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Steve

@stevetypesstuff.bsky.social

880 followers 1.8K following 1K posts

Ants, fossils, beer. Drone mapping & GIS. Science PhD. Bambu Labs P1S. He/him, will also respond to “Oi you!”. AuADHD - if I seem over familiar in posts etc. that is probably why. 🇬🇧🇪🇺

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Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 18h

Hope Trent recovers soon.

Will he/you ever reveal the objectively hilarious incident?

Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 1d

I photographed these in Normandy yesterday as the recent avian dinosaur tracks reminded me so much of Jurassic/Ceetaceous tracks seen in the UK.

Tridactyl footprints from recent avian dinosaurs run in chains across tidal silts. Waiting for the next tide to fill them with sediment to preserve them forever.

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Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 1d

Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you've shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews.

[‘in the field’ so only have my 3 books!]
#Books #Nature #Naturewriting #naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky

‘The Ants of Britain and Europe’ by Claude Lebas, Christophe Galkowski, Rumsaïs Blatrix and Philippe Wegnez

Reposted by Steve

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 1d

When fly designers subcontract Jackson Pollock to do the eyes. (Eristalinus sp. hover fly, Victoria, Australia).

A close-in macro photograph of the face of a robust greenish-yellow hover fly standing on a green leaf. The fly's enormous compound eyes are speckled with hundreds of blood-red spots.

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Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 1d

Is that camouflage or is there another function to fly eye colour?

Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 2d

One of the problems of #CampervanLife is that the French neighbours keep staring at me!

A view past the off road tyres of our campervan reveals large brown cows staring at me!

This one seems very interested in me trying to drink my coffee!

Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 2d

The French reporting site for the Asian Hornets 🐝 asks for the nest site. I watched this one for over 20 minutes but she refused to leave and head off back to the nest… so “somewhere near here”?

Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 2d

So it’s #Invertober Day 12 and I have found my second #AsianHornet (Vespa velutina) record in France in the last few days. This time in the Pays de la Loire.

Yellow leg tips, dark head+thorax, thin yellow band on abdomen, yellow/orange 4th segment on abdomen.

#hornets
#WaspLove
#wasps

Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) feeding on nectar of Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus). Quite a good iPhone photo of the face.

Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) feeding on nectar of Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus). Side view showing detail of the markings on the gaster.

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Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 2d

I think that one lives under our sofa!

Reposted by Steve

IUSSI-NWES @iussi-nwes.bsky.social · 3d

You like card games & social insects?

Then check out the amazing new Social Insects Trump cards game developed by @elvarobinson.bsky.social and her group.

It's the perfect 🐜🐝🪳-themed gift and you'll support the IUSSI widening participation & inclusion initiative: www.iussi-nweurope.org/edi

Illustrated trump cards featuring social insects such as ants, bees, wasps, and termites. Each card includes colourful artwork of an insect species along with stats and traits used for gameplay. The cards are part of the Social Insects Trump Cards game supporting the IUSSI widening participation and inclusion initiative

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Reposted by Steve

Marko Draisma @markodraisma.bsky.social · 3d

Leuk artikel voor @keesmoeliker.bsky.social

A medieval sandal, other cultural artifacts found in bearded vulture nests | CNN edition.cnn.com/2025/10/10/s...

A medieval sandal, other cultural artifacts found in bearded vulture nests | CNN

Researchers found over 200 cultural artifacts within nests of bearded vultures, with the oldest item to date — a woven sandal — estimated be from the 13th century.

edition.cnn.com

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Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 3d

If you feel up to any IDs I’d be grateful @lukaslarge.bsky.social

Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 3d

#FungalForay in the woods of Charente, France.

No IDs but beautiful to look at. Sadly the only ceps we found were older and populated by fly larvae.

#fungi
#mycology

Fungal foray in the woods of Charente, France. A medium sized fungus with a pink cap and a white stem, amongst green moss.

Fungal foray in the woods of Charente, France. A small white coral-shaped sized fungus with cream stems, amongst brown leaves.

Fungal foray in the woods of Charente, France. A large fungus; layers of brown body with a paler edge, amongst green moss on a rotting log.

Fungal foray in the woods of Charente, France. A medium sized fungus with a pale brown cap and stem, large gills and an upturned edge, amongst green grass.

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Reposted by Steve

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 3d

Temnothorax isabellae, from the rainforests of Puerto Rico, is one of the more colorful ant species I have photographed.

Macro photograph in side view of a small ant carrying a bit of tree bark in her mandibles, her gaster tucked tightly under her body pointed forward. The ant's head, antennae, gaster, coxae, and femora are black, the thorax and petiole are red, and the tibiae are bright yellow.

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Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 3d

Sending spoons!

I just tried to key in my field note book for samples for 11 days and managed Day 1… now needing caffeine to even look at day 2.

Does caffeine help you focus? It helps me but I know it really unhelpful for others.

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Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 4d

Is that satire?🤣

Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 4d

I’m going to look for chantrelles and ceps in the forest near Cognac tomorrow!

Reposted by Steve

Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 5d

with the official IUCN listing for the slender-billed curlew now being Extinct here is the rather sad piece I wrote about what went into this decision

I tried to include everything we know about their behaviour and biology, which is tragically little 🪶🧪
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

A picture of two slender-billed curlews in the Natural History Museum's collections.

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Reposted by Steve

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 7d

A textbook image I did a few years ago showing a trap-jaw ant (Odontomachus rixosus) with her mandibles held open and trigger hairs forward, and then in the closed position.

The snapping shut of the trap is one of the fastest measured animal movements.