[the zoological association] animal sciences chat

[zoocyte]

here's a video of a polar bear from the oregon zoo diving into the water. i really love watching how different kinds of animals move in the water, from fish to crocodiles to otters to seals to penguins to hippos to snakes to whales and others, it's a fascinating version of locomotion to witness.

look how this hippo swims up and down so quickly! it's amazing to watch from such a huge animal.

look at these sea snakes and how they're shaped to move through water! i've never seen a lot of them in one place. mesmerizing serpents.

[ChunkyChad]

username: ChunkyChad
favorite animal overall? Seals/sea lions (though if I had to pick a specific one probably harbor seals)
favorite mammal? Seals/sea lions again lol
favorite reptile? Crocodiles/Alligators (but legless lizards are close)
favorite amphibian? Pixie frog (so chunky)
favorite bird? Flamingos or any of the birds of paradise (or really any bright coloured bird)
favorite fish? Catfish or whale shark
favorite invertebrate? Sea slugs
favorite extinct animal? Ummm having a hard time thinking of one so I'm gonna just go with the weird lookin koolasuchus
favorite (by your standards) underrated animal? Bighorn sheep (they're always so chill and tend to hang out near roads so they're easy to spot)
favorite branch of zoological science? anthrozoology since it seems the closest to what I'm studying (though any that have a focus on marine life are up there)
what animals have you seen in person? A lot so I'll just say the stand outs (not including zoos), seals, turkey vulture, great horned owl, moose, killer whales, and though this last one, bison, I've seen a fair amount but did get to have a close encounter with a few cause they charged me :c
what animals can be found in your area? I'll say the ones I have seen which are black bears, grizzlies, coyotes, deer, elk, moose, eagles, hawks, canadian toads, garter snakes and other common animals like squirrels and such
do you create media related to animals (art, writing, crafts, etc.)? I occasionally draw animals
have you ever wanted to work with animals? Yes I am currently studying animal health in university with a focus on companion and performance animals with hopes of eventually also getting some credentials to work with marine life. I also am in training right now to volunteer at a shelter.
what animals do you hope to see in person one day? Any deep sea life, especially those that are barely understood like the bigfin squid or possibly a yet discovered creature.
give me an animal fact! Dogs are able to understand pointing gestures while chimpanzees despite being more closely related to us tend to not recognize this form of communication

[hyenacolada]

username: hyenacolada

favorite animal overall? hyenas
favorite mammal? hyenas
favorite reptile? leachianus geckos
favorite amphibian? tiger salamanders
favorite bird? pigeons
favorite fish? corydora catfish
favorite invertebrate? weevils (all species)
favorite extinct animal? thylacines

favorite (by your standards) underrated animal? chinchillas
favorite branch of zoological science? taxonomy + entomology

what animals have you seen in person? all kinds!
what animals can be found in your area? tons of mammals skunks/woodchucks/mink/deer, i have a nest of waxwings in my backyard as well
do you create media related to animals (art, writing, crafts, etc.)? i love scientific illustration and traditional art, and i exclusively draw animals

have you ever wanted to work with animals? my whole life! i'm a senior in college majoring in zoology with a minor in animal behavior! i also work in an entomological collection rn
what animals do you hope to see in person one day? i want to work with hyenas very badly, but most of my studies are in inverts ;A;

give me an animal fact! despite their looks, hyenas are not canines! they're actually feliformes, as they have retractable claws and similar ear morphology to cats

[Sadies]

username: Sadies
favorite animal overall? Dog.
favorite mammal? Dogs. I also really love Hyena.
favorite reptile? Western Hognose Snake.
favorite amphibian? Newt?
favorite bird? Conure.
favorite fish? Betta.
favorite invertebrate? Amano Shrimp.
favorite extinct animal? Tasmanian Tiger. :(
favorite (by your standards) underrated animal? Shrimp, Fish, Hyena.
favorite branch of zoological science? Cynology - Study of Dogs. Also mammalogy.
what animals have you seen in person? Too many to list, studied animals in college and cared for a large range including Otters, Penguins, Lemurs. I work with mostly Dogs, also cats and small animals.
what animals can be found in your area? I have a cat and fish in my house...XD I live in the UK, so British animals with a cup of tea. lol.
do you create media related to animals (art, writing, crafts, etc.)? I draw and write about canines. Usually Wovles.
have you ever wanted to work with animals? Yes, I work at Dog Groomers (we also groom cats, rabbits and guinea pigs.)
what animals do you hope to see in person one day? Mexican Hairless (Standard) dog. Also love to see a Hyena (Spotted) and Wolves in the wild.
give me an animal fact! Dogs developed their eyebrow muscles, the ones that give the "puppy dog face", purely for humans. They are also able to read human facial expressions and they read them in the same direction as humans do, from one side to the other. Their behavior, interactions with humans and diet are all completely different from that of the wolf. It is one of the main reasons why the "dominant dog theory" (training dogs as if they are wolves/needing to dominate your dog) has been debunked repeatedly.

Oh, and hear is a Feather Star, just because I could watch them for hours.

[zoocyte]

after several years, i have returned!! i read through the forms and y'all had really nice picks for faves :DD
i return with a question:



Code: Select all

[b]what is a piece of zoological misinformation you particularly dislike?[/b]

[Mortuary]

Love the idea of a general zoology thread! Wish I'd found it sooner:')

username: Mortuary
favorite animal overall? I don't think I can choose one, but I usually default to saying hares when asked or flies depending on the people and situation
favorite mammal? Hares, fancy rats
favorite reptile? I don't have a favourite, but the crested geckos I've handled were cute.
I'd love to learn more about reptiles, but I have no idea where I'd start honestly
favorite amphibian? Maybe some of the cave-dwellling species? I like olms and their freaky little arms
favorite bird? Very broad but Phasianidae birds! Greater prairie-chickens and ring-necked pheasants are cute
favorite fish? Oarfish, lamprey, arapaima, mackerel, pike etc.
favorite invertebrate? I absolutely love any fly species, but I'm most fascinated by the parasitic ones like tachinid flies. Ant mimics and syrphids are fun too. Crustaceans! Particularly amphipods, copepods, caridina and neocaridina shrimp (yay shrimp genetics), and barnacles. Also ichneumon wasps, flatworms, feather stars
favorite extinct animal? Ammonites, crinoids, and animals of the Precambrian-Cambrian period though I wouldn't say I know a lot about them
favorite (by your standards) underrated animal? Flies again, not all of them look like typical houseflies either! - there's a lot of pretty and imo cute hoverflies, for example. I'd say parasites are understudied as well despite it being such a widespread adaptation. I'd guess partially because the ones that parasitize humans are the first to come to mind, so people are less inclined to consider their ecological importance
favorite branch of zoological science? Entomology, carcinology, pathology and taxonomy!
what animals have you seen in person? Exluding zoos I've seen deer, seals, porpoises, alligators, foxes, hares, squirrels, etc. Recently spotted a cuckoo wasp as well! They're beautiful but also very fast, so I haven't had any luck getting a good photo yet
what animals can be found in your area? The above except alligators
do you create media related to animals (art, writing, crafts, etc.)? I draw a lot of animals, but rarely any inverts actually!
have you ever wanted to work with animals? Always have! Hoping I'll get to work with flies or marine parasites eventually
what animals do you hope to see in person one day? Would be cool to see some of the bigger amphipod species or something like a basket star
give me an animal fact! The 'pincers' that scorpions have are not an extra set of legs, but rather extended mouthparts called pedipalps

[Falco]

username: Falco
favorite animal overall? Crested caracara
favorite mammal? Tasmanian devil
favorite reptile? Common chuckwalla
favorite amphibian? California tiger salamander
favorite bird? If I couldn’t say crested caracara, I’d go with northern spotted owl!
favorite fish? I love parrot fish as a whole
favorite invertebrate? assasssin beetle!
favorite extinct animal? Passenger pigeon
favorite (by your standards) underrated animal? I hardly see anyone talk about caracaras, so I’m going with that!
favorite branch of zoological science? ornithology
what animals have you seen in person? I do a lot of field research but some of the coolest ones I’ve seen whwre a pack of wolves, Atlantic puffins in nesting season, California condors, and I’ve also kept tabs on multiple different nesting sites in the area (red tailed hawks, paragon falcon, cinnamon teals, and barn owls where some of my highlights this season!)
what animals can be found in your area? I’m lucky and happen to live right in an area with big grassy fields, marshes, wetlands, lakes, and forests. I’m also right by the ocean so it really depends on what’s stopping by! Mostly birds in the area. But there’s also Colombian black tailed deer, opossums, raccoons, grey foxes, all the basic stuff
do you create media related to animals (art, writing, crafts, etc.)?
have you ever wanted to work with animals? yes, I have been working with exotic animals both in rehabilitation and educational facilities for a few years.
I work with animal ambassadors and do wildlife rehab!
what animals do you hope to see in person one day? my bird list is quite long. Recently I have been super into warblers
give me an animal fact! Falconry is the oldest sport that’s still practiced! The same equipment has been used for over 6000 years.

[wimpod]

username: wimpod

favorite animal overall? coelacanths
favorite mammal? all carnivora excluding coyotes
favorite reptile? tuataras
favorite amphibian? wood frogs
favorite bird? black capped chickadees
favorite fish? coelacanths
favorite invertebrate? ladybugs
favorite extinct animal? chasmosaurus

favorite (by your standards) underrated animal? bats and squirrels
favorite branch of zoological science? paleontology, herpetology, ichthyology, ornithology, systematics

what animals have you seen in person? pretty much everything! i used to work in a zoology museum
what animals can be found in your area? elk, deer, bison, bears, cougars, coyotes, squirrels, rabbits, sparrows, bats, hummingbirds, Canadian geese, walleye, whitefish, pike, moose
do you create media related to animals (art, writing, crafts, etc.)? i make felt birds and i quilt!

have you ever wanted to work with animals? always!! i was the kid who said they wanted to be a marine biologist when they grew up i majored in paleontology and minored in zoology and now i work in fish and wildlife
what animals do you hope to see in person one day? most of the nonnative animals i’ve seen are dead (perks of working in a zoology museum), but i’d love to see a tuatara and macaws!

give me an animal fact! tuatara (Sphenodon) are the only living member of their order, they are lepidosaurs but not squamates!

[cswolf.]

This looks like such an interesting thread <3
I look forward to reading through this all.

[Captain. A. Stark.]

username: captain. a. stark.
favorite animal overall? sand cat
favorite mammal? quokka
favorite reptile? black mamba
favorite amphibian? american bullfrog
favorite bird? greater lorophina
favorite fish? whale shark
favorite invertebrate? hermit crabs (i have one as a pet!)
favorite extinct animal? thylacine (tasmanian tiger)
favorite (by your standards) underrated animal? coyotes deserve more love
favorite branch of zoological science? icthyology, entomology, bionics, and paleontology
what animals have you seen in person? plenty, i've been around! i work in the arthropod exhibit of our local museum whenever i'm at home, so i'm very familiar with phasmids, insects, and invertebrates! my favorite ones to work with is our five pound lobster (she's a big girl), aquatic hermit crabs (we drop little feeder balls in for them to give them a challenge and it's so adorable and chaotic at the same time), and the spiny leaf insects (creepy guys but they chill).
what animals can be found in your area? i live in the south, we have a lot of animals down here! i see a lot of snapping turtles, squirrels, anoles, and frogs where i'm at.
do you create media related to animals (art, writing, crafts, etc.)? hmm, not much anymore! i do small advocacy projects but that's about it.
have you ever wanted to work with animals? yes! i started out as a psychology major but i realized my heart lies with animals and animal science. i recently switched my major to chemistry and am doing pre-veterinary medicine on the side.
what animals do you hope to see in person one day? i'm located somewhat close to the red wolf habitats; i hope to see them in person one day. i've advocated for red wolves in the past and one of my biggest dreams is to see them repopulate. apart from that, i've seen a lot of animals, but usually only in captivity or dead. i'd love to see a tiger or a cheetah out in the wild one day, as well as an arctic fox.
give me an animal fact! every whale shark has a unique pattern on its back!