Say Nothing posted:

SinineSiil posted:

https://i.imgur.com/xL17HHp.gifv

Neon Noodle posted:

I've been trying to figure out this fancy walk:
https://twitter.com/CGdrawing/status/804312499864539136

SinineSiil posted:

https://i.imgur.com/xL17HHp.gifv

SinineSiil posted:

https://i.imgur.com/UmmnoHw.gifv
https://i.imgur.com/xL17HHp.gifv

Perestroika posted:

http://i.imgur.com/lAIzHE7.mp4

Dienes posted:

I've worked with pigeons in a behavior lab. They have ridiculously good vision and are fast learners. They may not talk like parrots but there's fun stuff you can teach them, like ping pong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGazyH6fQQ4

El Jeffe posted:

"...cousin?"

http://i.imgur.com/NukrX19.gifv

Dragonwagon posted:

http://i.imgur.com/cFSYNTn.gifv

Rexicon1 posted:

But here's the crazy part: you can induce metamorphosis of an axolotl into a relatively normal adult salamander by exposing it to a highly iodine rich environment. Even more incredible, normally axolotls can regenerate most body parts and organs (including brain) when they are in their iodine deprived state. But when you "evolve" them by introducing iodine, they lose this ability. Thus their regeneration ability has something to do with their psuedojuvenile state.

Rexicon1 posted:

Axolotls are loving astounding from a scientific point of view. The weirdest thing about them is that they are the closest thing to irl Pokemon with regards to their metamorphosis. They are a neotenic amphibian meaning that they don't normally undergo metamorphosis in the wild. Sexually mature individuals don't ever fully transform into obligate air breathers. They maintain their external gills throughout their normal lifespans.

But here's the crazy part: you can induce metamorphosis of an axolotl into a relatively normal adult salamander by exposing it to a highly iodine rich environment. Even more incredible, normally axolotls can regenerate most body parts and organs (including brain) when they are in their iodine deprived state. But when you "evolve" them by introducing iodine, they lose this ability. Thus their regeneration ability has something to do with their psuedojuvenile state.


Axolotls loving rule.

E: here's what a post metamorphosis axolotl looks like

Also I just noticed there's actually an axolotl Pokemon and it's evolution is perfect:

drrockso20 posted:

Of course it's worth mentioning that a Axolotl that goes through that change also has a vastly reduced lifespan compared to normal ones(at least from what I remember from last time I looked it up), so you should avoid doing it to yours unless you are doing valid research of that nature

Also worth mentioning while we're talking about Axolotls are the other two major types of Salamander that express neoteny; the Olm, and the Mudpuppies

SinineSiil posted:

https://i.imgur.com/f5wDVf9.gifv

spookygonk posted:

FutonForensic posted:

sweet dreams.

http://i.imgur.com/azyPncm.gifv

Bertrand Hustle posted:

Pigeons are actually quite lovely and sociable birbs and if you spend any time watching them you might notice that a lot of them have really cool patterns in their feathers. Also in Boston and probably other cities too they will land on you if you have food and eat right out of your hands.

They're also much cleaner than people think. And really soft.

SubponticatePoster posted:

Counterpoint: the goddamn pigeons at my office building.

Our building is 14 stories high and starting on the 3rd floor up, we have these nice balconies. That nobody uses. Because they are filled with pigeons/pigeon poo poo. Every few months we go through the same ritual: balconies are crusted several inches deep in the corners with pigeon poo poo. Building maintenance comes in and pressure washes the poo poo out, then apply "bird repellent" which is basically glue. That the pigeons then stand in. So they end up with disgusting booties of feathers and poop, but continue standing in it anyway. Rinse and repeat. I have worked there for 11 years now, and while the repellent is a recent thing poo poo-crusted balconies are not. There are plastic patio chairs out there that have been turned upside-down so the pigeons don't drop 6" of poo poo in the seats. They're basically pigeon jungle gyms. Now I don't know why they don't just put up some loving netting or something to keep them out in the first place, but here we are.

Also we're repeatedly exposed to the miracle of the pigeon circle of life. For not only do the pigeons poo poo out there, they nest out there too. In the poo poo. This past year I documented the idiocy of a particular pair who made our 11th floor balcony their home. Soft breezes of spring blow, and the balcony has been sublet. Our pair - we'll call them Bertie and Bob - decide it's time to raise a family. So Bertie lays a solitary egg on the floor in the corner. Right in a gigantic mound of poo poo. Bob tries to be responsible and build a nest. So he brings back nesting materials. Which consists of a single 3.5" stick. That's it, that's the whole nest. Bertie sits on her stick n' egg and the poo poo too. Sometimes. Mostly it just sits there with the stick. I decide I can't watch this anymore, and fetch a lid from a box of envelopes. I take material from the shredder and put it in the lid, then place the egg and the stick inside. Bertie and Bob are confounded and stare at their most-likely-dead egg (since Bertie probably spent a grand total of 2 hours over 2 days sitting on it) in something that actually approximates a nest. The egg is not viable.

Well, it was a tragedy but one they quickly recovered from. Bertie lays another egg in the box next to the first, so they at least figured out what it was for and hopefully the new egg would stand a better chance at surviving. Alas no, Bertie and Bob also ignore the new egg so it also perishes. A couple of days after that Bertie lays a third egg in another corner of the balcony. In a puddle of bird repellent aka glue. Sitting in glue is uncomfortable so attempt #3 also dies. The next week Bertie lays a fourth egg next to the box containing two of her three dead children. And promptly ignores it. You could now make a fairly decent-sized omelette with all these eggs.

Later that same week Bob steps up his game and makes a real nest this time, Bertie lays a pair of eggs and they manage to hatch them and raise them to adulthood. This is in a completely protected area, devoid of predators. How pigeons manage to survive is a goddamn mystery to me.

They have also on at least 2 occasions flown into the patio door when nobody was around. We know this because the person who sits right next to the patio door has never seen them fly into it, and yet there were 2 very clear bird-dust silhouettes (like literal bird prints right down to individual feathers) splashed on the glass. I have pictures of all these things, but I am at work and can't post them.

If is a bird, thy name is pigeon.

SinineSiil posted:

Maggie Fletcher posted:

I'm (probably) saying goodbye to my elderly cat today, so please keep bringing the cute of all kinds, specifically happy cats. My old girl has brought me joy for the better part of 2 decades, and up until last week she was a very happy cat herself.

Thanks in advance.

Blue Footed Booby posted:

Thanks for posting this story in the cute thread.