NEXT UP: 7-seed BLOODWORM (Glycera dibranchiata) vs. 10-seed GREAT GREY SHRIKE (Lanius excubitor) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:10:12.755Z
Folks who keep fish and amphibians may know bloodworms as frozen dark red cubes they feed their pets. Tonight's combatant is not that. It is a segmented, red marine worm that grows up to 14-inches long. Why is Glycera dibranchiata so metal? #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:11:01.587Z
Because this bloodworm is venomous & armed with 4 ultra-strong fangs infused with COPPER it sequesters from the sediments in tidal flats. Even it's reproduction is metal. During swarming events, gametes are spawned through the body wall rupturing. #2026mmm #2026MMM http://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Glyc…
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:11:30.499Z
Because this bloodworm is venomous & armed with 4 ultra-strong fangs infused with COPPER it sequesters from the sediments in tidal flats. Even it's reproduction is metal. During swarming events, gametes are spawned through the body wall rupturing. #2026mmm #2026MMM http://www.sealifebase.ca/summary/Glyc…
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:11:30.499Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamBloodworm Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:12:10.265Z
Genetic profiling of bloodworm venom gland reveals a lethal cocktail of 20 different toxin classes, including "stonustoxin" previously only found in deadly stonefish. It’s a cool case of convergent evolution! doi.org/10.1093/gbe/… #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:12:08.637Z
Great Grey Shrike is so metal it comes in shades of metal. Back of steel grey! Belly & outer tail feathers of platinum white! Eyes, eye mask, beak & flight feathers as black as silver exposed to hydrogen sulphide gas (Yosef et al 2025) #2026mmm #2026MMM birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/…
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:12:28.123Z
Tonight's combatant weighs in at a massive 80 grams and 26 cm, with an incredible 36 cm wingspan. Roughly the size of a robin, mockingbird, or can of tomato paste with wings and a tail. #ItsActuallyPrettySmall #2026MMM #2026mmm #ThatsSoMetal animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lan…
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:13:00.786Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamShrike Art by Mary C. Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:13:27.322Z
The Northern Shrike is not just one species: genetic data suggests New World and Old World populations have been on separate paths for a long time (1.1–1.8 my) doi.org/10.1525/cond… #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:13:31.755Z
Tonight's battle is on the rugged Maine coast, where a licensed commercial digger is preparing to sustainably harvest bloodworms to sell to as live bait to marine anglers (Sypitkowski et al 2011) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:14:05.210Z
MEANWHILE the Socotra Archipelago near the Gulf of Aden, Shrike is patrolling his territory, perched in a Socotra fig tree. He needs to defend his prime spot to keep it. Seething with hormones, he's ready to throw down! But right now, he's hungry. #2026mmm #2026MMM whc.unesco.org/en/list/1263
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:14:44.810Z
Back in Maine, Bloodworm is actually throwing down!! A migrating black-bellied plover discovered it burrowed in the sand and is attempting to pull it out when… WOOFWOOFWOOFWOOFWOOF!! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:15:24.954Z
The digger's unleashed dog (ahem – who the digger KNOWS has zero recall) chases plover away and Shrike is #MMMagicked to its place! Bloodworm's dramatic writhing catches Shrike's attention. Is it food? #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:17:23.290Z
Shrike curiously glide-flies to the writhing worm. Towering above it, he side-eyes this unfamiliar, thrashing worm and again wonders, Is it food? He takes an inquisitive peck #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:17:48.121Z
Bloodworm explodes from the sediment like a Dune sandworm & clamps onto the shrike’s leg! As #ActualLivingScientist Prof. Herbert Waite said: “These are very disagreeable worms in that they are ill tempered & easily provoked” #2026mmm #2026MMM bioengineer.org/scientists-h…
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:18:21.001Z
With his sharp, hooked beak, Shrike tears at the worm, striking again and again and again, finally ripping the worm’s head and fangs from its leg. He flings them aside before standing victorious over the defeated bloodworm, still unsure if it's food. #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:19:08.017Z
SHRIKE DESTROYS BLOODWORM!!!!!!!!! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:19:27.585Z
PSA: Protect migrating and nesting birds by keeping your dog on a leash! Even the goodest dogs can cause migrating birds to waste energy they need for their long flights home and disrupt nesting behaviors which can cause eggs or chicks to die #2026MMM #2026mmm http://www.audubon.org/news/why-lea…
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:20:10.545Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamShrike Art by Charon Henning @oddangel.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:20:25.185Z
Unlike most, bloodworm hemoglobin swaps distal histidine for leucine. This hydrophobic pocket stops iron oxidation, keeping "blood" functional in the toxic mud where these animals live. doi.org/10.1016/0022… #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:20:45.768Z
NEXT UP: 6-seed Southern Grasshopper Mouse (Onychomys torridus) vs 11-seed Uropygi (Mastigoproctus giganteus) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:22:57.312Z
Southern Grasshopper Mouse is ~13 cm long rodent, w/ dense cinnamon-colored fur, big ears, & longish nails. They are found mostly in short-grass prairies & desert grasslands of the western US. it is also one of the most blood-thirsty of the rodents! (Rowe &Rowe 2015). #MightyMouse #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:23:51.605Z
But don't let its name fool you. It doesn't really hop like a grasshopper. The species gets its common name from the fact that when folks were examining its stomach contents, they found lots of grasshopper remains in their bellies #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:24:24.799Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamSouthernGrashopperMouse Art by Charon Henning @oddangel.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:24:38.898Z
Phylogenies work best if you can combine fossil and DNA evidence! A consensus of the molecular, morphological, and paleontological evidence placed the three grasshopper mice species as a distinct and unique genus within the new world mice doi.org/10.1093/jmam… #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:24:43.172Z
The 50 cm Uropygi, also known as a whip scorpion, has a mostly black body, w/ four pairs of legs & long skinny tail. (Barrales-Alcalá et al 2018) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:25:02.875Z
Described as the "most beautiful of monsters" (Eisner 2005), these creatures can fit in the palm of your hand….but I wouldn't pick them up, as they have "one hell of a spray" from its pygidial glands that smells like vinegar, the source of their common name vinegaroon #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:25:51.729Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamUropygi Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:26:21.751Z
Uropygi have looked largely the same since the Carboniferous, but their DNA tells an even older story. The Mastigoproctus giganteus genome has preserved the signature of a whole genome duplication that predates the Silurian (400+ million years old). doi.org/10.1093/jher… #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:26:16.571Z
Among the Joshua trees & cacti, jackrabbit & ringtail cat scurry about In the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area desert in Nevada. #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:26:55.145Z
Grasshopper Mouse emerges from a burrow he stole from one of his victims & lets out a "long, fine, shrill whistle in a high key" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfSI… #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:27:38.286Z
Meanwhile Uropygi is in the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, has begun his nighttime search for a meal. #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:28:28.557Z
Moving quickly, Uropygi's front legs move like a 'seeing eye cane', to take place of his bad vision. He is about to snatch a cricket when #MMMagic relocates him into Red Rock Canyon #ChangeOfSceneAintNoThing #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:29:03.166Z
Southern Grasshopper Mouse scans for his next meal, hoping to find some smaller mice or a nice juicy caterpillar #MightyMouse #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:29:55.850Z
Uropygi surveys his surroundings and his legs tell him he is out in the open! Uropygi runs quickly in between rocks & begins to use his claws to dig in dirt to excavate a burrow, which it will use to avoid the sun in the daytime #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:30:38.992Z
But Mouse has spotted quick movement of Uropygi & chases it, giving off little squeaks (sorta like a barking terrier). Mouse eats lots of scorpions (w/ a stomach adapted to deal w/ sharp edges of masticated exoskeletons) so he isn't really worried about this fella(Rowe & Rowe 2015) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:31:27.707Z
Southern Grasshopper Mouse attacks Uropygi, his strong jaws muscles set to crush the arthropod's exoskeleton!! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:32:15.967Z
PSCHITT!!! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:32:53.989Z
This scorpion is one of the few known to survive a Grasshoper Mouse attack! Uropygi discharges his vinegarish spray at Grasshopper Mouse, who jumps back in alarm, pawing at his muzzle to deal with the odor (Eisner et al 1961). And Uropygi has more spray in reserve!! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:33:50.649Z
BUT Southern Grasshopper Mouse isn't giving up! Blitz charge pounce, Grasshopper Mouse uses his short legs to pin Uropygi against a rock & and then pins Uropygi onto the ground, placing rodent feet to hold the arachnid in place and… (Langley 1981) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:34:48.463Z
Southern Grasshopper Mouse rapidly delivers debilitating bite to the TAIL and lethal bite to the HEAD of Uropygi, dispatching his prey! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:35:29.917Z
When Southern Grasshopper Mouse is done eating, ALL that remains of Uropygi are "several appendages and the posterior ventral portion of the opisthosoma with the glands." (Eisner et al 1961) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:35:53.572Z
SOUTHERN GRASSHOPPER MOUSE DEVOURS UROPYGI!! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:36:12.363Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamSouthernGrashopperMouse Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:36:21.820Z
Kulkarni et al. (2024) assembled a chromosome-level genome of the Uropygi (Mastigoproctus giganteus) and found it is BIG. Nearly as big as the human genome (3.17Gb), with 71% consisting of repetitive DNA. doi.org/10.1093/jher… #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:36:33.305Z
Next Up: #8-seed Least Shrew (Cryptotis parva) vs. #9-seed Long-tailed Planigale (Planigale ingrami) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:38:21.796Z
The very petite Least Shrew #TrueShrew tips the scales at 6 grams & 3.6 inches long, but have a short tail relative to their body. Their fur is dark-brown to reddish-brown in winter, lightening to gray in spring & summer months (Ohl & Kent 2012) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:38:48.196Z
Shrew's small size has relatively high energy requirements- they have to eat their own body mass every 24 hours- and their guts process meals fast with a food to poo passage time as short as 2 hours. (Hamilton 1944) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:39:02.746Z
As dear #2026MMM friend Prof. Michelle Bezanson would say "Animals move to eat and eat to move" and some more than others in the quest for survival! mysantaclara.scu.edu/GIVING/Miche… #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:39:33.030Z
As dear #2026MMM friend Prof. Michelle Bezanson would say "Animals move to eat and eat to move" and some more than others in the quest for survival! mysantaclara.scu.edu/GIVING/Miche… #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:39:33.030Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamLeastShrew Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:39:56.101Z
Shrews species relationships have always been difficult to resolve because their group speciated very quickly. He et al used mitochondrial genomes to create a phylogeny and identified the Least Shrew group as basal to all other small-eared shrews dx.doi.org/10.24272/j.i… #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:40:57.037Z
One of the smallest living marsupials, Long-Tailed Planigale tips the scales at 4.3 grams & 2.6 inches long, half of which is tail. Their fur is grey-brown with dustings of yellow & a lighter colored body (Olson 2008) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:41:37.297Z
Long-Tailed Planigale also has to eat about her body mass a day- primarily seeking insects at all life stages from larva to adult (van Deusen 1969). #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:42:13.314Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamLongTailedPlanigale Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:42:31.775Z
Big data for small mammals! Researchers used 16 nuclear and mitochondrial genes to build the Dasyuromorphia tree. Findings confirm long-tailed planigale sits within the Planigalini tribe, having diverged from its closest relatives ~12.3 million years ago doi.org/10.1111/zoj….. #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:42:37.440Z
TONIGHT in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Least Shrew hunts amongst the rodent grass tunnels in the "tidewater flats and offshore islands particularly where the brackish streams rush in and out with the ebb and flow of the tide" (Hamilton 1944) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:43:41.949Z
TONIGHT in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Least Shrew hunts amongst the rodent grass tunnels in the "tidewater flats and offshore islands particularly where the brackish streams rush in and out with the ebb and flow of the tide" (Hamilton 1944) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:43:41.949Z
Where once roamed MISTY, the only equine member of the American Library Association @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social! #2026MMM #2026mmm http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/misty…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:43:58.850Z
MEANWHILE Long-Tailed Planigale hunts the 'tussocky grass, dry swamps, & along the perennial streams' of outback Queensland, well West of the Great Divide. The monsoon season is winding down (van Deusen 1969) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:44:31.248Z
BACK IN CHINCOTEAGUE… Least Shrew blitz attacks an early spring hatch grasshopper, tiny shrew teeth bite down "KNEE-CAPPING" one of the hoppy legs of the grasshopper! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:44:51.817Z
Grasshopper tries to hop away with one good hoppy leg, but grasshopper careens off kilter directly INTO Planigale arriving from #MMMagic Translocation! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:45:13.768Z
Least Shrew & Planigale, so convergently evolved, are startled by unfolding events, giving grasshopper time to commando crawl into a crevice! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:45:38.034Z
But Long-Tailed Planigale is the master of crevices and cracks! Most of the year after the monsoon season ends for Australia's top end, the earth dries and cracks, creating deep fissures in the soil- in these crevices Planigale hunts and hides! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:46:27.450Z
AND GRASSHOPPER IS PLANIGALE'S FAVORITE FOOD! (Olson 2008, van Deusen 1969). #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:46:57.036Z
Planigale's narrow face follows grasshopper into the crevice, biting down and hauling the insect bounty backwards for a buggy feast! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:47:14.386Z
Least Shrew approaches to co-feed at the grasshopper, as this shrew is social and co-feeding tolerant… #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:47:35.402Z
When a cricket- LEAST SHREW'S FAVORITE FOOD! hops into the scene! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:48:38.470Z
Least Shrew blitzes the insect BITING INTO THE CRICKET'S HEAD and gets down to gorging- cracking through the torso to the squishy insides! (Hamilton 1944) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:49:32.738Z
Planigale finishes first & looks with beady marsupial eyes at Least Shrew, still eating cricket dinner… #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:50:03.554Z
WHEN AN ENORMOUS GRASSHOPPER LANDS INTO THE SCENE! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:50:26.731Z
Planigale launches ONTO the enormous grasshopper 'clings on fiercely, even during the aerial ride of the enormous grasshopper's space jumps to dislodge Planigale' (van Deusen 1969) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:51:04.817Z
The enormous grasshopper space hops BEYOND THE FIELD OF BATTLE with Planigale STILL RIDING!!! Planigale will deliver a final fatal predatory bite away from the encounter with Least Shrew! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:52:02.797Z
Least Shrew OUTLASTS Long-Tailed Planigale!!! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:52:25.134Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamLeastShrew Art by Mary C. Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:52:35.783Z
While the long-tailed planigale appeared relatively recently, its ancestors likely diversified as Australia collided with the Ontong-Java Plateau, creating the dry habitats they love today. doi.org/10.1111/zoj…. #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:52:53.098Z
Last Up!!!: 3-seed Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) vs 14-seed Siberian Salamander (Salamandrella keyserlingii) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:55:08.544Z
The largest lizard native to the US (~50 cm long), Gila Monsters are venomous & have low sexual dimorphism w/ bead-like scales & very distinctive black/pink/ orange markings, but it's a "secretive diurnal predator" spending lots of time underground (Gienger & Beck 2007; Beck 1990) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:56:20.424Z
Have you thanked a gila monster? Some Type 2 diabetes drugs are based on a hormone, exendin-4, found in gila monster saliva. This hormone is similar to one found in humans & can help regulate blood-glucose levels (Nogrady 2026) #ScienceSavesLives #FundResearch #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:57:14.974Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamGilaMonster Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:57:37.497Z
Gila monsters have 18 pairs of chromosomes (fewer than our 23), including a pair of sex chromosomes (Pokorná et al, 2014): journals.plos.org/plosone/arti… #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:57:37.818Z
Adult Siberian Salamanders are brownish & olive-colored, often with a stipe down their backs that is more golden. Adult female Siberian Salamanders are somewhat bigger than the males, weighing 3.2 grams. #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:58:16.558Z
Adult Siberian salamanders can survive prolonged freezing down to −50 °C, allowing the species to survive tundras of northern Eurasia by the East Siberian Sea at about 70° N so this species has the broadest geographic range of any amphibian (Shekhovtsov et al 2021) #thatscold #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:59:01.443Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamSiberianSalamander Art by Charon Henning @oddangel.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:59:14.746Z
Studying mtDNA genomes from throughout Siberian Salamander's range finds highest diversity in Russian Far East & Manchuria. Population expanded in the middle Pleistocene & then bottlenecked at the Last Glacial Max. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ym… #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T01:59:29.960Z
Gila Monster is in her below ground lair "chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool" in Picacho Mtns, AZ. Around here gets REAL HOT in the summertime, Gila adjust their activity patterns to avoid more extreme temps & are most active during morning in the springtime (Beck 1990) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:00:15.978Z
MEANWHILE, Salamander near Sea of Okhotsk is ~10 °C. She's been stuck like this since September, her glycerol-filled blood protects her tissues during this low tissue hibernation (Shekhovtsov et al 2021), and she won't wake from hibernation till May (Berman & Bulakhova 2016) #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:01:03.710Z
Our frozen salamander's glycerol lowers freezing point so that freeze/thaw doesn't kill the critter #CryoProtectant! But if too cold, blood vessels rupture & cells stressed so best to not be frozen for too long… when #MMMagic translocates Salamander to the desert of Arizona! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:02:20.404Z
Back in AZ, Gila is walking out of her burrow, hungry for meal after a long fast. Once described thusly "Its habits are very sluggish, and not infrequently whole days are spent in sleeping. This is almost universally the case during very cloudy weather." (Owen 1891) #Same #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:03:44.374Z
Gila is flicking her tongue stepping through the desert searching for eggs or small mammals. Gila Monsters don't eat often, when they do they consume 1/3rd of their body mass. Like a human eating three 20lb turkeys in one sitting! Gila monsters store the fat in their tails. #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:04:45.290Z
Siberian Salamander was translocated STILL FROZEN and is now in the Picacho sunshine… but she is no longer in -10 weather- Scouting reports suggest that it is warmer in Arizona. SALAMANDER IS BEGINNING TO THAW… #Freedom #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:05:52.689Z
The Gila Monster slowly moves towards the defrosting Siberian Salamander, using her flicking her tongue to assess as she steps towards the AMPHIBICICLE #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:07:20.460Z
Siberian Salamander has been surviving on her own body stores, loosing weight over hibernation (Berman et al 2016). Normally, awakening from hibernation would mean time to migrate to water to spawn #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:08:47.313Z
SLRIIIIP!! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:09:59.067Z
Gila Monster has bite-ripped a strip of thawing skin from the Siberian Salamander, who is warming from the OUTSIDE IN and not yet able to freely move!!! #FEEDom #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:12:00.233Z
Gila Monster's salivary venom dribbles down grooves on her teeth into the Salamander's wounds… but the venom is adapted to impact metabolically ACTIVE prey… still in the unfreezing process the effect of venom is likely limited… #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:12:55.469Z
SLRIIIIP!! Gila continues to bite & rip at outer parts of Siberian Salamander, as glycerol-infused blood drips from Salamander's now many wounds into the desert sand…. SLRIIIIP!! SLRIIIIP!! SLRIIIIP!! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:14:02.400Z
GILA MONSTER SLRIIIIPS SIBERIAN SALAMANDER!! #2026MMM #2026mmm
— Marc Kissel (@marckissel.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:15:35.317Z
#2026MMM #2026mmm #BoneyardDivision #TeamGilaMonster Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:15:43.929Z
Sequencing mtDNA COI genes in Siberian Salamander & cryptic sister species Schrenck salamander in northeast China finds high genetic differentiation among populations w/in each species in the Khingan Range & Changbai mountains doi.org/10.1371/jour… #2026MMM #2026mmm #RIP
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:16:02.277Z
WOW WHAT A NIGHT! Honey BadgerOssifrage ChuckwallaLeast ShrewGreat Grey ShrikePacific LampreySouthern Grasshopper MouseGila Monster ADVANCE!!!#2026MMM #2026mmm
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:17:32.604Z
And tomorrow night is ROUND 2 of LIBRARY LEGENDS & MONEY MAMMALS! Until then, be well, good night, and good luck! #2026mmm #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:18:09.854Z
THAT'S SO 🤘 EMOJI BATTLE#2026MMM #2026mmm Round 1🦡🆚💉: 🦡👃💉/💉⛓️💥👚/🏆🦡🆚🤏: 🤏🦗/🤏🛫🦗/🏆🦎🆚🦇: 🦎🎈🫁/🦇🛫🔚/🏆🦎👄🆚🦴: 👄🐟🏊♂️/🦴💀🧹/🏆👄🐁🆚🦂: 🦂🧯🐁/🐁🍽️🦂/🏆🐁📿🆚🥶: 📿🫦🥶/📿🍽️🥶/🏆📿🪱🆚🐦⬛: 🪱🦷🦵/🐦⬛🔪🪱/🏆🐦⬛🥸🆚🐛: 🥸🦴🆙/🦴⬇️🐛/🏆🥸
— Jess Popescu (@jesspopescu.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:16:32.187Z
THAT'S SO METAL ROUND 1 WINNERS#2026MMM #2026mmmHoney Badger, Least Shrew, Common Chuckwalla, Pacific Lamprey, Southern Grasshopper Mouse, Gila Monster, Shrike, and Ossifrage!Please join us TOMORROW (Thurs. 3/19) at 8PM EST for Round 2 of both Money Mammals and Library Legends!
— March Mammal Madness (@mmmletsgo.bsky.social) 2026-03-19T02:19:12.181Z
Christopher N Anderson 
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