‘Tis the season to talk about joy in animals!🎄🎅🏼 If you want to dive deeper into animal research on joy, then you should check out the Stories of Impact podcast episode on Animal Joy! Stories of Impact podcast episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh9v... #rats #apes #scicomm #animalfacts #science

⚠️Warning⚠️: Graphic duck content 🦆 Evolutionary sexual conflict has caused duck genitalia to become... frightening, to say the least 😳 Watch the full video here: www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8yJMKe9/ #ducks #birdfacts #AnimalFacts #animalstories #scicomm #animalbehaviot #science #queerscience #funfacts

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃 In light of the season, we’re asking the question… Do animals really show gratitude? 🤔 Or are humans over-interpreting animal behavior? #thanksgiving #sloths #guiltydog #gratefulanimals #science #animalscience #animalfacts #animalbehavior #gratitude

Greylag geese are fans of the throuple!🪿💜 #geese #science #scicomm #birds #birdbehavior #animalbehavior #animalfacts #animalscience #birdfacts #animalstories #greylaggeese #polyamory #throuple #MMF #queer #queerscience

30 minute podcast showcasing our work on joy in animals w/ Erica Cartmill, Heidi Lyn (@heidilynphd.bsky.social) and me: www.storiesofimpact.org/dr-colin-all...

Jacanas, or Jesus Birds, say no to traditional gender roles! These birds are polyandrous, meaning one female has multiple males partners. While the female leaves to hook up with more mates, males stay home to protect the chicks🐣 #birds #birdfacts #scicomm #animalbehavior #science #animalfacts

Charlotte's Web movie adaptation left out that Charlotte was actually a cannibal😅🕷️ Females in many spider species, including barn spiders, eat their reproductive partners after doing the deed👀 #spider #insect #cannibal #scarystories #halloween #scaryanimals #scicomm #animalbehavior #science

The scariest thing about Komodo dragons isn’t their size or their serrated teeth… it’s the possibility of getting sepsis if you’ve been bitten😳😅 #komododragon #scicomm #halloweenstory #halloween #science #animalbehavior #animalstories #scaryanimals #science #scary #lizards

What’s both the grossest AND most delicious thing about bees? … Honey!🍯🐝 #bees #insects #honey #storytime #halloween #halloweenstory #animalbehavior #beeware #beevomit

Tarantula wasps’ reproduction tactic is an all-around creepfest 🫣🕷️ What’s scares you the most about tarantula wasps??👀 #wasps #tarantulas #scaryanimals #storytime #halloween #halloweenstory #insects #tarantulawasp #animalbehavior #animalstories #creepyanimals #scarystorytime

Horned lizards have the scariest defense mechanism in the animal kingdom😳🩸 Happy Halloween Week! Stay tuned for more scary animal stories😈 Do you have any scary animal stories? #hornedlizard #scicomm #halloweenstory #halloween #animalstories #scaryanimals #science #animalbehavior #lizards

Cordyceps—the fungus featured in The Last of Us—is actually real😱 and oh so spooky!🍄 Shout out to @blackforager.bsky.social for knowing all the fungi facts and keeping us safe😂 What’s your favorite spooky animal (or fungi)? #cordyceps #thelastofus #fungi #zombieantfungus #scicomm

It's almost time! ⌛ C3PO's annual Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser is coming back to the UCOMM parking lot on October 14, 2025 🎃 🍂🥳 We'll be there every day from 11am-5pm through Halloween‼️ Come out and support USA's undergraduate research! 🔬 🧬 #pumpkinpatch #fundraiser #undergraduateresearch #autumn

There’s a reason that scientists at primate conferences rarely bring up homosexual behavior.👇 That’s because it’s not shocking to them at all — it’s expected. 🌈🦧 In the wild and captivity, same-sex behavior is just a normal part of primate life. #queeranimals #lgbtq #primates #academicconference

Trunks: nature’s multipurpose sex toy 🐘👀 #scicomm #elephants #QueerAnimals #lgbtscience #animalfacts

What kind of animals do you want to learn about? Let us know! 😊💜

Queer flamingos make amazing parents! 🦩🌈 #scicomm #lgbt #queerscience #queeranimals #queernature

Are 94% of giraffes gay? Probably not 🤷‍♀️ BUT a lot of of males DO engage in same-sex mounting and “necking.” 🦒

Bed bug s*x = stab wounds and infections AKA literal nightmare fuel #bedbugs #scicomm #queeranimals #gayscience

🐠🦁 Fish in drag. Lionesses with manes. Lizards faking it. Animals have been bending the rules of gender and expression long before humans showed up. 🌈 Follow for more Queer Animals content! 💜 #Intersex #scicomm #lgbtq #QueerAnimals #c3polab

🐠🦁 Fish in drag. Lionesses with manes. Lizards faking it. Animals have been bending the rules of gender and expression long before humans showed up. 🌈 Follow for more Queer Animals content! 💜 #Intersex #scicomm #lgbtq #QueerAnimals #c3polab

Nature doesn’t follow the rules of gender you learned in kindergarten. Cows, birds, lobsters - even whales - can be born intersex. And they have been for a long time! Intersex is natural. Queerness is everywhere. 🐋🌈 #QueerAnimals #Intersex #SciComm #LGBTQ #IntersexAwareness #LGBTQSCience

Jonathan the tortoise is 193 and might be the oldest queer icon alive. He spent years mating with “Frederica” until vets found out that “she” was actually Frederick! P.S. He had female options… he just liked Fred better. Follow for more queer animals stories! #queeranimals #scicomm #lgbtscience

The way animals determine biological sex? Straight-up weird AF 🦎🐠 From temperature-dependent turtles to fish that switch genders like it’s no big deal, nature’s got queerness coded into the DNA of life itself. 🌈✨ #QueerAnimals #NatureIsQueer #SciCom #QueerScience part 1👇

🌈 Think there are only 2 sexes ruled by X & Y chromosomes? Think again 👉 nature LOVES to get weird! From haplodiploid bees where brothers have no dads, to salamanders cloning females, sex determination is way more than XX or XY. #Scicom #QueerAnimals #morethan2sexes #lgbt #queerscience

Did you know up to 8% of rams are gay due to biological factors?? 🐏💕Studies show their brain structure and hormones differ from “straight” rams. Nature’s spectrum is real and wild! 🌈 Let us know if there are any queer animals you want us to talk about 😊🦄 #queeranimals #queerscience #scicom

Disney got it wrong! 🐠❌ In real life, Nemo’s dad would’ve become his mom. That’s right — the largest male clownfish changes sex when the female dies. It’s called sequential hermaphroditism. Follow for more queer animal facts! 🦄 #queerscience #scicomm #queeranimals #lgbt #pride

Did you know Dolphins celebrate? Dr. Heidi Lyn’s research reveals how dolphins express joy through “victory squeals.” Discover how understanding animal happiness can help build better partnerships with all creatures #AnimalJoy #AnimalBehavior #twcf #scicom www.southalabama.edu/departments/...

Aristotle and Hemingway were completely WRONG about hyenas — they aren’t scavengers OR hermaphrodites. What do we know? Females run their societies, choose their mates, and their clitorises look a lot like penises. 😂 Plus, they may be able to choose what sperm gets to survive. 👀 #queeranimals

🐧 In 1913, scientists misgendered penguins—they assumed only females sat on eggs. Surprise! 👉 Males nest too. Fast forward to 2019, where two female penguins hatched a chick at SEA LIFE London—and staff didn’t assign it a gender. 💜 Why label someone before they waddle? 🐣🌈 #QueerAnimals

Anyone can be a parent, even queer penguins! 🐧🌈 From the famous Roy and Silo in New York to a same-sex pair in the Netherlands, queerness is observed across penguin species in both zoos and the wild. #QueerAnimals #SciComm #pride #lgbt

Did you know bonobos have sex to solve arguments? 🐒 💋 Yeah—same-sex behavior isn’t rare in nature. It’s actually central to how bonobos bond, build alliances, and resolve conflict. Welcome to Queer Animals, where we look at how queerness shows up naturally in the animal kingdom. 🏳️‍🌈 🌎

🥳 Happy Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈 and welcome to Queer Animals, our new series celebrating the many ways queerness shows up in the natural world! First up: masturbating dolphins 🐬💦 #pride #lgbt #queer #animalbehavior #queerscience #queeranimals

Conferences, conferences, conferences! Our team has been busy presenting talks and posters sharing our lab’s research on all things comparative and all things animal 👤🐵🐶🐬🦀 #sciencecommunication #co3_2025 #sspp_2025 #c3polab #comparativecognition #animalcommunication

🐾 MARCH MAMMAL MADNESS 2025 RESULTS! 🐾 Amazing job to everyone who participated—until next year! 🦡🐘🐅 #MarchMammalMadness #MMM2025 #2025MMM #MarchMadness #AnimalPsychology #MarineBiology #Psychology #MarineScience #Biology #UniversityOfSouthAlabama #GoJags #SouthAlabama

March Mammal Madness 2025 Champion: POLAR BEAR! After weeks of epic battles, the Polar Bear has claimed victory as this year’s #MarchMammalMadness champion! 🐻‍❄️🔥 Stay turned for the final scores; we'll be announcing our competition winners soon! #2025MMM #MMM2025 #PolarBear #MarchMadness

The University of South Alabama is READY to see some Carnage!!! 🥇🔥Who are you putting your money on?? #2025MMM #MMMChampionship

March Mammal Madness is heating up! Join us for our #2025MMM Finale Pizza Party on April 2 at 6:30 PM in ESLB RM 119! Grab a slice, chat about your bracket, and see which department wins! Who’s in? 🍕🔥 #MMM2025 #MarchMammalMadness #AnimalPsychology #MarineScience #Biology #SouthAlabama #GoJags

#2025MMM FINAL ROAR WINNERS: Polar Bear Puma Join us Wednesday 4/2 at 8PM EST for the CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE!

We DID get to talk about the disgusting stench. #2025mmm

#2025MMM SWEET 16 WINNERS: Gelada, Sun Bear, Polar Bear, Narwhal, Addax, Puma, Ginkgo & Rhizo, Alligator Gar Join us TOMORROW 3/27 at 8PM EST for the battle of the ELITE TRAIT!

#2025MMM Round 2 S&D WINNERS: Gelada, Coati, Sunda Colugo, Sun Bear Round 2 Tuxedo Style WINNERS: Polar Bear, Cape Buffalo, Zebra, Narwhal Join us WEDNESDAY 3/26 at 8PM EST for the battle of the SWEET SIXTEEN!

#2025MMM Round 2 tOO WINNERS: Addax, Peccary, Puma & Saiga Round 2 Roots & Relicts WINNERS: Gingko/Rhizo, Seal, Gar & Shark Join us MONDAY 3/24 at 8PM EST for Round 2 of SAME/DIFFERENT and TUXEDO STYLE!

The competition is heating up in our #2025MMM Face-Off! Psychology is currently leading the departments. Faculty are holding the lead over students. And shoutout to Dr. Johnson for leading the individual rankings! Round 2 ends on Monday, so keep an eye out for the next batch of results!

#2025MMM TUXEDO STYLE ROUND 1 EMOJI BATTLE RESULTS! 🐻‍❄️🆚🐀:🐻‍❄️🐀👀/🐀🦷🐻‍❄️/🏆🐻‍❄️ 🦏🆚☁️:🦏🔙☁️/☁️🪜🌳/🏆🦏 🦬🆚🦡:🦡💨🦬/💨🦡🔊/🏆🦬 🐃🆚🌕:🐺🍽️🌕/🐃🤷🏻‍♂️🌬️/🏆🐃 🦄🆚🦨:🦄🌊🦨/🦨😱🏃🏻‍♂️‍➡️/🏆🦄 🦓🆚🐵:🦓⛱️🙈/🦓🔄🐵/🏆🦓 🦭🆚🤥:🦭❓🤥/🤥🌊🥶/🏆🦭 🌪️🆚🐒:🐒🌪️🚘/🌪️🌪️😱/🏆🌪️

WHAT A NIGHT of SCIENCY ACTION! Polar Bear, Cape Buffalo, Wild Yak, Tapir, Mountain Zebra, Ribbon Seal, Narwhal, and Tasmanian Devil... ADVANCE to Round 2! #2025MMM

Scores are in & we’ve got some stiff competition 🙌🏼 USA’s Psychology dept is taking the lead Faculty are also ahead but students are only 1 point behind👨‍🏫 Plus a 4-way tie for 1st place Overall It’s anyone’s game so hold your brackets close and cross your tails! Follow us and stay tuned! #2025mmm

THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS!!!! Tortoise Ringed Seal Coelacanth Tuatara Frilled Shark Horseshoe Crab Gar GINKGO & RHIZO... ADVANCE!!! #2025MMM

This fight was a hot topic of debate in our lab. I’m happy to see we’re getting the best of both worlds! ….. for now👀 #teamginko #teamrhizo #2025MMMM

Consistent conversation at our lab - “but it’s like just ONE bacteria, right?” #2025mmm