Morning y'al!! It's SciComm time! A lil abt me:
โฆ My name is Dr. Fairweather (they/them)! My friends call me Vel.
โฆ Iโm an entomologist, I study bugs! I love sharing about these small (often ignored) friends
โฆ Feel free to DM/reply with bug/personal questions anytime!
Cockroaches are often considered dirty & pests...but did you know only 30/4,600 are pests?
Many cockroaches are docile, beautiful, & can even make great pets! Take Pseudoglomeris magnifica, a diurnal species native to Vietnam it lives on the forest floor looking for fallen fruit
When you wake up at 4am tonight to jingle bells on your rooftop its this doe warning you Santa's breaking into your house ๐ซ๐ ๐ซ
#MerryChristmasEve
Tacua speciosa has to be one of the most colorful insects out there. This huge cicada is hails from southeast Asia, and is the only member of its genus!
๐ฅ:
Little girl: What's your name?...oh no! You have no name tag!
Me: *shakes head no*
Little girl: Can I give you a name?
Me: *shakes head yes*
Little girl: Okay...*touches flower on head* I'm going to call you Flowerheart ๐ธ
#TriGFurmeet
Ever heard of a pseudoscorpion?
You have now! This tiny arachnid is part of the order Pseudoscorpionida. While obscure and unknown publicly they are quite common around the world, predators of soil and leaf litter invertebrates! ๐ฆ
Thanks so much everyone for the complements on my hair! My stylist tailored it to match my wedding vest, with blue accents to match my husband's vest. Little darker in this photo but its faded SUPER nicely.
๐ธ:
@AuburnFx
Anodizing is coating a metal with an oxide layer to make it durable (& in some cases colorful!).
By sticking the metal in a acid electrolyte bath & running electricity through it you can bind materials in the liquid medium to it, protecting it from rust & weather wear!
Enjoying the warm weather and some beach time yesterday has me so excited for all the beach time this summer! ๐โโ๏ธ
Who wants to join this doe on the beach? ๐
๐จ: @/poodleWise
My computer seem's a bit...buggy.
Here we have an ant colony that has taken residence in someones computer! This is actually quite common in tropical regions, ants can move their entire colony into the device in just a matter of hours.
The Pink dragon millipede (Desmoxytes purpurosea) is one of the arthropods on my "Species I Must See Before I Die" bucket list ๐
Fairly new to science, first described in 2007! The Desmoxytes genus of millipedes is found in southeast Asia, filled with colorful & toxic cuties
Tortoise beetles are a treasure to find!
Similar to how an octopus changes its color for camouflage, some tortoise beetles have a special fluids underneath the transparent shell they can use to appear glossy or matte, camouflaging themselves depending on their environment!
Adaptation in action. Look closely... that is not a spider. ๐
The spider-tailed horned viper was only discovered recently and has been seen in Western Iran.
#SevenWorldsOnePlanet
๐ถโ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ is one of the most beautiful scarab beetles, native to Costa Rica. Many beetles are adorned with marvelous colors, all that look carved from stone. There's even a whole group of beetles known as the Jewel Beetles, Buprestidae!
VINE SNAKE FACT: Vine snakes are interesting hunters! They are predators with binocular vision, like us! They are arboreal, spending their whole lives in the forest canopy, and feed on small vertebrates like frogs and birds.
They may look like massive mosquitoes, but Crane Flies are some of the gentlest insects you'll ever meet! ๐ชฐ
Thank you for another ID request! Keep em comin ๐
The eastern hognose snake, Heterodon platirhinos, has earned its academy award for its uncanny ability to fake death in ANY threatening situation. Not only does it look like its dying, but it secretes a horrendous smell to hit home the message *audience applause* ๐๐๐
NUDIBRANCH FACT:
Some of these cuties photosynthesize! Not directly, they feed on algae on coral, and then they store the chloroplast (the center for sun energy to nutritional energy) from the algae in their cerata! They can survive off the chloroplasts they absorb for months.
A insect jewelry trend today is using caddisfly larvae! These larvae are aquatic & build homes out of little stones on riverbeds. In captivity you can provide them gemstones & they'll make their homes out of those! When the larvae are done with them you can harvest for jewelry ๐
Vine snakes are mildly venomous, only able to cause mild swelling in human bites. They make great pets and are one of the most frequently kept arboreal snakes! Who wouldn't want one when a handful of babies is so dang cute!
Some people count sheep to fall asleep. I count Leaf Sheep ๐ค
The Leaf Sheep (Costasiella kuroshimae) is a species of sea slug that performs kleptoplasty! They eat algae, then suppress the chloroplast into their cells to perform photosynthesis. This cute slug eats the sun ๐
Gym time is the best when you spend it with friends u//v//u
Still one of my all time favorite pieces! By
@jinash
and is forever on my mood board ๐ go send her love!!
Flight attendant: Is there a doctor onboard?
Dad: *nudging me* thats your cue
Me: Right! *gets up to help*
Dad: *proud*
Me: *pours ants on injured individual*
Dad: *proud cries*
๐๐ฆ How to Find Me at MFF ๐ฆ๐
๐ Will be running around the con in and out of suit Wed-Mon! Feel free to poke my brain about bugs anytime ๐
๐ณ๏ธโโง๏ธ They / Them pronouns please!
๐ Hugs and photos are always welcome! Lil hard of hearing so tap my shoulder to get my attention ๐ฅฐ
Insects are a DELICIOUS more sustainable source of protein! There's a reason so many cultures use them in dishes. Don't let some adults telling you "ew gross dirty" when you were a kid deter you from trying amazing food.