Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games

Smith P, Brouard J-P, Cacciali P (2022) A new species of Phalotris (Serpentes, Colubridae, Elapomorphini) from Paraguay. Zoosystematics and Evolution 98(1): 77-85.

5. Phalotris shawnella: Even the undead would swipe left.

Echevarría LY, Venegas PJ, García-Ayachi LA, Nunes PMS (2021) An elusive new species of gymnophthalmid lizard (Cercosaurinae, Selvasaura) from the Andes of northern Peru. Evolutionary Systematics 5(2): 177-187

4. Elusive microtegu: With that between its legs, no wonder it’s elusive.

García-Vázquez UO, Pavón-Vázquez CJ, Blancas-Hernández JC, Blancas-Calva E, Centenero-Alcalá E (2018) A new rare species of the Rhadinaea decorata group from the Sierra Madre del Sur of Guerrero, Mexico (Squamata, Colubridae). ZooKeys 780: 137-154.

3. Rhadinaea nuchalis: A chilling sight.

Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M (2012) Rivaling the World's Smallest Reptiles: Discovery of Miniaturized and Microendemic New Species of Leaf Chameleons (Brookesia) from Northern Madagascar. PLoS ONE 7(2): e31314.

2. Nosy Hara leaf chameleon: It’s the size of a matchstick and has a literal ghost for a dong.

Torres-Carvajal O, Echevarría LY, Venegas PJ, Chávez G, Camper JD (2015) Description and phylogeny of three new species of Synophis (Colubridae, Dipsadinae) from the tropical Andes in Ecuador and Peru. ZooKeys 546: 153-179.

Here are 5 spooky #reptile members that keep the WEEN in #Halloween 👻

1. Zamoran shadow snake: It even has a creepy name to match its creepy ween.

P.S. If you live in a city where this org operates, have your local immigrant rights hotline saved in your phone so you can report activity ASAP!

All communities deserve dignity, safety, and connection.

The original Portland protest frog Seth Todd put it best:

“I don’t like seeing my neighbors, my community members, my family being kidnapped, essentially, and being disappeared without due process.”

“They don’t know about borders or visas or passports… this is just their habitat and these populations need to reconnect.”
— Anny Peralta, scientist on the project

And whether it’s frogs or people, borders shouldn’t break families apart.

Other males often join in too, clinging to the same female in what can only be described as a frog mosh pit.

As of 2025, over 100 adult red-legged frogs have been spotted in Southern California — a real conservation win.

Here’s what that looks like:
Male frogs go underwater and call for females, only surfacing to breathe.

When a female’s into it, she approaches — and he tightly hugs her (sometimes for hours!) until she releases her eggs for him to fertilize.

In 2020, scientists carried two coolers of red-legged frog eggs from Mexico to Southern California after the U.S. population had sharply declined.

Once those eggs hatched and mating season hit, they hoped nature would take it from there.

Some frog mating & habitat restoration info, inspired by the Portland frog protesters 🐸

Celebrate #HispanicHeritageMonth by learning more about the work of these brilliant scientists!

Dr. Brennan: english.elpais.com/science-tech...

Dr. Tang-Martinez: theconversation.com/data-should-...

🇻🇪 Dr. Zuleyma Tang-Martínez is a trailblazer in animal social behavior. In addition to studying why some animals leave their group, she’s challenged the old “males are promiscuous, females are coy” theory in animal behavior, showing that reality (and the actual data) is far more complex.

🇨🇴 Dr. Patty Brennan was the first scientist to show that female ducks have unique variations in their reproductive anatomy, and that their bodies co-evolved in fascinating ways alongside males. She is also a strong advocate for the importance of curiosity-driven science.

Happy Hispanic & Latiné Heritage Month! Here are two Latinas who made a wild impact on animal mating science. Because of their curiosity, bold questions, and groundbreaking research, our current understanding of animal behavior, anatomy, and evolution is forever changed.

Mate: The Party Game for Feral Naturalists rests in a bed of ferns. Its cover looks like an antique book and features two colorful mating damselflies. Text overlays the photo, saying 'Animal mating science meets party game fun.' A queer pride flag, neurodivergent infinity, and mature 17+ symbol appear in the lower corner.

Yes, duck mating is wild. And it’s also a window into how power and adaptation work in the natural world, and why we need to look for the whole story. That's exactly why we made a party game about animal mating behavior and anatomy!

#indiegame #feminism #biology #animals

Dr. Brennan’s work highlights this “evolutionary arms race” between female and male mating behavior and anatomy. It pushes back on outdated ideas that females are passively reacting to males. Instead, it shows what’s really happening: a dynamic, ongoing game of co-evolution.

Female ducks have incredibly fascinating anatomy. They’ve evolved complex, spiraled vaginal tracts—with twists and dead ends—that can block sperm from unwanted mates. In fact, research shows they control paternity over 95% of the time!

What still often gets missed is the female side of the story. No surprise: many people are obsessed with male anatomy and control. While duck dongs have racked up search engine clout, duck vaginas have been largely ignored. (Except for a curious outlier in Montana. We see you.)

It started with a backlash against science. In the early 2010s, Dr. Patty Brennan’s research on duck dongs was attacked as “wasteful government spending.” (Sound familiar?) This caused a spike in interest in the critical research of Dr. Brennan and many others, which has then sustained.

A chart depicts the Google search trends for the terms 'Duck penises' and 'Duck vaginas.' Both lines are very low where the chart begins in 2007. While 'Duck penises' have a large spike near 2012 with sustained interest, 'Duck vaginas' remain nearly flatlined into the present.

In 2005, most of the folks talking about duck mating gear were scientists and breeders. Fast forward 20 years, and now everyone and their podcast knows about the corkscrew-shaped dongs of drakes and their aggressive mating techniques. Here's why...

Gender of Game Designers: Board Game Geek Top 500, January 2025 A pie chart: 92% of the pie is Designed only by men. They made 461 of the top 500 games. 6% of the pie is Designed by a mixed-gender group. They made 28 of the top 500 games. 1% of the pie is Designed only by women or non-binary people. They made 5 of the top 500 games. Data are for January 1, 2025, using the names in the Designer field on BGG. Not shown are 6 games in the top 500 that have uncredited designers.

Update to this chart that I share a lot. Not breaking news: Game design teams are still OVERWHELMINGLY all men. About 7% of the top 500 games have a woman or non-binary person credited as a designer. A 🧵of related charts: (1/6)
🎲✂️

Here's the full post about why games aren’t neutral, and how we can use them for good.
fascinarygames.com/play-is-poli...

#boardgame #partygame #tabletopgame #ttrpg #gamedev #indiegames

Games absolutely can be liberatory: rooted in joy, care, and imagination.

🎲 Party games: connection + joy.
🎲 RPGs: new worlds + relations.
🎲 Co-ops: solidarity + sharing.

Games can spark curiosity, strengthen social bonds, and expand our capacity to imagine the possibilities of a new world.

PLAY IS POLITICAL. 🎲

In Victorian times, ladies played patience games like solitaire to perform being quiet and contained. Today, many hit strategy games celebrate conquest and resource extraction.

When we play a game, we’re taking in the stories and politics that shape its design.

Mate: The Party Game for Feral Naturalists Animal mating science meets party game fun! For 4-8 feral naturalists, aged 17+.

Mate is fully funded! 🎉 If you're into animal mating science meets party game fun, today is the last day to back and get a Kickstarter exclusive Founding Feral Naturalist seal for the box. 🐌🌈

kickstarter.com/projects/fascinary/mate-party-game?ref=45wmk3

#tabletopgame #partygame #boardgame #science

Freedom Monument Sculpture Park and the National Monument to Freedom honor all those who were enslaved in the U.S. and their descendants alive today. Plan your visit at https://legacysites.eji.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelegacysites Twitter: https://twitter.com/legacysites Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacysites The Legacy of Slavery in America

All of us are impacted by the legacy of slavery. Today we honor, celebrate, and mourn the lives of enslaved people and hope for a future where the harms created by the legacy of slavery are repaired. #Juneteenth

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, but also a reminder: freedom delayed is freedom denied. #Juneteenth #BlackHistory #FreedomDay #NeverForget

Happy Pride Month to Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold'! - Hoyt Arboretum This June we are wishing a very happy Pride Month to our Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn Gold’! This tree came to us as a male tree, but has begun to produce female “fruits” [1]. This is a perfectly natural phe...

"This tree came to us as a male tree, but has begun to produce female fruits. This is a perfectly natural phenomenon that occurs across several species of plants."

www.hoytarboretum.org/happy-pride-...

#pride #ginko #plants #natureisqueer #botany