A Rare Sight

An Ethiopian wolf sits among purple flowers in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains National Park.

by Axel Gomille

Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award

all these fucking fools on my dashboard talk about how they love bats but only show pictures of fruit bats fuck you start posting pictures of all bats i can’t stand this fucking bat erasure

look at him he’s not your conventionally attractive bat but he deserves just as much love

Yo, you want some adorable non-fruit bats? Gotcha covered, pals!

Long Eared Bat, huge ears and an adorable face!

Mexican Free Tailed Bat, named for the fact that their uropatagium (back leg membrane) doesn’t cover their tail, leaving them with a teeny mouse-like tail. 

Gould’s Wattled Bat, they got some pearly white sharp teeth, but they tell great jokes and always laugh at yours too. 

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

Hoary Bat, AKA the bat that looks like they’re covered in powdered sugar.

Bulldog Bat, a bulldog… with wings <3 

Vampire Bat, often seen as creepy, but they’re actually really cute. Also fun fact, vampire bats live in a social structure where able-bodied bats go out and feed and then share part of their meal with old/weak/sick members who cannot forage themselves. No survival of the fittest here, every bat helps every bat out <3 

And lastly, the Painted Bat, and yes, those are its actual colors. Can’t get any more Halloween than that <3 

Let me add a couple more!!

A personal favorite of mine: Honduran White Fruit Bat, also known as ‘Marshmallow Bats’! These tiny cuties make tents by nibbling on the leaves until they fold down, and they snuggle close underneath it!

Bumblebee Bat! The smallest bat species and often considered the smallest mammal on Earth!

And the newly discovered Pied Bat!! I couldn’t find much about them, but gosh, they are adorable!!

@spacebatisluvd

I love them all.

Give me more bats here, please !!

Close enough

Unrestrained summer fun

And now, a little sea-esta after our 40th fiesta🌊😴

The Creature

different modes of a bun

A Workin' Dawg.

🎶Fluffy little primate! Snowy power!🎵

well? can you?

So there are several species of frogs that have evolved to be so small that their vestibular balance system doesn't work well and I'm sorry but it's the funniest thing to watch them try to jump.

I have the power to change everything

just watched a video of a wildlife rehabber tube-feeding the teeny tiniest orphaned baby opossum and the comments are fucking KILLING me

baby opossum (too teeny, hasn’t finished cooking in the marsupial pouch like it ought to have done, doesn’t even look like it should exist):

the comments:

Blunthead Slug Snake

my son Blunthead Slug Snake he has every disease

Tools of the trade

To save the otters, we suit up with flair, In a Darth Vader costume, no need to beware!

With baby bottles in hand, they gulp with delight, A sip for the pups, all tucked in tight.

Towels galore, they twirl and they play, Learning to be otters and growing each day. 

Bite-proof gloves for those tiny sharp jaws, But don’t worry, they still earn our 'awws!'

From the stars to the shore, we gear up and care, For these mighty mustelids who protect kelp forests with flair!

Behind the scenes of sea otter care, our gear is as unique as the otters themselves! From donning a Darth Vader-esque disguise (yes, really!) to using baby bottles for feeding our rescued pups, it takes more than meets the eye to keep these fluffs happy and healthy. 

With stacks of towels for grooming, sturdy bite-proof gloves to handle those curious paws, we’re ready for anything. Otter care is searious  business—but it shore comes with some fun perks!

Tune in later this week to see these otter tools of the trade in action! 

Hobart Rivulet Platypus

Image credit: Pete Walsh

Btw if you want an example of actually cute and appropriate handling of a baby hippo in an accredited zoo with trained keepers, there’s always Fiona the Hippo at Cincinnati Zoo!

She was born premature and had to be hand raised initially

Fiona felt very safe with her keepers and she would regularly snuggle with them and snooze on their laps. They had to monitor her 24/7 and take feedings in shifts - and it was very uncertain whether she would even survive!

While you might say that it’s hypocritical to support free contact in one situation and not another, this is a situation where free contact was very much okay. They had to support Fiona like this as she was regularly needing medical intervention and needed to be constantly monitored around the clock.

What’s the difference between Fiona and Moo Deng’s situation? Agency and respect. Fiona was never harassed for views or forced into situations she didn’t want to be in.

The content they made with her was showing the process of hand raising a premature baby hippo. Even when they picked her up to put her in her pool she was never madly thrashing to get away.

The goal was always to transition her to be completely hands off and be with her mother Bibi. And her habitat is species appropriate with deep water for swimming in.

She was able to be reintroduced to her mother and grow up engaging in appropriate social behaviours in an enriching and species appropriate habitat.

And she’s now 7 years old and still thriving!