You Ready? #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:00:32.002Z
And tonight we have R1: Same & Different Division showcasing some incredible examples of how animals may share some traits not due to being closely related but because natural selection has favored the same adaptations from similar environmental pressures/opportunities! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:01:53.351Z
AND for the first time ever in the history of March Mammal Madness, as we feature SUBDIVISIONS to spotlight 4 different types of adaptations- gliding, digging, grazing, & frugivoring! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:02:58.214Z
Without further ado… #2025MMM youtu.be/MEvHzx-nal0?…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:03:31.584Z
First Up: 1-seed Thorold's Deer (Cervus albirostris) vs. 16-seed Olympic Marmot (Marmota olympus) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:05:21.113Z
The "large, robust, but short-legged" Thorold's Deer has gray-brown fur with large, pointed ears and a reddish buff rump and fur grows twice a thick during the cold months. (Leslie 2009) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:05:55.226Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamTheroldsDeer Art by Mary C Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:06:09.371Z
Thorold’s deer named Cervus albirostris in 1883 for its white muzzle (albus=“white” & rostrum =“snout”). In 1930, it was assigned its own genus: Przewalskium albirostris. In 2004, genetics put it back where it started. Cervus albirostris again! #2025MMM http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti…
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:07:12.958Z
Olympic marmots are a cat-sized rodent, adults with thick brown and white fur coats for warmth, with young have a greyer fur color. Olympic marmots molt their fur twice a year, once in June and again during hibernation (Edelman 2003) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:08:25.997Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamMarmot Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:08:46.860Z
Is Olympic marmot hoary? Mills et al. (2023) used ultraconserved nuclear DNA & mtDNA to investigate marmot relationships & found Olympic marmots closest to a cryptic species of paraphyletic hoary marmot (FYI its bad form to be a paraphyletic species!) doi.org/10.1016/j.ym… #2025MMM
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:09:13.057Z
Here in the Himalayas of Nepal, spring comes later, & Thorold's deer has scant food. With a summetime range stretching above 16,000 feet, Thorold's Deer is one of the rare deers adapted to elevations higher than the Sierras, Cascades, or Rocky Mountains. #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:10:01.860Z
Meanwhile in Olympic National Park on the Washington Peninsula, Olympic Marmot is curled up cozy HIBERNATING! Typically marmots stay in their burrows from September to May. (Murphy-Williams 2020; Edelman 2003) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:10:25.582Z
March is well into the "withering" season, and Thorold's deer has migrated to lower elevations making the most of winter grasses, shrubs, & woody barks. (You et al. 2022) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:10:44.251Z
RUDELY awakened from hibernation by MMMagical translocation, Olympic Marmot arrives near the Deer at the boundary of alpine meadow and alpine shrubland (You et al. 2022). #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:11:38.789Z
Marmot looks groggily about the landscape as the Deer strips bark from a shrub, suddenly the Marmot sprints across the snow toward a jumble of rocks and partially exposed earthen mound.. #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:12:06.722Z
IT'S A HIMALAYAN MARMOT BURROW!! BUT WHERE'S THE PORCH?! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:12:30.554Z
ANGRY MARMOT AT BEING WOKEN UP #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:13:18.694Z
Olympic Marmots are notable for their burrows that exit to downslope compacted dirt "porches" that have a perimeter of thick grass growth. #BestYardAward (Whitesides 2015; Griffin et al. 2008) #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:13:56.424Z
In the distance, a wolf howls- late winter on the Tibetan Plateau is no time to be picky- Olympic Marmot dashes into the burrow & beyond the SCENE OF BATTLE! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:14:18.965Z
THOROLD'S DEER OUTLASTS OLYMPIC MARMOT! #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:14:35.027Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamThoroldsDeer Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:14:46.436Z
Go west young marmot! DNA & fossil evidence points to expansion of marmots from North America to Eurasia 3-4 mya (during the Pliocene) across the Bering land bridge following the expansion of C3 grasslands into Beringia. doi.org/10.1016/j.ym… #2025MMM #RIP
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:17:04.836Z
Next Up: 3rd seed Sunda Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) vs. 14th seed & Wildcard winner Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) #2025MMM (This battle written by @pkconnors.bsky.social)
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:18:42.956Z
You can tell our wildcard winner apart from it's sympatric cousin (Southern Flying Squirrel) because Northern Flying Squirrel is larger, its tail is darker, & its hair is thicker (Wells-Gosling & Heaney, 1984) #MoreFloof #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:19:37.389Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamSquirrel Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:20:12.560Z
Zittlau et al. (2000) id-ed STR loci (short tandem repeats that are highly variable in #) in N. flying squirrel (NFS). If genetic diversity is low in NFS populations, this may => habitat degradation. Data from 32 NFS from N. Alberta showed high levels of variation! #2025MMM doi.org/10.1046/j.13…
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:20:25.756Z
Sunda Colugo is much larger than Flying Squirrel (2kg vs 0.14kg, or 9 stoats vs half a stoat) with patchy colored fur for camouflage & forward facing eyes like primates (which is partly why they are also called flying lemurs) #StoatsAsMeasurement #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:21:43.800Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamColugo Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:22:30.988Z
Should Sunda colugo be divided up into multiple species? Janečka et al. (2008) analyzed mitochondrial & nuclear DNA finding unexpectedly deep divisions (3-5 MYA) among the 3 subspecies tested! #2025MMM http://www.cell.com/current-biol…
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:22:31.171Z
Endemic to Southeast Asia, tonight we find Sunda or Malayan Colugo in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the last remnant of primary rainforest in Singapore. Curled claws & the suction-like soles of her feet help her hang on tree trunks. #HomeHabitatAdvantage #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:23:14.446Z
The city directly abuts the forest (you can walk across a pedestrian bridge from the mall!) & colugos are so common here that the reserve features a Colugo Viewing Deck, shaped like a colugo in full-glide mode! #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:24:16.950Z
Over 9,000 miles away, Flying Squirrel forages on the forest floor in the Adirondak Mountains of upstate New York (Wells-Gosling & Heaney, 1984) #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:24:44.214Z
Mid-hop, Flying Squirrel is transported via #MMMagic translocation to Bukit Timah. 10 feet up a tree trunk, Flying Squirrel takes a vigilant stance – completely still, head raised, scanning the new environment with caution… #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:25:21.968Z
20 feet above the Flying Squirrel, Colugo clings to the tree trunk & remains completely still, which is her first anti-predatory tactic… #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:26:11.530Z
The rainforest is quiet …. much too quiet …. #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:26:39.477Z
Flying Squirrel climbs higher to a better vantage point in a more enclosed canopy at a preferred height for gliding… Nothern Flying Squirrel's curved claws dig into the bark as he works his uniquely squirrelly wrist muscles (Thorington & Darrow 2000)!! #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:27:21.578Z
Flying squirrel speed climbs circles around the tree… all the time closing in on the motionless camoflauged Colugo #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:27:54.389Z
Northern Flying squirrel's claws dig into… THAT'S NOT BARK, THAT'S COLUGO!!!! #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:28:26.400Z
Colugo flinches and Northern Flying Squirrel is surprise-startled into kicking off from the trunk- GO GO GADGET PATAGIUM DEPLOYS and NORTHERN FLYING SQUIRREL GLIDES BEYOND THE FIELD OF BATTLE!!! #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:29:09.473Z
As the dull noises of the rainforest return, Colugo continues to cling to the tree trunk, remaining completely still… #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:29:56.087Z
COLUGO OUTLASTS NORTHERN FLYING SQUIRREL!!!!! #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:30:11.682Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamColugo Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:30:26.181Z
Arbogast (2007) analyzed mtDNA Cytb & found that Pacific & Continental NF Squirrel pops are distinct (though nuclear DNA analyses don’t show this) suggesting a complex history associated w/Pleistocene forest contractions & expansions (w/subsequent gene flow) #2025MMM #RIP doi.org/10.1644/06-M…
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:31:08.266Z
Next Up: 2-Seed Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) vs. 15-Seed Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris)!!!! #2025MMM
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:33:30.479Z
The smallest living ursid, male sun bear weigh up to 130lbs (65kg). Their common name comes from the U-shaped, chest patch ranging in color from white to dark orange, that looks somewhat like a sunrise/sunset that most of the bears have. #2025MMM
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:34:34.592Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamSunBear Art by Mary C Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:35:04.991Z
Landscape geneticists map patterns of genetic diversity onto geography, and find that for SUN 🌞 BEARS in Cambodia, farms are a barrier to gene flow. Conservation efforts could help promote population connectivity #2025MMM link.springer.com/article/10.1…
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:35:46.850Z
The four-toed Hedgehog is found in the savanna & steppe zones of equatorial Africa. They clock in at ~ 600 grams (so you would need ~110 of them to equal one sun bear). Hedgehogs are also freakin' adorable #2025MMM
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:36:28.024Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamHedgehog Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:36:48.052Z
Genome sequencing & tissue specific gene expression analyses of hedgehog by Jiang et al. (2024) revealed networks of genes (including a cluster of keratin genes on chromosome 7) acting to create hedgehog’s spines! doi.org/10.1016/j.jg… #2025MMM
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:37:21.833Z
Sun Bear is wandering his home in the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia. He has been awake since before sunrise, walking with his head pointing the ground, nose sniffing debris on forest floor, as he searches for invertebrates to feed on #2025MMM
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:38:45.398Z
Hedgehog is in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria eating a toad & spreading the toxic secretions on his spines to cause pain to potential predators (Brodie 1977). But before he finishes he is whisked by #MMMagic translocation to the base of some decaying wood in Malaysia #2025MMM
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:39:36.496Z
As Sun Bear approaches the wood, hedgehog lunges towards the approaching predator and curls into a defensive ball, his dorsal spines, the longest of which are 17 mm, sticking out like a land urchin (Santana et al 2010) #2025MMM
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:40:30.871Z
Sunbear doesn't even notice the Hedgehog… and his paw comes down… down… down #2025MMM
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:41:17.342Z
JUST missing the hedgehog, as the other clawed paw breaks into the decayed wood to search for beetle larva (Wong et al 2002)
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:42:07.835Z
Hedgehog, grateful for being overlooked and unnoticed, uncurls and on tiny adorable feet pitter patters into the leaf litter to search for termites away from the digging bear and exiting the field of battle #2025MMM
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:43:18.934Z
SUNBEAR OUTLASTS HEDGEHOG!!!!! #2025MMM
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:43:43.663Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamSunBear Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:43:56.552Z
Phylogenetic analyses of hedgehogs by Bannikova et al. (2014) show Atelerix albiventris as closest to A. algirus (mtDNA) or maybe A. frontalis (data from 5 nuclear genes) & time estimates suggest these 3 species diverged during the early Pleistocene ~2.3 mya! doi.org/10.1111/bij…. #2025MMM #RIP
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:44:53.644Z
Next Up: 6th seed Greater Glider (Petauroides volans) vs. 11th seed Paradise Flying Snake (Chrysopelea paradisi) #2025MMM (This battle written by @pkconnors.bsky.social)
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:46:21.077Z
Greater Glider, an adorably furry, arboreal cat-sized (1.5kg, ~3 lbs, ~7 stoats) marsupial with dexterous digits & a long, luxurious tail, claims the title of largest gliding possum (Harris & Maloney 2010) #StoatsAsMeasurement #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:47:46.968Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamGlider Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social #mammals #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:48:06.155Z
Is greater glider just one species … or three? DNA sequencing of gliders from around Australia suggests 3 "operational taxonomic units" that align with morphology. Defining species is crucial first step in protecting them #2025MMM http://www.nature.com/articles/s41…
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:48:36.866Z
Paradise Flying Snake is a long (1.5m, ~5 ft, 4.5 stoats), slender reptile that is mostly black & displays colorful scales ranging from reds & yellows to brilliant greens #StoatsAsMeasurement #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:50:11.693Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamSnake Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social #herps #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:50:40.632Z
Genetics of Paradise flying snake is mostly a mystery. How much DNA in GenBank? Tiny pieces from just 5 snakes. Brand new paper has first mitochondrial genome for related ornate flying snake. 17,252 bases & 37 genes. It's a start! #2025MMM http://www.nature.com/articles/s41…
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:50:37.782Z
Tonight, Greater Glider slowly emerges from her hollowed-out nest high in trees of the Snowy River National Park (located in eastern Victoria & the southern edge of her home range) & stretches to prepare for a night of foraging on eucalyptus leaves #HomeHabitatAdvantage #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:52:45.570Z
Over 3,000 miles away on the island of Borneo, Flying Snake searches for a safe place high in the forest canopy to rest after spending the day hunting for geckos & skinks (Quah & Grismer, 2024) #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:53:50.362Z
Flying Snake slithers carefully among the large leaves of a Shorea tree & suddenly is surrounded by small, slender Eucalyptus leaves! #MMMagicStrikesAgain #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:54:20.251Z
Greater Glider walks out onto a branch & STEPS on the tail of Flying Snake! #WhoaWhatsThat #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:55:06.343Z
Flying Snake quickly retracts its tail, whips its head around, & frantically smells the air with its tongue #WhoaWhatsThat #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:55:27.171Z
Wasting no time with this larger, potential predator, Flying Snake LAUNCHES into the air! #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:56:00.125Z
Wasting no time with this slithery, venomous snake, Greater Glider ALSO launches into the air! #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:56:27.270Z
Greater Glider folds her arms & tucks her wrists under her chin to open her patagium, looking like a triangular kite, & uses her tail as a rudder, hoping to land far away from the snake (up to 100m, Harris & Maloney 2010) #2025MMMwww.youtube.com/watch?v=A5BB…
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:57:01.756Z
Flying Snake flattens its body by splaying out its ribs to generate lift (Holden et al 2014) & wiggles in a specific way ("aerial undulations" according to Yeaton et al 2020) to maximize its horizontal distance #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:57:41.122Z
Both competitors are now GLIDING AWAY from the Eucalyptus tree, but who will LEAVE the field of battle?? #ConvergentEvolution #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:58:11.630Z
WHOOOOSH #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T00:58:48.790Z
Out of the darkness, a Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua) swoops down & SNATCHES the Greater Glider out of the air mid-glide!! #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T01:00:45.248Z
Powerful Owl is largest owl on the contentient of Oz (2ft tall with 4.5ft wingspan), Powerful Owls love a meal of Greater Glider or Ringtail Possums (Bilney 2013) #IncidentalCARNAGE #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T01:01:52.634Z
Flying Snake lands unharmed 10m / 33ft away (Socha et al 2005), moving frantically through the hard underbrush to find a new tree for safety #2025MMM
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T01:02:16.425Z
FLYING SNAKE OUTLASTS GREATER GLIDER!!!!! #2025MMM #UPSETCITY
— Lara Durgavich (@ldurgavich.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T01:02:34.369Z
#2025MMM #DivisionSameandDifferent #TeamSnake Art by Mary C Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social #herps #sciart
— V Pellicer- art commissions open! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T01:02:51.311Z
Greater glider is a survivor. When forests were replaced w pines in the '60s no one expected them to persist. Decades later, they're still there (but rarer). Remnant native patches hold more genetic diversity than expected, suggesting immigration #RIP #2025MMM onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1…
— Nate Upham (@n8upham.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T01:03:09.115Z
#InspirationalIntermission #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T01:05:33.018Z
#InspirationalIntermission #2025MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T01:06:40.885Z
Why do so many branches of the tree of life becomes "crabs"? #Carcinization #ConvergentEvolution #InspirationalIntermission #2025MMM http://www.npr.org/2024/09/18/1…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T01:07:06.934Z
Christopher N Anderson 
Leave a comment