While not officially endorsing a candidate in the Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo Mayoral election...I encourage you to give Chunk, the tiger salamander a 2nd look. Who would you trust more to encourage bipartisan cooperation than the amphibian candidate? fundraise.givesmart.com/vf/2026ZooMa...

As a person who walks around a zoo every day with a trash picker, what would you guess is the most common article of garbage I find on the ground? 🗑️

Please support On the Shoulders of Giants. Scott DeGraw (producer of the Alien & Ninja Sharks series) has demonstrated his commitment to producing inclusive, conservation-forward shark programming. Basking sharks are long overdue for their turn in the spotlight. seedandspark.com/fund/on-the-... 🦈🦑🧪

Did anyone actually watch Dancing with Sharks? I couldn't bring myself to do it, even out of morbid curiosity.

Sad that this is as relevant today as in 2019. If anything, SharkWeek is becoming even less science-grounded and less relevant as a cultural event. The fact that they don't even release descriptions of the programs anymore seems telling. 🦈🦑🧪

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Happy Shark & Ray Awareness Day. Since it's hard to find good new shark media may I recommend finding: 700 Sharks, Alien Sharks (before F. Gallant), Ninja Sharks, the original Air Jaws, Shark (BBC One), GW Shark Babies, any of the SharkCam shows. What science/wonder-forward shark shows are you favs?

@seattleaquarium.bsky.social Lightning Talks looks great next week. The Seahorses topic has been in the queue for a while. www.seattleaquarium.org/events/light...

I'm really impressed...and a little depressed...by this intensely data viz-driven look at global inequality. Worth your time: globalinequality.org

Succinct and to the point, as always, from @whysharksmatter.bsky.social www.southernfriedscience.com/what-ocean-r...

I mean, kudos to the headline (and the zoo, I guess): www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/d...

New paper! Social media for fisheries science and management professionals: How to use Bluesky and Instagram, and why you should. This is the *first* paper in the peer reviewed scientific literature to explain how Bluesky works and how to use it for #SciComm 🧪🦑🐠 academic.oup.com/fisheries/ad...

Ranger, one of our red wolves, enjoys a beautiful early spring day at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo. Red wolves are critically endangered in the US and require strengthened, not relaxed protections to ensure their survival. As has been shown in other regions, wolves are good for habitats.

Today, a broad coalition of scientific professional societies who represent over 92,000 scientists are speaking out against the politicization and demonization of Federally funded science and government scientist jobs. It was an honor to help the Union of Concerned Scientists with this! 🧪🌎

Extinct relatives of #RedPandas followed temperate forests as their distributions shifted w/ changing climate…but that was then. Now wild spaces & extant pops are fragmented by human development and local extinctions which will make it harder to respond to current (and more rapid) climate changes.

There was an extinct species closely related to #redpandas in Washington state?! Known from a single tooth, tho.

The little false thumb in red and giant pandas evolved independently. In first pandas, as a climbing adaptation, probably to escape predators and to feed on arboreal lizard, fruits, and eggs. #RedPanda

Surprised to learn that #RedPandas have not been a big part of the culture and lore of range states. Happy that the pelt and pet trades are also limited. All probably related to view of bright pandas as good luck…rare to begin with, becoming more rare with habitat losses.

Lovely picture of a stump in our leopard habitat at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. Couldn’t find the cat.

We just got a dusting. The Zoo is lovely in the snow.

Learning lots even in the introduction of my new red panda text…pandas are called Wha or Chitwa in their home range due to their vocalizations. Also, super tired of reading about Europeans “discovering” animals. Aren’t we done with that old chestnut? #RedPanda

I may do this just to stretch a bit. My art may be story or something other than drawing/painting/etc…IDK. We’ll see. And I work at a zoo so lots of interesting animals live “near” me. #SciArt #NearbyNature2025

I'm proposing a #SciArt Challenge for 2025! Every month, make art of one of the animals that lives in your area. Post your work with the hashtag #NearbyNature2025 along with something you find interesting about them. Bonus points for organisms that most of your neighbors won't know live close by!

Thank goodness I don’t believe in bad omens and the like. Not the first bit of news you’d like to see to start the year: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news... #Tahlequah #orcas #SouthernResidents

2024 featured two pretty significant events/transitions for me. We opened the Ocean Pavilion: an exhibit and conservation program a decade in the making *and* I left the aquarium to run a Zoo? Can’t make this stuff up.

Ocean guy brushing up on the new neighborhood.

Scientists! We are trying to get 1000 of us into the volunteer database by Jan 1. You'll be volunteering to speak with classrooms over video chat about your work, and answer their questions! You can volunteer for up to 5 sessions per semester. Sign up here! www.skypeascientist.com/sign-up.html

Guys. GUYS. WE GOT A HIPPOPOTAMUS FOR CHRISTMAS.

And to all a good night from the Salish Sea. Somewhere out there Tahlequah is swimming with her new baby and that's about the best Christmas present I could ask for.

Now that the #ErasTour is over, come see Taylor the American red wolf at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. Red wolves are critically endangered with as few as 20 individuals in the wild. Those are vaquita numbers.

The 10th day of #Crustmas brings you a very handsome Dardanus gemmatus hermit crab from the Philippines 2009. A proper poser with a lovely pair of emerald green eyes! 🦑🌊 #UnderwaterPhotography

I'd invite them in.

I’ve trained over 1,000 early career scientists on 5 continents how to explain their work to the public, and I’d like to share with you some brief tips (noting that I offer full workshops on this and am available for hire for Spring 2025 trainings).

Maybe everybody knows this, but I just took a pic of a physical doc w/ my iPhone, highlighted the text, and copied/pasted it into a Word doc. Worked amazing, didn't require an app. I'm so used to being angry/frustrated w/ tech, I'm kind of caught off guard that this works so well and is so helpful.

In my (still) new(ish) role at the Zoo, all I can say is thank goodness for my spam filter.

Probably never topping this quote about Berry’s role as Zoo mayor: "Berry's my boss, so I'm going to look for her for all of the really important conservation- and snacks-related decisions." connecticut.news12.com/beardsley-zo...

"Named for the undulating waves of its broad, fleshy appendages—called parapodia—lettuce sea slugs appear in a range of colors from pale yellow to deep blue to even lettuce green." 📸By Patrick Keeling. hakaimagazine.com/videos-visua...

Happy Monday! My name is Jillian. I am a mom, marine biologist, founder & president of @sharks4kids.bsky.social , author, and photographer. I am here for all things sharks, shark science, shark conservation...etc! Look forward to connecting with other ocean and shark folks! #sharkscience #sharks

Courtesy of google alerts: I love that #wobbegong #sharks are just like: What water turbulence? I think I'm just gonna chill right here...yeah...here looks good :). #BestShark 🦈 www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf6f...

When you leave a place and come back, it seems easier to appreciate things you took for granted.

By strapping acoustic tags onto 6 turtles over 10 days 🐢 , this study found that ~75% of acoustic samples had detectable human-made sound from boats & shipping ⛴️🛳️🚢 (at frequencies between the low end & punch of a kick drum) These sounds were very often as loud as fireworks 😬🎇🎆 🧪🌏🐢📢🌊

Explained: new ways to peer deep under our oceans https://buff.ly/3Ol0wHu 🦑🌎🧪

Okay, y’all… I have finally decided that retreat is the better part of valor. Bringing some rainbow energy over to these blue skies. #bydhttmwdi

Well, there you have it. Goodbye Slender-billed Curlew. Official declaration by the IUCN won't happen yet, they'll consider the findings of this paper and make a decision on reclassification. 🧪🦤🦉

Beautiful day to visit Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. Sun is out, temperature is mild, Berry taking a break from her mayoral duties to take in a little sun.

I'm sure the content is also great...but the title alone is a win for me. My only question: do the podcast hosts get Glocks?

A new chapter of Seattle Aquarium Lightning Talks starts tonight with @noranickumbooks.bsky.social in the host’s chair. Tune in 6:30 PM PST/9:30 PM EST www.seattleaquarium.org/explore-the-... 🧪🦈🦇🦑

This is absolutely incredible.

Seems like the election might have been the tipping point. I lost 40 followers on Twitter and they were all deactivations. Time to ramp back up here?

Fun coverage of our Zoo Mayor election. Congrats to my new boss, Berry, the red panda. www.nbcnews.com/video/nightl... (starts at 17’). 🦇🧪