Are you ready? #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:01:15.566Z
It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights… youtu.be/EJ9yAV8uQ7g?… #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:02:04.871Z
Welcome to the 13th Annual March Mammal Madness! This year MMM Celebrates the TREE OF LIFE #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:02:56.614Z
Tonight is the WILD CARD, the play-in into the big show, an amuse-bouche, or rather an amuse-esprit, for the discerning #2025MMM palate as we gear up for ROUND 1 beginning March 12th!
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:03:18.589Z
But before we get to the "nature, red in tooth and claw" (Alfred Lord Tennyson's In Memoriam A. H. H., 1850) some important messages, announcements, pomp, & circumstance! (Also allusions to carnage do not constitute binding agreements) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:04:17.984Z
Recent weeks, months, years have been full of challenges and heartbreak. For everyone. For all of you here tonight, we are so happy and thankful that you are joining us in this celebration of our natural world. #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:05:38.326Z
If you want JUST the official tournament tweets and not ALL the #FanBanter, follow @mmmletsgo.bsky.social helmed this year by @jesspopescu.bsky.social! Big Thanks to Emma for launching this concept so many, many years ago! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:06:41.737Z
All March Mammal Madness results will be available at the LibGuide in MMMagazine, text (in English & Spanish), play-by-play, and VIDEO FORM in the minutes and hours after the events happen here libguides.asu.edu/MarchMammalM… #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:06:58.829Z
Wishing MC Marmot a speedy recovery but in the meantime, the Art TeaMMM and the Library TeaMMM have combined, LIKE TRANSFORMERS, to make videos for #2025MMM so bookmark here: http://www.youtube.com/@ErmineaInc
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:07:50.446Z
Alright, here is the point where I admit I am ALWAYS Alice in Wonderland's White Rabbit racing into the Wild Card and just recycling LAST YEAR's pomp and circumstance trying to catch all the #2024MMM hashtags and turn them into #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:08:33.490Z
Which has worked SEAMLESSLY for YEARS until AW PEACHES, all these #2025MMM account handles are for the BAD PLACE!
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:09:30.166Z
SO I WAS RACING THE CLOCK TO GO TIME!!! Let's see how far I was able to get before we went #2025MMM LIVE
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:10:12.180Z
Can we get an exuberant round of applause for @grumpator.bsky.social & everyone ASU Libraries for the March Mammal Madness LibGuide with Player, Learner, & Educator Portals! libguides.asu.edu/MarchMammalM… #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:10:42.497Z
And a big THANK YOU to @nickleyw.bsky.social for his elegant design of the bracket (English, Spanish, & Large Format Versions) & @jeclight.bsky.socialfor the screen reader bracket! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:11:04.357Z
Thank you to Oxford University Press or curating a special issue of #2025MMM combatants freely accessible to folks researching the contenders academic.oup.com/asm/pages/ma…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:11:42.232Z
Thank you to Oxford University Press or curating a special issue of #2025MMM combatants freely accessible to folks researching the contenders academic.oup.com/asm/pages/ma…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:11:42.232Z
Shout out to educators @ianhecht.bsky.social for the trading cards, Jeff Brunstrum, PoolsbyRound, & MMMBrackets for the online brackets & contest manager & ALL the EDUCATORS who shared resources in the CROWDSOURCED MMM RESOURCES! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:12:19.332Z
And another round of applause for Education Engagement Coordinator Jenna Kissel, @loreleipatrick.bsky.social, & Julia Berliner for those sweet, sweet combatant info slides! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:12:36.265Z
Huge thanks to Profs Miguel Rubio-Godoy and Alejandra Nuñez-de la Mora for translating Educator Materials into Spanish #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:12:48.078Z
Special shout out to the ART TEAM @opellisms.bsky.social @veppart.bsky.social & @maryfreisner.bsky.social & Art Director @oddangel.bsky.social for their GORGEOUS AMAZING HUMAN CREATED ART!!!!! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:13:03.138Z
Shout out to the incredible #2025MMM coverage from ASU with a focus on educators news.asu.edu/20250221-art… & @laminda.bsky.social coverage at SCHOLASTIC Science Flix #Swoon
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:13:26.492Z
Big thanks to @ncse.bsky.social , @nabtbio.bsky.social , & Arizona State University for providing key support for #2025MMM! & Check out these sweet essays at NCSE: ncse.ngo/when-madness… & GOOD SCREAMING ncse.ngo/my-descent-m…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:14:04.631Z
And @acstone.bsky.social & @cegamorim.bsky.social for bringing together an incredible team of geneticists to unlock the mysteries of the genome of the combatants in each battle! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:14:26.129Z
Real Talk: you hear from me A LOT, but March Mammal Madness is made possible by the most incredible teaMMM of the very awesomest people you will ever have the honor of knowing! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:14:52.622Z
And March Mammal Madness would not be possible without the incredible achievements of scientists the world over, so many funded by those engines of excellence- the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:15:58.688Z
Even USAID, a leading purchaser of food grown by American Farmers, helps support wildlife protection by investing in people, parks, communities in the ecotourism sector. PLEASE HELP DEFEND THESE ESSENTIAL USES OF THE PUBLIC ENDOWMENT #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:16:48.520Z
This year, MMM is bigger than ever! As of Sunday afternoon, March 9, N=10,200+ educators have requested tournament materials and report plans to share the MMM bracket with 900,000+ learners this year. #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:17:15.377Z
Traffic to the LibGuide since Jan 1 came from >110 countries across Eurasia, Americas, Africa, & Oceana. In the USA, MMM is used by educators in all 50 states, 4000+ cities/towns and in over half of all US counties! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:17:53.090Z
In coming weeks we will share in a journey across our world, & occasionally through time, in a celebration of animals, adaptations, ecosystems, and our coMMMunity #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:19:29.016Z
Time has NOT run out, & each of us can make an impact on recovering our ecosystems & reducing our use- through our time, through our effort, through our political engagement, through our thoughtful conversations with loved ones. #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:20:24.708Z
Prepare yourselves for heartbreak, hilarity, & horror as fortunes & fates rise & fall, in a glorious story of science with surprises, suspense, plot twists, non-combatant characters, & SO MUCH MORE! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:21:22.722Z
Because here at #2025MMM Headquarters, points on a bracket are just a number, but if you're learning, you're winning!
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:22:14.502Z
Now, for the singing of the Animal Anthem, played annually for this Wild Card event since 2013… Three Dog Night with "Joy to the World" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as8K… #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:22:26.299Z
And WITHOUT FURTHER #2025MMM ADO… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6eQ…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:23:49.535Z
Tonight: WILD CARD Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) vs. Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:25:30.636Z
Northern Flying Squirrels, living throughout much of North America, have large black eyes adapted for night vision, with grey and tan fur with white and grey tummies. These tree rodents can tip the scales at 1/3rd of a pound. (Malamuth & Mulheisen 2011) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:25:52.377Z
Not truly able to FLY, instead this rodent is able to glide from a furry membrane that extrends from "the forelegs to the hindlegs from ankle to wrist" known as a patagium (Wells-Gosling & Heaney 1984) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:26:48.735Z
#2025MMM #WildCard #TeamSquirrel Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:27:20.238Z
Genome sequencing of both the northern & southern Flying Squirrel (Wolf et al., 2022) enabled reconstruction of their demographic history.The species split ~1 million years ago — yet they can hybridize where their ranges overlap.#2025MMM doi.org/10.1093/g3jo…
— Eduardo Amorim (@cegamorim.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:27:14.751Z
Wallace's Flying Frog, found primarily in Malayasia & Indonesia, are a vibrant emerald green with with lighter yellow on its sides, toe pads & snout. (Abbey 2000; IUCN 2021) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:27:57.261Z
The "Flying" Frog with foot parachutes was first illustrated & described scientifically by none other than Alfred Russel Wallace in 1855, co-originator of the theory of evolution by natural selection with Charles Darwin!! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:28:46.614Z
#2025MMM #WildCard #TeamFrog Art by Mary C Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social #herps #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:29:10.295Z
How does Flying Frog fly? Genomes from a gliding & non-gliding Rhacophorus showed accelerated evolution linked to limb development in both but expression differences in the WNT signaling pathway => webbing for gliding(Link shows VIDEO OF GLIDING/ PLUMMETING FROGS!) #2025MMMdoi.org/10.1073/pnas…
— Eduardo Amorim (@cegamorim.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:29:09.384Z
TONIGHT'S BATTLE LOCATION IS DETERMINED BY COIN TOSS… Althrough both Frog and Squirrel have heads, only Squirrel has a tail, Frog having absorbed his tadpole tale during development. #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:30:12.935Z
SO: Heads- Frog's later summer Tropical Forest or Tails- Squirrel's late Winter Temperate Boreal Forest… #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:30:31.953Z
SO: Heads- Frog's later summer Tropical Forest or Tails- Squirrel's late Winter Temperate Boreal Forest… #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:30:31.953Z
and the coin toss determines… TAILS!!! Home Habitat Advantage to the Northern Flying Squirrel!! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:31:07.054Z
In North America, late winter remains cold in a spruce forest cast in bright moonlight. Northern Flying Squirrel, within the last linneage of nocturnal squirrels, scampers out of his nest in a tree hollow, having stayed fairly active throughout winter (Wells-Gosling & Heaney 1984) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:32:33.718Z
Amongst the spruce trees, the Northern Flying Squirrel LEAPS from high in the canopy, extending his legs wide so his skin flap-flaps (patagium) allow him to glide… his WHITE BELLY FLASHING IN THE MOONLIGHT AGAINST THE LICHEN-LADEN SPRUCE TREES! (Wells-Gosling & Heaney 1984) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:33:03.086Z
But in the light of the moon, for animals who are sensitive to ultraviolet light, THE SQUIRREL GLOWS WITH PINK FLUORESCENCE!!! (Kohler et al. 2019) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:34:51.040Z
MEANWHILE in the Bornean rainforest, Flying Frog uses his large, grippy toe pads to climb up beside a large leaf, his emerald green coloration fantastic camouflage with the foliage… his grip slips…. Flying Frog falls from 50 feet up in the canopy! (Wang et al. 2013). #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:36:10.960Z
falling Flying Frog KICKS his leg to twist his body- AIR-RIGHTING IN MILLISECONDS – spreading wide his toes to deploy his foot parachutes!!! (Wang et al. 2013). #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:37:55.663Z
Flying Frog shifts slightly to parachute-gliding to a target tree branch when his trajectory glides him through the #MMMagic translocation portal!!! safety http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf1b… #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:38:44.173Z
<tiny> THUNK! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:39:11.919Z
Northern Flying Squirrel has glided down 60 feet to land on his target tree trunk, a few feet above the forest floor and hops down to the forest floor.with the snow melted away, the flying squirrel can take a break from lichen for something more DELICIOUS! (Wells-Gosling & Heaney 1984) #2024MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:39:42.123Z
Northern Flying Squirrel is searching for TRUFFLES! Squirrel is rootin' snootin' sniffing for truffles; possibly using memory for prime truffle patches… possibly looking for coarse woody debris as a surface clue (Smith 2007) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:40:51.274Z
Flying Frog lands onto the forest floor directly in front of Northern Flying Squirrel! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:42:32.960Z
DISTURBED by the arrival of the small frog, Northern Flying Squirrel gives a cluck-chuckle sound at the amphibian arrival (Wells-Gosling & Heaney 1984) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:43:59.658Z
Body to body, not counting squirrel's tail or frogs back legs, Flying Squirrel is still 50% bigger… AND A LOT HEAVIER #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:44:45.935Z
Flying Squirrel stand-hops at Flying Frog #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:45:04.313Z
Flying Frog's main escape skill LEAP-GLIDE is USELESS here on the ground, FROG deploys LEAP-KICK with his powerful back frog legs!! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:46:16.738Z
Flying Frog's kick strikes Northern Flying Squirrel's loose patagium… doing NO DAMAGE!!! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:47:45.462Z
Northern Flying Squirrel, much heavier jumps onto Flying Frog, and he is out in force today! Squirrel's sharp incisors bite into Flying Frog! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:49:54.281Z
Northern Flying Squirrel won't have to wait for spring eggs & baby birds for FRESH MEAT #OpportunisticOmnivore (Wells-Gosling & Heaney 1984) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:50:43.705Z
Northern Flying Squirrel DEFEATS Flying Frog!!! #2025MMMADVANCES TO THE BIG SHOW!!!
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:52:06.436Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamSquirrel Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:53:15.993Z
According to DNA analyses by Feng et al. (2017), the extinction event 66 mya, at the end of the Cretaceous (bye bye dinosaurs!), also caused extinctions in frogs. It was followed by diversification in 3 major groups including in Flying Frog’s clade Natatanura. #2025MMM #RIP doi.org/10.1073/pnas…
— Eduardo Amorim (@cegamorim.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:52:33.749Z
Thank you everyone, it's great to be back in the saddle and getting our sea legs back in action! See you back here on Wednesday for ROUND ONE of the ONLY ONES Division. Until then, good night & Good LUCK! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T00:56:58.309Z
#2025MMM WILDCARD EMOJI BATTLE RESULTS🐿️🆚🐸: 🌲🌕🌌/🐸🌳⬇️/🐿️🛫🌲/🐸🦶🏼🪂/🐸🪂🪄/🐿️🔎🍄/🐸⬇️🐿️/🐿️😠🔊/🐸🦵🏼🐿️/🐿️🍽️🐸/🏆🐿️
— Jess Popescu (@jesspopescu.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T01:06:33.783Z
#2025MMM Wildcard Battle WINNER: Northern Flying Squirrel! Join us on Wednesday, March 12th at 8PM EST for Round 1 of the Only Ones!
— March Mammal Madness (@mmmletsgo.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T01:04:56.319Z
Christopher N Anderson 
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