C3POLab
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c3polab.bsky.social
C3POLab
@c3polab.bsky.social
Comparative Cognition and Communication Lab at the University of South Alabama. Studying dolphins, dogs, apes, hermit crabs, and any other fascinating animal someone brings to us! Director: Heidi Lyn @heidilynphd@bsky.social
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
November 7, 2025 at 11:04 PM
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
November 1, 2025 at 11:44 PM
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
October 30, 2025 at 10:19 PM
What’s both the grossest AND most delicious thing about bees? … Honey!🍯🐝

#bees #insects #honey #storytime #halloween #halloweenstory #animalbehavior #beeware #beevomit
October 29, 2025 at 10:52 PM
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
October 28, 2025 at 10:32 PM
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
October 27, 2025 at 10:46 PM
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
October 24, 2025 at 10:47 PM
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
September 23, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Trunks: nature’s multipurpose sex toy 🐘👀

#scicomm #elephants #QueerAnimals #lgbtscience #animalfacts
September 18, 2025 at 11:27 PM
What kind of animals do you want to learn about? Let us know! 😊💜
September 11, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Queer flamingos make amazing parents! 🦩🌈

#scicomm #lgbt #queerscience #queeranimals #queernature
September 5, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Are 94% of giraffes gay? Probably not 🤷‍♀️

BUT a lot of of males DO engage in same-sex mounting and “necking.” 🦒
August 28, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Bed bug s*x = stab wounds and infections AKA literal nightmare fuel

#bedbugs #scicomm #queeranimals #gayscience
August 21, 2025 at 11:44 PM
🐠🦁 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
August 14, 2025 at 10:03 PM
🐠🦁 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
August 14, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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
August 7, 2025 at 9:53 PM
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
July 31, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Part 2 👇
July 25, 2025 at 12:27 AM
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👇
July 25, 2025 at 12:17 AM
part 2 👇
July 24, 2025 at 11:54 PM
🌈 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
July 24, 2025 at 11:52 PM
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
July 10, 2025 at 10:10 PM
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
July 3, 2025 at 11:50 PM