Latest Updates

Bumble Bee Atlas participants have made some amazing discoveries this year! This sighting of a Southern Plains bumble represents just one of four records from Minnesota—what a cool find.

#BumbleBeeAtlas #Bombus #BumbleBees #CommunityScience #CommSci #CitSci #Midwest #Minnesota

Our recently released jellyfish report revealed that sightings of Portuguese Man O’ War increased by 16% compared to last year, becoming the second-most recorded species and making up 20% of all jellyfish sightings

Here are a few interesting facts about them:
– The Portuguese Man …O' War is not technically a jellyfish, it’s a floating colony of hydrozoans. Their bodies are made up of 4 individual organisms that form a fixed colony, combining tiny little specialised animals into a greater organism called a siphonophore
– Their polyp aka bladder, can be up to 30cm long. It’s filled with gases, such as carbon monoxide, oxygen and argon and sits above the waters surface like a sail
– In some countries they are also known as 'Blue Bottles'
– Their tentacles can reach over 30m. These dangle into the water and catch on anything soft enough to sting. They then stick onto the prey (most often fish) and inject a paralysing toxin into them
– Blanket octopuses use them as a weapon by ripping off their tentacles and using them as a toxic, venomous whip!

Each year we see them after strong winds and storms. They tend to come in autumn and winter, so keep your eyes peeled and be sure to let us know if you see them

Just click the link in our bio to report your sighting or visit -> mcsuk.org/sightings

#CitizenScience #PortugeseManOWar #Jellyfish #JellyfishSighting #MarineBiology #MarineAnimal

📷: Friends of Portheras Cove

Why it’s so important to protect wombats!
1. Look at that face! How could anyone not want to save wombats, they are beautiful animals each with their own unique personalities.
2. Wombats are so important to the Australian ecosystem. By digging burrows, wombats promote soil health and …help to distribute fungal spores deep into the ground, as well as providing safe havens for other wildlife.
3. Sadly Australian wildlife are seriously undervalued and not given the respect they deserve, they have more right to this land than we do and we should all be protecting them.

#wildlife #bluemountains #wombatwednesday #citizenscience #volunteer #nsw #australia #love #science #abcmyphoto #wombat #nationalgeographic #babywombats #wombattv #csiro #wildliferescue #wombats #wombatrescue #australiangeographic #marketing #instagram #radio #socialmedia #baby #photooftheday #photography #environment #animals #kangaroos

📢 Exciting news for #PuertoRico & the U.S. #VirginIslands! 🏝️ 
 
We have released updated #USTopo maps of the islands. These maps offer a detailed look at the natural & developed landscape, providing critical details for recreation, navigation, emergency management …operations, and conservation efforts. 
 
Ready to explore the #maps? Click the link in our story to check them out! 👀 
 
#TheNationalMap #mapping #CitizenScience #GIS #geospatial #topo #maps #conservation #recreation #infrastructure #water #flood #riskmanagement #emergencymanagement #LandscapeChanges #TopographicMaps 
 
🗺️ 1: Bayamón, Puerto Rico (2018 vs 2024) – A fascinating shift in topography! Using US Topo maps, this map reveals changes in elevation and terrain features, reflecting the area's evolving landscape over six years.
 
🗺️ 2: El Yunque Rainforest (2018 vs 2024) – A closer look at El Yunque’s dynamic landscape. These topo maps show how the rainforest’s topography has evolved, reflecting both natural shifts and environmental factors. 
 
🗺️ 3: Guánica (2018 vs 2024) – Discover how Guánica's landscape has changed over the years. The US Topo maps highlight shifts in land use, elevation, and natural features from 2018 to 2024.
 
🗺️ 4: Salinas (2018 vs 2024) – Check out how Salinas has transformed over time. This topo map comparison from 2018 to 2024 reveals key changes in the terrain and landscape, showcasing the area’s evolving geography. 
 
🗺️ 5: Coral Bay (2018 vs 2024) – The transformation of Coral Bay is evident in this comparison using US Topo maps. The maps capture alterations in the landscape, highlighting the impact of time on the terrain.

On This Day – November 12-13, 1833

The Leonid meteor storm lit up the night sky across the United States, astonishing those awake to witness as between 50,000 and 150,000 meteors fell each hour. Yale professor Denison Olmsted, eager to understand the phenomenon, wrote a letter to the New …Haven Daily Herald, asking the public for any information about what they saw. Responses poured in from across the country, allowing Olmsted to crowdsource eyewitness accounts to study the meteor storm. His findings, published in 1834, marked an early example of citizen science, as Olmsted used everyday descriptions to advance our understanding of meteors.

#OnThisDay #LeonidMeteorStorm #1833 #History #Astronomy #CitizenScience #DenisonOlmsted #Meteors

Any doctor who posts something like this has an Ego / Emotional Intelligence ratio of infinity ♾️. If someone cites a degree for THE reason they’re an authority… back away

P.S. This is no more or less true for the fact that it’s being posted by someone getting his second …doctoral degree from Harvard… but it does make it funny 😆

#citizenscience #futureofmedicine

The ever variable Mottled Umber 🍁 Swipe to the last picture ti see how different they can look. You may think it’s a male/female difference but with this species the females are actually flightless, living on tree trunks/fence posts.
A few species are like this, and can look like two …totally different moths…which makes IDs and absolute BLAST ✨ especially when you’re just starting out moth recording 😅 very beautiful moths though 🍁

Last weekend, 22 citizen scientists paddled along Takayna's rivers, surveying for endangered species like the Tasmanian Azure Kingfisher, that rely on waterways flowing through forests threatened by mining 🚣🏽‍♂️

Unlike its cousin from the mainland, the Tasmanian Azure …Kingfisher is becoming alarmingly rare, with Takayna as one of its last strongholds 📉 The reason behind its population decline remains unknown, and the government is knowingly leaving this species in a blind spot.

By documenting and monitoring threatened species in at-risk areas, we are campaigning for their protection.

🦅 Many eagles were sighted over the weekend, and a new nest was found that will need to be protected.

Get involved! Stay tuned for the dates of our upcoming 'Summer of Swifties' citizen science project to find and record Swift Parrots in forests that are threatened by logging.

📸 2 – 4 by Rob Blakers

#CitizenScience #Takayna #SwiftParrots