Dax Kellie
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daxkellie.bsky.social
Dax Kellie
@daxkellie.bsky.social
4K followers 650 following 410 posts
Data Analyst & Science Lead at the Atlas of Living Australia | Evolutionary biologist & social psychologist (PhD) 🧪 | #rstats 📊 | Music enthusiast 🎵

www.daxkellie.com

Opinions are my own, and they do not express those of my employer
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daxkellie.bsky.social
The paper goes onto discuss how this long, coiled optic nerve trait is unique. Similar nerve structures are only found in a few animals, including the Stalk-eye fly which has some of the strangest eyes on the planet
An excerpt from the paper "Low neck mobility, combined with a mainly motionless posture, might have precipitated the decoupled eye movements and extensive eye rotation, and this association was previously reported in the seventeenth century. Thus chameleons, with their large orbits and extensive capacity for rotation, may benefit from the slack provided by the coiled optic nerve. Wavy fibers have been identified in the optic nerves of rats, which allow the nerves to “stretch”, but such fibers have not been found in the chameleon optic nerve. Convoluted optic nerve paths have been described in the larvae of the Ribbon Sawtail Fish (Idiacanthus fasciola). The eyes in the larval stage are supported by long stalks with a long optic nerve posterior to the stalk, but as these fish mature, the optic nerve shows gradual retraction and reduction of coiling. The occurrence of coiled optic nerves have also been reported among invertebrates; in the Stalk-eye Fly Cyrtodiopsis whitei long, coiled optic nerves develop inside the lumen during pupation, allowing for the rapid inflation and elongation of the eye stalks following eclosion."
November 13, 2025 at 7:11 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
Want to see what {galaxias} can do? 🤔

Check out slides from a talk we presented on galaxias this week at the Living Data conference:
martinwestgate.com/presentation...

Or, check out this intro video about galaxias:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO4-...

#rstats 🌏🧪🐟
First presentation slide for a talk on galaxias. Shows the galaxias logo and names of presenters and authors. The galaxias logo (in the shape of a hexagon)shows the front half of a colourful, green galaxias fish on an orangey-salmon coloured background
October 23, 2025 at 2:55 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
Once your data and metadata are ready, just run `build_archive()`, which will automatically build a schema file (meta.xml), zip and save your Darwin Core Archive to the parent directory.

You are now ready to share your ecological data with the world!
October 23, 2025 at 2:41 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
galaxias handles file conversion and file management when preparing a Darwin Core Archive

Want to use your standardised data? Run `use_data()`

Want to add your completed metadata? Run `use_metadata()`

galaxias will convert and save them in the right place
October 23, 2025 at 2:41 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
Write metadata in markdown. Use galaxias to convert a completed markdown file to Ecological Metadata Language (EML) (also shown in the next skeet)
A screenshot from a website. Details how users can create a metadata template using `use_metadata_template()`. Formatting in the resulting markdown file can be parsed into EML
October 23, 2025 at 2:41 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
Specify, edit or modify columns to match accepted standard names with `set_` functions. These are basically bespoke wrappers around `dplyr::mutate()`, but with names and arguments that make it easier to find the information you need
October 23, 2025 at 2:41 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
It can be hard knowing where to start standardising your data. To help, we can run `suggest_workflow()` which tells us:

- Which column names match valid terms
- What to do to meet minimum requirements
- A possible workflow to fix up our data
An example dataset of 2 bird observations The results of `suggest_workflow()` in R Studio
October 23, 2025 at 2:41 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
To share ecological data with open data infrastructures, data must be converted to a Darwin Core Archive.

Machines are excellent at reading this format, but converting data to use this format can be VERY tricky (it requires file types most people have never worked with before)
October 23, 2025 at 2:41 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
🚨Our new package {galaxias} is released in R & Python today! 🚨

📦 galaxias makes it easy to standardise data to Darwin Core, the accepted format for sharing ecological data with infrastructures like @gbif.org and the Atlas of Living Australia

galaxias.ala.org.au

#rstats #python 🧪🌏🐟

A thread 🧵👇
the galaxias hex logo showing a fun-coloured illustration of a green galaxias fish. The head, gills and fin in the centre with light green on the underside, green lips and wavy shades of green on its back, with blue and orange markings by its eye and gills. The background is light orangey-salmony colour in a sunburst style
October 23, 2025 at 2:41 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
🎉Congrats to 2025's Australian Bird of the Year, the Tawny Frogmouth (everyone's favourite tree-stump-that's-not-actually-a-tree-stump)! 🦉

Here's a map of where they've been recorded. Take a photo of the next tree stump you see, it might be a bird of the year!😉

🌏🧪📊 #rstats @birdlifeoz.bsky.social
A map of tawny frogmouth observations in Australia. The map is a Jacques Bertin map, which consists of a grid of dots over all of Australia, and each dot's size relates to how many observations are in that area. The dots are dark brown and the background a light grey/brown, much like a tawny frogmouth's feathers. The map shows many bigger dots along the east coast of Australia, showing that most observations are recorded there, though there are several other smaller groups of large dots in the south east and northern regions of Australia Two tawny frogmouths sitting on a branch. They both have fuzzy, speckled dark brown and light grey/brown feathers and wide, short beaks. One tawny frogmouth is looking at the camera, one eye half open and the other mostly shut. Its eyes are large and orangey colour. The second tawny frogmouth is just behind it facing to the left, both eyes closed, with an expression as if it has just smelled a lovely cup of coffee and is cherishing the scent. Photo by Thomas Mesaglio 2020 (CC-BY 4.0 (Int)) A tawny frogmouth seated on a branch facing the camera. There are blurry dark green leaves in the foreground, showing that this frogmouth was seen through foliage. The tawny frogmouth has speckled dark brown and light grey/brown feathers that look remarkably like tree bark. The eyes are a rich yellow/orange. Photo by buluurr 2024 (CC-BY-NC 4.0 (Int))
October 17, 2025 at 6:23 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
And of course a big benefit of joining a group like SORTEE is meeting other like-minded people who care about robust and transparent science. Many are on Bluesky!

If you’re a member and want to be added, send me a DM 😀 🧪🌏

go.bsky.app/44PpngU
Image of a few people in the Society for Open, Reliable, Transparent Ecology and Evolution (SORTEE) Bluesky starter pack. It’s an image because Bluesky’s link preview didn’t work for me for whatever reason, so at least I’ll try to make it look like it did
October 15, 2025 at 12:26 PM
daxkellie.bsky.social
Still want to make cleaning biodiversity data shrimp-ler? 🦐

Good news: We just updated our Cleaning Biodiversity Data in R book, so you still can! We've updated data for 2025, added new content & fixed lots of silly typos 😀

Live the shrimp-le life:
cleaning-data-r.ala.org.au

#rstats #ecology 🧪🌏
The cover of the Cleaning Biodiversity Data in R book. It has an illustration of an Pacific Cleaner Shrimp in the middle of a navy background. The shrimp has a bright red-orange shell, pale-yellow body and white whiskers.
October 15, 2025 at 4:12 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
🔍 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
August 27, 2025 at 12:44 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
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
July 29, 2025 at 12:14 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
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
July 24, 2025 at 7:14 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
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
July 16, 2025 at 7:25 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
It's #WorldRainforestDay! 🌴

Australia's Gondwana Rainforests hold examples of major evolutionary & geological stages dating ~359 mya, including the largest surviving population of Araucarians (the most phylogenetically primitive species of conifer) 👴

Code & high-res 📷 👇

#rstats #dataviz 📊🧪🌏🌳
A visual snapshot of Gondwana Rainforests’ biodiversity. The visual has a green background. On the left is a map of east Australia, showing the location of Gondwana Rainforests in upper NSW, lower QLD (highlighted in red/orange). On the right is a bubble chart showing images of the most observed species in that area of bird, mammal/marsupial, plant, invertebrate and fungus. The images are ordered by the number of observations they have
June 22, 2025 at 12:32 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
Adding `all_fields = TRUE` to `show_values()` adds any columns from the original list to your query. This generally includes taxonomic and conservation status information.

It's still experimental, but feel free to give it a go! 😀

#rstats
A code example in R showing how to get conservation status columns for the EPBC list (aka the Environmental Protection & Biodiversity Conservation list)
June 13, 2025 at 2:27 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
🚨galah 2.1.2 is on CRAN! 📦

This version fixes a major bug that prevented queries with more complex filters from returning the correct result. It also adds a way to get species conservation status from authoritative lists

🔗 Details: galah.ala.org.au/news/index.h...

#rstats @rowdynerd.bsky.social 🌏
galah hex logo. An illustration of a galah (an australian species of cockatoo) with pink feathers on its head and chest and grey feathers on its wings. The galah is inside a hexagon with aqua green, sunburst background. Outside of the hexagon is a pattern of pink dots exploding outwards from behind the hexagon in all directions
June 13, 2025 at 2:27 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
Another beautiful dataviz 🌸🤩 Seasonality of cherry blossoms in Kyoto, Japan

By Shreya Arya, longlisted for the 2024 Information Is Beautiful Awards

www.informationisbeautifulawards.com/showcase/728...

#dataviz 🌱🌏🧪📊🗻🌸
A scatterplot of cherry blossom timing from years 812AD to 2015 in Kyoto, Japan. The background is blue, and the dots are the shape and colour of cherry blossoms. The plot highlights a dip (in a darker blue), where blooms are getting earlier on average since the 1800s, beginning to blossom in late March/early April rather than in mid April
May 22, 2025 at 8:18 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
Australia's 2019-20 bushfires burnt an area the size of Washington State 🔥 How did this impact species like Southern greater gliders?

Learn how to use {tidymodels} & {tidysdm} to explore this question in a new ALA Labs post by intern Jarod Wright & me

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

#rstats 🧪🌏🦘🌳
A map of the predicted distribution of Souther greater gliders along the South East cost of New South Wales Australia. Most of the Australian is land area is coloured dark navy. Strips of bright yellow show where greater gliders are more likely to occur (based on a model we made). A south greater glider peaking out from a tree trunk. Only the head is poking out as if to say "...hello?". The glider is fuzzy with white fur. Their ears are large and round. The face is small with large dark eyes and a smallish nose and mouth. Photo by Josh Bowell 2019 CC-BY-NC 3.0 (Au) A Southern greater glider perched on the branch of a tree. Greater gliders are a marsupial tree-dwelling species. This greater glider has fluffy fur with big white patches over their body, mainly over their head and chest. Fur on its face and back is black. The glider has a small face but big ears, and a big fluffy body. Photo by Jordan Aquilina 2023 CC-BY-NC 4.0 (Int)
April 10, 2025 at 12:24 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
This International Day of Forests, I made a forest using Eucalyptus data 😀🌳

Eucalypt forests form three quarters of Australia's native forest area. They're also the tallest flowering plant in the world!

Code + hi-def 📸 👇

#rstats #dataviz 🧪📊🌏🌲
A data visualisation showing Eucalyptus observation counts and unique species, grouped by bioregion in Australia. Line length shows the number of observations, and a pale green circle sits atop each line. The size of the circle indicates the number of unique Eucalyptus species are in that bioregion. Lines and circles look like very simple, minimalist "trees" in a forest. The bioregions with the highest numbers of species are South Eastern Highlands in NSW/VIC with 214 species, followed by Sydney Basin in NSW with 198 species, followed by Mallee in WA with 161 species. Sydney Basin also had the highest number of observations.
March 21, 2025 at 4:13 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
This dataviz is absolutely amazing 😍 Global bird species' conservation status displayed as a massive flock!

By Andrea Garrec, longlisted for the 2024 Information Is Beautiful Awards

www.informationisbeautifulawards.com/showcase/731...

#dataviz 📊🌏🧪🐦🦉🦆🦅
What appears to be a massive flock of birds in red, purple and blue colours in a pale blue sky. Each "bird" represents a bird species, and their colour represents their conservation status from the IUCN Red List. Around one third of species appear to be near threatened, endangered or extinct
March 19, 2025 at 2:40 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
But I’m not a car, so I was happy about this 😅
Me skiing in Japan
March 3, 2025 at 4:33 AM
daxkellie.bsky.social
It snowed *so* much in Japan while we were there that cars were at risk of being absorbed into the earth after only 2 days of snowfall
☃️🌨️
A car completely covered under ~a metre (3 ft) of snow in a parking lot. Taken in Nozawa onsen, Japan
March 3, 2025 at 4:30 AM