Thread by @PKurnath

Next up: 7th seeded Blue-capped ifrit (Ifrita kowaldi) vs. 10th seeded Brussels Griffon* (Canis familiaris) #2021MMM

Blue-capped Ifrits are small (34-36g, 0.16 of a stoat) passerine (perching & sing well) birds only found in the montane rainforests of New Guinea & Papua New Guinea #LiferBird #StoatsAsMeasurement #2021MMM ebird.org/species/bucifr1

Blue-capped Ifrits are not shy birds & their calls, a sort of whip-crack sound (macaulaylibrary.org/asset/203983621), are similar to Australian whipbirds #SoundsOfNature #2021MMM

The name ifrit is Arabic in origin & is a kind of unseen djinn (spirit, angel, ghost, demon) that is tricksy & usually has malicious intent (GREAT summary by @atlasobscura here: atlasobscura.com/articles/monst…) #2021MMM

@atlasobscura The Brussel Griffon is a small (5.4 kg, almost 25 stoats!) domesticated dog breed from the Toy Group originally bred in Belgium during the early 1800's to hunt rats (from @akcdoglovers) #StoatsAsMeasurement #2021MMM

@atlasobscura @akcdoglovers Now a popular companion breed, Brussel Griffons or Griffs have a shortened nose like a Pug, a beard & mustache like a Schnauzer, & large dark eyes giving them an "air of a wordly, French-speaking philosopher" #Bonsoir #GoeieAvond #2021MMM

@atlasobscura @akcdoglovers Griffon is a nod to the mythical griffin or gryphon: a beast with the body, tail & hind legs of a lion & the head & wings of an eagle, which dates back to about 2000 BC to the Levant region of the Middle East & was a prominent image during the Middle Ages #2021MMM

@atlasobscura @akcdoglovers In fact, fossils of extinct dinos, birds & mammals likely led to the mythology of the griffin (neat blog by @BioDivLibrary here: tinyurl.com/eyry9wzc ) and indeed this toy dog has the inner confidence of two apex predators (image created by @Mammals_Suck) #2021MMM

Tonight, we find both competitors in Lorentz National Park, a @UNESCO World Heritage site, the largest protected area in Southeast Asia & the ONLY conservation area in the world that protects a continuous transect of ecosystems, from high mountains to the sea #2021MMM

@UNESCO Blue-capped Ifrit has home-habitat advantage here in the montane rainforests, just over 6500ft / 2000m in elevation. The Ifrit is tending to its nest #2021MMM

@UNESCO Brussel's Griffon is a short-snouted, broad-faced doggo (term is brachycephalic) with strong tendencies for respiratory troubles (Koch 2003) #2021MMM tinyurl.com/f638x23e &

@UNESCO At this higher elevation with lower oxygen levels, the already wheezy breezy Griffon starts breathing more rapidly & even more loudly #2021MMM

@UNESCO Something bright just above Griffon's head catches it's eye - something worth investigating, especially if it results in a snack! #2021MMM

@UNESCO Blue-capped Ifrit's nest 3-6 ft off the ground & only lay one egg per clutch due to environmental factors, like PREDATION (Schodde & Christidis 2014, Freeman & Mason 2014) #2021MMM tinyurl.com/74x2xp2h & tinyurl.com/rty9ktdz

@UNESCO Griffon sizes up the narrow trunk leading to Ifrit's nest, then CLIMBS the tree just like another pint-sized rodent-hunting breed (Jack Russel Terriers) #2021MMM tinyurl.com/yrsmwxe8 &

@UNESCO Unlike local carnivores who avoid Ifrits, the Griffon heads comes over the nest edge & SNARFS IFRIT!!! #2021MMM

@UNESCO BLARGHF!!!!!! #2021MMM

@UNESCO Ifrit's feathers contain batrachotoxins!! These alkaloid toxins are similar to those produced by poison dart frogs & can cause paralysis in small doses! (Dumbacher et al 2000) #2021MMM pnas.org/content/97/24/…

@UNESCO Griffon's muscles stiffen, the dog is losing balance on the low tree branch... slips... #2021MMM

@UNESCO THE DOG FALLS FROM THE TREE STILL GRASPING THE IFRIT IN ITS MOUTH!!!! #2021MMM

@UNESCO POMPFFF!!! Impact with the ground pops the uninjured Ifrit Bird from the Griffon's mouth... #2021MMM

@UNESCO AND POPS THE GRIFFON DOG'S EYE FROM ITS BRACHYCEPHALIC SOCKET!!!!!! (Gilger et al 1995) #2021MMM pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7768741/

@UNESCO Blue-capped Ifrit somewhat inelegantly flops back to the nest as <#DirectorsCut> Brussels Griffon runs from the battledfield, one eyeball dangling by the optic nerve bouncing like a tetherball #2021MMM

@UNESCO BLUE-CAPPED IFRIT STUNS BRUSSELS GRIFFON!!!!! #2021MMM

Post Script: Griffon lives to see another day, and a new style #2021MMM