Line #39 Blog/TetrapodZoology


1	[[http://tetzoo.com/ Tetrapod Zoology]] is a blog by British paleontologist and zoologist Dr. Darren Naish that covers varied topics regarding tetrapods (which is to say, land-dwelling vertebrates). It is widely considered one of the best (if not ''the'' best) zoological blogs in the blogosphere, for although Naish is a dinosaur paleontologist by profession, he maintains a healthy interest in tetrapods of all kinds and his knowledge on them can border on almost-terrifying levels.
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3	Due to the blog's diverse content as well as its frequent coverage of obscure tetrapods and [[MundaneMadeAwesome obscure facts on well-known tetrapods]], readers are almost ''guaranteed'' to learn something new. Unusually for the Internet, the comment sections on the blog are often just as valuable and informative as the blog posts themselves due to a tendency for readers (as well as Naish himself) to provide additional information and discussions in the comments.
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5	''Tetrapod Zoology'' is also associated with a [[http://tetzoo.com/ podcast]] (which Naish co-hosts with artist John Conway), as well as a [[https://twitter.com/TetZoo Twitter feed]]. The blog started out on [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/ Blogspot]] in 2006, then moved to [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/ Scienceblogs]] in 2007, and then to [[http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/ Scientific American]] in 2011. In 2018, it moved to the independent website tetzoo.com, thus sharing the same platform as the podcast. Naish has also made the majority of his technical papers (several of which were covered on his blog) freely available [[http://darrennaish.wordpress.com/publications/ here]].
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7	!!This work provides examples of the following tropes:
8	* AlwaysABiggerFish: [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2007/03/13/predator-vs-predator/ Predatory animals frequently attack other predators]].
9	* AprilFoolsDay: Naish used to prepare special blog posts for April Fools', usually presenting outlandish, fabricated "discoveries" about tetrapods, such as [[https://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2008/04/01/true-origins the amphisbaenian origin of mammals]], [[https://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2011/04/01/science-meets-mokele-mbembe the confirmation of Mokele-Mbembe as an extant sauropod]], and [[https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/bears-in-the-permian/ Permian bears]]. These were often laced with [[TakeThat satire]] of actual pseudoscientific ideas. Starting in 2018, however, Naish has dropped this tradition, partly in response to sentiments in the science outreach community that such jokes are [[PoesLaw counterproductive]] to effective science communication.
10	* AscendedToCarnivorism: Real life examples of this are a fairly common topic, such as [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/12/20/carnivory-in-cows-and-deer/ cows & deer that eat birds.]]
11	* UsefulNotes/AustralianWildlife
12	* BatOutOfHell: Not literally of course, but the hypercarnivorous [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/06/chewed-bones-and-bird-eating-microbats.html ghost bats]] and (more unexpectedly) [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/06/greater-noctules-specialist-predators.html noctule bats]] can give off this vibe. The [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2007/02/17/a-new-hypothesis-on-the-evolut/ evolution of vampire bats]] has also been covered.
13	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Naish normally allows cranks to comment as they please. (Thankfully, as far as popular blogs go there Tet Zoo hasn't suffered as many cranks as one might expect.) But when he ''does'' decide to reply to them, or finds that one really has overstepped the mark... Though by that time the crank is likely to have been already torn apart by regular Tet Zoo commenters who are less likely to hold back. And God help you if he actually writes an entire ''post'' in response to something a crank has said.
14	* BigEater: The various animals in the "overenthusiastic swallowing" series, which covers instances where animals swallow things too large for them. A few examples have the swallowers [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/12/09/mushu-eats-large-toy/ surviving]] the ordeal, but most aren't that lucky.
15	* BigfootSasquatchAndYeti: Despite being skeptical of the actual existence of bigfoot and similar creatures, Darren has a strong interest in cryptozoology and has [[https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/if-bigfoot-were-real/ blogged about]] them several times.
16	* ClamTrap: A series of posts shows how this sometimes happens to shorebirds. It usually ends badly for the birds.
17	* CurbStompBattle: Essentially any "debate" between a crank and Naish or regular commenter David Marjanović goes this way.
18	* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: The April Fools' joke on [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2011/04/01/science-meets-mokele-mbembe/ the scientific discovery of the Mokele Mbembe]] mentions "coelacanths" multiple times while listing "living fossils".[[note]]This might double as a jab at proponents of the idea that some extinct animals such as plesiosaurs, pterosaurs or non-avian dinosaurs might actually survive to this day in remote corners of the world, as these people almost always cite specifically the existence of coelacanth as a fact showing that such survival is possible - a claim Naish addressed in [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/04/17/esc-sea-monster-poster/ an earlier post]].[[/note]]
19	* ExtremeOmnivore: Gulls are known to eat [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/12/19/gull-swallows-phone/ cellphones and entire sets of toy soldiers]], among other things.
20	* FeatheredFiend: Notably, the first ever Tet Zoo post covered [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/01/when-eagles-go-bad.html eagle attacks on large prey (possibly including humans)]]. Other topics on this trope have included [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2007/05/17/cassowaries-kick-ass/ aggression in cassowaries]], [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/05/make-that-ten-most-beautifully.html aggression in steamer ducks]], [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/03/31/passerine-birds-fight-dirty/ the brutality of bird fights]], [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/11/30/epic-cat-fight/ a video of a hooded crow pair goading two cats into fighting one another]], etc.
21	* FormulaBreakingEpisode: There were [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/07/02/biggest-ever-fish-has-been-revised/ a]] [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/09/01/inside-natures-giants-ser-2-shark/ few]] [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/10/13/ing-giant-squid-special/ cases]] when Naish wrote posts about animals that aren't tetrapods. This was also the way he [[http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2014/12/17/300-articles-at-tet-zoo-ver-3/ celebrated]] the 300th post at Tet Zoo V. 3.
22	* GiantFlyer: [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/09/24/condors-and-vultures/ Vultures]] and [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/04/why-azhdarchids-were-giant-storks_03.html azhdarchid pterosaurs]] have both been covered on the blog.
23	* HerbivoresAreFriendly: As anyone well versed in zoology knows, this is definitely not (always) the case. Several posts have covered instances of normally herbivorous animals [[AscendedToCarnivorism eating meat]] (as well as otherwise being aggressive).
24	* KidnappingBirdOfPrey: Naish's [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/01/when-eagles-go-bad.html very first blog essay]] focused on this. The conclusion he reached was that large eagles are definitely capable of killing a small child, and that this has probably happened, but not necessarily of carrying one off.
25	* KillerRabbit: [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/09/01/tapir-goes-bad/ Tapirs can kill people]], [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/09/09/great-tits-murderous-rapacious/ great tits eat bat brains]], [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2007/11/29/hot-water-bottle-turtles/ softshell turtles can overturn boats]], [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/06/greater-noctules-specialist-predators.html noctule bats hunt birds]], [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/05/make-that-ten-most-beautifully.html steamer ducks beat up other waterfowl apparently for the heck of it]]...
26	* LizardFolk: Naish ''really'' [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/11/dinosauroids-revisited.html dislikes]] this trope as applied to hypothetical sapient dinosaurs, and he's not the only one.
27	* MegaNeko: Some posts have covered [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2007/03/04/australias-new-feral-mega-cats/ abnormally large feral cats]].
28	* MisplacedWildlife: [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/06/15/another-new-wealden-theropod/ This post]] mentions ''Spinosaurus'', ''Carcharodontosaurus'' and ''Rugops'' all living together. However, ''Spinosaurus'' came from the Baharija and Kem Kem beds of Egypt & Morocco, whereas ''Rugops'' was found in the Nigerian Echkar formation (''Carcharodontosaurus'' has been found in all those places).
29	** This also applies to living species as well; one blog post is about [[http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/05/21/wild-wallabies-in-the-uk/ wild wallabies residing in the United Kingdom]], not to mention numerous posts about sightings of large felids far from their native range.
30	* MundaneMadeAwesome: Would you believe that ''rabbits'' are among "[[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/05/most-freaky-of-all-mammals-rabbits.html the freakiest of all mammals]]"?
31	** Babirusa are pigs with constantly growing tusks. If they let them grow too long, though, the tusks ''pierce their own skull''.
32	* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: Somewhat averted, as the frugivory in alligators (and caiman) post shows. Played straight, however, in the post about [[http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/tool-use-in-crocodylians-crocodiles-and-alligators-use-sticks-as-lures-to-attract-waterbirds/ crocodylians using sticks to lure waterbirds to their deaths]].
33	* NotQuiteFlight: Various gliding tetrapods have been covered, most notably lemurs. No, not flying lemurs (colugos). Actual lemurs. [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/09/literally-flying-lemurs-and-not.html Really.]]
34	* PantheraAwesome: Aside from posts on regular big cats, "[[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/02/british-big-cats-how-good-or-bad-is.html alien big cats]]" (rumored sightings of big cats far from their natural range) are a common topic.
35	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Many blog posts cover conferences Naish attends as well as publications Naish has worked on.
36	* RunningGag: There's a recurring gag among commenters that someone will guess "gorgonopsian" or "ropen" whenever Naish does any "guess the animal" posts.
37	** Another running gag is Naish's utter fanboyism over babirusa, even leading to a picture of him ''mounting'' a babirusa like a horse.
38	** The fact that the discovery of the kabomani tapir was mentioned in two podcasts in a row has led to subsequent jokes that Naish and Conway need to mention it in every podcast. They even have [[http://www.redbubble.com/people/tetrapodcats/works/11548686-new-tapir merchandise]] of it.
39	** [[http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2014/05/24/ratite-evolution-part-ii/ The longest comment thread in the history of the blog]] made "Permian bears" a running gag for a while.[[note]]To elaborate, the discussion was in large part about different proposed explanations for geographic distribution of members of various groups of animals. The discussion was joined by two panbiogeographers, who argued that if members of particular group are present on more than one continent, then the group must have originated back then those continents were connected. This might be true in some cases, but they tended to reject possible alternatives, such as oversea dispersal, no matter how well supported by fossil record and other evidence. This led them to advocate things like a [[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1463-6409.2009.00411.x/abstract Jurassic origin for primates]] and, in the specific Tet Zoo comment thread, also a Jurassic origin for ratites. One commenter then sarcastically suggested that, taking into account the geographic distribution of bears their Permian origin should be considered, and thus a RunningGag was born.[[/note]]
40	* SeaMonster:
41	** Whales, plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, etc.
42	** One of the [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/07/02/biggest-ever-fish-has-been-revised/ only times]] Tet Zoo has ''ever'' dedicated a post to a non-tetrapod it was to the giant Jurassic fish ''Leedsichthys''. Ironically, the post was about how said fish was probably not as large as often reported. It was still large enough to fit this trope though.
43	** [[http://tetzoo.com/blog/2019/4/27/sea-monster-sightings-and-the-plesiosaur-effect Cryptozoological sea monsters]] are a regular subject.
44	* SeriesMascot: Though it's not as prominent nowadays, for a time the babirusa was essentially the blog's icon.
45	* StockAnimalDiet: As many posts show, most animals in real life do ''not'' stick to these.
46	* StockAnimalFacts: Often averted, but apparently not even Naish can come up with much new for [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/01/16/something-new-about-basilisks/ basilisk lizards]].
47	* SwansASwimming: Highly aggressive ones, at that.
48	* TakeThat: Sometimes towards various fringe groups, particularly in the April Fools' posts. Naish is also known for heavily [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/11/dinosauroids-revisited.html criticizing]] the original [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troodon#The_.22Dinosauroid.22 "dinosauroid"]] thought experiment. He's also [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/12/17/quote-mining-clash-of-the-dinosaurs/ jabbed]] at the ''Series/ClashOfTheDinosaurs'' [[QuoteMine incident]].
49	* TakingYouWithMe: Shown heavily in the "overenthusiastic swallowing" series, where many predators are shown choking to death on prey too large or spiny to swallow. Ditto the "[[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/07/23/when-bivalves-attack/ when bivalves attack]]" series, which talks about seabirds getting parts of their bodies caught by bivalves and often dying.
50	* ThreateningShark: Sharks are not tetrapods, of course, but have been mentioned in passing, and on [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/09/01/inside-natures-giants-ser-2-shark/ two]] [[http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/08/05/cryptozoologicon-megalodon-teaser/ occasions]] Naish actually devoted a full post to them.
51	* ToothyBird: Mesozoic birds, of course, are also covered, and many of them had teeth.
52	* VegetarianCarnivore: [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2008/10/03/alligators-eat-fruit/ Fruit-eating alligators.]]
53	** One post also had Naish [[http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2009/08/28/predatory-animals-are-bad/ objecting]] to a proposal suggesting that predators should be converted to herbivory if possible.
54	** [[AscendedToCarnivorism Inverted]], of course, with the posts on carnivory in deer and cows.

Context Blog / TetrapodZoology