checked on my free range menagerie. Here are some lepidopterans 🦋🌿

#bugsky #invertebrates

Mixed media

‘Like an alien invasion’: the neon flying squid that can fly in formation above the ocean
By Oliver Milman

Smart, sociable squid use funnel-like organ to force water to jet propel themselves along in and out of sea

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/12/like-an-alien-invasion-the-neon-flying-squid-that-can-fly-in-formation-above-the-ocean

#Marinelife #Oceans #Wildlife #Environment #Invertebrates #Animalbehaviour #Zoology #Science #TheGuardian #OliverMilman

Busy Beavers - The Turbidity Signature Of Ecosystem Engineers At Work
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https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70661 <-- shared paper
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H/T @alan Puttock
“Beavers are the quintessential ecosystem engineers. In slow-flowing streams, they create complex wetlands with ponds by building dams and canals that can positively impact biodiversity, hydrology and water quality. These activities can interchangeably capture or release sediment along the watercourse. To date this has not been quantified at the resolution of rainfall events or beaver activity. This study used 15-min frequency, sustained monitoring upstream and downstream of a newly establishing beaver wetland to measure episodic changes in water turbidity at an event resolution. Monitoring showed no significant differences between upstream and downstream turbidity over 160 days when the first pair of beavers, known not to be building dams or canals, were resident. Shortly after introduction of another beaver pair, however, dam building, burrows and canal excavations were quickly observed, resulting in the creation of a complex beaver wetland between 2021 and 2024. Monitoring over 375 days during this period showed significant differences. Downstream turbidity was significantly higher overall than upstream: 13.1 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) compared to 4.2 NTU. Stochastic spikes in downstream turbidity during the study period not recorded upstream were associated with dam building and burrowing. Overall, there was no significant difference in turbidity loads, which was at least partially explained by a reduction in discharge downstream, particularly in higher flows, during the dam building period. This demonstrates a complex system with the trapping of influent sediment, the storing of water and the periodic release of beaver wetland sediment leading to net balance in loads. These results help provide context for other studies which have used temporally discrete sampling campaigns rather than continuous high-frequency monitoring. They provide a unique insight into the downstream impacts of a rapidly developing beaver wetland over its first three and a half years in a landscape that hasn't had beavers for over 400 years…"
#hydromorphic #water #hydrology #dam #beaverdam #waterquality #biodiversity #ecology #benefits #NatureBasedSolutions #Wetlands #Ecology #Biodiversity #EnvironmentalScience #Wildlife #Ecosystem #bioviversity #conservation #restoration #landscaperecovery #floodmanagement #FloodMitigation #flooding #energy #floodrisk #sustainability #wetlands #hydrography #dams #impoundment #deadwood #waterresources #landscapeengineer #benefits #vegetation #ecology #ecosystem #riversystemsstabilisation #naturalwaterregulation #resilience #valleysreborn #fisheries #invertebrates #extremeweather #floodflows #sediment #baseflow #drought #landmanagement #naturalsystems #landuse #monitoring #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal

'Almost certainly new' species of giant earthworms found in SA
By Isabella Kelly

A South Australian ecologist has been tracking giant earthworm sightings for 30 years, despite the species not officially existing in the state.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-19/giant-earthworms-south-australia-new-species-science-sa/106897594

#Animals #ScientificResearch #AnimalBehaviour #Invertebrates #IsabellaKelly

Eager Beavers - Rodents Engineer Czech Wetland Project After Years Of Human Delay [ecosystem engineers]
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/beavers-save-czech-taxpayers-by-flooding-ex-army-training-site <-- shared technical media article
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver-engineered_dam_in_the_Czech_Republic <-- shared wiki technical page
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https://phys.org/news/2025-02-fine-beavers-czech-treasury-million.html <-- shared technical article
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https://youtu.be/GSTw8qmBP4Y?si=XK2Iy2pAltW91flj <-- shared video (Czech)
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H/T @ScienceGirl
"We don't expect any conflict with the beaver in the next 10 years," ~ Bohumil Fiser from the Czech Nature Conservation Agency
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“For seven years, planners struggled to complete a $1.2 million wetland restoration project in the Brdy region of the Czech Republic. The goal was to build a dam that would improve water management and bring back valuable wetland habitat, but the project remained trapped in a maze of permits and approvals.
Then a family of eight Eurasian beavers did what engineers had planned… without permits, machinery, or a budget.
The beavers built a network of dams in almost the exact area chosen for the proposed project, naturally restoring the wetland system officials had spent years trying to create. After seeing the results, authorities decided there was little point continuing with the original human-built dam.
Although some reports suggested the beavers completed the work overnight, experts say their construction likely took several weeks. The reason it seemed sudden is that the animals quietly worked away until their finished dams became impossible to miss.
Beavers are known as “ecosystem engineers” because their behaviour can reshape entire environments. By cutting trees and blocking streams, they create ponds and wetlands that support countless species, including fish, amphibians, insects, birds, and mammals.
Their wetlands also act as natural water reservoirs, helping during droughts, reducing flood risks, filtering water, storing carbon, and keeping landscapes wetter during wildfires…
Once heavily hunted across Europe, beaver populations have been recovering thanks to conservation efforts, proving that sometimes nature can solve problems humans spend years trying to fix…"
#water #hydrology #KlabavaRiver #Czech #BrdyRegion #protected #CzechRepublic #armytraining #military #beaver #Eurasianbeavers #dam #beaverdam #waterquality #restoration #biodiversity #crayfish #wetland #ecology #benefits #Beavers #NatureBasedSolutions #Wetlands #Ecology #Biodiversity #Agroforestry #EnvironmentalScience #Conservation #Wildlife #Ecosystem #bioviversity #conservation #restoration #landscaperecovery #EcosystemEngineers #nature #floodmanagement #FloodMitigation #flood #flooding #energy #floodrisk #sustainability #wetlands #hydrography #dams #impoundment #deadwood #waterresources #landscapeengineer #agriculture #benefits #vegetation #ecology #ecosystem #riversystemsstabilisation #naturalwaterregulation #resilience #drought #wildfire #valleysreborn #slowdetermination #fisheries #invertebrates #extremeweather #floodflows #sediment #baseflow #drought #landmanagement #naturalsystems #landuse #ecosystemengineers #watermanagement

Look at this cutie that posed for me once! 🕷️🤎

From 2023

💁🏻‍♀️ ICYMI: 🐦🌀 If you've ever spotted a shorebird spinning in circles on the water, you might have wondered if it was okay.

Wilson's #phalaropes actually spin to create a small vortex that sucks #invertebrates up to the surface. It's a clever way to forage for food that some say makes them look like "demented wind-up toys."

👉 Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/phalaropes-bird-spinning-in-circles-video?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=new_content&utm_content=phalaropes-bird-spinning-in-circles-video

#animals #birding #birds #nature #ornithology #sandpipers #tksst #video

One of the highlights of my day was when William Harland, a talented ecology undergrad here at #LincolnUniversityNZ, stopped by my office to show me his photos of temnocephalid flatworms. These distinctive squat tentacled flatworms live in colonies on NZ's freshwater crayfish, koura, and eat scraps left over when the koura feed. They apparently cause no bother to the koura.

William found these at Poolburn Reservoir in central Otago.

Amazing!

The photo is CC-BY William Harland: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/341041723
Here are more photos of these crazy flatworms on #iNaturalistNZ: https://inaturalist.nz/observations?verifiable=true&taxon_id=868829&place_id=6803&preferred_place_id=6803

#invertebrates #flatworms #NaturalHistory #NZ #Freshwater #crayfish #crustaceans #nature #crayfish

🐦🌀 If you've ever spotted a shorebird spinning in circles on the water, you might have wondered if it was okay.

Wilson's #phalaropes actually spin to create a small vortex that sucks #invertebrates up to the surface. It's a clever way to forage for food that some say makes them look like "demented wind-up toys."

👉 Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/phalaropes-bird-spinning-in-circles-video?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=new_content&utm_content=phalaropes-bird-spinning-in-circles-video

#animals #birding #birds #nature #ornithology #sandpipers #tksst #video

VARNING XVII: Friday Matinee

Piranha Bar, Friday, September 12 at 12:30 PM EDT

A VARNING FROM MONTREAL XVII: Friday Matinee

INVERTEBRATES (Richmond)

REAKTORI (BC)

HIGH ANXIETY (Stone Mills, ON)

BOOT (Ottawa)

At Piranha Bar
Doors 12:30pm, Show 1pm SHARP
$20
Tickets: https://thepointofsale.com/tickets/py4250911001

A VARNING is more than just a punk festival—it's a gathering of hearts and minds from across the globe, rooted in D.I.Y. ethics, loud music, and loud resistance.

https://montreal.askapunk.net/event/varning-xvii-friday-matinee

This female Rhinoceros Beetle was trapped by human infrastructure and artificial lights. When it was freed it made a loud hissing squeak by rubbing its wings against the abdomen. This (6 cm ) female has a shining black armour and golden fur on the belly. The males have huge horns and are said to be the strongest animal on the planet. They are able to lift up to 850 times their own body weight. The strong 'claws' did not want to let go of that hand. It is back in the bush now.

Rhinoceros Beetles
https://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_scarabs/R_Beetle.htm
https://www.lfwseq.org.au/star-wars-beetle-world/
#RhinocerosBeetle #invertebrates #beetle #scarabaeidae #Xylotrupes #mulch #LightPollution #NSW

White-banded Crab Spiders (Misumenoides formosipes) lurk in flowers and snatch unwary critters trying to snack on nectar. Females can reversibly change their color to optimize camouflage (not as quickly as cuttlefish or chameleons though). They like to appear white with some green or even bold red on white or purple blossoms and a perfectly matched golden yellow on flowers like goldenrod.

#SpiderSunday #Arachnids #CrabSpiders #Spiders #Invertebrates #SpinnenSonntag

Is this what we saw just now on #NautilusLive #EVNautilus (https://www.youtube.com/live/wUz1Vb7I2DU?si=01R6THpCSXq8i1vh)?

A Tumbling Snail - Gaza daedala https://www.shellmuseum.org/post/a-tumbling-snail #DeepSea #Animals #Invertebrates

"The species was named in 1879... But only in 2015 a live video... revealed its curious escape behavior. The video shows the #snail tumbling on the #volcanic-rock bottom, with its long foot extended, in a jerky, quick motion that resembles a small #fish swimming, most likely in response to the presence of the #ROV."

#Zoanthid & #Crab

#NautilusLive #EVNautilus #Nautilus is LIVE NOW: https://www.youtube.com/live/wUz1Vb7I2DU?si=162bjFMosSqPi2TM

#DeepSea #Animals #Invertebrates #ROV #ResearchVessel

Nemophora prodigellus, male Canon 7D EFS 60 2.8 f/ 7.1 1/320 iso: 125 Srbsko, Czech Republic June 24, 2019 #MicroMoths #FairyLonghorns #longoneMoths #MothsMatter #lepidoptera #Adelidae #moths #insects #invertebrates #grasslands #insectphotography #canon

Water Availability Creates Global Thresholds In Multidimensional Soil Biodiversity And Functions
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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-023-02071-3 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #water #mapping #water #hydrology #biogeography #phylogeography #geography #global #environmental #biodiversity #productivity #agricultural #agriculture #farming #plant #microbe #soilscience #soilhealth #soil #soilfertility #soilconservation #soilmanagement #ecosystems #EnvironmentalThresholds #survey #fieldsurvey #climate #vegetation #watermanagement #waterconservation #rainfall #precipitation #EV #evaporation #evapotranspiration #biogeochemical #geochemical #bacteria #fungi #protists #invertebrates #model #modeling #soilcarbonsequestration #wateravailability #sustainable