Prof. Katie Hinde Profile picture
Mar 27, 2018 22 tweets 11 min read Read on X
Next Up- THE POTTERVERSE BATTLE: DRAGON VS. OWL #2018MMM
More specifically: #3 Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) vs. #6 Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) #2018MMM
Komodo Dragon swallowed the snot otter to advance to round 2, while Eurasian Eagle Owl perforated the Beaded Lizard, relative of @gilamonsterasu #2018MMM
Komodo Dragons are massive, venomous monitor lizards. I first learned about the world's biggest lizard as an undergrad when I devoured @DavidQuammen's incredible "Song of the Dodo" #2018MMM
Hatchlings make a run to the nearest tree, spending nearly all of their time arboreal to avoid predators, including OTHER KOMODO DRAGONS! #IntraspecificPredation (term sounds so much better than cannibalism) (Imansyah et al 2007) #2018MMM s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.d…
Over the next 1-2 years, Komodo Dragon hatchlings will move arboreal locations about once every 9 days (Imansyah et al. 2007) growing from their diet of insects, lizards and... BIRDS (and assorted eggs of these taxa) #2018MMM
On the island of Flores, 95,000-17,000 years ago, Komodo Dragons were hunted by Homo floresiensis (when they got tired of hunting tiny elephants) (Van Den Bergh et al. 2009)! Later tonight on #2018MMM Flo battles Amebelodon #StayTuned sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
Today on Flores, barn owls & scopsowls are present, but during the time of Homo floresiensis there was likely an even BIGGER barn owl species (Van Den Bergh et al. 2009). #2018MMM
But still not as big as Eurasian Eagle Owl #2018MMM (gif not an Eurasian Eagle Owl)
Eurasian Eagle Owls are known predators of the ocellated lizard that can reach 3 feet in length, seen here in defensive pose (Martín & López 1996) #2018MMM
But ocellated lizards only tip the scales at ~1lb, much much much much much much much smaller than the 200 lbs that adult male Komodo Dragons achieve (seen here swallowing a wild boar) #2018MMM
Tonight's Battle takes place on Flores near Komodo National Park komodonationalpark.org #BucketList #2018MMM (Map from Figure 1 journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…)
The Eurasian Eagle Owl flies through the open deciduous forest preferred by Komodo dragon hatchlings #2018MMM
The keen eyes of the owl spot a subtle movement that could be a young lizard in locomotion, relocating from one tree to another, she turns & swoops low to investigate #2018MMM
The Eurasian Eagle Owl's adaptations for silent flight are somewhat irrelevant given the poor hearing of the Komodo Dragon #2018MMM
The owl glides lower, talons outstretched #2018MMM
STRIKE! #2018MMM
A full-grown Komodo Dragon about to #InterspeciesPredation ambush the hatchling gets a bird bonus! #2018MMM
With a shake of his head, the Komodo Dragon snaps the Eagle Owl's neck! #2018MMM
Komodo, head extended, swallows the owl whole!
With her snapped neck, the paralyzed owl can not defensively slash with beak or talon! #2018MMM
The owl's dying hoots emanate from the Komodo Dragon's stomach.
(for real, I saw this happen in Indonesia in 2001, but instead of an owl it was a chicken #BasedOnTrueEvents) #2018MMM
KOMODO DRAGONS SWALLOWS THE EURASIAN EAGLE OWL!!! #2018MMM

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More from @Mammals_Suck

Mar 30, 2018
Next Up: #1 seed Orinoco Crocodile vs #2 seed Anaconda! #2018MMM
Tonight's battle is a collaboration among @chumblebiome, @Drew_Lab, & me @Mammals_Suck #2018MMM
To reach tonight, Orinoco Crocodile consumed a praying mantis, a goliath tarantula, and a secretary bird foot. So, ah, he is HUNGRY TO WIN! #2018MMM #AlltheNopes
Read 30 tweets
Mar 29, 2018
Next Up (For Real THIS TIME): #2 seed Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) vs. #3 seed Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) #2018MMM
World's Heaviest Snake vs World's Largest Lizard #2018MMM
Komodo Dragons have "ziphodont" teeth, meaning they are laterally compressed, sharp, & with serrated edges. In 1928, Burden described what they could do (other than give you nightmares) #2018MMM
Read 30 tweets
Mar 23, 2018
LAST BATTLE OF THE NIGHT! #3 seed Berlin Boar (Sus scrofa) vs #6 seed Bobcat (Lynx rufus) #2018MMM
Tonight's battle is a collaboration w/ @je_light @chumblebiome @AnneWHilborn & me! #2018MMM
Both of these urban competitors had an easy time of things in R1: Berlin Boar scared off an Eastern Grey Squirrel & Bobcat outwaited a Striped Skunk to advance #2018MMM
Read 24 tweets
Mar 22, 2018
Next Up: #6 seed Eurasian Eagle Owl vs. #11 seed Beaded Lizard! #2018MMM
But first a quick PSA: Anaconda ADVANCES
(and gets the point if you are keeping score)...
while Tardigrade #AltAdvances!
WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!?!
Find out in ROUND 2!
#2018MMM
Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) is a widely distributed avian predator that does well in diverse habitats across Eurasia with subspecies stretching from Scandanavia to Siberia, into the steppes of Central Asia, & down into the middle East & into North Africa #2018MMM
Read 23 tweets
Mar 20, 2018
Tonight's FINAL BATTLE is 6-seed BOBCAT (Lynx rufus) vs. 11 seed STRIPED SKUNK (Mephitis mephitis) #2018MMM
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: This #2018MMM battle will not feature ANY Warner Bros skunk gifs that involve him harassing and grabbing a lady he's after. #OnlyYesMeansYes
In this head to head match-up the two are going carnivora-e-carnivora although they last shared a common ancestor ~54 MYA timetree.org #2018MMM
Read 36 tweets
Dec 28, 2017
News reports that Erica Garner @es_snipes, daughter of NYPD-slain Eric Garner, is "brain dead" after asthma induced heart attack exacerbated by recent pregnancy. Everything about this statement is #ApartheidInAmerica nydailynews.com/new-york/erica…
Environmental, medical, dietary, reproductive, educational, judicial, TIME... the #ApartheidInAmerica list goes on and on and on.
and on.
White folks need to recognize apartheid in America, the policies, procedures, & laws that codify it, and we need to dismantle them. Now.
Read 13 tweets

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