Pallas Cat: ๐พ
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Doc 
@DrWildlife
Zoologist saving endangered species through creative solutions 
Content & Community Manager 
They/Them 
Next Con: FM!
Content & Community Manager They/Them Next Con: FM!Doc ๐ โs posts
This is not an invasion, locals are not panicking ๐คฆ
This "beach" is part of the Pantanal aka the largest tropical wetland, as well as perhaps the most pristine, in the world.
Oh, and, these are not crocodiles - they are Yacare caiman.
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In Brazil, an invasion of crocodiles that have flooded one of the beaches with several hundred, even thousands, and the local population is panicking
Now THAT'S something you don't see everyday!
This is footage of a pseudo - melanistic tiger from a camera trap in Similipal Tiger Reserve.
Although increased production of melanin is seen across several wildcat species, it is a rare phenomenon among tigers.
๐น Susanta Nanda
Not only do Clouded leopards possess claws and paws specifically adapted for conforming to the shape of tree branches, but, they also have ankle joints that are able to rotate completely backwards. This makes them one of the best climbers in the cat family!
If a tiger can earn the right to be called queen, Machli certainly earned it. She killed a 14-foot croc, defended her territory against larger males, and raised cubs even after sheโd lost her canine teeth and the use of one eye. Most wild tigers only live to 12, she lived to 19.
I get A LOT of questions about how my suit is able to change expression. So, for #FursuitFriday, I wanted to show a quick clip demonstrating how I am able to do so!
Little buttons in my claws correspond to different emotions. Pressing these buttons changes my suit's mood ๐
You never know what you are going to see at a furry convention...
Photos like this are funny at first, but the truth is far from it. The tiger on the left lives at an accredited zoo which provides optimal care while the one on the right is located at a farm that operates under the guise of conservation while selling to the illegal trade.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: CREACHURE IS IN FLOOR WARS โผ๏ธ
LET EM DANCE! LET EM DANCE! ๐ฃ
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What just happened?
Sex and gender are a spectrum. To believe any part of life exists purely in binary is to go against mountains of scientific evidence that suggests otherwise.
Sincerely,
An Actual Biologist
PS. They/Them Pronouns are Valid
Pleas from the high-spirited film, Rio, for humans to care about the Spix's macaw may have come too late. As of a few days ago, the Spix's macaw has been declared extinct in the wild. Human interference in their native lands proved to be too much for this little blue macaw.
Beep boop! Ever wondered how I control my suit? Little buttons in my claws correspond to different emotions. Pressing these buttons changes my suit's mood ๐
A literal example of ๐ฅบ eyes.
This is a black-footed cat kitten undergoing a routine exam.
Known as the smallest wild cat in Africa, the Black-footed cat achieves the highest kill rate of any wild cat, successfully taking their target in 60% of hunts.
๐ธ Philadelphia Zoo
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What this is though is a great example of why, if you are resharing content in any form, to research where it is coming from - especially when you have a large account with so much influence.
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Labeling their natural behaviours as an invasion further breeds the mindset that they are nothing but killer animals looking to come after humans.
It is currently the dry season in the Pantanal so these caiman are gathering around their shrinking water and food supplies.
STRONG! ๐ช
I love seeing enrichment methods that are not only entertaining for the animals but also the guests!
An interactive tug toy gives the cat a chance to exercise their raw power while showing a really strong human that even they're no match for this amazing feline! ๐ผ
Dear Twitter,
When referring to zoophiles, please call them zoophiles. Do not shorten the name.
Calling them z/oos hurts legit animal welfare and conservation efforts as well as the staff involved by clogging up their feeds and tarnishing their line of work.
Thank you.
I have been keeping this to close friends but, now that it's official... I'm moving to Canada! With my work permit in hand as of yesterday, I am excited to share I will be relocating to the Toronto area to lead a new zoo and move in with my loving partner, ! ๐
There's a reason I tell people not to intervene ๐ This is NOT a baby shark. It is an epaulette shark or similar aka a species which THRIVES in low tide environments. This individual has likely put this shark in harms way rather than saving it. DON'T touch wildlife!
SIGH, okay, enough people have asked so...
Yes, penis "fish" are a thing. Yup, a storm caused them to completely COAT a beach in Cali. No, they're not really a fish. Yes, they're a worm. Yup, they really are shaped like that. And, yes, that otter's reputation is forever ruined.
FYI. It is extremely challenging to provide for the physical, nutritional, & veterinary needs of a wild cat like a serval in a home setting.
Without their needs met, they experience poor welfare.
No matter how tame they are not domesticated and should never be treated as such.
I am finally at peace with who I am.
After much self-exploration and experimenting with my identity among friends, I have realized I am and have always been non-binary.
Consider this my official coming out post ๐๐๐ค
๐จ
I am politely begging the internet to please stop using the word zoos as a label for zoophiles.
The word zoo is derived from the Ancient Greek word zรดion meaning โanimal" or "living being".
It became a label for zoological gardens in 1847. It will always be a label for them.
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Reptiles are perhaps one of the least liked and protected groups of animals in the world. Although crocodilians are generally more favoured than other groups, people at large still have an incredible disdain for them. They are often persecuted simply for existing.
Great galloping croc! ๐ฒ
The Cuban crocodile is the most terrestrial of extant crocodiles, capable of galloping after prey as documented in this short clip ๐
๐น Nathan Sweeting
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This is like the equivalent of labeling great white shark appearances in New England waters as an invasion when... my dudes... they live there.
That's their natural range.
Sharks... live... in... the ocean.
Crocodilians live in (surprise!) the wetlands.
Topside view of one of the world's largest indoor marine habitats in the world - Ocean Voyager. Featuring whale sharks, manta rays, and more โจ๏ธ
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Yacare caiman were hunted to "near oblivion" in the 1980s. Hunters would stake out watering holes and shoot them en masse resulting in their populations dropping by the MILLIONS.
It wasn't until a ban in 1996 that they began to recover.
๐ธ Bernard Dupont
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ALT
It is really disappointing to see so many people mocking Texans in regards to their reactions to this winter storm. Over 4.4 million people in Texas ALONE do not have power right now and have not for over 24 hours. You'd be freezing to if you had no warm place to go.
Can we normalize looking into the context of a video before sharing it for internet points? This is far from a happy bear. This is a very stressed out, unhappy bear showing stereotypical behavior from stress. twitter.com/planetpng/stat
This Tweet is unavailable.
I was trying to film a little educational video about ducks in VRChat when... ๐
Psst. The plague bacterium occurs naturally in the southwestern United States. Bubonic plague is a regular, albeit not too common, occurrence every year. Don't let media hype scare you.
Sincerely, a biologist.
Hello, it's me - the fun police.
Reminder that big cats do NOT make good pets.
Many are forcibly declawed, unable to express natural behaviours, and are often abandoned when they become too much to handle.
If something goes wrong, it is always the cat that pays the price.
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It may seem silly to get "this fired up" over a tweet about caiman but, when science communicators work tirelessly every day to clear up misconceptions, it gets so frustrating. ESPECIALLY when it involves animals that are already so hated or disliked by many.
Touch pool animals should always be respected and never picked up. This rule should probably also apply in a VR world... ๐
A guy just called my zoo asking about buying poison dart frogs. When I explained to him we are an accredited zoo and only adopt out formerly surrendered pets (aka we don't sell animals), he became irate and said "You're a girl. You don't understand. Get the owner for me" ๐คฆโโ๏ธ
As of today, I am officially covered by Canadaโs universal health-care system! I am one happy immigrant tiggy! ๐จ๐ฆ
Yes, this gator is still alive. In fact, it purposely put itself in this position! As the water starts to freeze, gators stick their nose above water and enter a state of brumation, similar to hibernation. They later "come back to life" when the water thaws.
Y'all have no room to make fun of furries now when this is on Netflix.
Sometimes I get a little lost in my head thinking about my valentine ๐
๐บ
๐จ @hauntedhilltops
Humans never cease to disgust me. As I was walking through our retail area today, a glimpse of blue outside our front door caught my eye. Upon opening this mysterious cooler, I discovered two boa constrictors that had been abandoned - freezing, malnourished, and dying.
Acro-cat! ๐บ
The beautiful Clouded Leopard can climb upside-down and hang by it's back legs. This ability is made possible by specialized rotating joints in their ankles, which allows the ankle to rotate 180 degrees๐ฒ
Brushy, brushy! ๐
Crocodilians have thousands upon thousands of sensory organs covering their scales. This causes them to be INCREDIBLY touch sensitive! ๐
TLDR; Crocs do "elevator butt" just like cats.
๐ฅ Ask Nature
Furries - think more critically about the type of animal and wildlife content you engage with, please ๐
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I have never met someone who has taught me so much about patience, happiness, and most of all love until . I found myself in finding them. We've been taking our time, growing together, but, I'm so happy to finally say we're dating and call them mine ๐๐
๐จ
Electric eels release charges for way finding, attacking prey, or even...powering Christmas trees! Probes in our eel habitat help us translate those charges into a beautiful holiday display. Now if only we could get them to wear Santa hatsโฆ
Have a wonderful Christmas y'all๐
Let's just say... introducing Mungo the Bearded Dragon to strawberries didn't go QUITE as planned ๐
ONE DAY I will get a proper photo of our Sandfish Lizards! But, today...was not that day ๐ฆ
โ ๏ธ Breaking News โ ๏ธ Human encounters an animal... in..get this... its natural habitat ๐คฆโโ๏ธ
Watching a carnivorous pitcher plant do what it does best is so exciting ๐ฑ๐ฆ
๐ฅ reddit.com/r/natureismeta
#DYK Turtles and tortoises can feel through their shells? One way we provide enrichment for these animals under our care is by giving them shell scritches from time to time! I'm spending my morning doing just that with our rescued Loggerhead, MJ!
#Pride may be over, but better late than never right? Consider this my official "coming out" post.
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People often ask me what they can do to help these species and other wildlife when the future seems so grim.
The easiest ways?
Share information about them.
Show how COOL they are.
And, if you're talking about them online, RESEARCH YOUR FACTS AND CONTENT ๐
On a scale of 1-10, how cute is this caracal kitten? ๐
๐ธ Wild Cat Conservation Centre
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Fortunately, this ban as well as additional protections put in place for Pantanal species, has resulted in an enormous rebound for Yacare caiman.
Not all reptiles are so lucky.
Y'all. I...this game...What a cute little blessing it is. It's called Kind Words and it's exactly what it sounds like. You send kind words to real people and you receive kind words back. Anonymous, filled with lo-fi music, and decorated with cute art - I never knew I needed this.
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If you are a big account on Twitter, you literally have the power to change the world. I KNOW this sounds silly but, social influence is way more powerful than people often realize.
Why not use that to make the world a better place? ๐
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Herpetofauna, aka the reptiles and amphibians, are among the most imperiled species on our planet. Climate change, habitat destruction, pollution, and more threaten their future.
21% of all reptiles are listed as threatened with extinction by the IUCN. That's about 1 in 5.
FUSSY! At The Waterfront
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IMPORTANT UPDATE: CREACHURE IS IN FLOOR WARS 
LET EM DANCE! LET EM DANCE! 
twitter.com/DrWildlife/staโฆ
LET EM DANCE! LET EM DANCE! twitter.com/DrWildlife/staโฆCrabeater seals have some of the GNARLIEST teeth in the animal kingdom! ๐ฆท These specially adapted teeth are capable of interlocking and acting like a sieve. This allows them to filter krill straight from the water ๐ฆ
๐ธ Dan Costa
I can't believe I have to say this but tortoises with extreme pyramiding, old shell fractures, or related deformities should not be part of a petting zoo - especially not one at a furry con. And, please for the love of god, don't put a python in a public ball pit.
October is one of the highlights of the year for zookeepers as it is the time of the year where pumpkins are ordered in mass for enrichment! Although they're an absolute MESS to clean up, it's so fun watching animals destroy them or act goofy with them like this tiger.
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Let's talk about this species in the video for example ๐
Enjoy politics or not, everyone should be aware of what is happening today. A International Biosphere Reserve which could be home to the only jaguars left in the United States is currently being partially blown up to make room for the border wall. Let that sink in.
Cats are already the acrobats of the animal kingdom but, there's one species that stands out above the rest - the clouded leopard. They can climb up, down, and even UPSIDE down!
๐ธ The Clouded Leopard Project
Don't approach wildlife.
Don't approach wildlife.
Don't approach wildlife.
Don't approach wildlife.
Don't approach wildlife.
Don't approach wildlife.
Don't approach wildlife.
Don't approach wildlife.
Don't approach wildlife.
Don't approach wildlife.
Don't approach wildlife.
Someone looks like they have had too many blue raspberry popsicles! ๐
Amazon milk frogs feature a stunningly blue tongue, coloured this way due to the blue blood that flows through their veins. Their bones and muscles also have a blue tint because of this ๐ธ
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COPYCAT CHICK FIL A SAUCE
Ingredients:
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
There you go furries.
New year, new me - quite literally! ๐ I'm pouncing into this week's #FursuitFriday as a whole new tiggy ๐ฏ
๐ธ
โ๏ธ
Strikin' a pose! ๐ sent this amazing shirt to me as a reward for hosting a panel for their virtual con back in the fall! ๐
If you enjoy the events cons are hosting during the pandemic, consider supporting them by hosting your own panel!
Even toucans like scritches and scratches from time to time! My buddy here is a Keel-billed toucan who just can't get enough pets ๐
You've heard about seahorses but, what about pipehorses? Yup, they're a thing! Pipehorses get their name from the more slender, elognate body they have when compared to their relatives.
๐ธ Berkley
Still cannot BELIEVE I not only fursuited for a work event but... fursuited... at GOOGLE! ๐คฉ
Yes, it was a definitely conversation starter.
Yes, everyone LOVED having a giant tiger there!
Another checkmark on the "bucket list items I didn't know I had" list โ
#FursuitFriday
