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Reposted by Dax Kellie

Oregon 🕎🎲 @oregonthedm.bsky.social · 3d

Pink empress Mantis

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Reposted by Dax Kellie

Our World in Data @ourworldindata.org · 6d

The threat of extinction is not spread evenly across the tree of life. To protect animals, it’s important to know which ones are most threatened and why.

Of all vertebrates (animals with a backbone and skull), amphibians are most threatened with extinction.

A bar chart showing that of all vertebrate groups (animals with a backbone and skull), amphibians face the highest risk of extinction. The data source is the IUCN Red List. The chart is licensed under CC BY to Our World in Data.

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · 8d

That’s me asking a question that appears to be causing everyone else in the audience to have an existential crisis 🥲

Thanks #WOMBAT2025! I had a great time listening to cool speakers and meeting many nice, passionate and impressive people. See ya next time 👋
#rstats

WOMBAT 2025 @wombat.numbat.space · 9d

Thank you so much too all the speakers and participants. #WOMBAT2025 was lovely and we hope to have you for #WOMBAT2026!
We'll share the recordings on youtube, so follow us for news!

#RStats #DataScience

Closeup photo of someone asking a question.

Photo of people standing, eating and chatting.

Photo of four people playing table tennis.

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Reposted by Dax Kellie

Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 23d

SquidSim is the coolest package - it let's you build complex hierarchical data structures and then simulate data from the world you create. The best tool for doing proper power analyses and testing how well your models can uncover the 'truth'. I've been recommending it to everyone!

Joel Pick @joelpick.bsky.social · 23d

Interested in simulating the kind of data that you might commonly find in evolutionary and ecological studies?

Then we have the R package for you - squidSim!!

Check our new preprint:
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...

squidSim: a flexible R package for structured and reproducible simulations in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

ecoevorxiv.org

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Reposted by Dax Kellie

Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 27d

Octopuses can use any of their arms to perform tasks, but tend to use a particular arm, or arms, for specific tasks, according to a study in Scientific Reports. go.nature.com/4pjR34k 🌊 🧪

This is figure 3, which shows arm actions and their relationship to animal behaviors.

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Reposted by Dax Kellie

Randall Plant MD @rpfromak.bsky.social · Aug 31

That method is a bit confusing because the countries with which comparisons are being made are distorted. I like this method of comparison better, showing a country’s actual area compared with the Mercator projection.

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Aug 27

Even if you don't code (or use Python), the visual way we explain how locations of sensitive species are obfuscated (i.e. made less precise📍) in this post is something I'm very happy with in the end

It might be worth a look if you work with sensitive species data 🙂🧪🌏

Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Aug 27

🔍 Need to search for species in an area with a buffer? 🔵

Learn how to add a buffer in Python and see how to consider threatened species with obfuscated locations in a new ALA Labs post by Amanda Buyan & me 😀

labs.ala.org.au/posts/2025-0...

🧪🌏 #Python #matplotlib #geopandas #geospatial #quartopub

a map. An outline of Midwestern (a local government area in NSW, Australia) in black surrounded by a buffer zone in blue around it. Purple points (which are species observations) are speckled around the map

3 maps, each showing an black outline of Midwestern (a local government area in NSW, Australia) with a grid overlayed on each. Each map shows a purple dot representing a theoretical 'true' species location, and a yellow point representing the new point location due to generalisation (the process of making the location less precise). These three maps show 3 scenarios when a generalised point appears inside an area when its true location is outside, inside an area when its true location is inside, and outside an area when its true location is inside

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Aug 27

🔍 Need to search for species in an area with a buffer? 🔵

Learn how to add a buffer in Python and see how to consider threatened species with obfuscated locations in a new ALA Labs post by Amanda Buyan & me 😀

labs.ala.org.au/posts/2025-0...

🧪🌏 #Python #matplotlib #geopandas #geospatial #quartopub

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Aug 25

A stack of bricks 🧱 or a luxury frog sauna? 🐸

Many species seek out these warm enclosures and, excitingly, regular visits on warm days can help fight against deadly chytrid fungus too. The fungus is sensitive to heat. ~28°C (82°F) is enough to limit chytrid growth 🧪🌏

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

A sit in the sauna can save endangered frogs

Anthony Waddle’s unconventional approach resulted in a stunningly practical solution to fight a deadly fungal infection.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Dax Kellie

Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · Aug 13

Sex-reversal in birds (genetically male/female but appear female/male) is surprisingly common. Best detail: A genetically male bird called a laughing kookaburra had recently laid an egg. (1/2)

By @phiejacobs.bsky.social on @science.org

‘Sex reversal’ is surprisingly common in birds, new study suggests

Survey of five Australian avians finds numerous discordant individuals, including a genetically male bird that had laid an egg

www.science.org

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 30

A tree-ring dataviz where every ring represents that tree’s number of observations each year?? 🌳🤩🌳

Yet another stunning piece of work from @shandiya.bsky.social. This one leafs me speechless 🍃🫢 😜

#rstats 🌏🧪📊

Shandiya Balasubramaniam 🍉 @shandiya.bsky.social · Jul 29

It’s National Tree Day!* 🌴🌳🌲📊

I visualised patterns of records added to the Atlas of Living Australia over the last 50 years as tree rings for 4 iconic Australian species: Mountain Ash, Snow Gum, Moreton Bay Fig, and River Red Gum
#rstats

*well, two days ago but who’s counting

A two-by-two grid with concentric circles of different colours and thicknesses in each, representing numbers of records added to the Atlas of Living Australia over the last 50 years. The rings resemble cross sections of trees, and each is set against a different brightly coloured background.

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 29

Whoa that was a fast turn around 😮
Looks great! 😀

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 29

There's some nuance to this process to return exactly what you want, so hopefully this article helps! 😀

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 29

This post is specifically written to help people who need species lists for reporting, whether it's:

📋 Government workers creating lists for monitoring or land assessment
🏘️ Industry workers conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment
📍 Researchers creating lists for their study area

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 29

Need to make a species list for an area? 📋🌱

Learn how to download a list of species, cross-reference with conservation status lists, and visualise with {ggplot2} in a new ALA Labs post by me & Amanda Buyan

🔗 labs.ala.org.au/posts/2025-0...

#rstats 🧪🌏📊

A bar plot showing the number of critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable species observed in 2024 in the Shoalhaven region, New South Wales, Australia. The bar plot is themed with warm reddy-pink colours

A waffle chart, where each block represents one species, showing the taxonomic breakdown of threatened species in Shoalhaven, New South Wales observed in 2024. The waffle chart is themed with earthy colours

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Reposted by Dax Kellie

Ben Harrap @bharrap.bsky.social · Jul 27

It's been a while since I last shared my starter pack

If you're a stats/data person in or from the Pacific region (not just Australia or Aotearoa) and would like to be included, please let me know!

#statssky #episky #databs #rstats #python

Ben Harrap @bharrap.bsky.social · Dec 9

Re-sharing my starter pack so I can update my pinned post

If you're a statistician, data scientist, or someone doing statsy or data sciencey things in Australia or Aotearoa (New Zealand) and want to be on the list, just let me know!

go.bsky.app/3wERdAo

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Reposted by Dax Kellie

WA Orchids @wa-orchids.bsky.social · Jul 24

Wurmbea tenella - Eight Nancy

A widespread winter flower in Western Australia, where it is endemic. Each tepal has a bright purple spot halfway along, advertising the presence of nectary glands to possible pollinators
#ozflora #wildoz #nativeplants #bloomscrolling #inaturalist

Photo of a small white flower with 8 narrow tepals of mainly white. Each tepal has a bright purple spot about halfway down

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 24

Apparently I like this colour palette. Am I too predictable lol
#rstats 📊

A hand holding an olive green and brown coffee mug in front of a computer screen with a waffle chart dataviz using an incredibly similar green, brown and blue colour palette

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 16

The 2 images of real nautiluses aren't mine, but are taken by talented researchers and citizen scientists. I found them on the Atlas of Living Australia
bie.ala.org.au/species/http...

Family: NAUTILIDAE

Atlas of Living Australia species page for the NAUTILIDAE

bie.ala.org.au

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 16

I got all these fun facts from the Australian Museum page on Nautiluses
australian.museum/learn/animal...

Chambered Nautilus

australian.museum

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 16

Nautiluses are so cool. They just seem so ancient! 🐙🦑

Like other cephalopods they have tentacles, but not just 8 or 10—they have 47 pairs that lack any suckers or hooks 🤨 They also use their chambered shells to control buoyancy

This post was inspired by my friend Omanyte I picked up in Tokyo
🧪🌏

The side of a nautilus on a black background. The nautilus shell is curved, coloured white with faded red stripes on the top. The nautilus lives inside this shell, with a large eye and many tentacles sticking out from the bottom opening of the shell. Above the eye is an orange, bumpy 'helmet' shell for add protection. Photo by Erik Schlogl (2000) CC-BY-NC 4.0 (Int)

2 nautilus shells on a wooden platform. The top shell is much larger than the bottom shell. The bottom shell is cut through the middle so that we can see the individual chambers within the shell. These chambers are equally spaced and continue in a circle, beginning larger on the outside and getting smaller as they move to the centre of the swirly shell shape. Photo by Cape Tribulation Nth Qld (2024) CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Int)

An Omanyte pokemon plush toy, sitting on a white ledge by the window. The body of Omanyte is bright blue and has many little tentacles on the bottom & 2 main arm tentacles at either side. It has 2 big googly eyes under the shell. The shell is brown and in a swirl shape. Omanyte is based on a nautilus, but looks a lot more adorable in my opinion

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Reposted by Dax Kellie

Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · Jul 10

The newly-paired female Powerful Owl this morning. Her nearby partner was displaying a bat, so dinner is sorted. Last night they were very active, calling & purring, mating twice, the female went into the nest hollow to investigate, the male later sat at the entrance purring #brisbane #birds #wildoz

Female Powerful Owl sitting on a branch.

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 4

That’s true 🙂 always more helpful to bounce ideas off of people over the whole process. I don’t know about you, but usually I need help figuring out what the thing is trying to show in the first place haha

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 4

It reminds me of how Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) learned people weren’t hearing the parts he wanted people to hear on Borderline (the bass line + specific harmonies & rhythms), so he redid the sound production and rereleased the song. IMO the newer version sounded better

youtu.be/2g5xkLqIElU?...

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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · Jul 4

Some great tips on making better #dataviz 👇 In my experience, the final point—feedback—is invaluable

Funny how another person might focus on something completely different to what you intended 🙃 Adjusting from this feedback always makes for a clearer visual message📊🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A checklist for designing and improving the visualization of scientific data - Nature Cell Biology

Creating clear and engaging scientific figures is crucial to communicate complex data. In this Comment, I condense principles from design, visual perception and data visualization research in a checkl...

www.nature.com

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