Here be dragons…in the mud! Rebecca Varney, PhD student at University of Alabama, studies the microscopic mud dragons, more scientifically known as Kinorhynchs. Learn more about the dragons of the invertebrates in today’s comic: dragon dreams
Check out more about mud dragons here and learn about the brand new Kinorhynch species described by Rebecca.
Today marks my 125th week drawing comics! This week I learned about blanket octopuses and they are pretty dang cool looking. While they may look just like “blankets” they are anything but. Learn more about the blanket octopus in today’s comic: sham sham
Learn more about these interesting invertebrates here.
For all you single people looking for love this Valentines Day, the fireflies are right there with you. Recent research finds that light pollution is disrupting mating rituals of fireflies. Learn more in today’s comic: firefly finder
Keep the love going. Learn more here. Or read the scientific paper.
This week I learned about an endangered invertebrate that was able to survive the recent devastating wildfires in Australia. And did I mention… it’s hot pink! Learn more about this fire fighting slug in today’s comic: fire fighter.
Groundhog day is coming up. Is it going to be six more weeks of winter? Let’s ask a burrowing sea anemone instead. I learned about burrowing sea anemones at SICB 2020 from Texas A&M PhD student Natalie Hamilton. Learn about these cool animals in today’s comic: bashful burrowers.
Also, check out this video of burrowing anemones.
What happens when you put 3D glasses on a cuttlefish? Well, recent research by Dr. Trevor Wardill, University of Minnesota, and team asked that very question and learned a whole lot about cuttlefish vision. Learn about the sharp vision of these molluscs in today’s comic: mollusc movie.
Keep your 3D glasses on. Learn more here.
Here’s another SICB 2020 inspired comic. Thanks to Anna Klompen, graduate student at University of Kansas, who studies jellyfish venoms (super cool!) for inspiring this comic on hydroids, the unsung hero of the cnidarians (jellyfish and anemone family). Learn more in today’s comic: high-end hydroids
Need more info? Learn more about hydroids here.
I just finished up the first week of 2020 at the annual Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology meeting where I learned about some pretty cool invertebrates. Graduate student, Sebastian Echeverri, University of Pittsburgh, studies mating dances of the jumping spider Habronattus pyrrithrix. Add some new moves to your dance repertoire in this week’s comic: date dance.
Happy New Years folks! Later this week I’m heading off to Austin, Texas for the annual Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology meeting so today I’m releasing another comic in my “United States of Invertebrates” series. Since it’ll be my first time to the Lone Star State, I did a little research on the invertebrates that Texans are particularly fond of. In today’s comic: Texas titan, meet the Lightning Whelk, the official state shell of Texas!
Still interested? Learn more here.
Merry Christmas folks! Invertebrates always make everything a little more festive so today I share with you the 12 days of invertebrates.
interviews with invertebrates 