TONIGHT IS THE CLASH OF THE DIVISION CHAMPIONS! #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:00:36.671Z
The LibGuide launched in 2017 and now, in the year that we celebrate that ASU Library milestone we stumbled upon something amazing in an internet archive. That same year students went to their School Board to talk about March Mammal Madness. 🥺 😭 #2026MMM archive.org/details/ycsd…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:01:39.652Z
And NOW, the penultimate night of the 14th Tournament #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:02:56.706Z
FIRST BATTLE of the FINAL ROAR: #1-seed Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) from the Library Legends vs. #1-seed Honey Badger from That's So Metal! (Mellivora capensis) #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:05:17.491Z
During the Wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara, the largest remaining terrestrial animal migration, mass drownings of thousands of wildebeest introduce terrestrial nutrients into the freshwater ecosystem (Subalusky et al. 2017) #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:06:52.725Z
That wildebeest mass drowning delivery of nutrients into the landscape is the biomass equivalent of ~40 Humpback Whale carcasses or 6.5 MILLION DEAD STOATS #StoatsAsUnitOfMeasurement #2026MMM marckissel.shinyapps.io/Stoat/
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:07:17.392Z
Nile Crocodiles continue to consume these wildebeest carcasses long after the 1+ million wildbeest herd has move on. (Subalusky & Dutton 2025; Pringle 2017; Subalusky et al. 2017) #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:08:27.176Z
#2026MMM #FinalRoar #LibraryDivision #TeamNileCrocodile Art by Mary C. Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:08:57.104Z
How related are Nile crocodiles across Southern Africa? Van Asch et al. (2019) used STRs & mtDNA to examine phylogeography & genetic diversity. Primary differentiation across east/west & secondarily across major river systems #2026MMM doi.org/10.1371/jour…
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:09:26.578Z
Honey Badgers adeptly hunt dozens of species across insects, arachnids, birds, mammals, & reptiles- even swimming very well hunting turtles. But Honey Badgers very, very rarely scavenge caracasses less than <0.5% of their prey items (Begg et al. 2003; Vanderhaar & Ten Hwang 2003). #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:10:54.471Z
#2026MMM #FinalRoar #BoneyardDivision #TeamHoneyBadger Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:11:41.297Z
Although honey badgers have a dominant male, genetic analysis revealed that subordinate males fathered about half of cubs. journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.1… #2026MMM
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:11:29.616Z
TONIGHT Nile Crocodile and Honey Badger will meet in the randomly determined battle habitat of… EUCALYPT FOREST!!!! #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:14:37.939Z
Specifically, Garig Gunak Barlu National Park of Australia's Northern Territory, where land meets deep water; the name comes from the Aboriginal Australian Garig people's language with gunak for 'land' and barlu for 'deep water' (Dekoninck et al 2007) #2026MMM nt.gov.au/parks/find-a…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:15:47.951Z
AND DEATH IS IN THE AIR… #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:17:14.054Z
Because the 2025-2026's top end wet season has been a series of megafloods #2026MMM http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:17:49.122Z
Floods have washed away herds of horses and cattle and inundated key croplands http://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03… #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:18:55.403Z
And there are crocs EVERYWHERE! To escape the fast-rushing high waters, the territorial big bois & gals of the big rivers relocate up smaller creeks, channels, ditches etc #2026MMM http://www.theguardian.com/australia-ne…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:19:40.938Z
Including a #MMMagically translocated Nile Crocodile walking in a non-flooded area of the Eucalypt forest.Attracted to the aroma of rotting meat, Nile Crocodile starts following his nose (Weldon & Ferguson 1993) #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:21:12.602Z
Nearby, Honey Badger is jog-trotting, nose to the ground on the trail of… what seems to be a large lizard…. (Begg et al. 2003) #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:22:23.757Z
Honey Badger follows the lizard's trail deeper into the Eucalypt forest… when the trail begins leading UP A TREE! #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:23:29.937Z
HONEY BADGER DON'T CARE!! This adept digger is ALSO an adept climber! Honey Badger climbs after a goanna! AKA: banded tree monitor (Varanus scalaris) (Begg et al 2003). #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:24:00.706Z
Goanna is panicking in the tree from the predatory Honey Badger pursuit, this is MUCH bigger than a Northern quoll! (Dunlop et al. 2017) #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:24:45.429Z
Goanna is backing away on a branch…. RIGHT ABOVE THE CARCASS OF A FERAL BANTENG!!!! (Murray & Nevard 2024) #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:26:01.567Z
Nile Crocodile has had meager meals of late- mouse, gray fox, & Leg o' LION garnished with MMMoldand rushes forward to gorge on the dead bovid #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:26:34.950Z
BUT SOMEONE ELSE IS ALREADY THERE… A ESTUARINE CROCODILE!!! #Saltie (Magnusson 1990). #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:27:08.034Z
Nile Crocodile may be the world's 2nd largest living Crocodilian, stretching ~18feet snoot to tail & tipping the scales at ~2000lbs #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:28:13.648Z
But Estuarine Crocodiles are the world's LARGEST living Crocodilian #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:28:29.531Z
Although preferring to battle in water, the land-locked crocodiles rumble-growl and hiss, sizing each other up from across the bloated banteng caracss (Leeds et al. 2022) #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:29:30.032Z
MEANWHILE in the canopy above the crocodiles, Honey Badger is closing in on the goanna! Honey Badger bites at the long neck of the goanna as the goanna's front clawed feet slash at Honey Badger's throat! #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:30:29.312Z
Honey Badger pushes forward ripping at the goanna with front paws while his jaw bites down… but his back legs wobble, and together the mustelid and lizard tumble from the branch… #2026MMM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ung1…
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:31:19.628Z
MIGHTY MUSTELID & #IncidentalGoanna PLUMMET ONTO THE BLOATED BANTENG CARCASS, the two foes bouncing apart on impact!!! #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:32:22.049Z
JUST AS Nile Crocodile lunges across the carcass to "jaw clash" the local boi #OopsUpsideYourHead #ISaidOoopsUpsideYourHead (Leeds et al. 2022) #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:33:03.232Z
SQEAULCHOOOOSH!!!! #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:33:53.913Z
Nile Crocodile's body lands across the banteng and RUPTURES the microbial off-gassing, bloated carcass, CRUSHING the goanna… #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:35:01.215Z
and sends Honey Badger sliding in a gush of putrification fluids & maggots! #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:35:37.814Z
Estuarine Crocodile has been gorging on post-flood bloat carcasses aplenty for weeks now so this meal doesn't matter #WhyEscalate; with the waters receding, it's time to return to his typical haunts and reclaim his ACTUAL territory… #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:36:36.231Z
Honey Badger jog-trots away to a quieter location to consume these maggotsafter all Honey Badgers will meticulously process individual larvae of the solitary honey bee! (Begg et al. 2003) #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:37:27.897Z
Honey Badger jog-trots away to a quieter location to consume these maggotsafter all Honey Badgers will meticulously process individual larvae of the solitary honey bee! (Begg et al. 2003) #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:37:27.897Z
Nile Crocodile digs into to his goanna-stuffed banteng, gorging FINALLY, holding the field of battle! #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:38:03.179Z
NILE CROCODILE OUTLASTS HONEY BADGER!!! #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:38:28.147Z
#2026MMM #FinalRoar #LibraryDivision #TeamNileCrocodile Art by Mary C. Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social and Charon Henning @oddangel.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:38:59.004Z
A chromosome-scale genome for the honey badger doesn't yet exist. Only available genome is in 2,068,312 pieces. Honey badger don't care. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/datasets/gen… #2026MMM #RIP
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:39:11.198Z
#InspirationalIntermission #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:41:44.491Z
#InspirationalIntermission #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:43:05.810Z
Last Up: #1-seed Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) from the Money Mammals Division vs. #3-seed Aurochs (Bos primigenius) from the Extinction is Forever Division #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:45:02.625Z
Scientists can study Humpback Whale EARWAX to see migratory patterns, human impacts, changes in prey, AND long-term ecological changes (e.g. Suess Effect). Earwax is exuded in semi-annual bands like studying the rings of trees! (Mansouri et al. 2021) #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:46:05.887Z
#2026MMM #FinalRoar #MoneyDivision #TeamHumpbackWhale Art by Charon Henning @oddangel.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:46:31.358Z
Every year, humpback whales make long treks btwn where they breed & where they feed. Maternally-inherited mtDNA from >1,800 humpback whales suggest that animals annually return to where they were born to breed themselves & where they fed w/their moms early in life #2026MMM doi.org/10.3354/meps10508
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:46:39.879Z
Aurochs benefitted from the dam-building activities of beavers- flooding forest areas, transforming landscapes into meadows of grasses & sedges #AnotherKindOfFieldWork. Aurochs would have lived in marshy areas along freshwater rivers & lakes and coastal salt marshes ( (van Vuure 2014) #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:47:57.481Z
#2026MMM #FinalRoar #ExtinctionDivision #TeamAurochs Art by Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:48:28.660Z
The extinct auroch had at least three subspecies, and all three contributed some ancestry to modern cattle. For example, Cai et al found East Asian cattle descend from West Eurasian cattle originally but then later admixture with the extinct East Asian auroch doi.org/10.1038/hdy…. #2026MMM
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:48:37.921Z
Tonight Humpback Whale and calf are back in their spring home of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:49:28.079Z
Humpback Whale and her calf are in shallow coastal waters, only 40-60m deep (~120-180 feet) near the surface with few vocalizations seemingly to avoid harassing male Humpback Whales whose amorous intentions toward mum can pose risks to calves (Pack et al. 2018; Indeck 2021) #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:50:49.169Z
Behavioral adaptations to seek shallow coastal waters though, bring Humpback Whale & calves into proximity to ship traffic, increase risk of ship strikes & other stresses (Bejder et al. 2019) #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:51:38.868Z
Meanwhile, Aurochs is grazing the marshy meadows of 12th Century Poland WHEN… #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:52:35.791Z
MMMagic translocates Humpback Whale mom & calf dyad and Aurochs to the randomly determined battle habitat of… THE SWAMP!!! #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:53:25.772Z
Specifically, the shallow freshwater swamp of Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, USA #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:54:18.408Z
The water level in the swamp is just above 8 feet tonight, Humpback Whale calf can float, barely, but Humpback Whale mom, 10.5 feet in diameter, keeps running aground in the swamp #USGSdata #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:55:09.356Z
"When a large whale is stranded, chances of survival are low due to effects of rapid increase in body temperature & compression of internal organs" (Neves et al. 2020) #CallBackStellersSeaCow #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:56:04.995Z
AND Humpback Whale calf can't nurse here without getting crushed by mom!!! #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:56:54.384Z
Aurochs on one side, calf on the other, Humpback Whale mom, slaps her fluke against the water, arches her body against the muddy, sandy soil swamp-bed in an attempt to not be stranded but she is beginning to rub her belly raw!! (Neves et al. 2020) #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:57:42.451Z
Aurochs panics from being in deep (to him) water next to the flailing whale & begins swimming away on a perpendicular trajectory from Humpback Whale #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:58:36.360Z
WHEN 20-TON HUMPBACK WHALE STARTS ROLLING ONTO AUROCHS!!! #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T00:59:24.383Z
Arch-rearing against the whale, Aurochs begins to gore his 3.5foot long horns (van Vuure 2014) into the Humpback Whale puncturing her skin… her blubber… into her rib… (Struthers 1888) #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:00:31.930Z
HUMPBACK WHALE SUBMERGES AUROCHS INTO THE SWAMP WATER!!! #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:01:23.823Z
CRRRRUUUUUUUUMMBLEWHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!! #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:01:58.673Z
The karst limestone formations has a catastrophic cover collapse OPENING A SINKHOLE #GeologyTwist #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:04:39.393Z
SWOOSHING INTO DEEP LAKE, the mullet of lakes- freshwater on top, saltwater down below, formed by a HUGE catastrophic sink hole collapse (Upchurch et al. 2018)! #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:05:47.856Z
Humpback Whale mom, calf and Aurochs can swim freely!!! #2026MMM http://www.nps.gov/bicy/learn/h…
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:06:43.157Z
Aurochs immediately swims toward the lake bank, fleeing the scene of battle!!! #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:07:32.979Z
Humpback Whale Mom & Calf submerge down for a nourishing nursing bout that brings reassuring comfort to both of the whales. #ThisSituationCallsForOxytocin (Zoidis & Lomac-MacNair 2017) #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:08:24.396Z
LIKE SO #2026MMM
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:08:10.784Z
HUMPBACK WHALE OUTLASTS AUROCHS!!!! #2026MMM
— Tara Chestnut, PhD (@tcastanea.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:09:19.333Z
#2026MMM #FinalRoar #MoneyDivision #TeamHumpbackWhale Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social and Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social
— V Pellicer- looking for work! (@veppart.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:09:41.229Z
Is the auroch DNA truly gone from the world? Pereira et al found that modern Anatolian, Levant, Irani, and Balkans cattle share DNA to various degrees with extinct Armenian, British, and Moroccan ancient aurochs. A small amount of auroch DNA still lives today doi.org/10.1126/scie… #2026MMM #RIP
— Elinor Karlsson (@elinork.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:09:43.857Z
NILE CROCODILE with take on HUMPBACK WHALE in the #2026MMM CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE on WEDNESDAY!!!!Until then, be well! Good night, & good luck!
— Katie Hinde (@mammalssuck.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:14:25.235Z
#2026MMM FINAL R😮AREMOJI BATTLE 🐊🆚🦡: 🪄🌳/🦡👃🏼🦎/🦡🧗🏾♂️🌳/🐊🐊🍽️💀/🐊😑🔊🐊/🦡🦷🦎/🦡🦎⤵️💀/🐊👄🐊/🐊 💀💥🦡/🇦🇺🐊🤷🏻👋🏻/🦡🍽️🐛/🐊🍽️💀/🏆🐊🐋🆚🐂: 🪄🇺🇸/🐋🤏🌊/👶🏼🚫🍼/🐋🤰🏼🔴😩/🐂🏊🏾♂️📐🐋/🐋🔄🐂/🐂🗡️🐋🩻/🐋⬇️🐂/🕳️🔜🌅/🐋👶🏼🐂🏊🏼♀️/🐂🏊🏾♂️🏖️/🐋🍼👶🏼/🏆🐋
— Jess Popescu (@jesspopescu.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:15:57.852Z
FINAL ROAR #2026MMM WINNERS:NILE CROCODILE andHUMPBACK WHALE!Please join us WEDNESDAY April 1st at 8PM EST for the CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE!!!
— March Mammal Madness (@mmmletsgo.bsky.social) 2026-03-31T01:16:27.111Z
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