Mastodawn

Please don't boost #aislop !

This slop graphic went #viral in my timeline on Mastodon. Commentators found the source in a FB slop page, and biologists in the comments tell the facts. Nevertheless, people burst into enthusiasm, so little do they know about nature. #AISlop sites on big platforms gather about 250k followers.

I did a fact-check about real snails.
You can read it here: https://steady.page/en/naturematchcuts/posts/28951404-a41f-4215-ab89-bc35dbc41233

#snail #snails #animalsave #NatureMatchCuts #biodiversity #reconnectWithNature #blog

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gnaddrig

@NatureMC
Thanks for pointing this out.

Funny detail: The AI writes "4. Place in direction it was heading", but the picture shows the snail being put down in the opposite direction, not the one shown in 1., so the text contradicts the illustration.

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Petra van Cronenburg Feb 26

@gnaddrig Yes, that's one of the more funny facettes. 😁 You can find more (the "seal") but I didn't want to bore people.

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gnaddrig Feb 26

@NatureMC
What about the "seal"? That would require some level of knowledge about snails, mere inconsistencies are easier to spot without knowing anything about the topic.

I'd be interested in the seal thing, though.

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Petra van Cronenburg Feb 26

@gnaddrig It's easy: snails and slugs don't have any "seal" on their foot. (Trying too hard to understand slop can distract the brain from more important things.)

But land snails can close their aperture, the opening of their shell, with a very thick, hardening slime. It's a protection against dehydration, cold, and enemies: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/snails-and-slugs.html
In spring, after a drought, they eat it from inside and come out again. If you see snails with such a plug: they are not dead, only protected. 1/2

For the love of snails and slugs | Natural History Museum

‘I love snails and slugs! I just think they’re fascinating,’ says Jon Ablett, our Curator of Molluscs.

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Petra van Cronenburg Feb 26

@gnaddrig #Knowledge: No one can know everything. Before I write a text, I also have to read up on a lot of things. My tip: be very vigilant with #LLM texts, it's better to check twice.
And then don't google the claims, but rather look them up in Wikipedia or on scientifically sound websites. I like natural history museums, e.g., for such questions. In social media you can find also experts who can explain things really well, like here @dantheclamman for everything about #clams.

#factcheck