Thank you so much, Martini! I always love your special gifs for TABS, and all the poems and puns they inspire. From one muse to another, well done you!
Marsupials previously thought extinct for millennia discovered in New Guinea
Researchers led by the Australian scientist Tim Flannery have made a once-in-a-lifetime discovery: that two charismatic marsupial species that had been thought extinct for 6,000 years are alive in rainforest in remote West Papua.
The pair are rare examples of “Lazarus taxa” – species that disappeared from fossil records in the distant past that are later found to have survived.
One of the species is a striped possum with an extraordinarily elongated fourth digit, twice as long as the rest of its fingers, that it uses to extract and feed on wood-boring insect larvae. Fossil records had previously indicated the species, known as the pygmy long-fingered possum (Dactylonax kambuayai), lived in Australia’s central Queensland region about 300,000 years ago but seemed to have vanished during the ice age. Before the recent discovery, it was last known to have lived in West Papua until about 6,000 years ago.
The other is a ring-tailed glider (Tous ayamaruensis), which is closely related to the Australian greater glider but with unfurred ears and a strongly prehensile tail used for gripping. It was first described by the late Australian zoologist Ken Aplin, who pieced together fossil fragments found in West Papua late last century. Flannery’s research team found the species was still living in the rainforest and identified it as part of a newly described taxonomic group, or genus, of marsupials. Other species from the genus lived in eastern Australia and New Guinea hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Thank you Barney. I love this sort of stuff. The pygmy long-fingered possum almost sounds like a cross between a marsupial and an AyeAye.
Since you enjoy this subject if you’ve never read David Quamman hi thee to the Library or book store for what I feel is his best “Song Of Dodo”. Topic is island biodiversity and how species change for better or worse as those islands shrink. Not all gloom and doom as he’s also a funny guy.
The danger is that quolls are cute and look all friend and innocent. That's just a tactic to draw you in closer so they can whip out the 'Crocodile Dundee' sized knife and cut you open like a fish.
"In a statement to the New York Times, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that the negative comments submitted about the ballroom “are clearly stemming from an organized campaign of Trump-deranged liberals who clearly have no style or taste”."
I need to incorporate some of these Trumpisms into my daily life. So . . . we are getting low on milk, so I'd better go shopping this afternoon. Some people will die.
I had a second meal deal from Little Caesar's from last year's drive that was expiring this week - thankfully they sent me a reminder - so that's been dinner the last couple of days!
About the defenstration of Noem. It seems to me that the simplest explanation is that she threw Trump under the bus by claiming that he had approved the $220 mil ad spread. You NEVER do that to him. He does that to you. I don't think he even is aware of his standing across the nation on any issue, so Texas or Iran or the economy isn't even on his radar. Only disloyalty.
"Speaking at a law enforcement event in Nashville, Noem confirmed she would attend Saturday’s “Shield” summit where Trump is expected to meet with leaders from 11 Latin American countries."~Newsweek
"Shield of the Americas"? Sounds like something they made up on coffee break.
So my namesake is going to work on the southern hemisphere drug problem?
Exiled. Excommunicado. I guess you could even say she's been Deported.
On one of the cable news shows, Congressman Jared Moskowitz said it sounded like the President came up with the name after watching the last Avengers movie.
"Trump sure has pardoned a lot of child sex abusers." - - For a man obsessed with drugs Trump sure has pardoned a lot of drug dealers.
"We probably didn’t mean to kill 165 schoolgirls in Iran" - - The picture you ran a couple days ago of the graveyard being dug for those poor schoolgirls was so, so, depressing, Trump has crowned himself as the "Butcher of Iran.
Trump's casual indifference to deaths of Iranians, deaths from Iran, deaths from ICE, rising gas prices, rising food costs, measles epidemics, gives Democrats plenty of fuel, if they would seize on it. The man is just awful.
Happy Friday!
This gif is going out to superfan Menotsure. It’s all about the quoll: https://martiniambassador.substack.com/p/quolls
And your meme chat: https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/0aa20828-b7f8-49e5-ace2-ba5b3e3f7203?utm_source=share
I hope you enjoyed Marsupial Madness 😁
Thank you so much, Martini! I always love your special gifs for TABS, and all the poems and puns they inspire. From one muse to another, well done you!
Thanks Thalia, that means a lot!
We should protect them from extinction. Preserve the status quoll!
We have the cute Quollas. Isn’t that enough?
Thing about a shark, he’s got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a quoll’s eyes…
I think his little eyes are sparkling with curiosity!
Yah well, Quint’s kinda cranky.
(makes note of another word beginning with Q....... good for Scrabble and other word games)
Was it a quoll
On the grassy knoll?
What a pretty polka dotted beastie.
A quollity selection
You're on a winning streak
Marsupial perfection
To end a real fine week.
They may be endangered
But they are coming back
I sure would like to spot one
When the light is black.
As always, thanks.
When they get enough of them together in one place, is it called a quollum?
Quolltet. If four. Internets say it’s a clan.
Sounds kinda,,,,,,,
What is the Clan Of MacQuoll’s tartan?
Marsupials on the march!
Marsupials previously thought extinct for millennia discovered in New Guinea
Researchers led by the Australian scientist Tim Flannery have made a once-in-a-lifetime discovery: that two charismatic marsupial species that had been thought extinct for 6,000 years are alive in rainforest in remote West Papua.
The pair are rare examples of “Lazarus taxa” – species that disappeared from fossil records in the distant past that are later found to have survived.
One of the species is a striped possum with an extraordinarily elongated fourth digit, twice as long as the rest of its fingers, that it uses to extract and feed on wood-boring insect larvae. Fossil records had previously indicated the species, known as the pygmy long-fingered possum (Dactylonax kambuayai), lived in Australia’s central Queensland region about 300,000 years ago but seemed to have vanished during the ice age. Before the recent discovery, it was last known to have lived in West Papua until about 6,000 years ago.
The other is a ring-tailed glider (Tous ayamaruensis), which is closely related to the Australian greater glider but with unfurred ears and a strongly prehensile tail used for gripping. It was first described by the late Australian zoologist Ken Aplin, who pieced together fossil fragments found in West Papua late last century. Flannery’s research team found the species was still living in the rainforest and identified it as part of a newly described taxonomic group, or genus, of marsupials. Other species from the genus lived in eastern Australia and New Guinea hundreds of thousands of years ago.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/05/marsupials-discovered-new-guinea
Pics at the link - cute AF, of course.
Thank you Barney. I love this sort of stuff. The pygmy long-fingered possum almost sounds like a cross between a marsupial and an AyeAye.
Since you enjoy this subject if you’ve never read David Quamman hi thee to the Library or book store for what I feel is his best “Song Of Dodo”. Topic is island biodiversity and how species change for better or worse as those islands shrink. Not all gloom and doom as he’s also a funny guy.
Neat!
Wow!
Is it right to put silly polkadot sweaters on animals? Purple? Really? :-)
At first I thought it was like those baby goats in pajamas.
Did you check out the biofluorescent coat?! I'm not kidding, they glow in UV light.
OMG, Mom Nature is amazing.
And the assholes among us say diversity is a bad thing.
I maintain the right to be as diverse as possible from one of them.
Cray.
Evolution has compelled THE most fascinating adaptations among so many incredible creatures.
The danger is that quolls are cute and look all friend and innocent. That's just a tactic to draw you in closer so they can whip out the 'Crocodile Dundee' sized knife and cut you open like a fish.
The quolls won’t eat MY face!
Quoll be spotty-cute!
Where are the fangs, poison glands, and razor teeth. Isn't this Australia?
Tiny Spotted Hyena Fox is ADORBS!
You called it.
Ta, Martini. Top quollity!
Spotted dick!
"LONG PIG" also!
Been in bed all day with a stomach bug all day so I’m just getting caught up.
So, are Florida republicans upset that other Florida republicans said racist stuff or that they got caught?
Please CANCEL my subscription. I will try to sign up later when I find a job!
Thank you
Constance Hughes
"Everybody feel bad about yourselves!"
Got that covered already, thanks.
"Lois Lowry is 89. What are YOU doing?"
Wearing the clock down until i've outlived my remaining parent. If you're up to more than that, good for you; have some gratitude; not everyone is.
HAHA:
"In a statement to the New York Times, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that the negative comments submitted about the ballroom “are clearly stemming from an organized campaign of Trump-deranged liberals who clearly have no style or taste”."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/05/white-house-ballroom-panel-vote-postponed
That's almost as good as being part of a vile, snarky mob!
Projection. Cowardly projection.
The White Spotted Eastern Quoll
is biofluorescent
and I quite like the sound of
that unusual essence
I need to incorporate some of these Trumpisms into my daily life. So . . . we are getting low on milk, so I'd better go shopping this afternoon. Some people will die.
Andrew Paul Johnson, who was convicted of sexually abusing children after getting pardoned, has to become the Willie Horton of the midterms
I had a second meal deal from Little Caesar's from last year's drive that was expiring this week - thankfully they sent me a reminder - so that's been dinner the last couple of days!
Has anyone done the math on how many Scaramuccis make one Noem?
About the defenstration of Noem. It seems to me that the simplest explanation is that she threw Trump under the bus by claiming that he had approved the $220 mil ad spread. You NEVER do that to him. He does that to you. I don't think he even is aware of his standing across the nation on any issue, so Texas or Iran or the economy isn't even on his radar. Only disloyalty.
And Noem committed the cardinal sin of stealing the spotlight from him before he started bombing Iran.
If it‘s not a Joel MST3K episode I’m not interested.
I will not be accepting dissenting comments on this matter.
"Blast Hardcheese!"
But but but the bald gesture professor!
"Down, down..."
"Speaking at a law enforcement event in Nashville, Noem confirmed she would attend Saturday’s “Shield” summit where Trump is expected to meet with leaders from 11 Latin American countries."~Newsweek
"Shield of the Americas"? Sounds like something they made up on coffee break.
So my namesake is going to work on the southern hemisphere drug problem?
Exiled. Excommunicado. I guess you could even say she's been Deported.
"Word." ~ Kimberly Guilfoyle
On one of the cable news shows, Congressman Jared Moskowitz said it sounded like the President came up with the name after watching the last Avengers movie.
"Trump sure has pardoned a lot of child sex abusers." - - For a man obsessed with drugs Trump sure has pardoned a lot of drug dealers.
"We probably didn’t mean to kill 165 schoolgirls in Iran" - - The picture you ran a couple days ago of the graveyard being dug for those poor schoolgirls was so, so, depressing, Trump has crowned himself as the "Butcher of Iran.
Trump's casual indifference to deaths of Iranians, deaths from Iran, deaths from ICE, rising gas prices, rising food costs, measles epidemics, gives Democrats plenty of fuel, if they would seize on it. The man is just awful.
Dr. Stacey has a full breakdown of Donald Trump's and Republicans' pathology
"𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐞." 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩’𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚
https://drstaceypatton1865.substack.com/p/some-people-will-die-the-political
It's beginning to look a lot like stagflation
"Lois Lowry is 89. What are YOU doing?"
Best question of the morning.