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GeoSights: San Juan River Rincon, San Juan County - Utah Geological Survey
The Wikipedia page for meander cutoff has a gif of how a meander creates an oxbow lake.
earth
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A community for the discussion of the environment, climate change, ecology, sustainability, nature, and pictures of cute wild animals.
Socialism is the only path out of the global ecological crisis.
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A tiger cat gains new species designation, but conservation challenges remain
(news.mongabay.com)
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I don't know what to say, so I will simply unload some of my heart and just be honest. This is an attempted GoFundMe for a long time pen pal friend I have in Gaza. She is a very beautiful person that I have corresponded with for years. I have been the only one whose donated despite sharing with the few friends I have and some family , a cousin of mine will donate soon. It has been up for a month with no donations in part because GoFundMe kept shafting it but I have now fixed it. I could barely muster the will to write about something so unbearable in such a dry and clinical way. I have no illusions that this will achieve the 10,000 goal but one must look towards the sun. I will be messaging popular Twitter users to try and share this later.
Sorry if this isn't the most moving post for something so important . I did landscaping work today an had a couple of beers after just to gain the courage to post this despite mostly being sober lately so I can read books more.
Please watch Balaha's two beautiful short films linked in the GoFundMe that I uploaded to YouTube, they were shot with an old iPhone. And also please let me know if my GoFundMe description is too personal and off putting. https://gofund.me/7365562f
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The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus parts of North Africa. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List. Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australia, where it is considered harmful to native mammals and bird populations. Due to its presence in Australia, it is included on the list of the "world's 100 worst invasive species".
The red fox originated from smaller-sized ancestors from Eurasia during the Middle Villafranchian period, and colonised North America shortly after the Wisconsin glaciation. Among the true foxes, the red fox represents a more progressive form in the direction of carnivory. Apart from its large size, the red fox is distinguished from other fox species by its ability to adapt quickly to new environments. Despite its name, the species often produces individuals with other colourings, including leucistic and melanistic individuals. Forty-five subspecies are currently recognised,[7] which are divided into two categories: the large northern foxes and the small, basal southern grey desert foxes of Asia and North Africa.
Red foxes are usually found in pairs or small groups consisting of families, such as a mated pair and their young, or a male with several females having kinship ties. The young of the mated pair remain with their parents to assist in caring for new kits.[8] The species primarily feeds on small rodents, though it may also target rabbits, squirrels, game birds, reptiles, invertebrates and young ungulates. Fruit and vegetable matter is also eaten sometimes. Although the red fox tends to kill smaller predators, including other fox species, it is vulnerable to attack from larger predators, such as wolves, coyotes, golden jackals, large predatory birds such as golden eagles and Eurasian eagle owls, and medium- and large-sized felids.
The species has a long history of association with humans, having been extensively hunted as a pest and furbearer for many centuries, as well as being represented in human folklore and mythology. Because of its widespread distribution and large population, the red fox is one of the most important furbearing animals harvested for the fur trade. Too small to pose a threat to humans, it has extensively benefited from the presence of human habitation, and has successfully colonised many suburban and urban areas. Domestication of the red fox is also underway in Russia, and has resulted in the domesticated silver fox.
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The coyote (Canis latrans) is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological niche as the golden jackal does in Eurasia. The coyote is larger and was once referred to as the American jackal by a behavioral ecologist. Other historical names for the species include the prairie wolf and the brush wolf.
The coyote is listed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, due to its wide distribution and abundance throughout North America. The species is versatile, able to adapt to and expand into environments modified by humans; urban coyotes are common in many cities. The coyote was sighted in eastern Panama (across the Panama Canal from their home range) for the first time in 2013.
The coyote has 19 recognized subspecies. The average male weighs 8 to 20 kg (18 to 44 lb) and the average female 7 to 18 kg (15 to 40 lb). Their fur color is predominantly light gray and red or fulvous interspersed with black and white, though it varies somewhat with geography. It is highly flexible in social organization, living either in a family unit or in loosely knit packs of unrelated individuals. Primarily carnivorous, its diet consists mainly of deer, rabbits, hares, rodents, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates, though it may also eat fruits and vegetables on occasion. Its characteristic vocalization is a howl made by solitary individuals. Humans are the coyote's greatest threat, followed by cougars and gray wolves. Despite predation by gray wolves, coyotes sometimes mate with them, and with eastern, or red wolves, producing "coywolf" hybrids. In the northeastern regions of North America, the eastern coyote (a larger subspecies, though still smaller than wolves) is the result of various historical and recent matings with various types of wolves. Genetic studies show that most North American wolves contain some level of coyote DNA.
The coyote is a prominent character in Native American folklore, mainly in Aridoamerica, usually depicted as a trickster that alternately assumes the form of an actual coyote or a man. As with other trickster figures, the coyote uses deception and humor to rebel against social conventions. The animal was especially respected in Mesoamerican cosmology as a symbol of military might. After the European colonization of the Americas, it was seen in Anglo-American culture as a cowardly and untrustworthy animal. Unlike wolves, which have seen their public image improve, attitudes towards the coyote remain largely negative.
Behavior
Like the Eurasian golden jackal, the coyote is gregarious, but not as dependent on conspecifics as more social canid species like wolves are. This is likely because the coyote is not a specialized hunter of large prey as the latter species is. The basic social unit of a coyote pack is a family containing a reproductive female. However, unrelated coyotes may join forces for companionship, or to bring down prey too large to attack singly. Such "nonfamily" packs are only temporary, and may consist of bachelor males, nonreproductive females and subadult young. Families are formed in midwinter, when females enter estrus. Pair bonding can occur 2–3 months before actual copulation takes place
When hunting large prey, the coyote often works in pairs or small groups. Success in killing large ungulates depends on factors such as snow depth and crust density. Younger animals usually avoid participating in such hunts, with the breeding pair typically doing most of the work. The coyote pursues large prey, typically hamstringing the animal, and subsequently then harassing it until the prey falls. Like other canids, the coyote caches excess food. Coyotes catch mouse-sized rodents by pouncing, whereas ground squirrels are chased. Although coyotes can live in large groups, small prey is typically caught singly
Habitat
Prior to the near extermination of wolves and cougars, the coyote was most numerous in grasslands inhabited by bison, pronghorn, elk, and other deer, doing particularly well in short-grass areas with prairie dogs, though it was just as much at home in semiarid areas with sagebrush and jackrabbits or in deserts inhabited by cactus, kangaroo rats, and rattlesnakes. As long as it was not in direct competition with the wolf, the coyote ranged from the Sonoran Desert to the alpine regions of adjoining mountains or the plains and mountainous areas of Alberta. With the extermination of the wolf, the coyote's range expanded to encompass broken forests from the tropics of Guatemala and the northern slope of Alaska.
Diet
The coyote is ecologically the North American equivalent of the Eurasian golden jackal. Likewise, the coyote is highly versatile in its choice of food, but is primarily carnivorous, with 90% of its diet consisting of meat. Prey species include bison (largely as carrion), white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, rabbits, hares, rodents, birds (especially galliformes, roadrunners, young water birds and pigeons and doves), amphibians (except toads), lizards, snakes, turtles and tortoises, fish, crustaceans, and insects. Coyotes may be picky over the prey they target, as animals such as shrews, moles, and brown rats do not occur in their diet in proportion to their numbers
In folklore and mythology
Coyote features as a trickster figure and skin-walker in the folktales of some Native Americans, notably several nations in the Southwestern and Plains regions, where he alternately assumes the form of an actual coyote or that of a man. As with other trickster figures, Coyote acts as a picaresque hero who rebels against social convention through deception and humor. Folklorists such as Harris believe coyotes came to be seen as tricksters due to the animal's intelligence and adaptability. After the European colonization of the Americas, Anglo-American depictions of Coyote are of a cowardly and untrustworthy animal
Prior to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Coyote played a significant role in Mesoamerican cosmology. The coyote symbolized military might in Classic era Teotihuacan, with warriors dressing up in coyote costumes to call upon its predatory power. The species continued to be linked to Central Mexican warrior cults in the centuries leading up to the post-Classic Aztec rule.
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I was going to make a jokey post with just a caption but I did a reverse image search at the last minute. I'm happy I did.
Teaser
About the size of a full-grown gray wolf...
That's news to me. I thought they were about mid-sized dog-sized.
The Surprising Way Capybaras Outwit Jaguars in the Brazilian Pantanal
The world's largest rodent is a jaguar's favorite snack.
By Krista Langlois
December 12, 2023
Nick Garbutt was leading a photography tour in the tropical wetlands and flooded savannas of Brazil's Pantanal region when he spotted a dark shadow in the brush. It was a jaguar, and the cat was stalking a family of capybaras munching plants at the edge of the Paraguay River. Although jaguars are agile swimmers and have been known to prey on turtles, crocodiles, and even dolphins, one of their favorite foods is capybara—the world's largest rodent, about the size of a full-grown gray wolf.
In places like the Pantanal where jaguar populations are particularly dense, capybaras tend to stick close to rivers and other bodies of water. Even though jaguars don't mind getting wet, capybaras have a greater chance of swimming to safety than scurrying away on land. The semi-aquatic rodents have webbed feet to propel them through water, and—as German explorer Hans Staden described in 1557—"when anything alarms them, they flee into the water toward the bottom." Capybaras can hold their breath for up to five minutes, and are so well adapted to their aqueous habitat that they've been filmed trotting along river bottoms.
As Garbutt watched from a boat, the jaguar crept closer to the capybaras. About 60 feet away, the predator paused. "Suddenly," Garbutt recalls, "the jaguar rushed, but the capybaras were fractionally quicker, leaping immediately into the water and diving beneath the surface."
The jaguar didn't follow, and the capybaras eventually resurfaced in a neat line, the mother loudly barking her alarm. Capybaras' eyes, ears, and nose are all perched high on their heads, allowing them to stay mostly submerged with just the crowns sticking out like periscopes. These capybaras stayed in the water, while the jaguar crouched on land, watching.
"It was an amazing little snippet of behavior to witness," Garbutt says. It was also an example of the ways in which predator-prey relationships shape the ecosystems of the Pantanal and beyond. In places where jaguars have been extirpated, for example, capybaras venture farther from waterways to forage, and have been known to reach such high population densities that they're sometimes considered a nuisance. The lack of jaguars is partially to blame—or thank—for the hundreds of capybaras that have "invaded" a gated community and torn up manicured lawns near Buenos Aires, Argentina. But out in the suburbs, when capybaras face off against resident pet dogs, there are few places where mamas and kids can dive to safety.
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For those unaware of the totality of our goals this year:
What hick-up there have been were from self-serious people unaware of just how much opportunity actually laid before them, due to their lack of investigation. This is a drop in monthly donations via liberapay and patreon on an unfounded basis of "unprincipled behavior" Sungmanitu is accused of. This accusation comes from the IACI due to Sungmanitu following the proper procedures in handling disagreements (that they have yet to post the procedures we agreed to, and prefer to tell you orally so they can leave out convenient details), that they then project PlantsFanon's uncomradely and liberal attitudes to protect egos. "You have to admit that he played you like a fool" was what was said to me, as if they were unaware they are the ones vouching for him. At any rate, he went on to call me anti-science for having a critical position on nuclear (I am pro nuclear and we expect half the building if not all to be paid for by nuclear engineers lol Ideally we will use micro reactors but thats a lot of red tape, research, and democratic struggling).
Upon seeing the anti-science BS, I saw it for what it was, a colonial canard to distract from the actual criticism be leveed just as they did at TMT (Mauna Kea) and countless other places, Indigenous people had stolen and poisoned. The actual issue at hand however was about Plants willful and ignorant representation of Lenin wrt to the colonial question, and the policy of korenizatsiia (which was primarily written by Stalin, based on Stalins work, and implemented and not reinforced by everyone but Lenin who had suffered 2 strokes by the time it was instituted. I only write these first paragraphs to explain what we have not addressed officially (mainly waiting for the finished website which should be out by summer) rather than continue that drama groups drama, I should self crit for supporting them as long as I did, however part of my allying with them was to get to the root of their intentions in the larger movement which seems far more driven by clout than education but thats my opinion :)
Due to the position we have actually trying to determine energy policy in NDN country already, we felt we had to take a principled stand due to being called in by the communities we serve and are far better and more useful allies than podcasters and streamers with barely an audience. SO I will admit our decision was clout motivated, but it never had to be a public debacle as it was made by them (plants decided to vague post as he is known to do). Our clout is built on serious people, who actually take revolution serious, but want people to still be human beings as we discuss these things and understand people aren't perfect. Those complaints aside we are excited to announce that we have launched the food forest program, that will hit 4 primary objectives: 1)feed the people 2)return biodiversity 3)Stop desertfication 4)build community 2 and 3 are almost the same in so far as our plant to stop desertification is also one that returns biodiversity, but honestly we would say all 4 fit under the first and or better yet: landback. Our argument is simple, slogans are only slogans until you can materially back them. Therefore landback is a quicker way to say Peace Land and Bread if you want it to be, so why not make it so?
On their way from the South East to the Great Plains, a storm had been coming to meet them. Now many would see this as a set back, they saw it as a willing companion preparing the ground for the work ahead. Being forced to stop in Valentine Nebraska, they wondered around one of the nearest bordertowns to Rosebud reservation. They brought an entire food forest, tons of hand sanitizer, and has they stopped picked up a small library to help with the work that we showed above
These folks were really great about their opsec and remaining underground, but they see the same need we do, a need for the aboveground part of the movement to make moves to invent the future now. Because of this they are willing going to film the first hand accounts of the project, we will be doing a podcast interview with them, and ideally showcasing this stuff on streams. It is really an honor and a pleasure to have put this network together. We are trying to get to 2500-3000 a month to provide 500 stipends to field organizers to carry out their work in ways we dont have to oversee (a stipend is a good enough description for tax and disclosure purposes, helps keep specifics to entrusted circles) we have 8 candidates already we think could replicate everything we are doing and more where they are: the thing instead of supporting podcasts like ours people prefer bonus episodes. At any rate we are also in the middle of increasing the amount of content to make patreon more tantalizing to people who want more leftist content from us.
With all that said we look forward to sharing more of what we are doing, showing how much so little has accomplished already, and proving the major parties and thought leaders could be doing more: they are choosing not to
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