antenna contest!!

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Stella vs. Tetra:

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as an arachnid, Stella (Phrynus longipes) doesn't actually have true antennae—but she’s more than made up for that with her pair of antenniform legs. highly mobile and bendable in every direction, they allow her to track and target prey entirely though scent, her primary sensory mode since her 8 tiny eyes don’t form complex images.

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Tetra (Diestrammena japanica) is a formidable challenger, though. like most raphidophorids (also known as cave crickets or camel crickets due to the characteristic humped backs), they have incredibly long antennae. highly sensitive to air currents as well as scent, Tetra can use their antennae to smell or even touch a predator from several body lengths away, allowing them to make a flying launch to safety.

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Who's got the best antennae?

Stella

Tetra

a few stats:

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Stella (picture from before last molt—she’s even bigger now!)

Olfaction: 10/10. who needs vision when you can almost smell color?

Orientation: 9/10. she can smell you anywhere you hide. antenniforms fold up conveniently and discreetly

Speed: 3/10. prefers to sit still and leisurely sniff things from a distance.

Reactivity: 5/10. her walking legs are used to sense danger (motion) more than her antenniforms.

Special: Compass: Stella has incredible homing instinct and can scent her way home from across my desk. a study was actually conducted on her species’ ability to return to their fiercely guarded tree trunk territories!

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Tetra (they bit me before the first pictures)

Olfaction: 6/10. they can follow scents with antennae, but better at "tasting" with those long palps

Orientation: 3/10. antennae aren't mobile except at the base, not much directional ability.

Speed: 8/10. when not sleeping, antennae are constantly twitching to pick up air currents and smells

Reactivity: 9/10. will launch a good 2' in the air when startled. however, picks a random direction to jump in, including towards the threat.

Special: Just Weird: Tetra is a creepy little intersex goblin creature. they eat dead roaches and dried apple and spit up brown bile when upset. also can bite about as hard as a binder clip (while simultaneously regurgitating brown goo). I handle them extremely carefully as the first line of defense with these (before biting) is to just fall apart, dropping legs as a defense

I think the best most human thing in the world is strangers doing a silly thing together

Examples:

- guy at work "Yes, and -" ing the bit me and my coworker were doing where we pretended to be owners of a fantasy medieval tavern not minimum wage retail staff

- at the gay club when Die Young by Kesha came on and two hundred people, all dancing and drinking separately, jumped up and down to make the "- beat of the drums *STOMP STOMP*" as loud as possible

- person who watched me stomp round the beach singing a made up song about breakfast foods to name a cat after and suggested more breakfast foods that would be good cat names

- guy who started a dance off with everyone across the road while waiting for the lights to change

- very tiny girl at the pharmacy interviewing everyone in the queue and every single one of us in turn sat down and answered this toddler's questions like we were on Letterman

The three pillars of humanity, in no particular order, are Joy, Absurdity, and Sharing

:3