r/zoology

Went cycling along a canal today. I went past it on my bike and it was nestled between the foliage. It didn't move which is unusual behaviour for a wild rabbit when cycling past it very fast. Around half an hour later, on my way back, I cycled past it again. This time it started hopping as it saw me and then it sat still and closed its eyes! I'm surprised it didn't run away. It was in the same place. It was very small, not sure if it's sick or if it was some sort of defence thing.

Found on a beach in South Italy, Tyrrhenian coast, the land of mozzarella, some part of a buffalo maybe??

What kind of skull is this? I found it along a river in Korea. It is 4-5 inches long.

(once again not stating the game name or platform for respect to no advertising rule)

you may or may not have seen my other post, but to run through it, I’m currently making a silly animal game where you can choose between a roster of lesser known species that members of the community decided to include in the game, and fight each other to the death :D (not encouraging irl animal fights)

The animal suggestions are still going so you can still submit animals you’d like to see but I was also wanting to ask the community again for any suggestions for potential abilities and attacks that I WILL do what I can to implement them in the game, and if you can you can even include concept drawings in your comment so we further know what to do :>

Mods, this isn’t a karma farm it’s just something to bring the already fun community together to make it even more fun

as always, if youre gonna suggest animals you’d gotta follow these rules:

No elephants, common hippos or giraffes
No fully aquatics
No animals that went extinct more than 2000 years ago
No cryptids
No domestics
No grey night herons (oh no)

Found outside a pet store, central coast CA. I thought it might have been a cow or a pig, but someone was telling me they thought it was a dog. It also looked weirdly… fresh? Like, not something a store would sell. Any ideas what it could be?

https://catalistair.medium.com/no-one-stops-for-snakes-why-some-animals-are-adored-and-others-are-feared-5ca27adfbf39

a new piece focusing on snakes and why they are so feared.

(TW for mentions of dead animals at the beginning.)

Part of my series, Animal Encyclopedia, this video covers the African Forest Elephant. You can find other videos from my series on Facebook, if you’re interested.

https://www.facebook.com/share/171WymaniM/?mibextid=wwXIfr

[im not going to state the game name, what it’s about, or what platform it’s on as respect to the no self advertising rule]

anyways

im currently making a silly animal game with simply yet quirky designs for the critters, and I wanted to do something fun and ask the people of the zoology community for animals that they’ve desperately wanted representation of in the media but haven’t gotten it yet, or just animals you find very intriguing!

I will attach pictures of your suggestions to your comments, as these models typically take around 5-10 minutes to make depending on the complexity of the animal :)

I do have some rules tho:

1. No elephants, giraffes, or common hippo submissions
2. No aquatic species, ex. fish, porpoises, octopus, etc.
3. Recently Extinct species from the past 3,000 years are allowed as suggestions
4. No dinosaurs bruv

have fun!

pic 1: Tongan Scrubfowl
pic 2: Gerenuks
Pic 3: Ruddy Ducks

pictured in the first photo, I am curious why some Asian Elephants have these areas of lighter skin, often speckled with darker bits, while others don’t have them at all. It seems different subspecies have this more commonly than others from the images I’ve seen, with Sri Lankan elephangs having it the most. Is it a genetic thing, or an indicator of age, etc etc? I think these patches are beautiful and remind me of my own birth marks, so I’ve always been curious about this

I came across this statement from a post about lion cannibalism which caught my attention:

>Lion cannibalism is a curious subject, as I, along with others, was under the impression that it is not usual for lions to eat other carnivores, let alone one of their very own. Jason Kipling of Umkumbe Safari Lodge sets the record straight and really emphasises the true nature of these apex predators. What makes them the powerful rulers they are is their instinct to survive, and this, according to Jason is purely a display of that predisposition:

>“As far as I’m concerned this is not totally abnormal behaviour, although lions are not usually considered tertiary consumers they will not let a potential meal go to waste … The killing of an outsider is mostly just eradication of potential competition and the dead animal a source of protein and nutrition that will not go to waste." In the words of a professional, the images of those Delta lions feasting from the belly of their fallen relative don’t seem so upsetting and unnatural.

>Courteney Blunden, owner of Africa on Foot, responds to my query about this unusual kill scene with a reference to the Kruger National Park’s most notorious male coalition – the Mapogos:

>“This behaviour is fairly common and it can basically be brought down to pure survival instinct. Lions like the Mapogo males were famous for killing and eating many lions during their reign of terror. Remember the female in the Ross Pride who killed and ate countless cubs including the one white cub in 2012!”

>Jason’s experience in the Sabi Sand and keen interest for Big Cats also refers us experiences with the Mapogos. He says, “I have, on a number of occasions, witnessed lions feeding on another lion. If a lion is caught outside of its territory and killed it is often eaten by the attacking pride/lion. In the Sabi Sand, the well-known Mapogo coalition of 6 males killed and ate many lionesses, often even ‘raping’ them in the process as a show of dominance.”

Emphasis is my own.

This made me wonder how many documented instances of forced copulation among lions and other big cats there are. Even domestic/house cats are known to engage in some...peculiar sexual behavior and other morbid acts like infanticide are well-known to experienced cat owners. Can anyone here add to the above?