a picture of a whale in the ocean with the words bbc america rica on the bottom ALT: a picture of a whale in the ocean with the words bbc america rica on the bottom

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ANOTHER MMMAGNIFICENT JOURNEY OF SCIENCE, STORY, & NATURE.

Y'all are the very best! #2026MMM

Until next time, be well, good night & good luck.

WINNER of the #2026MMM CHAMPIONSHIP:

HUMPBACK WHALE!

Please join us next year for #2027MMM!

Don't forget: if you're learning, you're winning.

CHAMPION⛵ #2026MMM
EMOJI BATTLE:

🐋🆚🐊: 🪄🪸/🌕🌊🆗/🐋🩹🗡️/
🐊🤨🏊🏾‍♂️/🦈🔁🤱🏼🙂‍↔️/🦈🐊💀🙂‍↕️/
🐋🤨👉🏼💀/🐊🙅🏾‍♂️🍽️🥶/👶🏼🔁🐊/
👶🏼👉🏼👃🏼🐊/🐊💥👶🏼🐳/🐋👶🏼😡/
🐋🔜🐊⤵️/🐋🫧🐊😵‍💫/🐋💥🐊/
🐊🏊🏾‍♂️👋🏼/🏆🐋

TOP: Fig. 1.Placement of study samples within the African crocodilian phylogenetic tree. Colours of the branches refer to the species found in Guinea-Bissau in this study, namely: the Nile crocodile (C. niloticus in green), the West African crocodile (C. suchus in yellow), and the West African dwarf crocodile (O. cf. tetraspisin purple). Red dots at the nodes represent highly supported nodes (>95% pp), coloured dots next to the branch description represent the samples collected for this study. The red rectangle in the inset map of Africa represents the geographic location of Guinea-Bissau. This figure and maps within it, were produced using QGIS version 3.36. BOTTOM: Fig. 2. Distribution of crocodile data collected in Guinea Bissau. Symbols with red strokes represent barcoded genetic samples.

Pizzigalli et al. (2025) used mtDNA from tissue & poop samples to investigate croc diversity in Guinea Bissau in W. Africa. They found evidence for Nile crocodile (previously thought to be extinct in that region 200 years ago)! doi.org/10.1038/s415... #2026MMM #RIP

#2026MMM #Champion #MoneyDivision #TeamHumpbackWhale Art by Olivia Pellicer @opellisms.bsky.social ,Valeria Pellicer @veppart.bsky.social , Mary C. Freisner @maryfreisner.bsky.social ,and Charon Henning @oddangel.bsky.social

MAMA HUMPBACK WHALE DEFEATS NILE CROCODILE!

HUMPBACK WHALE is #2026MMM CHAMPION!

Artwork by @veppart.bsky.social & @opellisms.bsky.social !!!

TO SWIM FLEE THE FIELD OF BATTLE!!!!! #2026MMM

NILE CROCODILE'S tucks his limbs to his body #TorpedoMode

AND SWOOOOOSHES HIS POWERFUL TAIL...

(Pooley & Gans 1976) #2026MMM

Humback Whale rolls & thrashes with her long pectoral flippers,

shaking her head she delivers a body blow to Nile Crocodile!!

#KnockinSkullToCrackRibs

(Ford & Reeves 2008) #2026MMM

DIVING DOWN, Mama Humpback Whale FORCEFULLY EXHALES at the Nile Crocodile sending air bubbles enveloping Nile Crocodile

limiting the reptile's situational awareness!

(Ford & Reeves 2008) #FogOfWar #2026MMM

Nile Crocodile drop submerges to escape! #2026MMM

WITH A TRUMPET BLOW & FLUKE SLAP,

the highly agitated Humpback Whale CHARGES Nile Crocodile!

(Ford & Reeves 2008) #2026MMM

The Emperor says 'Now witness the fight power of this fully armed and operational battle cetacean.'

AND HUMPBACK WHALES CHOOSE VIOLENCE!

(Ford & Reeves 2008) #2026MMM

Among baleen whales, species cluster in their response to predators-

some species use FLIGHT: swimming fast & far to flee,

while other species use FIGHT in self-defense, collective defense, or defense of calf!

(Ford & Reeves 2008) #2026MMM

Humpback Whale calf exhales a wheezing blow indicating fright (Frediani et al. 2020),

alerting Mama Humpback Whale to her calf's distress!

#2026MMM

The calf's flipper flicks Nile Crocodile snoot

and the Nile Crocodile lifts & tosses his head to bash the calf's rostrum

#2026MMM

WHEN THE PLAYFUL HUMPBACK WHALE CALF BEGINS SURFACE-TWIRLING IN CURIOSITY TO NILE CROCODILE! #2026MMM

But the cool ocean water is slowing his disgestion; Nile Crocodile needs to haul out in the heat of the day to more optimally digest!

Turning away from the carcass to swim toward the nearby island... slightly further away bc high tide #2026MMM

Crocodiles are uniquely protected against fungal infections. This might one day help human medicine too Despite the filthy waters they often reside in, saltwater crocodiles don’t get sick that often. Perhaps we could one day harness the special proteins that help them.

Nile Crocodile's stomach secretes hydrochloric acid to make stomach fluids at ph1.5 to break down bone, skin, meat... AND MMMOLD.

Indeed crocodilians have MULTIPLE mechanisms that protect them from pathogenic fungi!!!!

(Williams et al. 2023) #2026MMM

theconversation.com/crocodiles-a...

Meanwhile, Nile Crocodile gorged on Banteng Monday; his gut passage time is 72+ hours.

(Pooley & Gans 1976) #2026MMM

Mama Humpback swims along side the Humpback whale,

extending her long flipper above and below the carcass,

and touching the carcass gently with her flipper...

(Frediani et al. 2020) #2026MMM

#AlasPoorYorick #IKnewHimHoratio #AFellowOfInfiniteJest #OfMostExcellentFancy

Mama Humpback Whale is ALSO curious about the dead whale and approaches to investigate the floating carcass, known as Post-Mortem Attentive Behavior

(Frediani et al. 2020) #2026MMM

With lazy tail strokes, Nile Crocodile crusies to investigate the carcass as great white shark circles elsewhere to join the floating carcass feast...

#2026MMM

Bobbing in the water is the carcass of a male Humpback Whale, already being scavenged by TIGER SHARKS & ESTUARINE CROCODILE!!!! #Saltie

FOR REAL OBSERVATION AT MONTGOMERY REEF!!!!

(Gallagher et al. 2018) #2026MMM

A great white shark swims along and circles Humpback Whale & calf,

inspecting them for vulnerabilities,

but disinclined to tangle with a Humpback Whale with only a minor injury.

And there's something more enticing on the horizon...

(Dines & Gennari 2020) #2026MMM

a shark 's fin is visible in a national geographic advertisement ALT: a shark 's fin is visible in a national geographic advertisement

A FIN RISES IN THE WATER! #2026MMM

ALTHOUGH Combatant Nile Crocodile has only experienced the freshwater of Lake Victoria area swamplands...

many a Nile Crocodile has enjoyed the transitional salt life, once living very successfully in coastal river delta areas

(de Smet 1998; Ijeomah et al. 2012; Abdelsalam et al. 2024) #2026MMM

Nile Crocodile swims several whale-lengths, ~200 stoat-lengths, ahead of Humpback Whale intrigued by something ahead...

#2026MMM

Mama Humpback Whale's puncture wound from Aurochs horn is in the first stages of healing (inflammatory phase);

She has formed a blood clot, the "blood vessels have dilated to allow for antibodies, white blood cells, & nutrients to reach the wound"

(Hill et al. 2017) #2026MMM

The tide is up +10 meters, giving Humpback Whale and calf enough vertical column for manueverability over Montgomery Reef;

with high water nigh, it's also SLACK TIDE- the ocean conditions are relatively calm!!!

#2026MMM