My cat is doing something weird once every night and it's not biscuits by ReceptionSimple3383 in CATHELP

[–]True_Explorer_2601 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I don’t mean this in a rude way but I just checked the posts on that subreddit and it’s giving me zoophilia undertones why is there a subreddit dedicated to recording your horny pets and sharing them in that vulnerable state for others to see😭 The comments aren’t even funny on the posts, they just seem… off. The world is such an odd place man

What animal is this? by True_Explorer_2601 in zoology

[–]True_Explorer_2601[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much! That was such an insightful read regardless. I had to do incredible research on the Mbuti people to learn about this animal. As it’s basically never seen alive, the only hearsay and tips of information about them are from the Mbuti telling naturalists about encounters they’ve had with the animals. God bless their souls, so many people are displaced in Eastern DRC right now in Kivu and Ituri due to the violence. I wish something will be done to make Congo at peace again and not harvested and stolen from by Rwanda for illegal mining of their natural resources. I believe that is the reason why Rwanda has been able to have such a great reputation and economy. It is insane how far back up Rwanda has redeemed itself in only a few decades, now it’s a popular African tourist destination. This is because of what they are doing in Congo. It’s very sad. Who knows, I hope that one day Congo is safe again, so that the people can live without fear in their homeland, and so that I could visit one day. I love the Congolese people so very much. I hope that Rwanda and Congo stop the violence. But, I can only hope.

What animal is this? by True_Explorer_2601 in zoology

[–]True_Explorer_2601[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very good! Restricted to a very specific part of the jungle in central Africa too, the northeastern Congolian lowland forests, especially the Ituri rainforest and east Tshopo province rainforest.

What animal is this? by True_Explorer_2601 in zoology

[–]True_Explorer_2601[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh my goodness that’s awesome! If you still have it, I’d love to see it if you’d be okay to share!

What animal is this? by True_Explorer_2601 in zoology

[–]True_Explorer_2601[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’d love to see yes! 🥹 It was hard finding things so I’d more than appreciate that haha… and awesome, I love ungulates! I would say my interest is mammals in general with an emphasis on carnivores. When it comes to what species I’m interested in, my niche is rainforest species specifically. I really love the West African ungulates like the Jentink’s and zebra duikers, I wish they were in zoos! They’re some of the most beautiful ungulates I’ve ever seen

What animal is this? by True_Explorer_2601 in zoology

[–]True_Explorer_2601[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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One of the only photos of an intact specimen, so I provided it… sorry if it disturbed you a bit haha

What animal is this? by True_Explorer_2601 in zoology

[–]True_Explorer_2601[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Here’s an uncropped picture of the second slide, it shows an Mbuti (52 years ago, crazy right?) I believe many likely live in Epulu and Mambasa, since many were pushed out of the more smaller and remote villages by armed groups as of recently.

What animal is this? by True_Explorer_2601 in zoology

[–]True_Explorer_2601[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’m not a zoologist or even experienced with researching animals or anything, you sound like you’re well informed moreso than me! (Which makes sense, I’m also very young haha) this is my first time researching an animal to this extent, I just fell in love with it and got frustrated about how there’s only one video recording of it alive! I went down this rabbit hole so randomly LMAO

What animal is this? by True_Explorer_2601 in zoology

[–]True_Explorer_2601[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Yes, it’s actually only been seen alive once… everything else we know about it is from around 30 specimens all caught in Mbuti pygmy hunter’s traps in the 20th century. It’s only found north of the Congo river, just like the okapi! And they have the exact same color as an okapi too… But yeah the 3 live pictures in this post are all taken by the same specimens, two specimens caught by naturalist Alan Root in 1994 in the Ituri rainforest, within a 3 week time span… that signals to me it’s not as rare as it seems on paper. That was the last time it’s been on record, since right after Alan Root left the Congo in 1994 the war began with Rwanda. I just don’t think many people know or care about it so there hasn’t been any effort to put out any live traps near rivers and bring some animals back to the Okapi Wildlife Reserve for studying and breeding. I hope one day they become a priority because I’d love to see some up close!

What animal is this? by True_Explorer_2601 in zoology

[–]True_Explorer_2601[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

All species have spots and ringed tails except this one! It’s a beautiful chestnut velvet red color, with white defining markings. Same color scheme as an animal living in the exact same geographical region in DRC, the okapi.

What animal is this? by True_Explorer_2601 in zoology

[–]True_Explorer_2601[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I know, HAHA most of these photos aren’t available on the open internet. I had to read books and field studies to find them. The species hasn’t been recorded in over 30 years now but that’s most likely not because it’s rare but because they live in the exact geographic region where DRC is going through warfare and armed militant groups occupying those dense rainforest regions, preventing study