We bring you... THAT'S SO METAL DIVISION! #2026MMM

From acid spitting to carcass caping to bone crushing to chest puffing... these nightmare baddies bring the traits to unlock new levels of carnage #2026MMM

LAST but not LEAST are some truly astonishing beasts. Get ready to clock their cracked attack and FAFO aura. <checks Alpha notes on slang> #2026MMM

So we give you <sniffle> EXTINCTION IS FOREVER DIVISION #2026MMM

All individuals of a species come from the complex interactions of their genes and their environment, & the rich developmental endowment epigentically inherited from the parent. Nothing can replace or recreate that. In this Anthropocene, once lost, the species is lost forever. #2026MMM

These words celebrate that each living species is a treasure, the result of an incredible evolutionary journey through mutation, drift, and selection. A species is a miracle of existence. #2026MMM

Darwin wrote in his 1859 On the Origin of Species "There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one... from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." #2026MMM

So we give you.... LIBRARY LEGENDS!!! #2026MMM

Some libraries have relied on animals to help protect their collections, and some libraries lean into noble animal symbology, others are cheerfully tolerant of their local sympatric species. #2026MMM

Libraries have some dastardly denizens stalking the stacks, notorious for damaging precious texts... and not always Animalia! #2026MMM

#2026MMM Celebrates Libraries... and there are very noble and notable species that have been associated with Libraries!

So we give you.... MONEY MAMMALS!!! #2026MMM

Indeed, animals have been featured in currency for (at least) hundreds of years, including tin ingots of animals from the Malay peninsula. #2026MMM

Did you know that 15% of the world's currency features wildlife? #2025MMM theconversation.com/almost-1-in-...

NOW for the #2026MMM DIVISIONS!

But first, let's take a moment for the #2026MMM teaser trailer premiere! youtu.be/aK8CfWSZO4A

Last call for #2026MMM Division guesses right now bc IT'S DARWIN DAY DIVISION ANNOUNCEMENT TIME!

The #2026MMM combatants thus far revealed are: Giant Anteater, Asian Elephant, Beech Marten, Common Hippo, Grey Fox, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Eurasian Lynx, Humpback Whale, Indian Rhino, & Steller's Sea Cow!

Moving forward, the clues get tricksier, as players will have to follow clues to a specific library collection, into a free online resource, and sleuth combatants featured IN the resource! #2026MMM

We have also released a series of clues, each more intricate than the last, that when successfully solved, take a player to an International Standard Book Number or a Dewey Decimal Call Number! Reviewing the summary of the book reveals a #2026MMM combatant!

Since Groundhog's Day we have announced the #2026MMM theme: March Mammal Madness Celebrates LIBRARIES! We've released the calendar, opened the Educator MMMaterials request form, & crafted a sheet of combatant Valentines! All available at the LibGuide: libguides.asu.edu/MarchMammalM...

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! #2026MMM (With a hat-tip to the Dropkick Murphys) The season's upon us, it's that time of year! Science & carnage, there's battles to cheer, there's twists to these plots and there's stings to be stung, there's research to do and plenty of fun!

#2026MMM Psst... in honor of Darwin Day we are announcing the Divisions, as per usual... but at 9AM Tempe Time a TEASER TRAILER will go live too (since I wasn't able to pull that together for Groundhog's Day).

but 20+ US states have a town called Princeton! The correct state has the mountain with the highest elevation on the US eastern seaboard... in an AMAZING National Park too! #2026MMM @mmmletsgo.bsky.social (2/2)

#2026MMM Combatant Clue O'Clock! To get the ISBN, arrange in a row these three numbers: The digits for the Color Hex code for RBG 151,152,141 The original and main area code for the city of Laverne & Shirley The zip code for the town of Princeton... @mmmletsgo.bsky.social (1/2)

You know what's better than science-themed March Mammal Madness Valentines of #2026MMM Combatants!?! Science-themed March Mammal Madness Valentines of combatants that carry ear-worms. They're INFECTIOUS! Download in color or greyscale at the LibGuide libguides.asu.edu/MarchMammalM...

Put these 5 numbers in a row & a 5th Combatant Species you will know! Area code for the college with the mascot Reveille Postleitzahl for Grafrath, Fürstenfeldbruck, Upper Bavaria Atomic numbers for: Rhodium, the element named for the town of Ytterby discovered in 1878, & Lithium #2026MMM

#2026MMM Combatant Reveal Puzzle 4: 978Uno42145289Zed

Who's ready for #2026MMM Combatant Reveal #3? To find something WILD Take 191127993 Attach an 8 at the end & find the right prefix that makes this a 13 ISBN

#2026MMM "Combatant Clue" #2! @mmmletsgo.bsky.social 8002 3A 36M.13LQ

EDUCATORS who use #2026MMM Please follow the link below to the request form for free educator materials for 2026 March Mammal Madness Tournament and an optional educator survey. @mmmletsgo.bsky.social forms.gle/PNTRw4CbndMT...

The first "combatant clue" is 9780316585835. @mmmletsgo.bsky.social #2026MMM

Divisions will be announced on Darwin Day February 12th & the full bracket drops on Feb 19th, but follow the official account @mmmletsgo.bsky.social for regular announcements and combatant clues. #2026MMM

In honor of 10 tournaments of the March Mammal Madness LibGuide at ASU Library, #2026MMM Celebrates LIBRARIES! More than books, and definitely more than admonishments to shush, libraries are incredible collections of human knowledge, information, imagination, & creativity @mmmletsgo.bsky.social

As per always on this most holy of mammal holidays, Groundhog's Day, March Mammal Madness launches our annual tournament page! #2026MMM @mmmletsgo.bsky.social libguides.asu.edu/MarchMammalM...

On this #IndigenousPeoplesDay learn about Traditional Ecological Knowledge as crucial for addressing our climate disaster. climatepromise.undp.org/news-and-sto... indigenousclimatehub.ca/2024/04/trad... www.usetinc.org/general/hono... Dorji et al. 2024 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

#2025MMM CHAMPIONSHIP EMOJI BATTLE 🐻‍❄️🆚😼:🌋🧊/🪨↔️🪨/😼🪄😤 🐻‍❄️🪄👀/😼🤫🐾/😼😤🔜 🐻‍❄️🩼🦌/🐻‍❄️🦌🏞️/🐻‍❄️🔪🦌 😼🛬🦌/😼🦷🦌/🐻‍❄️🩼↪️ 😼🩸🔊/🐻‍❄️🔉/😼🔪🦌/😼➡️ 🐻‍❄️🔊/🐻‍❄️🧍🏻🦌/🐻‍❄️🦷🦌/😼🛫 😼🏃🏽‍♂️‍➡️👋🏽/🐻‍❄️🍽️🦌/🐻‍❄️🛡️🦊 🏆🐻‍❄️

Thank you for another great season of March Mammal Madness from Genetics Team! @acstone.bsky.social @cegamorim.bsky.social @elinork.bsky.social @afogel29.bsky.social @elliecat.bsky.social @lucasrocm.bsky.social @n8upham.bsky.social @carloschalicothere.bsky.social and myself! #2025MMM

#2025MMM CHAMPION: POLAR BEAR Thank you so much for following along, and we can't wait to see you next year for #2026MMM! Remember: if you're learning, you're winning!

Until NEXT WE MEET- GOOD NIGHT & GOOD LUCK!!! #2025MMM

AND help protect Pumas! (good for nature, good for hunting dogs) #2025MMM Find out more from the Mountain Lion Foundation! mountainlion.org

THANK YOU EVERYONE for another INCREDIBLE MARCH MAMMAL MADNESS! #2025MMM Please help defend the Arctic and protect Polar Bears! www.defendthearctic.org

Though the puma didn't come out on top here, the species' resilience is unquestionable! Genetic analyses from Onorato et al. show a 20x increase in effective pop size and reduced signs of inbreeding in FL pumas after genetic rescue from Texas pumas. www.nature.com/articles/s41... #2025MMM #RIP

#2025MMM #2025MMMChampion #DivisionTuxedoStyle #TeamPolarBear Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social Mary C Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social and Charon Henning @oddangel.bsky.social

POLAR BEAR IS THE #2025MMM CHAMPION!!!! ARTWORK by @veppart.bsky.social!

Polar Bear guards the caribou carcass, chasing away sneaky sneak Arctic foxes for TWO HOURS consuming 60% of the caribou meat!!! (Stempniewicz et al. 2021) #2025MMM

PUMA FLEES the FIELD OF BATTLE! (Krofel et al. 2012) #2025MMM

"Cougars may lose a considerable energy investment when displaced by an aggressive scavenger or may incur injuries when defending their kills" and do not fight to recover a stolen carcass from such a dominant scavenger!! (Murphy et al. 1998) #2025MMM

In some regions, at times, puma-killed ungulates can support most of bear nutritional needs- bears eavesdrop on cougars, moving toward their calls and steal their kills! #KLEPTOPARASITISM (Rabe et al. 2025; Murphy et al. 1998; Engebretsen et al. 2021; Suraci et al. 2017) #2025MMM

After all... URSIDS ROUTINELY DISPLACE PUMA FROM SUCCESSFUL KILLS!!! #2025MMM