samtmugford.bsky.social
Science worrier, decoding bugs
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8537-5578
144 posts
853 followers
1,853 following
Prolific Poster
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*very very nearly a Dr
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A squirrel ate through the lid of the plastic bin i kept bird food in, kept in my greenhouse. I discussed mixing chili powder in with the food to deter the squirrel (birds can't taste capsaicin). The squirrel responded by digging up my chili plants to bury peanuts in the pots, which grew. checkmate.
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The question! For its weight, which animal produces the most poop? Something with a fast metabolism but calorie-poor diet? A small mammal? A bird? (How many species have we measured fecal output for? Or do we have to infer based on food consumption?)
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Other xylem feeders, sharp-shooters, cicadas also probably have similar outputs.
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"Nymphs excrete copious fluid -up to 284 times their body mass per day"
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I'm going to make a case for the spittlebug. It consumes (and excretes) enormous quantities of very nutrient poor sap. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
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Nice. You could even call it a primer.
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A paint mine?!
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Belt and... Belt
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Strongly encourage @galling.bsky.social to have a look through the bluesky starter pack directory, look for relevant lists and contact the admins to get themselves added. Shortcut to lots of followers who will be very keen to engage blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs
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Done
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I can email it
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Are they blue and fluffy?
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Can I take some off your hands please?
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Wearing the dead bodies of their defeated enemies as camouflage
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There is a colony of aphids on the ragwort that are defended by ants. It seems that as well as fighting off predators the ants are carrying up soil and building a shelter for the aphids. Amazing behaviour!