NEXT UP: #1 seed Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) vs. #3 seed Wolverine (Gulo gulo) #2023MMM This battle is a collaboration between @JE_Light, @Mammals_Suck, & myself! #2023MMM

NEXT UP: 6-seed Sphinx Monkey (Mandrillus sphinx) vs. 7-seed Blue-Capped Ifrit (Ifrita kowaldi) #2021MMM Sphinx Monkey brutally devoured Bush Squirrel & avoided confrontation with Chimpanzee (& Hawk-Eagle) to reach the #Sweet16. Ifrit, meanwhile, made an eye-popping escape from the mouth of Brussels Griffon before repelling Cryptkeeper Wasp. #2021MMM

NEXT UP: 7-seed Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra) vs. 2-seed Red Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus caama) #2021MMM Red Hartebeest are social, living in herds of up to 300 animals, though "they also [can] aggregate in groups of up to 10,000 animals." (@AWF_Official). Within herds, females form groups with mutliple generations of offspring & travel in & out of males' territories. #2021MMM

NEXT UP: 3rd seed Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) vs. 14th seed White Winged Vampire Bat (Diaemus youngi). #2021MMM [bat photo via @inaturalist] Once again, this primate/bat match-up is brought to you by myself & @alyb_batgirl. #DejaVu #2021MMM

NEXT UP: No.7 seed Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) vs. No.10 seed Mara (Dolichotis patagonum). #2021MMM Genetics & phylogeny content for this #TricksyTaxonomy bout is courtesy of @sexchrlab. #Teamwork #2021MMM

NEXT UP: 4th-seeded Maroon Langur (Presbytis rubicunda) vs. 13th-seeded Little Red Flying Fox (Pteropus scapulatus). #2021MMM This battle was a collaborative effort with @alyb_batgirl. #DynamicDuo #2021MMM

NEXT UP: 4th seeded Tree Hyrax (Dendrohyrax dorsalis) vs. 13th seeded Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus) #2020MMM Though 'Hyrax' comes from the Greek 'Hurax', meaning "shrewmouse", our combatant the Western Tree Hyrax is much larger than either of these namesake rodents, reaching lengths up to 2 feet and weighing up to 4.5 kg (~20 stoats). #StoatsAsMeasurement #2020MMM

NEXT UP from the CAT-e-GORY division: 1-seed Sea Lion vs. 5-seed Tiger Owl (narration co-written with @TCastanea) #2019MMM Tiger Owls, aka Great Horned Owls, occur throughout the Americas & are well suited for many habitats from sea level up to 11,000 ft. They live in forests, grasslands, deserts, swamps, marshes, & mangroves. (Smith 2002) #2019MMM

FIRST UP TONIGHT: #1 seed TIGER vs. #8 seed SPRINGHARE! #2019MMM Tiger bounded into round 2 by scattering the much smaller Ringtail, & arrives well-fed after his recent hog deer meal. #2019MMM

NEXT UP: 6th-seeded Lion-Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) vs. 11th-seeded Cat Snake (Telescopus fallax) #2019MMM Though named for its lion-like, black-tufted tail, both male & female Lion-Tailed Macaques also boast a leonine silvery mane. Accordingly, this species is called "Bartaffe," which translates to "beard ape" (*not an ape), in German. #ServingLooks #TheRachel #2019MMM

NEXT UP: 7th-seeded Verreaux's Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) vs. 10th-seeded 9-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) #2019MMM The 9-Banded Armadillo (can actually have 7-11 bands) can grow 2.5 ft long (half of this is tail) & tip the scales at 17 lbs, or roughly 19 stoats, as it forages in broad ecologies throughout the Americas #2019MMM #stoatsasmeasurement

NEXT UP: SPOTTED HYENA VS. COYOTE! #2018MMM This battle was a collaborative effort, with valuable input from @TCastanea and @AnneWHilborn. #2018MMM

NEXT UP: 10th seed common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) vs. 2nd seed green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) #2018MMM The clever octopus reached Round 2 by suffocating and enveloping cookie cutter shark. #sneakattack #2018MMM

Categorized as 'Least Concern' by @IUCNRedList, the S. American coati ranges broadly in forested habitats throughout....you guessed it: S. America. On the slopes of the Andes it can live at altitudes of up to 2500m (~8000ft), but is more commonly found in lowlands. #2018MMM The coati's great adaptations include the long, flexible nose & strong claws it uses to forage on the forest floor, & the ringed tail it uses for balance when arboreal. The tail = about half its overall length of ~100cm (39.5in, or roughly 3 stoats). #stoatsasmeasurement #2018MMM

And now I present: a thread based on my love of #science, #scicomm, and #animals, and the fact that I'm a huge #nerd:
1/? The other day at the library, I got this book by Ann Tompert for my 2yo (2/?): amazon.com/Just-Little-Bi…