Mike Benard
@benardmf.bsky.social
Biologist, ecologist, herpetologist.
Views expressed here are my personal opinions.
Professor & Department Chair at CWRU
https://sites.google.com/a/case.edu/benard-lab/the-benard-lab-at-cwru
Views expressed here are my personal opinions.
Professor & Department Chair at CWRU
https://sites.google.com/a/case.edu/benard-lab/the-benard-lab-at-cwru
Reposted by Mike Benard
Reposted by Mike Benard
It is also grossly ironic to use faulty data to cut the statistics program.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/unl-use...
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/unl-use...
UNL used bad data to make $27.5 million cuts, faculty say
UNL's faculty takes issue with the data used by the university to propose program budget cuts. The eliminations are partially financial, but all of the programs up for elimination made more money in s...
www.dailynebraskan.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:38 PM
It is also grossly ironic to use faulty data to cut the statistics program.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/unl-use...
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/unl-use...
Reposted by Mike Benard
It's over.
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
BREAKING: ‘This hurts’: UNL eliminates 4 programs despite faculty, student pleas
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln eliminates the Earth and atmospheric sciences 8-0, educational administration 7-1, statistics 7-1, textiles, merchandising and fashion design 7-1 programs.
www.dailynebraskan.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:35 PM
It's over.
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
Reposted by Mike Benard
Talipot palms in a Rio de Janeiro park are flowering for the first and only time in their lives.
Decades-old palm trees in Rio de Janeiro flower for the first — and only — time
Talipot palms in a Rio de Janeiro park are flowering for the first and only time in their lives. These palms were introduced by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx in the 1960s.
bit.ly
December 4, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Talipot palms in a Rio de Janeiro park are flowering for the first and only time in their lives.
Reposted by Mike Benard
Can you teach human anatomy - or know someone who can?
CWRU Anatomy is recruiting, and it would be great to have another paleontologist in the department!
More info and application: apply.interfolio.com/151831
Please share widely!
@societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social
CWRU Anatomy is recruiting, and it would be great to have another paleontologist in the department!
More info and application: apply.interfolio.com/151831
Please share widely!
@societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social
November 24, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Can you teach human anatomy - or know someone who can?
CWRU Anatomy is recruiting, and it would be great to have another paleontologist in the department!
More info and application: apply.interfolio.com/151831
Please share widely!
@societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social
CWRU Anatomy is recruiting, and it would be great to have another paleontologist in the department!
More info and application: apply.interfolio.com/151831
Please share widely!
@societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social
Reposted by Mike Benard
#FrogFriday > BlackFriday - Here's a male Uakari Poison Frog (Ranitomeya uakarii) hauling two of its tadpoles to a location with permanent water, where they can continue development. Rainforest in the Rio Tahuayo drainage north of Iquitos, Peru. #herps #frogs #NaturePhotography 🌿
November 28, 2025 at 11:14 PM
#FrogFriday > BlackFriday - Here's a male Uakari Poison Frog (Ranitomeya uakarii) hauling two of its tadpoles to a location with permanent water, where they can continue development. Rainforest in the Rio Tahuayo drainage north of Iquitos, Peru. #herps #frogs #NaturePhotography 🌿
Reposted by Mike Benard
When a meal fights back!
I’ve only gotten distant looks at Yellow-crowned Night-heron adults, delighted to find one close! It’s trying to eat a crab but the crab’s got its beak pinched.
Super compressed video quickly moved to my phone from my camera (sorry!) just too excited to wait to share
I’ve only gotten distant looks at Yellow-crowned Night-heron adults, delighted to find one close! It’s trying to eat a crab but the crab’s got its beak pinched.
Super compressed video quickly moved to my phone from my camera (sorry!) just too excited to wait to share
November 25, 2025 at 6:01 PM
When a meal fights back!
I’ve only gotten distant looks at Yellow-crowned Night-heron adults, delighted to find one close! It’s trying to eat a crab but the crab’s got its beak pinched.
Super compressed video quickly moved to my phone from my camera (sorry!) just too excited to wait to share
I’ve only gotten distant looks at Yellow-crowned Night-heron adults, delighted to find one close! It’s trying to eat a crab but the crab’s got its beak pinched.
Super compressed video quickly moved to my phone from my camera (sorry!) just too excited to wait to share
Reposted by Mike Benard
🚨 HELP NEEDED!!!
Please, help us to evaluate how differences in aesthetic perception can affect the development of conservation strategies in #butterflies.
www.unveiling.eu/en_US/
Please, help us to evaluate how differences in aesthetic perception can affect the development of conservation strategies in #butterflies.
www.unveiling.eu/en_US/
November 26, 2025 at 8:52 AM
🚨 HELP NEEDED!!!
Please, help us to evaluate how differences in aesthetic perception can affect the development of conservation strategies in #butterflies.
www.unveiling.eu/en_US/
Please, help us to evaluate how differences in aesthetic perception can affect the development of conservation strategies in #butterflies.
www.unveiling.eu/en_US/
Reposted by Mike Benard
Since BlueSky seems to like (or dislike enough to hit "like") snakes, here's my favorite photo of a snake I've taken:
A smooth green snake knots its tail in a last-ditch effort to avoid being consumed by a garter snake. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO.
#photography #snake 🐍
A smooth green snake knots its tail in a last-ditch effort to avoid being consumed by a garter snake. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO.
#photography #snake 🐍
November 23, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Since BlueSky seems to like (or dislike enough to hit "like") snakes, here's my favorite photo of a snake I've taken:
A smooth green snake knots its tail in a last-ditch effort to avoid being consumed by a garter snake. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO.
#photography #snake 🐍
A smooth green snake knots its tail in a last-ditch effort to avoid being consumed by a garter snake. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO.
#photography #snake 🐍
Reposted by Mike Benard
Finished page from THE DISSIDENTS. I'm putting the last touches on this bad boy. It'll be in the can by Thanksgiving! What a relief.
Out in Fall 2026, y'all.
Out in Fall 2026, y'all.
November 22, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Finished page from THE DISSIDENTS. I'm putting the last touches on this bad boy. It'll be in the can by Thanksgiving! What a relief.
Out in Fall 2026, y'all.
Out in Fall 2026, y'all.
Reposted by Mike Benard
A few of you will recognize this as an homage to the Otto Dix painting, Streetfight, from 1927. Dix was witness to the battle in Berlin. The Freikorps, of course, morphed into the Nazi Party.
It's an astounding painting, tragically destroyed during WW2, either on a Nazi bonfire or by bombs.
It's an astounding painting, tragically destroyed during WW2, either on a Nazi bonfire or by bombs.
November 22, 2025 at 9:32 PM
A few of you will recognize this as an homage to the Otto Dix painting, Streetfight, from 1927. Dix was witness to the battle in Berlin. The Freikorps, of course, morphed into the Nazi Party.
It's an astounding painting, tragically destroyed during WW2, either on a Nazi bonfire or by bombs.
It's an astounding painting, tragically destroyed during WW2, either on a Nazi bonfire or by bombs.
Baby Redback Salamander next to an Adult Redback Salamander. Plethodon cinereus. These are lungless, direct-developing salamanders. The babies skip the aquatic larval stage and upon hatching are completely terrestrial salamanders like miniature adults.
November 22, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Baby Redback Salamander next to an Adult Redback Salamander. Plethodon cinereus. These are lungless, direct-developing salamanders. The babies skip the aquatic larval stage and upon hatching are completely terrestrial salamanders like miniature adults.
Reposted by Mike Benard
Revolting.
Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."
November 19, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Revolting.
Visiting family in the mountains of South Carolina, encountered these large, invasive joro spiders for the first time. Some spots were thick with their webs spread between trees.
November 10, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Visiting family in the mountains of South Carolina, encountered these large, invasive joro spiders for the first time. Some spots were thick with their webs spread between trees.
Reposted by Mike Benard
I'm a little achy, feverish and listless from a Covid vax, so I'm just processing photos tonight. For #FrogFriday here's an African Clawed Frog (Xenopus laevis), observed in SE Free State, South Africa. Note the upturned eyes, perfect for laying in shallow water. #herps #frogs #NaturePhotography 🌿
November 8, 2025 at 2:01 AM
I'm a little achy, feverish and listless from a Covid vax, so I'm just processing photos tonight. For #FrogFriday here's an African Clawed Frog (Xenopus laevis), observed in SE Free State, South Africa. Note the upturned eyes, perfect for laying in shallow water. #herps #frogs #NaturePhotography 🌿
Reposted by Mike Benard
Tonight! act.gorgefriends.org/a/rattlesnakes
October 29, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Tonight! act.gorgefriends.org/a/rattlesnakes
Reposted by Mike Benard
BEHOLD the GARgantuan Alligator Gar!!!
This is the largest Alligator Gar I’ve encountered; at over 7 feet 10 inches (240 cm) and approximately 55 inches in girth, its weight is estimated at 300 pounds (136 kg)!
A true river monster, among the largest caught, tagged and safely released! #GarWeek
This is the largest Alligator Gar I’ve encountered; at over 7 feet 10 inches (240 cm) and approximately 55 inches in girth, its weight is estimated at 300 pounds (136 kg)!
A true river monster, among the largest caught, tagged and safely released! #GarWeek
October 28, 2025 at 8:00 PM
BEHOLD the GARgantuan Alligator Gar!!!
This is the largest Alligator Gar I’ve encountered; at over 7 feet 10 inches (240 cm) and approximately 55 inches in girth, its weight is estimated at 300 pounds (136 kg)!
A true river monster, among the largest caught, tagged and safely released! #GarWeek
This is the largest Alligator Gar I’ve encountered; at over 7 feet 10 inches (240 cm) and approximately 55 inches in girth, its weight is estimated at 300 pounds (136 kg)!
A true river monster, among the largest caught, tagged and safely released! #GarWeek
Reposted by Mike Benard
Cooper's Hawk vs. Eastern Gray Squirrel
Spoiler: Squirrel gets away.
Lake County, IL 10.20.25
#coopershawk #graysquirrel #backyardwildlife #trailcam #trailcamera
Spoiler: Squirrel gets away.
Lake County, IL 10.20.25
#coopershawk #graysquirrel #backyardwildlife #trailcam #trailcamera
October 28, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Cooper's Hawk vs. Eastern Gray Squirrel
Spoiler: Squirrel gets away.
Lake County, IL 10.20.25
#coopershawk #graysquirrel #backyardwildlife #trailcam #trailcamera
Spoiler: Squirrel gets away.
Lake County, IL 10.20.25
#coopershawk #graysquirrel #backyardwildlife #trailcam #trailcamera
Wonderful visit to Holden Arboretum yesterday. My phone video can’t capture the amazing feeling from the emergent tower above tree canopy (120 feet / 37 meters above the ground. Well worth a visit for those in northeast Ohio! holdenfg.org/attractions/...
October 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Wonderful visit to Holden Arboretum yesterday. My phone video can’t capture the amazing feeling from the emergent tower above tree canopy (120 feet / 37 meters above the ground. Well worth a visit for those in northeast Ohio! holdenfg.org/attractions/...
Reposted by Mike Benard
New: a $60 mod to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses disables the privacy LED light. This is supposed to light when people are filming with the glasses. We bought the mod, verified it works. Now you can never be sure whether someone wearing Meta Ray-Bans is filming you or not
www.404media.co/how-to-disab...
www.404media.co/how-to-disab...
A $60 Mod to Meta’s Ray-Bans Disables Its Privacy-Protecting Recording Light
Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses usually include an LED that lights up when the user is recording other people. One hobbyist is charging a small fee to disable that light, and has a growing list of customers ar...
www.404media.co
October 23, 2025 at 1:01 PM
New: a $60 mod to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses disables the privacy LED light. This is supposed to light when people are filming with the glasses. We bought the mod, verified it works. Now you can never be sure whether someone wearing Meta Ray-Bans is filming you or not
www.404media.co/how-to-disab...
www.404media.co/how-to-disab...
Reposted by Mike Benard
Update on the Paleontological Research Institution and their remaining need for donations to pay off their mortgage and avoid foreclosure
#savePRI please share; tag anyone you think might help🧪⚒️🦑
@lastweektonight.com @colbertlateshow.bsky.social @pbseons.bsky.social
www.ithaca.com/news/regiona...
#savePRI please share; tag anyone you think might help🧪⚒️🦑
@lastweektonight.com @colbertlateshow.bsky.social @pbseons.bsky.social
www.ithaca.com/news/regiona...
Saving the Museum
After years of financial troubles and millions of funds raised in support, the Museum of the Earth is still struggling to bridge its multi-million dollar budgetary gap. It needs to
www.ithaca.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Update on the Paleontological Research Institution and their remaining need for donations to pay off their mortgage and avoid foreclosure
#savePRI please share; tag anyone you think might help🧪⚒️🦑
@lastweektonight.com @colbertlateshow.bsky.social @pbseons.bsky.social
www.ithaca.com/news/regiona...
#savePRI please share; tag anyone you think might help🧪⚒️🦑
@lastweektonight.com @colbertlateshow.bsky.social @pbseons.bsky.social
www.ithaca.com/news/regiona...
Reposted by Mike Benard
Just look at the reductions to the USGS science centers in this document. An 80% reduction in staff is all the scientists. The only people left will be admin and IT staff who will be needed to shutdown the centers. The writing is on the wall for all other EMA science centers…
See for yourself. The releases court document outlines all the planned RIFs for competitive areas that include protected union members. Areas not included are not safe. They simply have no union members relevant to the TRO.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
October 21, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Just look at the reductions to the USGS science centers in this document. An 80% reduction in staff is all the scientists. The only people left will be admin and IT staff who will be needed to shutdown the centers. The writing is on the wall for all other EMA science centers…
Reposted by Mike Benard
A tale in four photos…
This Green Heron took about 5 minutes to swallow this poor little frog! 🐸
Interestingly, the heron kept dipping the frog in water and rotating it so that the frog was facing the throat before swallowing it whole 😱
This Green Heron took about 5 minutes to swallow this poor little frog! 🐸
Interestingly, the heron kept dipping the frog in water and rotating it so that the frog was facing the throat before swallowing it whole 😱
October 21, 2025 at 12:37 AM
A tale in four photos…
This Green Heron took about 5 minutes to swallow this poor little frog! 🐸
Interestingly, the heron kept dipping the frog in water and rotating it so that the frog was facing the throat before swallowing it whole 😱
This Green Heron took about 5 minutes to swallow this poor little frog! 🐸
Interestingly, the heron kept dipping the frog in water and rotating it so that the frog was facing the throat before swallowing it whole 😱
New from CWRU alumn Troy Neptune, with Diana Koester (CLE Metroparks Zoo) in @animalecology.bsky.social. Gray treefrogs use daylength as a seasonal cue to prepare for winter. Autumn daylength triggers frogs to accumulate 14-fold more liver glycogen than summer photoperiod.
doi.org/10.1111/1365...
doi.org/10.1111/1365...
October 19, 2025 at 2:14 PM
New from CWRU alumn Troy Neptune, with Diana Koester (CLE Metroparks Zoo) in @animalecology.bsky.social. Gray treefrogs use daylength as a seasonal cue to prepare for winter. Autumn daylength triggers frogs to accumulate 14-fold more liver glycogen than summer photoperiod.
doi.org/10.1111/1365...
doi.org/10.1111/1365...