#that last picture is adorable

[bethanythebogwitch]

So a while back I made this post

And it became very popular. While many people already knew, I did get some asking why humboldt squids are scary. So for this Wet Beast Wednesday I'm going to teach you why you should be afraid, or at least respectful, of molluscoid menace that is the humboldt squid.

(image: a humboldt squid)

Known to scientists as Dosidicus gigas and to many others as the jumbo squid, pota, jibia, and diablo rojo, the humboldt squid is the 5th largest squid in the world and the largest of the flying squids. Don't worry, it can't actually fly. They reach an average mantle length (tat's excluding the head and arms) of 1.5 meters, with some specimens reaching up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) in mantle length. The arms can reach up to another meter in length. Adults can weigh up to 50 kg (150 lbs), with females generally being larger than males. They live in the Pacific along the cost of the Americas, from the tip of South America up to California in North America. Some individuals have been known to travel farther north, up to Alaska, which is outside of their historical range. It is possible that as the ocean warms, their native range will continue to expand north.

(image: a humboldt squid releasing ink as a defense mechanism)

Humboldt squids reproduce in deep waters, and as a result we don't know much about their courtship. Males use a modified arm called the heterocotylus to transfer sperm into the female's mantle. She then lays a transparent, gelatinous egg mass that is left to float in the water column. These masses can range between 1 and 4 meters in diameter can can contain up to 4 million eggs. Hatchlings receive no parental care and most will die before adulthood. They grow extremely rapidly, likely as a self-defense against cannibalism by larger squids. Like many squid, humboldts only live for a year and die shortly after mating.

(image: a humboldt squid next to a much braver diver than I will ever be)

As with most cephalopods, the humboldt squid has cells called chromatophores that allow it to change color. Cameras attached to captured and released specimens have show two types of color-changing behavior: flashing and flickering. Flashing is when the animal changes rapidly between red and white. This is done in the presence of other squid and is likely a means of communication, possibly a form of courtship or warning to stay away. Flickering is when waves of red and white travel down the body. This is likely a form of camouflage to blend in with light flickering through the water. In addition to flashing and flickering, cameras have seen multiple forms of color changes and communication behaviors, indicating that they have a rich social life. The red color the squid turns when hunting contributes to its nickname amongst Mexican fishermen: "diablo rojo", the "red devil".

(gif: humboldts changing color)

So all that sounds pretty normal, why are they scary? Well that comes down to their feeding behavior and aggression. Humboldt squids hunt in shoals that can include thousands of members and go into feeding frenzies that can make shark feeding frenzies look like a child's tea party. They are infamous for their aggression and there are many stories of them attacking divers and fishermen. Not even they are immune to their predation, as multiple studies have found between a half and a quarter of all dissected specimens have recently fed on others of their species. Cannibalism may make up a major portion of their diet, though cannibalistic behavior seems to increase in response to stress. Their typical diet consists of fish, crustaceans, and other squids. Humboldts typically keep their two long tentacles coiled up between their arms, only for them to suddenly lash out and grab prey. These tentacles have multiple sharp hooks that have been reported to cause severe cuts in humans. Captured prey is then pulled in toward the beak and consumed. Feeding happens so fast that scientists need to us high-speed cameras to record the capture as the tentacles move so fast they prey can be caught and reeled in between frames. Eating is also fast enough that they can grab a hooked fish and skeletonize it in the time it takes a frustrated angler to pull their catch in. And if that wren't enough, they also engage in cooperative hunting, working together to catch prey. When not feeding or being hunted, they have been described as curious, though they often react to unfamiliar stimuli with aggression. Some divers have reported that humboldts will come investigate them and even act friendly, though I can't say I'd be willing to try it.

(gif: a squid attacking a camera)

(gif: hunting squid)

Numerous fishermen's tales and news stories tell of attacks on humans, but the squid do have a reason to not like us. They are fished heavily, especially off the coat of Mexico and are the most important squid for commercial fisheries. Humboldt squids make up about a third of all squid fished every year and are the most popular food squid. Squid meat is saturated with ammonium chloride, which they use for buoyancy, and must be prepared to remove the taste before eating. Not much is known about threats to conservation, though some speculate that overfishing and global warming disrupting their food supply could threaten the population. They are listed as data deficient by the IUCN. As scary as they might be, humboldt squids serve a very important ecological role in their territories, both as primary predators and as prey to sharks and toothed whales, and more research on their sustainability and conservation needs is important.

(image: a scientist attaching a crittercam to a humboldt squid)

#wet beast wednesday #marine biology #biology #zoology #animals #ecology #animal facts #humboldt squid #jumbo squid #squid #cephalopod #that last picture is adorable #he has a little vest!

[autisticgayplushie]

ruby the lesbian calico kitten!

ruby is part of a set of 10 pride-themed kitten plushies, coming soon to kickstarter!!

#ruby the lesbian calico #colorful kitties collection #lesbian #lesbian pride #pride #plushies #plushblr #EEEEEE ruby i love so so much and I adore how the last picture turned out I hope you like it :3c #i hope my fellow lesbians love ruby she makes me cry (positive)

[youareunbearable]

I love playing around with different concepts and head cannons for the Fenaorians but the one thing that will AWAYS have me in a choke hold and that I could be thinking about at any given point of the day is that Maedhros is his Grandmother's mirror image. He's beautiful, beloved, talented, but also so irreversibly tainted and disheartened about he world and their role within it so much so that both choose death by their own hand then spend another second experiencing the repercussions of their actions

Im just so charmed about the idea that both Feanor's mother and eldest child (the one that gave him the world and the one he left the world to) killed themselves because they both couldn't handle the burden of Feanor's choices

#amber rambles #Silmarillion #silm #maedhros #miriel #feanor #feanorians #lotr #ANYWAYS love the concept that the Silmarils have a part of feanors fea in them just so i csn picture #that miriel dies holding her infant son to her chest and mae dies clutching the silm to his #both having horrid visions of death and flame and they hold their son/father for the last time #also i LOVE and ADORE 4th age fix its but i really do think that mae would choose to not be reborn like miriel

[meowmeowmessi]

#'childlike soul' #and here's a kyleo dump #i had so many of their pictures and snippets from their interviews saved on my phone even during my agenda era lmao #chalking it up to my narrative foil senses tingling #adore the last pic btw. smth very cute abt mbappe ducking so messi's short ass can reach his head #mentor/protege vibes off the charts #kylian mbappe #lionel messi #q

[animalinvestigator]

odaiba day celebration

#my art #digimon #digimon adventure 02 #not tagging all the guys because there's too damn many #my first proper odaiba day as a real fully initiated 'watched all of the essentials' digimon fan can you believe it. #this time last year i had only seen tamers and i was normal about it . i didnt even think about it taht much. oh how times change. #i really wanted to make something bigger than this ..and i still am going to haha. its just on the backburner for now #postponed. as it were. since ive been very busy with art fight up until yesterday and am now very burnt out after drawing an obscene amount #even so i really wanted to draw a picture to try to bottle up my love nad adoration for digimon and 02 specifically since its a holiday lol #its very sloppy and i was gonna do more but i think im tapping out .... so it will have to do for now #hopefully i could convey my feelings :3 enjoy lalala

[zhongrin]

i haven't been able to sleep that well these days cause i've been using the thinner blanket (my fav blanket doesn't fit in the machine at this accommodation and it costs like $13 per wash in the laundromat) but i've found it. i've found my pajamas™️. obscenely oversized hoodie + jogger pants + fuzzy socks my beloved.

#rin rambles #had the coziest eep ever #i dreamt of zhongli and noovy last night #somehow we were going around teyvat and taking odd jobs like investigations and resolving problems #and like there was one job in mond where some people complained the water on a lake has been weirdly making waves or something which is- #-weird af i mean it's a LAKE #and we visited it and noovy does his smash-cane-on-ground-and-shout action #and the lake calmed down somehow lmao #it was so silly #also zhongli was somehow holding diona in his arms it was the adorable-est picture ever #dunno why diona but i'm not complaining it was cute

[guardian-angle22]

Brian Michael Smith via leoshengsnaps on instagram

#brian michael smith #911 lone star cast #!!! that last picture #SIR #did I make this whole post just to stare at that last one? yeppppp #I mean the other ones are good too and he and his wife are adorable #but I MEAN— #that last one might be one of my fave brian pics

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Hey, so for the Human Au, how do think Julie would go about her life? Considering her personality in the website, I would think that he takes up different part-time jobs, but mainly likes working at the community center, mainly for the summer/after school programs where they can come up with and host fun activities for the kids!

no yeah that's pretty much what i was thinking! she bounces from job to job - she probably has a roster of seasonal ones that she rotates between. Julie really does seem like an every-gal yk? doing just one thing all the time would be soooo boring

i like the idea of summer / after school programs a lot actually! since canon Julie is big on games and fun, i'm sure she'd be a great choice for those sorts of things. i bet she works a seasonal summer camp in their county!

#also it would be a cute frank-julie bestie thing #cause frank is a university professor #so then julie being in the education system as a camp counselor / school programs person whatever brains not braining rn #I Just Think It Would Be Sweet! and Fitting! #part of me wants to change Frank from university professor to like a uhhh elementary school teacher #but nah. but lets just say the local schools will have field trips and uh. idk a 'bug day' #yk how kindergartens and elementary schools would sometimes have a giant snake brought in or whatever #well i imagine that in this au frank keeps insects as 'pets' #(not pets as in companion animal but. he has a lot of arthropod tanks in his house lol) #so maybe a couple times a year he gets to interact with kids and julie's probably there too! #ohhhh maybe sometimes he'll go to the summer camp for like. education day or whatever #to talk about insects and animal safety or somethn #he's out there with a tarantula chilling on his head... #most of the kids are disinterested but one or two are so Intrigued and its. adorable. anyway this is about julie #rambles from the bog #wh modern human au #i like to think that both julie and barnaby have seasonal jobs at the county fair #it just lasts a few weeks but they have a good time! barnaby can put his clowning degree to Use! #but im having a great time picturing julie coming up with games and stuff and putting it to good use! #i bet she'd be great at finding compromises and solutions to those Schoolyard Problems yk #i said schoolyard problems and flashbacked to the multiple bad injuries at my elementary. & the seizure in hs... #hm. i saw a lot of serious shit. anyhow not the point #i bet julie is that one guy where whenever someone brings up an odd job she's like 'yeah ive done that' #slingin ice cream? catering? florist delivery? doughnut baker? budtender? running bingo night? Yes To It All! #i bet that in a way... howdy is jealous...

[emptysunshine]

at the lighthouse as the sunrise meets the sunset

#welcome to night vale #welcome to desert bluffs #desert bluffs too #wtnv #wtdb #charles the theologist #charlevin #wtnv kevin #wtdb kevin #kevin the prophet #for the smiling god's sake give this man a last name #also please don't look at the pictures I got lazy there #look at Kevin's dress I adore it !! #the part on the back is supposed to imitate a centipede #it's legs are embroidered on the sides #the antennae is wrapped around the collar #and the last pair of legs smoothly ends in a lil’ bow! #my silly little drawings #my stuff

[sinhasfluffyheadfur]

[ID: A digital drawing done in pink pencil of Galadriel and Orion from The Scholomance book series. They’re cuddling, and Orion has his arms and one leg wrapped around El, the other dangling next to her legs. Orion has his eyes closed and is grinning. He wears a hoodie and baggy cargo pants, and his socks are falling off at the toes. El has an arm wrapped around Orion, and she looks down at him in a subdued loving way, with a slight smile. She’s wearing a t-shirt and baggy sweatpants. A flurry of hearts is above Orion’s head, and a single heart in a word bubble is next to El’s head. /end ID]

I just really like cuddles :3

#grim draws #is the id too long? new to this and I tend to over explain things #I can shorten it I just wanted to point out orions cute loose socks #ALSOOOOO UGH THEYRE SO STINKIN ADORABLE I WANT TO CHEW THEM UP #finished the series earlier today and they’re officially my pookies. I am becoming a ya girlie(dismay. despair. also not true) #anyway tags. hi #the scholomance #a deadly education #the last graduate #the golden enclaves #galadriel higgins #orion fuck what’s his last name #help #orion lake #how did I forget such a simple last name that’s so embarrassing #anyway. proud of this actually they look so cutie #orion to me is short and scrawny strong and has brown hair and I refuse to change my mental image. sorry he’s too good #if you wanted me to picture him right maybe you should have described him before 2/3 of the way into the second book. consider #and if she did. sorry i wasn’t paying attention i was too busy looking at how cute my orion is

[londyboobs]

sad to inform that there’s no room for anything else inside my brain, just this woman and everything she does

#i’ve spent the last 4 hours watching videos seeing pictures listening to her music and her covers #i literally absorbed every piece of media she touched #also her husband is adorable #i saw someone on the bird app calling him ugly #and ffs those ppl are just rude #theyre too cute #thank you gen v for giving me a new obsession #london thor

[h0t-p1nk-ch33tah-pr1nt]

Textmen from ganz my beloveds...

#sigh.. #kat text #the last picture one.... #idk if they have a good texture or nah but i still adore these guys

[hogwartslegacypics]

when you have potions class with your best friend

#their smiles in the last picture #kill me now they’re so adorable #not pictured but ofc samantha dale had to ruin it at the end #hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt

[stardestroyer81]

Do you? 💙✨

(Userbox edit lovingly crafted by my amazing sister @stephysalcido!)

#Userbox #Softcore #Pastelcore #Cutecore #Fursona #Trans Women #Transgender #Coolness #Yesterday I had tagged my sister in a userbox post to show her one I found that I HIGHLY related to #And her response was making the absolutely ADORABLE userbox featured in this post!! #I then asked her and a couple of my close friends if they would reblog it should I post it to my main blog... #You can guess what their responses were 👀 #And she chose such a DARLING picture of me to use... one I'd drawn myself! #Smol chibi sheeb with the oversized trans hoodie. What she gonna do? #... probably kiss girls #Also a bit of trivia for anyone who's curious; you know how most trans folk opt for a different first name when transitioning? #I'm the complete inverse. I like my first name and it's gender neutral so I decided to keep it #Instead I chose to have a preferred LAST name... that being 'Vandenburg'! #I feel it's quite feminine and it makes me feel very pretty!! #Plus it's the last name of my fursona too! As for where I got the last name Vandenburg... #... well... you might find out sometime in the future 💖✨

[yenvengerberg]

i feel like netflix vastly underestimates how much it has pissed off the witcher fandom. treating it as a ‘big hitter’ that you can split into two halves (similar to stranger things or you) when most of us are reluctant to see the direction of season 3 anyway, and then knowing their leading man henry is leaving after this... it feels very risky to me here to release it in two halves considering if the first half does not fix the issues we had with season 2 (and that’s unlikely to be done properly in approximately four episodes) even more of the viewers will not return for the second half

#the witcher for ts #and this is someone who is a BIG fan of splitting up releases #i loathe bingeing culture and i would adore to go back to week by week releases #and split releases at least feels more like a compromise between the two #but for this??? #already seen as the last season by many for a show that's already on probation by the fandom?? #idk it doesn't seem good to me #i feel like they need to give us the full picture to actually discover if the show is worth sticking with lol

[illiana-mystery]

Cleaning out my old phone's SD card some more and still admiring how ruggedly handsome he still is. 🍷

#i'm swooning #oh my gosh #he's so cute #adorable old man #i especially love the last two pictures #just so handsome #my sweet alfredo #my heart #❤️❤️❤️❤️ #alfred molina