"When planning the art for Mate, I knew I wanted it to feature a female duck with a visible corkscrew vagina—quite the opposite of the “downright dull” side character I met as a child. She stands as a reminder that they were always there, twisting and turning, refusing to be reduced." #duck

"Even when forced copulation occurs, females retain extraordinary agency over which male actually fertilize their eggs... [Mate] was born from the dissonance between what we’re taught about nature and what the science actually shows when we bother to look at females." #worldwaterfowlday

Because of their curiosity, bold questions, and groundbreaking research, our understanding of animal behavior, anatomy, and evolution is forever changed. Their work reminds us that #science isn’t neutral; it’s deeply political, deeply personal, and deeply needed for creating a better world. #🏳️‍⚧️

🏳️‍⚧️ Dr. Bittu Kaveri Rajaraman studies how animals communicate. Their lab studies how bushcrickets perform duets to woo each other while avoiding predators. Beyond animal behavior, Rajaraman also advocates powerfully for trans and queer equity and inclusion in science.

🏳️‍⚧️ Dr. Joan Roughgarden is an evolutionary biologist whose work (including her brilliant book Evolution’s Rainbow) challenges how we understand sex, gender, and cooperation in nature. Roughgarden has documented myriad species with same-sex behavior, intersex traits, and diverse gender expressions.

5. Phalotris shawnella: Even the undead would swipe left.

4. Elusive microtegu: With that between its legs, no wonder it’s elusive.

3. Rhadinaea nuchalis: A chilling sight.

2. Nosy Hara leaf chameleon: It’s the size of a matchstick and has a literal ghost for a dong.

P.S. If you live in a city where this org operates, have your local immigrant rights hotline saved in your phone so you can report activity ASAP!

All communities deserve dignity, safety, and connection.

The original Portland protest frog Seth Todd put it best:

“I don’t like seeing my neighbors, my community members, my family being kidnapped, essentially, and being disappeared without due process.”

“They don’t know about borders or visas or passports… this is just their habitat and these populations need to reconnect.”
— Anny Peralta, scientist on the project

And whether it’s frogs or people, borders shouldn’t break families apart.

Other males often join in too, clinging to the same female in what can only be described as a frog mosh pit.

As of 2025, over 100 adult red-legged frogs have been spotted in Southern California — a real conservation win.

Here’s what that looks like:
Male frogs go underwater and call for females, only surfacing to breathe.

When a female’s into it, she approaches — and he tightly hugs her (sometimes for hours!) until she releases her eggs for him to fertilize.

In 2020, scientists carried two coolers of red-legged frog eggs from Mexico to Southern California after the U.S. population had sharply declined.

Once those eggs hatched and mating season hit, they hoped nature would take it from there.

Celebrate #HispanicHeritageMonth by learning more about the work of these brilliant scientists!

Dr. Brennan: english.elpais.com/science-tech...

Dr. Tang-Martinez: theconversation.com/data-should-...

🇻🇪 Dr. Zuleyma Tang-Martínez is a trailblazer in animal social behavior. In addition to studying why some animals leave their group, she’s challenged the old “males are promiscuous, females are coy” theory in animal behavior, showing that reality (and the actual data) is far more complex.

🇨🇴 Dr. Patty Brennan was the first scientist to show that female ducks have unique variations in their reproductive anatomy, and that their bodies co-evolved in fascinating ways alongside males. She is also a strong advocate for the importance of curiosity-driven science.