Footnote: Recognize This? Feel Like Reading Some More? Well, Here Is My New Blog! Due To Some Technical

Footnote: Recognize this? Feel like reading some more? Well, here is my new blog! Due to some technical issues with the old one, I will be rblging the original MMM and CFF posts on this account, as well as continuing both series!

Creacher Feature Friday 4: Ligers, Tigons, and Mules, oh my! A Cursory Look at Sterile Hybrids

I’m supposing it’s safe to assume most of the human population knows what a mule is, pretty visible concept. Take a horse and a donkey, let ‘em have a tumble in the hay, and out comes something that’s a bit of both species, but still something pretty different, they can’t themselves reproduce. If you understand that much, then you’re already walking in with a little bit of baseline knowledge of a phenomenon known as hybrid incompatibility.

Now, animals can be incompatible to each other as hybrids in a whole list of ways because of the broadness of the term. It doesn’t exactly mean that two different species cannot produce offspring together, but it encompasses any case where two different species mate and produce an offspring that suffers from a reduced fitness as compared to its parents- Fitness in this context of course meaning the ability of an animal to thrive and reproduce in its environment, so that can include anything from a pure genetical problem to just the mixing of traits not being as well suited to a habitat as the parent’s more specialized adaptations. Very often, though, a downgrade will take the form of the offspring just outright having a reduced or eliminated fertility. Like the mule, like the liger, many hybrids simply dead-end their lines just by virtue of being unable to continue mating and reproducing. That’s what applies to the critters what I want to get into today. Without further ado, here’s a whacky little list I got of some worthy mentions I find MUCH cooler than mules.

*Side Note: the actual mechanics for how hybrid sterility happens is something that comes down to DNA and is to put it lightly, freaking complicated, and ultimately (like most boxes we try to apply to nature) is more of a messy spectrum than a strict is/is not binary. There are actual freak cases of mules that have managed to be the exception to the rule, believe it or not. But as a general it applies to broadly call them, and the following examples of sterile hybrids. Just a thing to keep in mind!

• Ligers and Tigons

Whether through word or mouth, actual articles, or some old animal planet shows, ligers are probably one of the most well-known “exotic” hybrids because of the attention they started getting in zoos that managed to breed them. And yeah, they’re pretty cool. For obvious reasons they only exist in captivity, and they’re the direct result of a male lion mating with a female tiger. Tigons, on the vise versa other hand, are a hybrid between a male tiger and a female lion. You wouldn’t think that would make such a huge difference, but it really does. For one, there’s some noticeable differences in the offspring’s mane (in males) and the pattern of their coat. Personally I find Tigons much more gorgeous than their counterpart on this front.

Second, ligers are absolute units. Not just compared to tigons, but compared to big cats in general. They very typically grow much larger than either of their parents, reaching lengths of about 10-12 feet and easily being able to clock in at weights of over 900 pounds on average. You wanna talk about “chonkers”?

Yeah. Yeah.

It’s not particularly a great thing either and it makes them especially controversial to create. Basically, they don’t inherit key growth-limiting genes from a lioness that a pure cub would, but they are carrying a now completely unrestrained growth-encouraging gene from the male lion parent. It essentially causes all ligers to be born with a form of gigantism, which can predispose them to a bunch of health complications. Tigons still have their own issues as well, which is a predictable enough fact considering this is more or less parallel to some of those “because we can” designer dog mutts.

Something tigons and ligers do share is that all males of either case are born completely sterile. Females, however, have been on some occasions able to produce second generation hybrids, which is a whole can of worms on itself once you start getting into Titagons, Tiligers, Litigons, Liligers… real things by the way. This is a problematic lasagna with many strange layers, indeed. Personally, I’d just steer clear of any institution that intentionally interbreeds big cats in ways like this, and leave it at that.

• Hybrid Iguanas

Hey look, an example that was actually found happening in the wild! There’s a rarity alright. So, there are a handful of iguana species native to the Galápagos Islands. Three of them are terrestrial, and one is the impressively unique marine iguana- the only modern seafaring lizard species, in fact. I’ll give them their own Friday feature one day but anyway. Typically, the land and sea iguanas don’t have much of an overlap in breeding season or territory, but there was a curious incident we discovered on the South Plaza island back in 80s-90s.

Marine Amblyrhynchus cristatus (top left), the land-dwelling Conolophus subcristatus (top right), and a hybrid offspring of the two species (bottom)

At the time, see, the Galapagos were going through a pretty intense round of warm tropical cycles that caused a substantial loss of seabed kelp surrounding the islands. Since this is what makes up almost the entirely of the marine iguana’s diet, it led to an epidemic of scarce pickings among their species. Many of them starved off, but others, including the more aggressive, explorative, in-season males, started encroaching inland out of desperation for food. And this, along with the south island’s generally small size, is the main posed explanation for the dozens of hybrid land-sea iguanas that have been spotted on the strip over the years. Genetic testing has shown them to be the result of male marine lizards and female land iguanas, specifically, and though our knowledge could still change in the future, these hybrids are also assumed to be sterile first gens, which would explain why we don’t see many of them at once when we do.

• Commercial Bananas

Come on, you know I Just had to throw a plant in with the lot. They’d feel left out otherwise after I dedicated two of the last 3 write ups to fungus. There’s a number of crops that could have gotten this mention, but nanners is a funny word, so here’s the spill. We royally fucked up banana genetics a long time ago in their domestication. Every, single, banana you have ever grabbed out of the produce section of your local grocery is an asexual clone unfit for wild survival. They’re hybrids, too. Specifically, nearly all domestic varieties can trace a lineage back to a crossing between Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana, originally two wild natives to South Asia. One of which just had some unappetizing flesh and the other was too chock flipping full of seeds for human preferences, real big seeds. It’s not really even recognizable as a “banana” to us now. See what I mean.

Well, the good news was that the offspring of the two, by some random miracle, produces fruit that was just culinarily superior in every single way to either of the parents’. It was effectively seedless, tastier, more vibrant, more nutrient packed, more “banana” if you will. The bad news was that these seedlings were completely sterile. Oops…unless👀?

The game changing good news 2.0 was that farmers realized they could still be easily propagated into genetically identical new plants off of cuttings from the original hybrids. And that’s how we got to the current state of commercial bananas. Personal confession, I still can’t freaking stand the smell, taste, or texture of them either way. Never have, never will, but maybe some of you can feel an appreciation for this happy little accident of agriculture that I cant.

I had some more examples to add onto the list that came up in my research, like Zebra-donkey/horse mixes, but I think I’m pretty comfortable with the length of this for the week. Perhaps I’ll give it a second part in the future. Until then, peace~

This whole thing is making me laugh so hard for several reasons but mainly because off the top of my head, if you’ve ever read Moby Dick, there actually is no outright sex scene. BUT. It’s literally one of the most blushingly homoerotic pieces of literature I’ve ever read in my life.

Without exaggeration, Melville crammed it brimming full of cheeky (Very intentional) innuendo enough to make a nun faint. There’s literally one scene that takes its sweet, descriptive time to visually lay out a whole circle of sea men squeezing and wringing the “sperm” (as in the sperm whale grease) out of a harvest, you know all ruggedly and rapturously and sensually, as one does with the sailor homies. I lied actually, it’s not a scene. It’s an entire chapter titled “A Squeeze of the Hand” ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) …

Not getting into the “strangers sharing a hotel bed to unofficially married speedrun” bromance between Ishmael and Queenqueg because we’d be here all day.

brandon sanderson fans

I do have to admit in retrospect,, that was probably a big part of it as well. And, the purple. And- Character design...vibes... I am a sucker...

“B-but you didn’t even finish watching the last couple of shows you were obsessed with that had sinister adoptive dads!”

“Hehe evil mask man say ‘Subarashi’ a lot.”

Footnote: Psst, This is my new blog! Due to some technical issues with the old one, I am rblging the original MMM and CFF posts on this account, as well as continuing the future rambles under this handle from here on!

Media Marvel Monday, #5:

The Sweetest Co-Op I’ve Ever Played Solo, Unravel 2

Ever look through the bargain bin or the used game/movie sections while shopping in your youth, and come across an actual masterpiece? Wonderful experience, especially if you didn’t even know you basically found a diamond ring rifling through the sloppy seconds section. It’s why I love thrift thing so much, not just because I’m a cheap ass, but because finding the hidden gems pennies on the dollar is its own fun kind of scavenger hunt.

And on that note, this one time I was looking through the heavy discount section of the E-shop, and let me tell you,

I found something absolutely beautiful, and even better, it’s a charming ditty you can enjoy with a dear friend, or a special someone if you're looking for a good couch co-op recommendation on short notice, Valentine's day being tomorrow and all ;)

I.... freaking love this game, so much. Everything about it. Playing it, looking at it, keeping the soundtrack in my ears as I meditate or draft things such as this out...

The game follows as the spiritual successor of the first Unravel, an atmospheric, side scrolling, puzzle-platformer that had you navigate a voiceless narrative through control of a "Yarny" (which, in this setting are like lil whimsical fellas made entirely of yarn) through beautiful natural landscapes and an underlying story of love, memories, and adventure. Which each step Yarny takes, his own thread spools out behind him, and puzzle-solving through the level sections revolves around creative uses of this trailing string, whether by use of a lasso to climb heights, to swing over gaps, building tightrope trampolines, pulleys, and a number of other ways of interacting with the world. This builds with and upon the smooth physics in action to bring players an engaging and varied way of progressing without being overly complicated. Though some of the challenges can have their moments of frustration, the game is overall a relaxing and visually more artistic than mechanical experience.

All of this carries over into Unravel's sequel, but now with the added spice of two Yarnies in the spotlight, tethered both physically and seemingly spiritually to each other. From the moment they find each other, a spark forms from their connection, and they share a journey to chase that spark as it brings light back to a world with some growing shadows.

Though you can play through the entire game solo for no less satisfaction and no more difficulty with the puzzles (I did, and I was almost tearing up in delight when I reached the final credits), the soul of a thoughtfully crafted, local co-op experience shines through all of Unravel 2.

Something I also rabidly love about the sequel is that you're actually allowed to customize the look of the yarnys' bodies and color! Not only that, but there's a handful of emotes available to really help your little dudes come to life (Media Marvels is all about the joy from the finer details after all). How many co-ops do YOU have where you and the other player's little creature can hold hands and stare into each other's lil yarn eyes after getting through a tough challenge??

I got so attached to my own pair over my first playthrough that I couldn't help myself but go for a trip to the craft store and, well,

More pics of my sons here, but legit, yarnys are pretty fun and easy to make it turns out.

I seriously don't want to understate the beauty of this game, though. The soundtrack is phenomenal, some literally theater worthy stuff at times, and draws a lot of inspiration from Scandinavian folk sounds, which, I shouldn't even have to really explain how that pairs so well with visuals like this

If this all sounds even remotely interesting to you, it's available on PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. The switch's version does take a hit to the graphics, but it's not one that I minded much. Also cool how you can do co-op with a pal with one joycon each, no huge need to have two sets. Anyway, I can't stand by this recommendation much harder. I think I'll close this out with a simple Happy early Valentines Day.

Footnote: Ahoy there! Feel like seeing more crap like this? Here is my current handle! Due to technical issues with the old one, I will be rblging the original MMM and CFF posts on this account, as well as continuing both series!

Creacher Feature Friday 8: So, Trypophobia Toads Are a Thing..

Last week, I recall, we took a glance on over at a frog so bizarre and special, it grew hairy gills on its back legs and broke its own bones to make basically Wolverine claws as a defense mechanism.

Guess what? I know of just the amphibian fit to top that weirdness👏

Full disclosure, though, there was a slight lie in the title of this. This feature does not actually center on a toad at all- it's another frog! A strictly aquatic dwelling one at that; nonetheless, it never stopped the unusual Pipa pipa (actual genus and species name, lol) from landing plenty of misnomer titles such as the Star-fingered toad, the common Surinam toad, and of course, the pipa toad.

P.pipa calls the jungles of the Amazon and much of upper South America as its home, where it lies in wait on the beds of flooded forests and low-flowing streams, ready to ambush the next meal that floats along. Interestingly, they also capture prey through a method known as suction feeding (i.e. slurping in a bunch of water along with the victim in one strong gulp), which is usually more associated with certain kinds of fish than most anurans. Guess when you don't have a tongue for gobbling your food up, you find your own way.

Something more quickly notable about them than their feeding habits is their.. interesting.. appearance.

I guess today also doubles as Flat Fuck Friday

In case you are worried, fear not, this is NOT the result of them being run over by a looney tunes steamroller. Just a natural way of camouflage, hoping you'd pass them by as a boring old brown leaf on the riverbed. And those little eyes are still functional, but for good measure this species also came packing a lateral line system (another fishy smelling trait, likely evolved to suit their lifestyle) down its back to help detect potential prey/predators while it lies flatly at the water's bottom like above.

If that's not enough "I'm not like the other frogs" for you yet, wait until you see them pregnant. I did not stutter. Pipa toads go about reproduction in a convoluted, literally skin crawling way.

To remember what "typical" frog spawning looks like, picture how the male piggybacks onto the female, they both release some gametes together in some pond, bippity-boppity-boop, tadpoles happen and are left to fend for themselves. Sometimes you get the odd parental species with males that might guard the eggs/young for a while, but frogs wholly are usually not the most invested caretakers, especially females.

Well, anything but usual, the pipa toad performs spawning with the twist of adding in a complicated series of acrobatics. As the released eggs are fertilized by the male, the he keeps his hold on his mate and brings the pair into a series of somersaults, where he uses his legs to push and stick the eggs onto her back. From courtship and on, the female's body reacts to this by growing a layer of skin over the developing embryos as they slowly meld into the outside of her body. This skin-covering eventually develops into something of a protective pouch that will shield the growing young all the way through their metaphosis from tadpole to miniature versions of the adult (one per each of those visible chamber holes). And after a long, 4 month gestation, the time finally comes for anywhere from 60-100 toadlets to be "born" and escape from their flesh cage for greener pastures and tasty eats of their own. Just as the beautiful circle of life intended.

Until further notice, this series crowns the PP toads as certainly, the frog of all time.