David Moscato
@dmos150.bsky.social
Paleontologist. Science Writer. Podcaster.
Host of the Common Descent Podcast.
He/they
Host of the Common Descent Podcast.
He/they
People have been asking to see a caecilian butt, so here's a video I took at the Vancouver aquarium for this exact purpose.
Look how it swims by moving its long serpentine body.
Look how it has no tail and simply ends in a butt.
Look how it swims by moving its long serpentine body.
Look how it has no tail and simply ends in a butt.
February 5, 2025 at 1:22 AM
People have been asking to see a caecilian butt, so here's a video I took at the Vancouver aquarium for this exact purpose.
Look how it swims by moving its long serpentine body.
Look how it has no tail and simply ends in a butt.
Look how it swims by moving its long serpentine body.
Look how it has no tail and simply ends in a butt.
Also every single thing about caecilians is bonkers.
Face tentacles.
Alien skulls.
Some species young eat the skin off their parents.
They have no tail, and therefore are a long serpentine creature that ends abruptly in a butt.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ca...
Face tentacles.
Alien skulls.
Some species young eat the skin off their parents.
They have no tail, and therefore are a long serpentine creature that ends abruptly in a butt.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ca...
February 4, 2025 at 4:43 AM
Also every single thing about caecilians is bonkers.
Face tentacles.
Alien skulls.
Some species young eat the skin off their parents.
They have no tail, and therefore are a long serpentine creature that ends abruptly in a butt.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ca...
Face tentacles.
Alien skulls.
Some species young eat the skin off their parents.
They have no tail, and therefore are a long serpentine creature that ends abruptly in a butt.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ca...
Here's a Lake Titicaca frog I met at the Vancouver Aquarium.
February 4, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Here's a Lake Titicaca frog I met at the Vancouver Aquarium.
And on that note:
Leaf-nosed snakes.
Usually they're so well camouflaged you can't see them. When you can see them, they are ridiculous.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fe...
Leaf-nosed snakes.
Usually they're so well camouflaged you can't see them. When you can see them, they are ridiculous.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fe...
February 4, 2025 at 4:40 AM
And on that note:
Leaf-nosed snakes.
Usually they're so well camouflaged you can't see them. When you can see them, they are ridiculous.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fe...
Leaf-nosed snakes.
Usually they're so well camouflaged you can't see them. When you can see them, they are ridiculous.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fe...
Tentacled snakes.
Snakes. With tentacles.
They use them to sense and catch fish.
www.flickr.com/photos/natio...
Snakes. With tentacles.
They use them to sense and catch fish.
www.flickr.com/photos/natio...
February 4, 2025 at 4:39 AM
Tentacled snakes.
Snakes. With tentacles.
They use them to sense and catch fish.
www.flickr.com/photos/natio...
Snakes. With tentacles.
They use them to sense and catch fish.
www.flickr.com/photos/natio...
Oh boy, here are some of my favorite derpy herps.
Mata mata turtles.
I spoke to someone at an aquarium recently who said guests often look at their mata mata and say "I think something's wrong with your turtle" and they're like, Nope that's just how they are.
www.flickr.com/photos/16273...
Mata mata turtles.
I spoke to someone at an aquarium recently who said guests often look at their mata mata and say "I think something's wrong with your turtle" and they're like, Nope that's just how they are.
www.flickr.com/photos/16273...
February 4, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Oh boy, here are some of my favorite derpy herps.
Mata mata turtles.
I spoke to someone at an aquarium recently who said guests often look at their mata mata and say "I think something's wrong with your turtle" and they're like, Nope that's just how they are.
www.flickr.com/photos/16273...
Mata mata turtles.
I spoke to someone at an aquarium recently who said guests often look at their mata mata and say "I think something's wrong with your turtle" and they're like, Nope that's just how they are.
www.flickr.com/photos/16273...
My gf got me these bouncy NB dice for the holidays and I love them.
💛🤍💜🖤
💛🤍💜🖤
January 30, 2025 at 5:24 AM
My gf got me these bouncy NB dice for the holidays and I love them.
💛🤍💜🖤
💛🤍💜🖤
This is my new friend Mamie. She's about 40 years old and about 20 years dead, and she looks great. 🐘
Elephants have lots of adaptations for carrying around their enormous heads. Their skulls are full of weight-saving sinuses, plus lots of bony ridges for the attachment of extensive neck muscles.
Elephants have lots of adaptations for carrying around their enormous heads. Their skulls are full of weight-saving sinuses, plus lots of bony ridges for the attachment of extensive neck muscles.
December 12, 2024 at 9:25 PM
This is my new friend Mamie. She's about 40 years old and about 20 years dead, and she looks great. 🐘
Elephants have lots of adaptations for carrying around their enormous heads. Their skulls are full of weight-saving sinuses, plus lots of bony ridges for the attachment of extensive neck muscles.
Elephants have lots of adaptations for carrying around their enormous heads. Their skulls are full of weight-saving sinuses, plus lots of bony ridges for the attachment of extensive neck muscles.
Saber-kitty also confirms some previous hypotheses!
Paleontologists have inferred from fossils that sabertooth cats were extra muscly, and saber-kitty is indeed quite muscular, especially in the neck.
In fact, per the paper, saber-kitty’s neck is more than twice as thick as a lion cub's!
Paleontologists have inferred from fossils that sabertooth cats were extra muscly, and saber-kitty is indeed quite muscular, especially in the neck.
In fact, per the paper, saber-kitty’s neck is more than twice as thick as a lion cub's!
November 14, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Saber-kitty also confirms some previous hypotheses!
Paleontologists have inferred from fossils that sabertooth cats were extra muscly, and saber-kitty is indeed quite muscular, especially in the neck.
In fact, per the paper, saber-kitty’s neck is more than twice as thick as a lion cub's!
Paleontologists have inferred from fossils that sabertooth cats were extra muscly, and saber-kitty is indeed quite muscular, especially in the neck.
In fact, per the paper, saber-kitty’s neck is more than twice as thick as a lion cub's!
Saber-kitty's front paws (with toe beans and all!) are wide and round compared to a lion cub. This is likely an adaptation for walking across the snow!
It also has relatively small ears. This is a pretty common feature of mammals in cold regions, where ears are in danger of frostbite.
It also has relatively small ears. This is a pretty common feature of mammals in cold regions, where ears are in danger of frostbite.
November 14, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Saber-kitty's front paws (with toe beans and all!) are wide and round compared to a lion cub. This is likely an adaptation for walking across the snow!
It also has relatively small ears. This is a pretty common feature of mammals in cold regions, where ears are in danger of frostbite.
It also has relatively small ears. This is a pretty common feature of mammals in cold regions, where ears are in danger of frostbite.
Saber-kitty shows us features of sabertooth cats we've never seen before!
It preserves a coat of thick brown fur, and even whiskers! (Yes, prior to this, we had no direct evidence of sabertooth cat fur, afaik)
And it has an extra-tall upper lip, probably to contain those incoming saber-teeth!
It preserves a coat of thick brown fur, and even whiskers! (Yes, prior to this, we had no direct evidence of sabertooth cat fur, afaik)
And it has an extra-tall upper lip, probably to contain those incoming saber-teeth!
November 14, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Saber-kitty shows us features of sabertooth cats we've never seen before!
It preserves a coat of thick brown fur, and even whiskers! (Yes, prior to this, we had no direct evidence of sabertooth cat fur, afaik)
And it has an extra-tall upper lip, probably to contain those incoming saber-teeth!
It preserves a coat of thick brown fur, and even whiskers! (Yes, prior to this, we had no direct evidence of sabertooth cat fur, afaik)
And it has an extra-tall upper lip, probably to contain those incoming saber-teeth!
Specifically, they identified saber-kitty as the species Homotherium latidens.
Homotherium fossils are all over the place, BUT radiocarbon dating puts saber-kitty at ~36,000 years old, which is way younger than any known Homotherium from Asia. Saber-kitty extends the known range of these cats!
Homotherium fossils are all over the place, BUT radiocarbon dating puts saber-kitty at ~36,000 years old, which is way younger than any known Homotherium from Asia. Saber-kitty extends the known range of these cats!
November 14, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Specifically, they identified saber-kitty as the species Homotherium latidens.
Homotherium fossils are all over the place, BUT radiocarbon dating puts saber-kitty at ~36,000 years old, which is way younger than any known Homotherium from Asia. Saber-kitty extends the known range of these cats!
Homotherium fossils are all over the place, BUT radiocarbon dating puts saber-kitty at ~36,000 years old, which is way younger than any known Homotherium from Asia. Saber-kitty extends the known range of these cats!
Of course, we can't identify sabertooth cats by their outer appearance, because we've never seen it before, so the team CT-scanned it to examine the skeleton.
They found tell-tale sabertooth features, including tiny not-yet-erupted saber canines poking out of the upper jaw!
They found tell-tale sabertooth features, including tiny not-yet-erupted saber canines poking out of the upper jaw!
November 14, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Of course, we can't identify sabertooth cats by their outer appearance, because we've never seen it before, so the team CT-scanned it to examine the skeleton.
They found tell-tale sabertooth features, including tiny not-yet-erupted saber canines poking out of the upper jaw!
They found tell-tale sabertooth features, including tiny not-yet-erupted saber canines poking out of the upper jaw!
Saber-kitty's front half is preserved in ice: head, neck, chest, front legs.
Comparing it to modern baby cats, the researchers estimate it was about *three weeks old* at the time of its death!
Comparing it to modern baby cats, the researchers estimate it was about *three weeks old* at the time of its death!
November 14, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Saber-kitty's front half is preserved in ice: head, neck, chest, front legs.
Comparing it to modern baby cats, the researchers estimate it was about *three weeks old* at the time of its death!
Comparing it to modern baby cats, the researchers estimate it was about *three weeks old* at the time of its death!
People like cats on Bluesky, right?
October 18, 2024 at 6:35 PM
People like cats on Bluesky, right?
I cosplayed at DragonCon for the first time this year! Had a great time and also had some fun with photo editing.
For context, this character is a Marvel mutant named Multiple Man, whose power allows him to duplicate himself.
For context, this character is a Marvel mutant named Multiple Man, whose power allows him to duplicate himself.
September 6, 2023 at 11:38 PM
I cosplayed at DragonCon for the first time this year! Had a great time and also had some fun with photo editing.
For context, this character is a Marvel mutant named Multiple Man, whose power allows him to duplicate himself.
For context, this character is a Marvel mutant named Multiple Man, whose power allows him to duplicate himself.
Hello it’s me I am now on the Bluesky.
As a show of topical relatability, here are photos of me booping several fossils.
As a show of topical relatability, here are photos of me booping several fossils.
September 5, 2023 at 10:22 PM
Hello it’s me I am now on the Bluesky.
As a show of topical relatability, here are photos of me booping several fossils.
As a show of topical relatability, here are photos of me booping several fossils.