#2026MMM March 23_R2_Extinction_is_forever_thats_so_metal_part_1 of 2

TONIGHT Round 2 of Extinction is Forever & That's So Metal Divisions!!! Who will win!? Who will be carnaged? Who will wander off the field of battle accidentally? AND WHAT INCIDENTAL ORGANISM WILL WRECK YOUR BRACKET?!? #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:00:20.332Z

First Up: #1-seed Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis) vs. #8-seed Least Shrew (Cryptotis parva) #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:02:02.344Z

Honey Badger males develop a thickened area of scar tissues on their back, seemingly like the necks & chests of elephant seals, from fighting with other male boney badgers, so older, dominant males are known as 'Scarbacks' (Begg et al. 2005). #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:02:37.044Z

#2026MMM #BoneyardDivision #TeamHoneyBadger Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:02:54.090Z

The honey badger isn’t the only species to evolve resistance to neurotoxins from venomous snakes – other species have convergently (independently) evolved similar genetic resistance mechanisms. doi.org/10.1016/j.to… #2026MMM

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:03:06.710Z

With their fast metabolism & high caloric needs, least shrews save energy BY CUDDLING in colder months! #2026MM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:03:45.824Z

In their communal nests, Least Shrews cuddling up reduces heat loss & lowers the energy demand for staying warm behavioral activity that effects physiology known as "social thermoregulation" (Merritt & Zegers 2014) #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:04:12.891Z

#2026MMM #BoneyardDivision #TeamLeastShrew Art by Mary C. Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:04:32.234Z

For such a small dude, the Least Shrew can get around — they are distributed across eastern North America, with genetic units shown on the map using diff colors. Wild how those Virginia and Louisiana animals are closely related! #2026MMM onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1…

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:04:41.710Z

Tonight, again in the Kalahari, Scarback Honey Badger is trotting along scrub plains between sand dunes, nose a few centimeters from the ground sniffing for tasty treats! #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:05:56.772Z

Meanwhile, in Chincoteague, Least Shrew with high metabolic demands is hunting crickets and snails in the grass tunnels created by small rodents when #MMMagic translocates Least Shrew to the Kalahari #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:06:14.571Z

Arriving into the semi-arid habitat, Least Shrew panics to be in such an open field and spins in place seek safety… seeing a spiny grass clump nearby, Least Shrew dashes to the closest tiny island of grass of the many that dot this sandy plain. #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:06:56.304Z

Honey Badger, nose to the ground intsersects Least Shrew's trail… not a rodent, but a small mammal of the Order Eulipotyphla like the shrew & hedgehog species found here! (Douady & Douzery 2009; Rautenbach 1971) #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:07:24.409Z

Honey Badger trots, tracking the Least Shrew closer… closer… closer… closer…#2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:07:53.638Z

Least Shrew senses the predator coming closer to his grass clump and bolts to another refuge TOO LATE! #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:08:44.940Z

Honey Badger's jaws snap up the tiny mammal with a quick chomp-chomp-swallow. After all "small mammals are the staple prey throughout the year" for Honey Badger (Begg et al. 2005) #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:09:02.523Z

Honey Badger DEVOURS Least Shrew!!! #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:09:19.673Z

#2026MMM #BoneyardDivision #TeamHoneyBadger Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:09:53.549Z

The Least Shrew used to enjoy an even larger pop size than today — peaking ~30,000 ya prior to declining over the past 10,000 yr. Back then, ~200k breeding shrews likely inhabited Chaves Co, NM… that's a lot of cute shrews! #RIP #2026MMM onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1…

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:10:14.735Z

NEXT UP: #2-seed OSSIFRAGE (Gypaetus barbatus) vs #10-seed GREAT GREY SHRIKE (Lanius excubitor) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:11:19.169Z

Ossifrages are excellent engineers! They begin supplying material to their nests on average 111 days prior to egg laying. Males are more active than females in nest building, which strengthens pair-bonding #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:12:09.281Z

During the breeding season (Oct-July) Ossifrage, like most raptors, increase their territorial defense. "intensity of defense is positively associated to offspring value (number of offspring, their age and their survival prospects" (Margalida & Bertran 2005a) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:12:59.601Z

During the breeding season (Oct-July) Ossifrage, like most raptors, increase their territorial defense. "intensity of defense is positively associated to offspring value (number of offspring, their age and their survival prospects" (Margalida & Bertran 2005a) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:12:59.601Z

#2026MMM #BoneyardDivision #TeamOssifrage Art by Charon Henning @oddangel.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:14:25.671Z

A 2021 microsatellite survey of 236 ossifrage individuals across 3 continents revealed 3 distinct genetic clusters, but they don't match the 2 recognized subspecies! S. African birds are most genetically isolated & show the highest inbreeding. doi.org/10.1186/s128… #2026MMM

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:13:43.157Z

Shrikes are songbirds named for the metal way they kill and cache their prey. Shrikes are in the genus Lanius, Latin for “butcher”, hence the moniker butcher bird. Great Grey Shrike’s name, Lanius excubitor, means “sentinel butcher.” #2026MMM #ThatsSoMetal

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:14:48.265Z

Great grey shrike uses 3 main tactics to hunt birds: sit, wait and attack by surprise, avoid recognition, and attack by surprise in flight (Lorek et al 2000) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:15:28.465Z

#2026MMM #BoneyardDivision #TeamShrike Art by Charon Henning @oddangel.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:15:52.319Z

The Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) hides 6+ species! mtDNA of 18 subspecies showed the complex is not monophyletic, some are genetically closer to American Loggerhead Shrikes than to each other. Plumage lies, genes don't. doi.org/10.1016/j.ym… #2026MMM

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:16:23.166Z

TONIGHT, after feeding herself, the adult Ossifrage glides back toward her nesting cliff in the Pyrenees on the look out for softer prey for her chicks (Margalida & Bertran 2005b) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:17:26.209Z

The Ossifrage breeding season – egg laying to fledgling – lasts about 177 days. TWO eggs were laid on December 4 and hatched 55 days later. The gangly chicks are half grown and if they're lucky, one of them will fledge in late May (Margalida & Bertran 2005a) #2026MMM 4vultures.org/blog/meet-th…

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:18:03.473Z

Back on the Socotra Archipelago, Shrike switched his perch from the Socotra fig tree to a nearby Dragon's blood tree. Both of these culturally important trees are island endemics & highly prone to extinction #2026MMM unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/p…

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:18:44.673Z

Shrike's wounded leg from the Bloodworm's gruesome bite is healing slowly, the time in the mudflats introducing myriad bacteria. Shrike leans down to swipe with her beak at the inflamed wound when #MMMagic trans-locates Shrike to the Pyrennes on the EDGE OF OSSIFRAGE'S NEST! #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:19:47.737Z

The clumsy, awkward vulture nestlings raise their bald heads in response to Shrike's appearance. One of the chicks starts hacking, ejects a pellet of undigestible food, and eats it again #WasntDoneWithThat #Nestflix #ThatsSoMetal #2026MMM youtu.be/AczqKpRw2fw?…

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:20:51.145Z

Startled by the hacking skeksis #DarkCrystal #WhereMyGenXAt? Shrike skitter-flies to a flat rock in the open to scan it's new surroundings, favoring the one healthy leg. #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:21:30.929Z

From high above, Ossifrage scans the cliffs for prey suitable for her chicks. Small birds are among the items adults bring during chick rearing… when Ossifrage's keen eyesight SIGHTS THE SHRIKE! #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:22:11.953Z

Ossifrage shifts her position toward Shrike’s perch, descending in a slow, deliberate glide. Bearded vultures rarely pursue small birds in fast flight but will attempt to seize them if they sit exposed (Margalida et al 2025) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:22:51.977Z

A harsh croak interrupts the Ossifrage descent! Common ravens (Corvus corax) alight near the unattended nest… 92% of Raven attacks at Ossifrage nests occur in MARCH!!! The nestlings respond by rigorously flapping their wings! (Bertran & Margalida 2004) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:23:36.521Z

Instinct overrides opportunity. Chick defense is immediate & essential. Ossifrage veers course away from the Shrike flying with powerful, deliberate wingbeats to the nest (Bertran & Margalida 2004) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:24:16.857Z

WHOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!! #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:24:52.417Z

The male ossifrage swoops the ravens with spread wings & low sharp calls!! Ravens tumble roll off the ledge, playing in the thermals, awaiting another opportunity as female combatant Ossifrage reunites with her chicks at the nest (Bertran & Margalida 2004) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:25:49.801Z

AMIDST the corvid-vulture battles, Great Grey Shrike has heard the territorial call of a local red-backed shrike, reminding him that establishing a territory is a top spring priority. #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:26:29.313Z

Shrike has flown from the field of battle, not even knowing the ravens distracted Ossifrage from turning him into nestling dinner. #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:27:05.745Z

OSSIFRAGE ELIMINATES GREAT GREY SHRIKE!!!!! #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:27:37.697Z

#2026MMM #BoneyardDivision #TeamOssifrage Art by Charon Henning @oddangel.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:27:52.440Z

All 33 shrike species trace their roots to Africa ~8 million years ago, when C4 grasses exploded across the continent. Oh, and Magpie Shrikes? Just big Lanius. The first complete shrike phylogeny reveals Laniidae is basically one giant genus. doi.org/10.1111/zsc…. #2026MMM #RIP

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:28:05.544Z

UP NEXT: 5th-seeded Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) vs. 13th-seeded Yallara (Macrotis leucura) from the Extinction is Forever Division #2026MMM #2026mmm

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:29:23.711Z

Analysis of stomach contents tells us that Baiji were bottom feeders. One dolphin's stomach "contained 1.9 liters of a… long, eel-like catfish that inhabits the mud in the bottom of this lake" (Brownell & Herald, 1972) #SlimyYetSatisfying #2026MMM

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:30:01.767Z

Admittedly, we have few stomachs to analyze, likely because local people revered the animals and did not want to help foreigners get specimens (Brownell & Herald, 1972) #2026MMM

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:30:28.193Z

#2026MMM #ExtinctionDivision #TeamBaiji Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:30:49.429Z

Did you know the Baiji, the extinct Yangtze river dolphin, was more closely related to a Narwhal than to the Susu or Ganges river dolphin? Yan et al used mt genomes to establish a phylogeny of the river dolphins and found them not directly related doi.org/10.1016/j.ym… #2026MMM

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:30:52.949Z

Yallara were desert survivalists: they extracted water from their food and built burrows deep underground (almost 2m!) to avoid the scolding heat from the Australian bush (that's like 6 stoats standing on top of each other deep #StoatsAsMeasurement) #2026MMM aussieanimals.com/profiles/les…

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:32:33.645Z

Yallara is the Aboriginal name for our combatant, one of many native fauna that were "pivotal in the culture of Aboriginal Australians, as food sources, as totemic beings, and as part of their understanding of their “country” and its creation" (Woinarski et al 2015) #2026MMM

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:33:15.815Z

#2026MMM #ExtinctionDivision #TeamYallara Art by Mary C. Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:33:33.478Z

The Yallara (Macrotis leucura) is gone, but it is part of a lineage older than many ecosystems. DNA shows their lineages split ~25 million years ago. They originated in Australia, then spread to New Guinea. #2026MMM doi.org/10.1016/j.ym…

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:33:39.398Z

Tonight, our lone Baiji is foraging at the junction of Poyang Lake and Yangtze River. People used to see groups of 10+ dolphins together, but it's 1991 and these large groups are rare as their numbers are dwindling (Brownell & Herald, 1972) #2026MMM

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:34:44.910Z

Back in the Australian bush, Yallara sleeps in the most peculiar and adorable position (squatting, long ears folded over its eyes, and long snout tucked between its legs #Awww #Shhh) then awakens with a mission… #2026MMM animaldiversity.org/accounts/Mac…

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:35:07.519Z

Their breeding season starts in March, so our male bilby is ready to find love. As he exits his nighttime burrow, Yallara hops through a #MMMagic portal that suddenly appears and finds himself along another watery shoreline… #NotAgain #2026MMM

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:35:29.608Z

This time, the water is dark and turbid, nothing like the blue and glittery Caribbean ocean. Yallara sees ripples on the water's surface a few meters away. Below, Baiji is foraging down in the mud for her favorite catfish with her superior echolocation skillset… #2026MMM

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:35:49.758Z

SHHHWOOOO!! Baiji comes up for air with a signature cetacean spout. She can only manage short dives lasting 20 seconds and heads back down to hunt, as Yallara stands vigilant, taking in the new surroundings of eastern China… #2026MMM

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:36:12.735Z

SHHHWOOOO!! Baiji comes up for air again and YALLARA IS GONE!!!! #2026MMM

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:36:37.514Z

During Baiji's 20-second dive, Yallara is predated upon by a Chinese street cat!! Free-ranging kitties kill MASSIVE numbers of wildlife in China (Li et al, 2021) & feral cats are the top reason leading to Yallara's extinction back in Australia (Woinarski et al, 2015) #2026MMM

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:37:07.108Z

Australia lost 1-2 mamamls per DECADE since European settlement in 1788 (which is WAY more than any other continent!), & many endemic mammals currently on the edge are declining fast either hunted or out-competed by introduced cats, rabbits, & foxes (Woinarski et al 2015) #2026MMM

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:37:43.748Z

BAIJI OUTLASTS YALLARA!!!! #2026MMM #2026mmm

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:38:15.654Z

Epilogue: TODAY Aboriginal Australians & European Australians are now working together #BothWays to conserve wild spaces & monitor threatened mammals in hopes of preventing further extinctions (Woinarski et al 2015) #2026MMM http://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10….

— Dr. Patrice K. Connors (@pkconnors.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:38:37.882Z

#2026MMM #ExtinctionDivision #TeamBaiji Art by Mary C. Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:38:52.421Z

Genomic data show some greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) populations are losing genetic diversity over time. More inbreeding. Less variation.Will they follow the fate of their extinct cousin, the Yallara?#RIP #2026MMM doi.org/10.1002/jwmg…

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:39:35.181Z

NEXT UP: #4-seed PACIFIC LAMPREY (Entosphenus tridentatus) vs. #5-seed COMMON CHUCKWALLA (Sauromalus ater) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:40:27.649Z

Endotherms like mammals regulate their body heat internally while exotherms like fish and reptiles obtain their heat from the environment. This trait makes exotherms a canary in the coal mine to observe the effects of climate change (Honek et al 2014) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:41:20.697Z

Chuckwallas occur in hot environments, but that doesn't mean they like it hot. Although they can maintain activity at body temperatures of 47 degrees C (117F) they prefer 37 degrees C (99F) and sought shade when their body temp reached 39 degrees (102F) (Plasman et al 2025) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:42:55.946Z

Male and female Common Chuckwallas exhibit different behaviors in response to extreme heat. Males are more active above ground and females chill below ground, yet they achieved the same thermoregulatory accuracy and effectiveness! (Sanchez 2018) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:43:41.794Z

#2026MMM #BoneyardDivision #TeamCommonChuckwalla Art by Mary C. Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:44:01.407Z

Bigger population = more genetic diversity? Not always. Chuckwallas (S. ater) have smaller local populations than sympatric desert lizards, yet show comparable genetic diversity, suggesting selection, not just drift, shapes variation. doi.org/10.1038/hdy…. #2026MMM

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:44:12.865Z

For Pacific Lamprey larvae, lethal water temperatures occur near 27.0- 31.0 degrees C (81-87F), though the sublethal effects of increasing stream temperatures needs more study (Sankovich and Whitesel 2024) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:45:28.250Z

#2026MMM #BoneyardDivision #TeamPacificLamprey Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:46:06.300Z

Imagine deliberately deleting 20% of your genome at birth. That's what sea lamprey embryos do! Smith et al. found ~500 million base pairs are permanently removed from body cells, kept secret only in sperm & eggs. doi.org/10.1073/pnas… #2026MMM

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:46:30.617Z

Pacific Lamprey is still in the North Pacific Ocean, feeding among the school of Chinook salmon. A marine heatwave is making food more difficult for salmon to find, which affects the fitness of lamprey #2026MMM http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-stor…

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:47:07.754Z

MEANWHILE Chuckwalla is enjoying a tasty meal of recently flowered pincushion plants. It's flowers are bright white and a favored food. Sated, he scurries to a rock outcrop and lies inflated on rocks with his belly and throat pressed into the warm rock (Berry 1972) #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:47:47.089Z

After a few years at sea, Lamprey has switched hosts several times to ensure she's at her fittest when she makes her migration later this year to Willamette Falls near Portland, OR. Her bite leaves behind a small, smiley face shaped scar #2026MMM http://www.nwcouncil.org/sites/defaul…

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:48:32.282Z

Meet the three generations of #ActualLivingScientists @critfc.bsky.social who are working to recover and restore Pacific lamprey to Columbia River tributaries #2026MMM youtu.be/PGN2TchoGSo?…

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:49:12.394Z

The Chinook salmon school (aka King salmon), the largest of the Pacific salmon need to eat lots of fish to achieve their massive size. Lamprey's survival depends, in part, on well fed hosts #2026MMM youtu.be/0_kLZiH5HkU?…

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:49:56.250Z

FLASH!!!!!!! #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:50:35.162Z

The salmon school comes upon a school of herring!!! #SchoolsCollide Lamprey thrashes along side it's host as it gobbles up delicious prey when all of a sudden… #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:51:21.754Z

A splooting Chuckwalla enters the scene! The murmurations of both herring and salmon as herring tries to evade salmon and salmon follows in close pursuit looks like an undersea light show! #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:52:43.554Z

Chuckwalla, still filled with air, gets tossed among the turbulent light show! #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:53:19.714Z

WOOOOOSH!!! #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:53:53.474Z

Top predator orca appears on the scene, synchronizing it's migration with it's preferred Chinook salmon prey, known as the Moran effect (Ward et al 2016) #IncidentalOrca #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:54:40.642Z

Among the strobing, flashing melee of herring evading salmon, salmon evading orca with lamprey flapping alongside it's salmon host along for the ride, air filled Chuckwalla slowly bobbles to the surface, BEYOND THE FIELD OF BATTLE!!!!! #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:55:56.218Z

Pacific Lamprey OUTLASTS Common Chuckwalla #2026MMM

— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:56:27.402Z

#2026MMM #BoneyardDivision #TeamPacificLamprey Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social

— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:56:49.696Z

Are carnivores more genetically diverse than herbivores? In Mojave lizards, it's complicated: Chuckwallas (S. ater) & other rare species matched or exceeded the diversity of more abundant ones, defying simple neutral theory predictions! doi.org/10.1371/jour… #2026MMM #RIP

— Lucas R Moreira (@lucasrocm.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:56:53.361Z

#InspirationalIntermission #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T00:59:12.078Z

#InspirationalIntermission #2026MMM

— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T01:00:17.125Z