Thread by @am_anatiala

NEXT UP: Great horned owl 🦉 (Bubo virginianus; 5) vs Panther chameleon 🦎 (Furcifer pardalis; 12)! #2019MMM

The great horned owl (Least Concern), AKA "the tiger of the air". Despite being in the Fam Strigidae, early naturalists called it the tiger owl due to its tiger-like stripey barring. Extremely adaptable, it has the widest range of any true American owl. #2019MMM

Of House Great Horned, this owl has the most diverse prey profile of an raptor in the Americas.

They are able to take down prey that weighs ~14lbs (~29 stoats), which is nearly 3x its own weight (4.5lbs or 9 stoats). sora.unm.edu/sites/default/… #2019MMM #StoatsAsMeasurement #WePrey

GH Owl's average foot spread from talon to talon is ~20 cm (50+% of a stoat), which means the owl can basically palm a basketball. howtheyplay.com/team-sports/14… #2019MMM #StoatsAsMeasurement #MarchMadness

The panther chameleon (Least Concern), is not remotely a felid; this reptile is part of the Fam Chameleonidae & was named so due to its panther-like spots. Interestingly enough, the Ancient Greek word for chameleon means "ground lion". #2019MMM

House Chameleon CANNOT change to match any color. Colors are locale-specific.

In NE Madagascar, they can be a bright turquoise or green, while in the northwest, they're called "pink panthers" for their bright pink coloration. inaturalist.org/taxa/33004-Fur… #2019MMM #InAllColors

Tonight's battle takes place North of the Wall/Canadian Border, on Selkirk First Nation/Hucha Hudan land (credit to @nativelandnet for info) selkirkfn.com/about/our-peop… #2019MMM

Our panther chameleon was in the middle of dealing with another chameleon, an intruding male, when he was transported to a spruce branch in this cold hell. It is currently 25 degs F.

Still brightly aggressive, he attempts to move out of the open to find a warm place. #2019MMM

The owl may not be able to see the chameleon's bright colors (nationalgeographic.org/media/birds-ey…), but she is able to note the contrast between the colors, & the chameleon's hesitant movements.

Her eyes focus in 👀. #2019MMM

The chameleon's movements quicken towards the spruce's trunk, perhaps instinctively *knowing* (rather than hearing) what is coming. #2019MMM

He only gets another surprisingly rapid footstep in before the talons strike.

Bright green is now splashed with red.

#2019MMM

Cameleon omnes debent mori, cameleon omnes oportet pugnare. #2019MMM

TIGER OWL SKEWERS PANTHER CHAMELEON #2019MMM