TIL that hammer-headed bats, the largest bats in continental Africa, are basically enslaved by the Honk. Herbert Lang and James Chapin commented that "In no other mammal is everything so entirely subordinated to the organs of voice". A short 🧵 📸Sarah H. Olson

Lunar hornet moth again. Unless you use lures you very rarely see these insects. They're impressive on every level.

Bat pups develop their vocal skills by babbling in a similar way to human babies — the discovery could help researchers explore the underlying neuroscience of communication in mammals. go.nature.com/3D0jSL3

Super find by @biouea students and Jenny Livesey on the UEA ecology field course. A female wasp spider hanging out in the campus grassland kept for wildflowers. She was merrily eating in the sunshine today.

Amazing, a European Mantis - Mantis religiosa nymph in south Oxfordshire today, after the discovery of an ootheca found in the wild last Autumn.

"honeybees have increased by 30 percent since 2000" "Not only are honeybees not endangered, they may be responsible for declines in other bee populations." "The misconception that honeybees are in trouble has been good for one thing: business." nypost.com/2021/09/18/why…

Bright spot in a dark week: confetti works better for recording spider web vibrations than fancy (expensive) retroreflective powder. It also makes for the most cheerful damn sight I've seen in a long time. May confetti spider bring some sparkle to your winter festivities as well

Fully-funded PhD available to explore how arthropod interaction networks respond to nature-based climate solutions: nercdtp.esc.cam.ac.uk/projects/ce335… The project is funded, rather than being in competition for DTP funding

Despite not being my PhD supervisor, Matt was always willing to provide support. He allowed me to borrow equipment, gave great advice and always asked questions at the end of talks. Little things like this really improve the PhD experience. He will be sorely missed.

Ok. We need to talk about the media doing spiders dirty again. Strap in. We’re talking about these GIANT SPIDERS THAT ARE PARACHUTING IN & TAKING OVER THE USA!! *gasp* Nonsense. Calm down. Here’s what’s up.🧵

NERC just sent an email out recognising that the cost of living increase means its PhD stipend isn't sufficient to live on. Their solution isn't to increase it, it's to suggest students start selling Avon and sign up to clinical trials... ARIES Doctoral Training UK Research and Innovation Natural Environment Research Council

A real thrill to see the nationally scarce Shrill carder bee (Bombus sylvarum) flourishing at RSPB Newport Wetlands. Da iawn RSPB Newport Wetlands and BBCT Wales!

So ends an amazing 2 weeks teaching on the @biouea Ireland field course. Made all the more special by a fantastic group of staff and students. Here's a montage complete with some lovely irish music 🇮🇪 🍀 Iainrbarr Philip Leftwich Becky Lewis @_EllenBell Harry Ewing

We face an urgent nature and climate crisis. But instead of a plan for nature's recovery on land and at sea, the UK Government is pursuing a dangerous agenda of deregulation that puts the very laws protecting wildlife at risk. But what does this mean exactly? (1/12)

Oh my goodness. The role of farmed and released game birds in in avian influenza is a real worry. For wildlife conservation, the really scary pathogens are those that infect an abundant (often domestic) host species then spill over into rarer host species

Last year we helped the BBC film bumblebees in the Arctic. The footage will be aired on Frozen Plant II this Sunday 9th at 20:00 BST. We are super excited, and so happy insects are getting the coverage they deserve... imperial.ac.uk/news/240313/qa…

Applications open for a @ARIES_DTP PhD studentship on red fox population genomics, in my soon-to-open research group at @biouea. Many species are struggling under environmental and human pressures, but the fox is thriving. Let's understand why! uea.ac.uk/course/phd-doc… Please RT!

If you've been wondering why university staff (see Lecturers below) are going on strike... ... this is just one of the reasons, but an important one. #ucuRISING UCU