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Rebecca Valentine

@beccagecko

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Expect pictures of animals, mostly. Feral, sterile, happiest in a swamp. Entomologist, herpetoculturist, collector.

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It's always fun making new friends while at work! While hunting for Cryptocercus darwini roaches, we came across this gorgeous Narceus americanus, the American giant millipede! One of the biggest ones I've ever seen in the wild! These guys can release benzoquinones that can cause burns, but this one was a good sport and just crawled around on my hands for awhile, no burns. I'm always looking for termites and roaches in logs, but there are so many more inhabitants in rotting logs, helping to break them down!

#entomology #decomposer #detritivore #millipede #invertebrate #narceusamericanus taken in Talladega National Forest by @beccagecko

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a year ago

This is a male Marginitermes hubbardi alate. Termite alates are winged individuals that fly from the nest, find a mate, and start a new colony! I know a lot of people consider termites to be pests that eat houses, but most termites are not pests, and they fulfill a very important function: eating dead wood! There aren't a lot of things that can digest wood, and without helpful critters like termites, we'd be overrun with dead trees!

#entomology #blattodea #termites #termitoidae #marginitermeshubbardi #xylivore #decomposer #eusocial #insects #insectbehavior taken in Auburn, Alabama by @beccagecko

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a year ago

A friend I made on the bus ride home today, Polistes rubiginosus, one of the red paper wasps of the southeast! This gorgeous lady got trapped in the bus so I scooped her up in my trusty jar and gave her a snack. Paper wasps don't want to hurt you, they can be protective of their nests, but they're aerial nesters, so it's easy to see them and give them space! They pollinate and also hunt other bugs, including those you might not want around, like ticks and mosquitoes! I'm always happy to see a wasp, especially a pretty lady like her!

#wasp #polistes #polistesrubiginosus #wasps #entomology #insects #paperwasp #hymenoptera taken in Auburn, Alabama by @beccagecko

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a year ago

Good morning from my little scorpion, Gordon! I found this little friend in one of my termite logs a few months ago, and they've been a lovely pet so far! They've gotten a lot less shy as time has gone on, and it's always nice to wake up to see a cute little invertebrate!

#scorpion #arachnid #vaejoviscarolinianus #petinverts #scorpionsofinstagram taken in Auburn, Alabama by @beccagecko

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2 years ago

New year, new experimental replicates! These little termites are part of my tunneling behavior study. It's a chilly day today, but seeing bugs always brightens my mood!

#entomology #insectbehavior #termites #insects #gradstudent #kalotermesapproximatus #kalotermitidae #bugs #science taken in Auburn University by @beccagecko

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2 years ago

In the lab cracking logs today, comment and let me know if you want to hear more about the complex gut microbiota of wood eating roaches, it's a favorite topic of mine. But enjoy this little clip of me showing off some termites!

#entomology #blattodea #kalotermitidae #kalotermesapproximatus #insectbehavior #termites #insects #gradstudent #lignocellulose #gutmicrobiota taken in Auburn University by @beccagecko

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2 years ago

Extracting termites today! It's always fun chopping up logs and looking for termites! These logs contain some Kalotermes approximatus, my current focus species!

#entomology #science #termites #kalotermesapproximatus #isoptera #blattodea #insectbehavior #insects taken in Auburn University by @beccagecko

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2 years ago

A little Halloween treat for me! I caught a little rough earth snake (Virginia striatula) while out in the field today! Such a cutie!

#herpetology #snake #snakesofinstagram #virginiastriatula #wildlife #colubrid #wildsnake #reptiles taken in Auburn, Alabama by @beccagecko

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2 years ago

It's always a good time using an aspirator to count termites! Lots of exciting behavioral research happening, and I'm so grateful to be part of it!

#entomology #insectbehavior #termites #reticulitermes #reticulitermesflavipes #insects #research #gradschool #gradstudent taken in Auburn University by @beccagecko

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2 years ago

A couple Cryptocercus darwini roaches I research! I think these little guys are adorable. Did you know that termites are roaches? And these roaches are some of the closest relatives of termites, they even eat wood like termites do!

#roach #cryptocercus #cryptocercusdarwini #entomology #termites #insects #insectbehavior taken in Auburn University by @beccagecko

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2 years ago

It's so wonderful finding a cute little friend while on a walk. This is a cute little green anole (Anolis carolinensis).

#reptiles #anole #greenanole #anoliscarolinensis #outdoors #walk #wildlife taken in Auburn, Alabama by @beccagecko

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2 years ago

Had a great day collecting termites out in the field, but I wanted to shout out this little friend enjoying a snack! What a lovely surprise!

#fieldwork #turtle #reptiles #boxturtle #terrapenecarolinacarolina taken in Auburn, Alabama by @beccagecko

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2 years ago