Thread by @TCastanea

NEXT UP: #4 seed PICADO'S JUMPING PIT VIPER (Atropoides picadoi) vs #5 seed DEVIL FROG (Beelzebufo ampinga) #2021MMM

Pit viper's namesake Atropos is featured in the poem Shield of Heracles. Some descriptions of Atropos & Pit Viper are comparatively on point: "teeth are bright-white (λευκούς) like those of Fear; the long nails (fangs) w/ which they seize bodies" (Brockless 2017) #2021MMM

While other descriptions are perhaps less on point. Some may perceive Pit Viper as having "antagonistic glares (δέρκομαι)" but snakes lack eyelids so they can't help but glare (Simões et al 2016) #StopLookingAtMe #2021MMM doi.org/10.1093/molbev…

Atropoides picadoi are a sit & wait predator that injects venom into their typically mammalian prey. The venom is made of enzymes that break down proteins, eg, collagen. SVMP enzymes need Zn or Ca atoms to work so they are called metalloproteinases (Lomonte et al 2014) #2021MMM

Beelzebub is associated with the Canaanite God Ba'al & Ugaritic records show him as a weather God w/ power over lightening, wind, rain & fertility. Frogs are a symbol of fertility in many cultures worldwide #2021MMM

Side note: Beelzebufo ampinga was featured in a recent episode of @DinosaurTrain, a @PBSKIDS show that engages scientists & education experts to spark children's interest in science. Hat tip to #ActualLivingScientist @robingnelson for bringing this show to my attention #2021MMM

Beelzebufo, like Pit Viper, is a 'sit & wait' predator #2021MMM Pics: @DinosaurTrain & livingzoology.com (sidenote: watch the entire Jumping Pit Viper video later! ) #2021MMM

Tonight's battle takes place in Pit Viper's home habitat, within the cloud forest of Parque Nacional Los Quetzales - a National Park that was established in 2006 to preserve the area's rich biodiversity #2021MMM sinac.go.cr/ES/ac/accvc/pn…

Beelzebufo finds itself along a stream edge & waddle bounds similarly to one of Costa Rica's native toads, the Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) to situate itself in a depression next to an animal track to sit & wait. (Reilly et al 2015) doi.org/10.1111/1365-2… #2021MMM

Jumping Pit Viper is in search of food & scans the area, not w/ its eyes but w/ its tongue. It 'smells' its environment by taking molecules from the air onto its tongue, which are interpreted by a specialized organ called the Jacobson organ (Miller & Gutzke 1999) #2021MMM

Beelzebufo is taking in the new aromas of unfamiliar prey, mammals, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T EXIST IN ITS WORLD! (Mammals first appeared ~200 million years ago & the Cenozoic Era is referred to as the Age of Mammals - Knoll & Nowak 2017) #2021MMM #Antecessors advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/5/e1…

Pit Viper slowly slithers along the streambank looking for a spot to set up camp to sit and wait for prey. With these warm temps, Draco was digested quickly & Pit Viper is still hungry #2021MMM

Pit viper slithers within striking distance of Beelzebufo who sits. And waits... for suitable prey to ambush. #2021MMM [gif: Nacho Libre kneeling on the ground saying I'll be waiting]

Beelzebufo sizes up the very robust snake, which at 125 cm long is a bit larger than it may be able to handle #2021MMM

Pit viper picks up a light scent of a mammal & finds a track along the river where the scent gets stronger #2021MMM

Pit viper follows the path, using the leading edges of its left & right sides to push off the ground in an opposite motion to propel itself forward along the track ... OFF THE FIELD OF BATTLE!!! #2021MMM [gif: three people laughing saying You're about to slither out of here]

DEVIL FROG OUTSITS JUMPING PIT VIPER!!!!!!! #2021MMM