#like I know more about reptiles and amphibians than the average person

[thelastspeecher]

I am forever moderately amused by the fact that I have a biology degree but somehow wound up with a biologist OC whose specialty is not at all what mine is.

like, don't get me wrong, I love amphibians and reptiles. I used to volunteer for a summer camp where I got to show off amphibians and reptiles to kids and tell them all about the creepy crawly critters.

but my specialty is microorganisms. the macroorganisms I've done the most schooling in are invertebrates, in particular molluscs. which are not the purview of a herpetologist.

but character development just sort of happened and now I have a herpetologist OC.

[mauesartetc]

Hi Maue! Bless you for this account, it’s helped me so much in developing as an artist… sorry for adding onto your already-stuffed askbox, but i was wondering if you could help a little with some character design stuff i’m going over?

If not thats fine👍

but uh if so there’s this family of edwardian anthro dogs i am working on. Robbie was born into the family and married Shelley to keep up appearances, and Shelley married him as she could present as a woman and be greatly elevated in financial status. they adopted susan, and robbie’s in a rather unstable relationship with Some Girl/Guy named ernie…robbie is kinda taking advantage of his status and political importance to do whatever he wants. He is not really a good person and i am kindaaaa poking fun at a few billionaires with his character. shelley is a woman who is rightfully angry at her husband being a awful guy and just wants a normal life while still trying to appease her husband so she doesn’t have to deal with the consequences of getting on the wrong side of royalty, susan’s some strange child who thinks robbie and shelley are cool but sorta starts to realize something’s a bit funky about them. anyways so i was wondering how i’d instill motifs of animals other than dogs in these dogish-creatures that relate to their personality whilst still keeping them a canine species, and also how if you have any tips on conveying info through clothing in character design..or any other thing you think i could change with their designs for the better…

sorry if this was rambly and have a good day👍

Ooh fun! To start with, it’d help to figure out which breed of dog each character is based on and work from there. Once you put a specific name to the appearance you’re looking for, it gets so much easier to find visual references for it. (And yes, visual references will very much be your friends, especially in the early stages of character design.) Judging by these character sheets, we’ll want to link Susan with reptiles and amphibians, Robbie with barn owls, and Shelley with shelled creatures. But first, some general notes:

I’ll admit I straight up forgot cereal was a thing in the Edwardian era (which covered the period from 1901-1910 for anyone unfamiliar), so the fact that Robbie inherited a cereal company kinda threw me for a loop. But yes, cereal had existed for decades by that point, though based on my research (see above), they didn’t advertise with animal mascots like the owl in Robbie’s ref. A lot of ads just had illustrations of consumers enjoying the food or holding up the package, along with a paragraph or two explaining why this brand is the best choice. (And yeah, I know Cream of Wheat’s not cereal, but it’s breakfast food so I’m counting it.) If you want to be historically accurate, understand that companies back then had very different approaches to branding from how they handle it today.

Speaking of accuracy, I’m no historian but I’m pretty sure Edwardian folks wouldn’t use the terms “asexual” or “transgender” to describe themselves. Not sure if you’ve written these labels into your story’s dialogue, but it’s worth mentioning just in case. Also, I’m not sure what the blue and white flag represents-? I searched all over for it but didn’t get any results. The placement next to the ace flag led me to believe it was some kind of pride thing, but even the more exhaustive lists didn’t include it. Some clarification would be nice. 

Robbie’s description says he’s “very gender conforming” yet he squeals when he’s pleased? Wouldn’t that be considered a pretty effeminate thing to do? I’ve never heard of a single “man’s man” who’d (voluntarily) raise his voice to such a high pitch on a regular basis. Just sayin’, you’ll want to be sure your descriptions are consistent. I also did a double take at the fact that he’s nearly a full foot taller than Shaq, but depending on the average height for this species in this time period, it might be easier to buy. (Fyi, the average height for men who turned 18 in the Edwardian era was around 5′4″, and even shorter in previous years.)

Now for the redlines:

Something I noticed consistently in these drawings was a lack of body structure, as if the character’s outlines were drawn first without an understanding of internal volume or how things fit together. There’s also a tendency to draw characters’ eyes on the sides of their heads, as if they’re fish rather than dogs. A carnivorous land mammal would have front-facing eyes that resemble wedges in profile. If the characters have a solid construction, it’ll be easier to build on it when dealing with symbolic motifs and such.

About those motifs, it helps to gather photo reference of whatever you’re trying to represent in the design, and get a sense of the shapes and colors that comprise it.

It also really helps to get specific. We already know Robbie’s associated with barn owls, but Shelley and Susan are more open ended. If each of them had to pick one (maybe two) species of amphibian/lizard or shelled creature as their favorite, which would it be? Or, which species most closely resemble their own personalities? Narrowing the field to one or two animals will help focus your research.

The next step is figuring out which elements you want to use, and where. This depends on how subtle or overt you want the symbolism to be.

Basically, the more cells you check off in a chart like the one above, the more noticeable the symbolism will be. If you want to use only shapes or only colors, or only use symbolism in the accessories and body, for example, you’re free to do so. It’s also important to note that symbolism in certain locations in the design will be more noticeable than in others. Let’s say you wanted to use a crablike orange for Shelley. If you used it to color a small accessory (like her bracelet), the tie-in would be pretty subtle. But if you used it to color her face, the place on a character our eyes are most drawn to, it’d stand out like a neon sign. 

There’s a sliding scale of subtlety in individual parts, as well. It’s up to you to decide how closely you want them to resemble the original source. Here’s what happened when I experimented with the doggos’ ears, with the resemblance ranging from subtle to overt:

It’s all relative to what feels right for the character. Hope this helps!

[1spooky-dad]

The thing i love about science is that the deeper you get into it, the more you realize that the science they teach you in school is just,,, not true necessarily. ESPECIALLY with taxonomy.

The animal kingdom is: mammals, who give live birth and are warm blooded; amphibians, which lay eggs, are cold blooded, and breathe through their skin; reptiles, which are cold blooded, lay eggs, and have hard scales protecting their skin; birds, who fly, lay eggs, and have feathers; fish, the fuckers in the water; and the little guys (single celled life forms and insects)

Except birds are reptiles, actually. And there are reptiles like some boas and Solomon island skinks that give live birth. And some reptiles are able to keep their eggs warm with their bodies as if they were "warm blooded" like mammals. they're exothermic.

And fish aren't real. They don't exist.

And we are still unable to properly classify whatever the fuck fungus is. Are mushrooms animals or plants? We don't know, they throw something new at us everytime we go check.

And there's this little guy in Australia who is a mammal but it lays eggs? But it looks like a beaver almost? And is venomous? And sweats milk????

And javelinas, you know, the pig like critters in the southwest us and down into central America? Those are more closely related to rats than they are to pigs and boars. They are rodents.

And tortoises are turtles but turtles aren't tortoises. And toads are frogs, but frogs aren't toads.

Humans want to put things in easy boxes, and for the most part they work for the average person, but if you look closer those aren't boxes, they're interconnected tunnels in which all the world is playing a great big game of classify me if you can

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #341

“anger, misery, you’ll suffer unto me”

Would you risk your life to save a total stranger? I don't think so. Have you ever trashed your ex’s car after an argument? No, and I never would. Grow up. Have you ever done something because of peer pressure you are ashamed of? I don't believe so, no. Have you ever been embarrassed to introduce your parents to anyone? No. Would you leave a note on a car claiming responsibility if you damaged it? Yeah; guilt would eat me alive otherwise. Have you ever used someone's handicapped parking pass to get a parking spot? Fucking ew, no. Have you ever held back a well-deserved compliment because you were jealous? No. Do you guilt people into giving you what you want? Ugh, no. Would most people consider you better than average looking? Ha, no. For yourself, would you rather have a perfect body or high IQ? Give me the perfect body, living in my horrible one has affected my mental health badly enough. I'm fine with having a moderate IQ. I just want to feel happy in my own skin. Have you ever embarrassed some intentionally in public? Wow, no. Have you ever used a false ID? Also no. Are you embarrassed to tell people your job? I'm embarrassed to tell people I don't HAVE a job. Do you remember the first conversation you had with the person you have feelings for? I don't. I'm sure it was RP-related and not friendly, but I don't remember the exact convo. Have you ever got a D or F on your report card? I want to say no; I think the lowest I ever got was a C. If you had twins, would you give them rhyming names? Ugh, no. I'm sorry if you're into it, but I'm just not. I would want to ensure they knew their uniqueness and individuality was seen. Is there anyone that you wish was IN your life who used to be? There's a large number of those kinds of people. What brings out the worst in you? Probably when I'm building up towards a PTSD meltdown. I get VERY short and snappy and am convinced everyone hates and wants to leave me. My mouth also has NO fucking leash, and I know I can say very mean things that I'll regret later. What do you prefer, Skittles or Starbursts? Skittles. Mike & Ikes or Jolly Ranchers? Jolly Ranchers for sure. What is your favorite thing to eat with peanut butter? Waffles (with syrup). Don't knock it 'til you try it, I'm telling you. What are some wild animals commonly found where you live? Besides birds obviously, there's squirrels, deer, opossums, raccoons... Have you ever had a lucid dream? I think I've had just one. What's your biggest problem at the moment? Probably my anxiety having stunted my growth in so many areas. Have you ever turned down a job offer? I don't think so, no. What's the longest hospital stay you've had? For what? I think my longest was almost two months for suicidal thoughts. Two months might sound long, but it was like... my third or so psych hospital stay for that same reason. What's something really basic that you're terrible at? Even the most simple math. I don't even know the majority of my elementary multiplication tables. Have you ever hugged someone for over a minute? Yeah. Would you ever get a tattoo on your collar bone? I have one there already, but I plan on getting it covered because it was an impulse tattoo that I feel no connection towards. Have you ever searched for your house on Google Earth? My old house, yeah. Are you a beach, country, or city person? Country. Living in the suburbs has definitely reminded me of that... Are you faster at text messaging or typing on the computer? Typing, by a long shot. I make typos texting too much. Have you ever kissed anybody who had a mustache? Yeah. Who is the last person that you said "I love you" to, besides family members? Sara. When was your first real relationship? Sophomore year of high school to early college. Have you ever cried over an ex? I've cried the entire mass of water on Earth over an ex lmao. Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex? Yes. Is there something really bad that you’ve done, that only YOU know about? No. Have you ever copied someone else’s homework? I think I have once or twice, but obviously with consent. What’s a hobby you would like to try out? If my legs worked like actual legs and I didn't sweat like an absolute pig, I would like to try out herping, but without actually interacting with the animal like picking it up and scaring the daylights out of it. I'd just be happy enough looking for reptiles, amphibians, and inverts to photograph instead. Does that still even count as herping? What was the last event you attended? My youngest niece's birthday party. How about the last event you organized? I've never organized an event. What’s something you get excited about doing and want to do it right away? Whenever I take nature pictures, I'm immediately keen to get them into Lightroom and do the postproduction. Is there anything you feel you’re better at than anybody else? Definitely not. What’s the biggest insect you’ve ever seen? If you exclude places like the zoo, that would probably be a rhinoceros beetle or something. Oh no, actually some kind of local moth I don't know the name of. They're beautiful big white boiz. How about the biggest spider? I might be mis-remembering, but I believe at a reptile convention I went to with Sara, one of the vendors had a goliath bird eater tarantula in one of the cups. I do know it was some tarantula species for sure, though. Who was the first person to break your heart? My dad. Obviously not romantically, but him just splitting on the family with no proper communication absolutely broke my heart for years. First person to give you flowers or candy on Valentine’s day? I'm sure that would be my parents. If you exclude them 'cuz that's kinda obvious, I believe it was Aaron, my first boyfriend. I'm pretty sure we were together on Valentine's Day, because I remember getting him a giant Hershey's Kiss. First band you obsessed about? I wasn't truly obsessed with any band 'til Ozzy in middle school. Can you do a backflip? No; I've never tried and never will. I was and still am too afraid of breaking my neck. Like I have a MASSIVE fear of paralysis, particularly from the neck down; that fear is actually the biggest one that keeps me from driving, fun fact. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Of the two, definitely a pessimist, but I at least think I align most with being a realist. What’s the biggest lie you’ve told someone? I'm unsure. Have you ever been hit on by someone of the same sex? Yeah. How many doors are in the room you’re in? Just one. Have you ever been engaged and broke it off? No. Has anyone ever drawn a picture of you? Tyler once drew a picture of him and me. It was cute. That guy still dove in WAY too fast. Have you ever dated a redhead? I haven't, but I love redheads. Natural red hair is just gorgeous. What are your thoughts on facial hair on guys? Historically, I seem to generally like some, but it really depends on the guy's general appearance. I can like none at all or a full beard and mustache, it doesn't really matter to me. Did you go anywhere today? No; my mom is in Florida with her brothers totally cleaning out Grammy's house, so she's not here to take me anywhere. Do you have any nieces or nephews? Oh yikes, I have a lot. I honestly can't count because I've lost track of how many boys and girls Katie has. You have a choice to shoot your father or die, what would you do? Jesus. I'd rather die; some things just aren't worth living after, and I'd have no desire to keep going if I killed my father. Did you ever cry at the end of King Kong? I've never watched it, actually, but I. LOVED. The video game. I haven't played it in years and only faintly remember how it ends, but I don't remember crying. Are you in any amount of pain at the moment? Quite a lot, actually. It's kinda a TMI subject so I won't delve into it, just know I'm hurting like a bitch. What was the last sugary thing you ate? I snacked on some chocolate chips earlier today... which I really shouldn't have done, but I think I had reasonable restraint and didn't totally binge. When was the last time you did something extremely stupid? Who knows, that's not a rare occurrence, it feels like. Have you been to any parties lately? Only my niece's bday party in February. Thankfully it was kept pretty small, given Covid; not that anyone in that family besides my sister gives a flying fuck about precautions, though... Can you touch your pinky to your thumb around your wrist? Ugh, no. Close, but not enough. I still have thin wrists and hands, but yeah, yay for being overweight. If you were to start a charity, what would you call it? I'd hve to put more thought than I'm willing for one survey question. I'd have to decide what KIND of charity I want to start first, which I'm unsure of. Probably something related to animal wellfare and conservation or something similar to the Trevor Project. Maybe LBGTQ+ youth disowned by their families... I dunno. There's so much good I wish I could do. Are you comfortable with your body? Holy fuck no. It's only gotten worse since I started gaining weight again and almost entirely erased all weight loss progress I'd made. What is your recent inside joke? Most recently made? Idk, man. I don't make those often. Would you rather be a human, vampire, or a werewolf? Er, I'm good with being a human. If I was a vampire or werewolf, I wouldn't exactly be very welcomed, I'm sure, and both have seemingly painful traits to cope with. Are you good at giving directions? It is absolutely impossible for me. I have NO sense of direction, like, at all. I don't know highway names, local exits, etc. etc. etc. etc. Why did you last curse? Pain when readjusting myself due to aforementioned issue I'm having. What is your purpose in life? I hope it involves animals and spreading words of peace and an appreciation for art. What is one of your weak points? I'm very, very, very dependent on others. I'm really working on trying to correct that. I can barely do shit on my own as is. Who was the last person you heard snoring? My cat, haha. Would you rather shower by yourself or with another person? 100% by myself. Another person would just get in the way and make me VERY self-conscious of my body, even if it was my romantic partner. Just please leave me alone to hate myself for 10 minutes. :^) What was your last addiction? You could say my current one is John Wolfe, a really funny let's player I've gotten into. Been bingeing some of my favorite games he has playlists of for a few weeks now. You are in a tank full of spiders, what do you do? Well one, I'd like to know what kind they are. Venomous? Harmless? You gotta give me the details. If I don't have any, then I'm admittedly freaking the fuck out, even though I know I should stay very calm when trying to get out. Fear would win, though. If killing yourself meant saving the world, would you? Saving the world from what? But odds are, yeah. I don't cherish my pretty damn mediocre life more than I do the lives of what, 8 billion people? Have you ever stayed up all night just to talk to someone? Yeah. When was the last time you eavesdropped someone? I kinda do that sometimes when Mom's on the phone and I can hear her from my room, and if they're on speaker. Particularly if the subject is me. When was the last time you went to a club? I've never been to one. How have you been sleeping? Poorly. Are you adopted? No, I'm not. Do you like scrapbooking? Not really, no. Do you collect anything valuable? "Valuable to me." <<<< This. Nothing of great monetary worth, though. Have you ever been beaten up? No, thankfully. Do you know anyone with an eating disorder? I don't think so, in my personal life. What was the last thing you killed? An ant. Have you ever used someone for money? I never could, no. When was the last time you went to the zoo? Sigh, it's been many many years. I'm so ready to get my goddamn legs back in shape so I can go again, this time with a REAL camera, too. Last time I went was when I still only had a Kodak EasyShare; I have a professional Canon camera now with much more education on photography too, so I would be in absolute heaven with at least twenty memory cards in need, haha. Maybe next fall... Is there a teacher you hate more than anything? I actually never had a teacher I hated in my entire school career. It really, really is as simple as just being a respectful student. In most cases, I should emphasize, because I do understand some educators just suck. Now I had some teachers I wasn't very fond of, but most certainly none that I hated. Do you own colored eyeliner? No. Do you have manners? I honestly think I'm very mannerly. When was the last time that you had a pet that died? We last had to put my dog Teddy down; he had cancer and was literally withering away. I knew in my very core that even if we didn't bring him to the vet to euthanize him, he would've died naturally in a very short period of time; I doubt he would've survived another night. Now I'd like to move on. What is your favorite medication that you take, and why? The combination of Vraylar and Lamictal is the reason I'm alive. It keeps my bipolarity and depression under control. Do you decorate Mason jars? No, but those are some of my favorite crafts visually. They're very pretty and cute. Can you see the mountains from where you live? Oh hunny, I wish. Did you ever play pranks on April Fool’s Day? As a kid, yeah. I don't anymore. I'm not really even a fan of April Fool's Day as an adult because of how cruel some jokes assholes play are. Which instrument would you play if you could learn to play one? Maybe violin. Do you part your hair on the left side, right side, or in the middle? The left. What are some names you like that start with the first letter of your name? Uhhhh Bianca, Braelynn (look I know it's so stereotypically Southern but it's pretty)... and idk from there, those are the two that come to mind first.

[daybreak-academy-fanfic]

Daybreak Academy: Chapter 42

Ephemer’s Little Brother

Summary: In which Ephemer becomes a big brother. Word Count: 1,505 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

Ava ran a hand through her hair as she read over the student reports. Final exam season was nearly upon them, and it was the perfect time for students to -unintentionally- start slacking. It seemed that many of the students in her house were doing incredibly well, which made the ones who were not stand out even more. She was already dreading the moment she had to talk to them, or worse- contact their caregivers.

“Good ol' Miss Ava Ryce; working on those benchmarks?”

Confused for a moment, Ava looked up and saw Gula casually leaning on the doorway. She relaxed a little as she gave him a bright smile.

“Oh, hello Gula.” she greeted. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“We've got a date, Ava.”

Ava blinked. “We do?”

“Don't tell me you've forgotten when that tank's been sitting there for two whole months!”

Again, Ava gave an absent blink as she looked over at said fish tank. Then it hit her with a jolt. She turned back to Gula with wide eyes.

“We're doing that today?”

Gula's demeanor darkened for a moment when he said, “We were originally planned to go last week.” His expression soon softened again before adding, “But there's no time like the present, right?”

“Right.” Ava almost immediately agreed. “Let me just get my things real quick...”

“Let's pick up Ephemer first before we go out.” Gula told her as he amusingly watched as Ava put some  of the reports away. “Kid's been cooped up since the play. Have you been making sure he eats?”

Ava slowed her movements slightly at the idea. “Skuld has,” she affirmed before starting to dig around for her purse.

“But he's still in that funk, huh?”

“Yeah...” Ava sighed before she slung her purse over her shoulder. “Skuld's told me that they started sitting in the cafeteria with Anora and her study group.”

Gula hadn't been aware of this. He gave Ava an inquisitive glower as he asked, “You mean that girl he brought to the formal?”

“Yes.” she agreed with a small bob of her head. She walked over to Gula and gave him a small tilt of her head. “Why? Is there something wrong with her?”

For this, Gula smirked. “Oh no, not at all.” he said in a voice that seemed particularly mocking. “There's nothing wrong with her. I was just curious.”

Ava still gave Gula a very suspicious side glance before leaving her office. He laughed at her, of course, following behind and making a point to close the door behind them.

. . .

Ephemer just wanted to sleep. Which was weird- he liked being anywhere but in his dorm on a normal day. But it had been a tiring month. No… two months. It's been a tiring two months and it still didn't seem to end. Gula all but breaking into Ephemer's dorm to tell him that he had to go to the pet store with him and Ava only seemed to be the icing on the cake.

It was a small miracle that Ava decided they should hail a cab instead of walking into town. Ephemer and Ava sat in the back seat while Gula sat next to the driver. The boy didn't care how old he was, he leaned against Ava's shoulder and almost drifted to sleep. But Ava, knowing him far too well, kept nudging Ephemer so he could stay awake.

The smell inside the pet store had been so musty that Ephemer immediately sneezed upon entering.

“Bless you.” the pet shop owner instantly replied before Ava or Gula could. “Besides getting the boy a tissue, is there anything I can help you lovely folks with?”

Gula and Ava exchanged glances, trying to see who could egg the other into talking first, before Gula stepped forward.

“The lovely lady there is looking for a new reptile, or amphibian, friend.”

“Sounds wonderful.” the shop owner smiled. “Any kind in particular?”

“Frogs!” Ava immediately blurted. “Or… or turtles!”

Ephemer looked at Ava and raised an eyebrow. At least one of them actually had the enthusiasm for this trip. The pet shop owner, on the other hand, seemed absolutely charmed by Ava.

“Well,” they then said, scratching the back of their head, “We don't sell any living frogs. But we do have a small selection of turtles. Would you like to see them?”

“Yes!”

“Then follow me.” the shop owner offered, gesturing for the three of them to follow. They didn't need to be told twice as they followed the shop owner through the store. As they walked, the pet shop owner told them, “We have three breeds of turtles available at the moment. Red Ear Slider, Reeve's, and a single Caspian. They're all quite friendly, and should be active this time of day.”

They stopped walking when the pet shop owner gestured to a large tank holding seven turtles. Ava immediately glued her face against the glass to get a better look at them. Gula snorted and joined her at her side. Ephemer dully lingered behind, still wishing that he could just go to asleep.

“Gula, look at this one!” Ava happily trilled. “Oh! What about that one? She looks like such a sweetie!”

But it was when Ava locked eyes with the Caspian pond turtle that she drew out a sharp inhale.

“Ava?” Gula curiously asked, trying to figure out if she was having a stroke or was honestly that excited about seeing a lone turtle.

“He's… so… cute!” she squealed.

The pet shop owner looked at Ava and laughed. “Shelby's got quite the personality! Would you like to play with him?”

Ava's eyes grew wide in wonder. “Can I?” she happily asked. Gula tried not to laugh at her- the 26 year old was acting like she was six again. The only one who didn't seem to find it as funny was Ephemer.

“There's a small play area right there,” the pet shop owner told Ava, pointing to a small enclosed place littered with pillows. “I'll get Shelby out if you can wait over there for him.”

“Sounds great!” Ava agreed. “Come on Ephemer!” she then said, grabbing her adoptive son by the hand. The boy let out a small sound of surprise, Ava's grip far stronger than what he was expecting, as she dragged them to the play area. Gula watched with interest as the pet shop owner got the Caspian pond turtle out and brought it over to the play area.

“Remember,” the shop owner told her, although talking to all of them, “Turtles are their shell. When you pick him up, make sure you do it from under- don't try to hold him by the sides.”

“Got it!” Ava quickly nodded, reaching her hands out for the turtle. The pet shop owner denied her the chance to actually hold the turtle, instead setting him down on one of the play area's pillows. Ava didn't care- she immediately scrambled to her knees to get a better look at the turtle.

“Hey little guy,” she cooed. “How are you doing?”

With Ava down for the count, Gula knew it was his responsibility to ask the important 'new pet owner' questions.

“If you don't mind me asking,” he said to the shop owner, “How long do they live for?”

“Like all turtles, it's quite some time.” the pet shop owner smiled. “But for these guys, the average is about 40 years.”

“How old is Shelby now?”

“He arrived to us freshly hatched back in April, so a good three months.”

Gula gave a small, sage-like nod of understanding. “How big will he get?” he then questioned.

“In the wild, about 40 inches.” the shop owner replied.

“Oh Ephemer,” Ava continued to gush as the turtle let her pet its head. “Isn't he just the sweetest thing?”

“Is this the way you acted when you met me?” the boy mused- his voice earning the attention of the turtle. It looked up at him with wide, curious eyes.

“No!” Ava quickly denied with a shake of her head. “Why would you think that?”

“Just a hunch...” Ephemer mumbled as the turtle started to carefully trot over to him. The two made eye contact, and for a moment, Ephemer wondered if turtles could smile.

“Hey there little guy.” Ephemer dully smiled at the tiny turtle. “You're a real lively one, aren't you?”

Now it looked like the turtle was wagging its tail. Was this thing a turtle or a dog?

“What do you think?” Ava asked Ephemer, scooting closer in a less than subtle attempt to gain the turtle's attention again. “Should we take him home?”

Ephemer lulled the idea over as he wiggled his fingers over Shelby's head. The tiny thing hungrily glared at them before making several attempts to snap at him. It was pretty amusing, honestly. As Ephemer started to stroke the top of the turtle's head, he turned to Ava with a small smile. “I wouldn't mind having a little brother.”

[blogmahnoor]

All You Need To Know About CATS

Most of the lesser complex animals, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptiles probably have a worldview along the lines of 'it just is' and accept whatever comes along - go with the flow. But once you consider the relatively higher and more complex animals, like birds and mammals, then brain complexity becomes such that to a greater or lesser degree, intelligence and the ability to think and figure things out has to be taken into consideration.

For those of you who have companion animals, or even those of you who have just watched animals at a distance, you may have wondered how those animals view and perhaps even think about life, the universe and everything.CatifyCo That is, each animal must have some sort of personal worldview; a perspective or point of view probably forever beyond our understanding - usually but not always.

I'm picking on cats in this particular case because I've owned cats nearly all my life. This essay could just as easily have been dogs or horses or some other domesticated mammal.

So what are cats? Can we identify with them? Can they identify with us? Well, domesticated cats are playful; curious; adaptable; selfish; they dream; they like variety though they can also be creatures of habit; they can 'think' things through and make decisions; they have a vocal language and a body language; they display emotions; they have memory and therefore somewhat a sense of history; they have the same sensory apparatus as we have; they have their own likes and dislikes whether it be food; a place to sleep, where they want or don't want to be scratched or rubbed or petted; and, in short each cat has their own very unique personality. Cats are certainly very self-centred, perhaps a bit more so than typical adult humans, but certainly akin to human infants and toddlers whose worldview is very self-centred with a near 24/7 gimmie, gimmie, gimmie; I want, I want, I want. Cats, at least those intersecting with humans have a gimmie/I want aspect to them, and like infants/toddlers the 'pester' factor can often reach extremes. In short, cats really seem to be mini albeit furry versions of humans, especially infants/toddlers. But, how close might that version really be?

For starters, and perhaps like all animals, the cat probably has a worldview something akin to it being the centre of things - the be-all-and-end-all - and that the entire environment the cat finds itself in is there to provide for all the cat's requirements. From the domestic cat's point of view, the world owes it a living! How else could the cat view things? One's self perceptions tend to revolve around 'I am the centre of the universe' because you are most intimately bound up in your worldview with yourself and not as intimately with anything else. Therefore, anything else, in a self-centred worldview must be subservient. Of course the cat often finds out the hard way that parts of that external reality have differing opinions. That never seems to shift the cat's worldview however that it is 'top dog'* and deserves all the best that comes its way - which might not be all the 'best' that nature could provide but the cat doesn't know that.

Cats certainly have no comprehension, perhaps like toddlers, of being in the way, underfoot, in danger of being trodden on or sat upon, while helping themselves to whatever piece of household geography suits their fancy. One could conclude from their selfish (from our point of view) behaviour, their worldview must be one of 'supreme being' and 'rank has its privileges', and such a worldview will persist at least until such time as their tail gets stepped on or they get tossed out of the easy chair! They still probably see themselves as supreme beings - it's their worldview of you that's now somewhat changed.

The average head of the household and cat owner is probably somewhat of the opinion or has the rationale that 'I pay the bills, therefore I call the shots and what I say goes'! Cats can probably understand 'head of the household' in that in cat society, as in all animal societies, all cats are not equal - there is a hierarchy and one cat alone will be 'top dog' as it were. But there's nothing in a cat's worldview that corresponds to money or bills or economics or finance. Everything is a free lunch, be it sunshine or the electric/gas/wood heater you, the owner, pay for. Even if the cat goes outside and catches and eats a mouse, it's still as free a lunch as far as the cat is concerned as the food you put in its food bowl. So that bit about 'I'm the boss because I pay the bills' has no meaning or significance to the cat since the concept of 'bills' is foreign.

Cats have no mythology about shopping. The post Xmas sales and weekly specials at the supermarket are alien concepts. So is that nearly supreme abstraction to humans - time. Birthdays are a non-event with no realization when they occur and with no relevance in any event. Ditto all those other special points in time like holidays we humans are obsessed with. Cats don't make a habit of staying up late on New Years Eve. It's of no consequence. Weekends are no different than weekdays.

Equally the cat has apparently no worldview of tomorrow or of the future (though it has a memory of the past). It doesn't save for a rainy day. I've never observed a cat hide away a few of its dry cat food pellets for a future emergency or a midnight snack. A cat is very 'now' oriented. A cat probably has no concept of death, far less an afterlife. I've always tended to have two cats at a time on the theoretical grounds they have companionship when I'm not around. As such, one cat will finally get to go to that great 'litter box in the sky' and as such the surviving cat (for a while at least) will be without its companion feline 'friend'. I've never noticed however any real change in the behaviour of the surviving cat. The demise and removal of the other animal has apparently all the relevance of my tossing an empty can into the recycling bin. Now if I tossed out the cat's favourite easy chair that would probably cause more of a reaction!

It's difficult to teach a cat anything that isn't already hardwired into its little grey cells. I mean you don't tend to have guard cats, seeing-eye cats, or cats that sit up, stop on command at the corner, beg, and play fetch, etc. when their human owners say so. The cat's worldview is quite foreign to such concepts, though there's little difference between a cat's IQ and a dog's IQ. Maybe that's why the saying 'dogs have masters; cats have slaves' https://www.catify.co/collections/cat-clothing-for-humans

[mysticaltrihalo42]

Angled Surfaces, Electric Charge, and Tissue Regeneration

Angled Surfaces, Electric Charge, and Tissue Regeneration

The short version is that I believe the healing acceleration seen in open pyramid experiments is the result of Schumann Resonance, the difference in electric charge around wounds, and can be achieved with just two flat surfaces in an A frame shape.

Tissue Regeneration and Electric Charge:

In my opinion, the best article on this was published in The Washington Post, Aug 6 1978, “Growing New Limbs” by Susan Schiefelbein. It covers research done on amphibian limb regeneration leading up to the discovery of a tiny electric charge, billionths of an amp, triggering tissue regeneration even in rats, and the healing of a broken ankle in a diabetic that would have normally resulted in amputation because of the severity of the patient's condition.

A small sample of Shiefelbein's article:

“...A third clue was buried in the writings of the late 1700s. Every time a creature is injured, an electrical charge is generated at the site of the injury. This phenomenon is called the current of injury, and it is proportionate to the severity of the wound...”

“...bone accommodates automatically to mechanical stress. When he measured the currents around a stressed bone, he discovered that it generated a positive charge on the stretched side (which dissolved some bone) and a negative charge on the other side (which built up bone and provided the necessary added support)...”

“...He amputated a rat's foreleg below the shoulder and implanted the platinum-silver electrode device at the stump. Again, success - this time, the most exciting ever. The animal regenerated nerves and tissue and even formed the humerus, the upper-arm bone, complete with the rounded end that fits into the elbow joint. Other parts of the elbow joint began to take shape, including cartilage and two bony structures that Becker surmised were the forerunners of the radius and ulna bones of the lower leg. Everything about the new growth was precisely as it had been in the original limb. And all this growth took place in just three days....”

Proof that electrical charge has an effect on tissue regeneration and could indicate that a higher energy state could either help or impair tissue regeneration.

Changing Cells:

One part read, “...expose frog blood to various levels of electrical current in order to find out exactly how much of a charge is needed to turn blood cells into blastema. Days passed, then months. The student administered smaller and smaller currents to the blood (high ones either did nothing or began to cook the cells), but he saw no evidence of change. Finally, the week before the student was supposed to quit and return to his classes, he found that blood cells revert to blastema at a few billionths of an ampere...”

This I'm skeptical about, and would like to see more information on it. But there is something else, from the article “Scientists Use Acid to Turn Blood Cells into Stem Cells in 30 Minutes” on Gizmodo in 2014,

“A team of Japanese scientists stumbled upon the method after observing a similar phenomenon in plants, where environmental stress can morph an ordinary cell into an immature one. New plants could then grow from the immature cell. This has also been known to happen in birds and reptiles, so the team from the Riken Center for Developmental Biology set out to see if something similar could happen with mammals.”

There was a bit of controversy about it and people claimed it was disproved. But perhaps what some didn't realize is that what the acid was doing was changing the electric charge. I don't know.

Schumann Resonance:

There is a constant electric hum between the Earth and upper atmosphere. The article “Tuning into the Earth's Natural Rhythm” in Brain World Magazine, Oct 4 2017, describes it:

“The Earth behaves like a gigantic electric circuit. Its electromagnetic field surrounds and protects all living things with a natural frequency pulsation of 7.83 hertz on average — the so-called “Schumann resonance,” named after physicist Dr. Winfried Otto Schumann, who predicted it mathematically in 1952.”

“This frequency circulates in the cavity bounded by the Earth’s surface and the ionosphere, surrounding the Earth at a distance of about 60 miles. Such space is filled with an electrical tension created by the clashing of the ionosphere, which is positively charged by the sun (solar winds), and the Earth’s surface, which carries a negative charge. We can think of it like the Earth’s pulse or heartbeat.”

Electric Pyramids:

In Patrick Flanagan's book Pyramid Power, he talks about accelerated healing, preservation of foods, and the buildup of an electric charge at the peak of the great pyramids. David Wilcox has talked about Russian experiments with hollow pyramids. Some of his videos can be found on Youtube. Other researchers have found a high frequency emission from the tops of pyramid structures. It's been said that pilots are warned to not fly over the Great Pyramids because instruments become scrambled.

Fire in the Middle:

One way to translate Pyra-mid is “pyra” meaning fire and “mid” being the middle. In the middle of a hollow pyramid the Earth's frequencies are bounced off the solid surfaces back towards a central point. Burial pyramids are usually solid with rectangular chambers and narrow passages connecting them, but the outside is still an angled surface and has similar effects on the Earth's resonance. So while interesting effects can be found in the giant burial pyramids, it is inside hollow pyramids that the really interesting stuff happens.

Angry Men in Black Suits:

A warning. Pyramid energy is not an easy replacement for oil. I'll explain, but the short version is that a big solar panel or wind turbine would be more efficient and take up less space than trying to tap into the electric charge seen in pyramid structures.

It is easy to assume that with the increase in electric potential found in pyramids one could just run a wire from there to a ground and get an electric current. That's true actually, but unless it's the size of a house, you're not likely to get enough to run your refrigerator. And if you're anywhere near power lines, you'll get hit with the tired old accusations that you're just stealing electricity and they'll lock you up, which has happened to a few people trying to change the world. See, some people like to take old bedsprings and nail them to power poles so the constantly shifting magnetic field around power lines induces current in the metal, and they hook wires to that to run lights and things, so there is a legal precedent. Oil companies have deep pockets and way too much influence, and too many people don't want to believe in this sort of thing, they like to think science already has everything figured out, so it's just safer to not go building big pyramids near power lines and claim you're getting free electricity.

A Mars colony, however, might look into this as a secondary power source that isn't as susceptible to dust storms. It's possible other beings already have.

And it's not a “free energy device” because you can't put one in deep space and expect it to generate any kind of charge. It's not too much different than Ben's kite getting struck by lightning, just not as dramatic. Although building something with the intent of generating a big electric charge is very likely to draw lightning.

The only way such things will become accepted by mainstream is when people get used to not burning something to generate electric power.

Fold-Up Healing Tent:

I propose that a 4 sided hollow pyramid is not needed to get healing effects. A simple A frame setup, 2 flat surfaces with some kind of hinge, will suffice, and be much easier to store when not in use. I assume the intensity of the effect will be about half of what is seen inside a hollow pyramid, but personal experience indicates the end result is the same, if slower.

My own experimental device is nothing more than wooden dowel rods making 2 frames, with poster board taped across, with zip ties in 2 places to serve as hinges. It's not fancy, but it's functional.

Some will argue that the angle must be precise, with some claiming that certain pyramid angles target certain internal organs, which I doubt, but it's an interesting theory. Some will claim that alignment with the north magnetic pole is important. Some might claim that the open ends result in a huge loss of energy. But if you're going for perfection, you should just go ahead and build a hollow pyramid. This device is not the best way to do things, but is the least intrusive to your living space and easiest to make and store.

I also feel that softer surfaces might not reflect the vibrations as well, and that something more solid is better. Although metal seems to interfere with the electrical charges, ruining the effect, although some might dispute this.

Placing the reflectors over your bed can be the best use of space, although I have difficulty sleeping in the higher energy state. I recommend having your head outside of the device. It also gets really warm in there. For reference, there are reports of people sitting in hollow pyramids feeling hot, even with vent holes cut into the sides.

Someone pointed out the energy concentrating effects of different shaped rooms and suggested that we may one day stop living in boxes and instead live in domes. Until that happens, we can at least put angled reflectors over us to get a little of that effect.

Disclaimer:

One last thing. Because of the... kind... of people in the world today, I need to point out I am not advocating shocking yourself with electric current to heal. Don't go sticking a fork in an outlet and claim that I said it would heal you. The voltages and currents in the examples given are very small. Too small to cause damage to your skin. But there is a risk with IV needles, because they're past the skin's resistance, that a static charge, like the kind that zaps your fingers when you touch a doorknob, can shock the heart and cause a heart attack. It's a very real medical risk and not many people talk about it to the general public, because some people will become paranoid and start running ground wires from the patient to the hospital bed. The charged needle in the tissue regeneration experiment had a very low charge on it. More is definitely not better in this case.

[danganronpa-imagines]

Ultimate Herpetologist

Hello Mod Kiibo! Thank you so much for replying to me :)

Here is my OC, I hope it’s ok as I haven’t created one in a long time. She’s heavily influenced by myself actually, other than the second name and some of the animals kept. I do own 15 pets though, just no venomous or poisonous ones! I hope everyone’s OCs can get along!

Edit: Hi Mod Kiibo, sorry about this, but I forgot to add my OC’s ability that is given to the protagonist after obtaining all of her friendship fragments! The ability is called “Snake Charmer”, and it cuts the damage recieved by saying an unsuccessful lie during class trials in half :) Sorry to be a pain! Thank you for all the hard work you do for us

P.S: Please don’t copy her, she is a work from my own heart!

Hello there, tea-drinking-dragon! I hope you are doing well and are taking care of yourself! Thank you so much for your submission! I very much enjoyed reading about Amy! What a wonderful and distinctive character! I like snakes myself, so I loved reading about The Ultimate Herpetologist! This is my first time receiving a submission like this and responding to it, so please excuse my inexperience in responding to it and formatting it! As you requested in a previous post, I will write about how my OC, Yoite, will react to her. Thank you so much once again for this submission! It is very much appreciated!

Please do not copy or reuse Amy Blackadder! She belongs to tea-drinking-dragon and them alone! Please do not copy or reuse Yoite Inoue! She belongs to me and myself alone! Thank you!

“Her presence is quite reassuring…”

Because of Amy’s concealed reserved nature, Yoite makes the effort to spend time with her and understand her. The former’s contentment with animals and quiet is favored quite a bit by the latter, as Yoite succumbs to tiredness and lethargy easily. She will occasionally unapologetically rest her head on Amy’s lap and nap for a short period of time, simply because she has decided that Amy is to be trusted. It is especially pleasant when Amy rubs her thumb back and forth gently on Yoite’s sleepy head.

Aside from napping though, Yoite does enjoy spending meals with Amy and spending quiet time with her snakes. She especially is attached to Amy’s Corn Snake. She lovingly refers to it as a ‘snek.’

Amy Blackadder

Ultimate Herpetologist

Characteristics:

Gender: Female

Height: 5′7″ (ENG)

172.2 cm (JP)

Weight: 72.5 kg (160 lbs)

Birthdate: 30 July (Leo)

Blood Type: O+

Likes: Reptiles, Birds, Video games, Sweets, Gardening and Mythology.

Dislikes: Parasites, Centipedes, Spiders, Non melted Cheese, Slippy floors.

Appearance:

Amy is a pale skinned adolescent woman of slightly above average height, and carries a few extra pounds. Despite this, she isn’t unfit and is actually surprisingly strong, which she claims is due to handling some of her more heavy animals and their tanks. When hugged, she tends to be a little squishy.  She has slightly broad shoulders and a DD cup size. She has black hair in a choppy bob that is longer near the front of her face and gets shorter towards the back of her head and heterochromatic eyes that are green and brown respectively.

Amy has poor eye sight and wears a pair of navy coloured glasses to correct her vision. Clothing wise she wears a navy blue kennel coat made out of tough synthetic fibres and cotton over a loose turquoise button up shirt and ripped black jeans. Her shoes are black steel toe capped safety boots and have an iron plate running through the sole.

Her accessories consist of a small bottle of hand sanitizer clipped onto one of the belt loops on the right hand side of her jeans, a thick pair of handling gloves that hang out of her kennel coat pocket when not in use alongside a fold away snake hook, a white scarf with navy stars and rests a special pair of safety goggles that are designed to go over her glasses on her head.

Personality: Amy is generally laid back and won’t usually bother someone unless they speak to her first, unless it is someone she is already friends with. She’s naturally calm, and does her best to try and stop people from panicking. To do this, she purposefully comes up with cringey jokes and tries to push herself to bring up humour in bad situations. Whenever she herself is struggling with things, she’ll redirect the conversation with jokes, sarcasm or white lies. This is partially because she’s embarrassed and unwilling to share her vulnerable side to others, as well as not wanting to show weakness to make people think she’s an easy target in the killing game. She suffers from depression and can be prone to some serious low moods, to combat this she interacts with her animals, who she doesn’t mind sharing her secrets with. If she has no access to them, she tends to isolate herself in her room until she knows she can convincingly tell a cover story or make satire out of the situation. She prefers to hang around with one or two close friends rather than get too close to everybody. She is well aware that not everyone is free from malice and that dead men tell no tales.

Quotes:

“Oh? Um, hello! My name’s Amy, I’m the Ultimate Herpetologist. It’s nice to meet you, shame about the circumstances though.”

“A herpetologist is someone who studies reptiles and amphibians. It can be a useful talent outside, but in here… Not so much. Haha, don’t worry though, I’ll try to make sure nobody croaks!”

“Let me know if you get hurt ok? I’m not a nurse, but I know emergency first aid. The amount of bites I got when I first started training was quite embarrassing. At one point I just wanted to tell anyone asking me to catch a snake for them to hiss off!”

Responses:

“Hmm? What’s up?”

“Would you like to talk about it? Or, I could just listen if you want.”

“I doubt it.”

“Lets go friendo, I’ve got your back!”

“Hey, I made some cake earlier! Here, let me take your mind off it.”

“Want me to make us some tea?”

“I’m certain.”

“Definitely not.”

“… Lets go over it again. Maybe we missed something?”

“Not everything is black and white. Lets investigate the grey area. All 50 shades of it.”

“It’s ok to be afraid. Please, let me help you.”

“What’s a snake’s favourite subject? Hisssstory! Oh… Not funny? Shame, I found it hisssterical!”

“There’s no turning back now. Even if it takes tooth and claw, we have to fight!”

“This… this is for me? Oh, wow, um, thank you very much! I promise to take good care of it!”

“ Whatever way you wish to play this, I will back you up. Just because people don’t like something or don’t want to believe it, it doesn’t make it any less real or true. Also, it’s surprising how fast people stop talking shit when they find a black mamba in their room, want to see how long it takes?”

“If that’s the truth…”

“I understand.”

“It’s people and situations like this that is reason why I prefer animals to humans.”

“… What? Really?”

“Oh…”

“Hm? Oh no, I’m fine, really. I was just thinking about my pets back home… Anyway, did you hear about the tortoise who bit a power cable? He was shell shocked!”

“Um…. I’m sorry to bother you and if I’m annoying you just tell me, but would you mind if I talk to you for a bit? It’s just… I just need a friend right now…”

“I suppose I have room for one more being to take care of… Where do you want your enclosure? Next to the Asian water monitor, me, or the giant African bull frog? …. Hehe, are you sure? I bite!”

“Ah, it’s ok! Sorry, did we scare you? It’s ok, I’ve got him on a harness!”

“Hey Kirumi! It’s ok, have a rest. I really appreciate all the things you do for us so I…. Oh? I can smell…. Oh no I left the oven on!”

“Oh? You’re interested in snakes Kokichi? Hehe, kind of ironic, no? Hehe, just joking. Anyway, I’ll show you a couple if you like, but no venomous ones. It’s not that they’re unpredictable, it’s just I haven’t handled those ones around strangers and don’t want to risk it. I don’t want to be the next blackened cause of an accident!”

“Come on Shuichi, lets turn that frown upside down. Have you been in the games room yet? I’ll grab some snacks and we can chill out and play! ”

Free Time Event Presents:

Loves: Boba Tea, Bubblegum Bomb, Teddy Bear, Steel Glasses Case, Helping Yacchi

Dislikes: Monkey’s Paw

Trivia:

-          Despite being openly friendly, it is thought that she is secretly lonely, and has been observed talking to her companion animal if she has one with her when no else is around.

-The “Adder” in Blackadder is actually a venomous snake from Amy’s home country in the UK and can also be linked to a comedy show originated in the UK called Blackadder. She has been known to quote parts of the series in some of her interactions;

“My dear Gonta, you wouldn’t see a subtle plan if it painted itself purple and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing “Subtle plans are here again!”. “

“Well that was about as useful as a barber’s shop on the steps of the guillotine…”

- In Amy’s DanganronpaV3 talent lab, she has a variety of venomous, poisonous and dangerously large animals who tanks have padlocks on and have a red colour coded danger sticker. These include:

Inland Taipan (Venomous)

Black Mamba (Venomous)

Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Venomous)

Reticulated Python (Large Constrictor)

Green Anaconda (Large Constrictor)

Gila Monster (Venomous)

Rough Skinned Newt (Poisonous)

The “Safe” animals in her lab include:

Bearded Dragon [Lovingly nicknamed “Skittles”]

Leopard Gecko [“Disco”]

Asian water monitor [“Ruby”]

Black throat Monitor [“Lancelot”]

Giant African bull frog

Blue tongue skink [“Bingo”]

Uromastyx

Corn snake

Ball Python

The animals with nicknames are ones that she actively takes outside her labs for walks, either holding them or using a harness.

FreeTime Event:

Amy: “Hey Kaede, how’s it going? Don’t mind me, I’m just… Investigating. Other than us, it looks like there’s nothing else alive here… Not even insects. I mean I’m not complaining, but still.”

Kaede: [I watched as Amy left the long grass and brushed herself off, looking concerned. Should I ask her to hang out?”]

[Yes]

Amy: “I’d love to! I was starting to get a little bored, everyone has this dire look on their faces and I didn’t want to accidently tread on any toes so I haven’t really gotten to know anyone yet… So Kaede, do you like extreme wrestling, pineapple on pizza and bad jokes? No? Good! Cause I don’t either. Apart from the last one, but hopefully it’ll grow on you like penicillin on an orange. Might take a while to fester though.”

[I spent time today chatting with Amy and trying to cope with her sense of humour.]

[Looks like Amy and I grew closer]

[Would you like to give Amy a present?]

[Gives favourable present]

Amy: “Oh? For me? Are you sure? Thank you! Lets see… I don’t have anything in return, but I’ll have a look in the dining hall later and if I can, I’ll make you some of my special chocolate orange cupcakes!”

Kaede: “Cupcakes, huh? Do you like baking Amy?”

Amy: “I do! The only thing is though, is that once I’ve made something I have to eat it. I live alone so I don’t normally bake unless I have friends coming over, but when I do I’m essentially putting myself and everyone else on a fast track to diabetes. I haven’t had the time to do it in a while though because of caring for my animals.”

Kaede: “Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning earlier. Snakes and lizards right? But… Aren’t snakes slimy?”

Amy: “Haha, no, not quite. Frogs are, but not snakes. A lot of people assume that they are though because they’re shiny. If you were to stroke a snake, most feel cool, and smooth. A little bit like a leather sofa, but more sleek. Some snakes might have specialised rough scales which when they vibrate make a rattling sound, or on their belly to help them grip trees.”

Kaede: “I see… Are you ever afraid of getting bitten though?”

Amy: “Are you afraid that I could bite you?”

Kaede: “What? Uh, no, I guess…”

Amy: “Haha, don’t worry, I won’t. However, think of it this way. If something has a mouth, it can bite. People often fear snakes due to the possibility of being bitten, but in reality a snake would rather just run away. Biting is usually a last resort because it’s frightened of you. You’re much more likely to be savaged by a dog than harmed by a snake. It’s a fact that’s often over looked because dogs are cute and fluffy, whereas many people think reptiles are ugly.”

Kaede: “That is… A unique way of seeing it, but it makes sense. If we get out of here, would you help me touch a snake? Even if it’s just a little one, I’d like to try.”

Amy: “I would be very happy to, I know just the snake to introduce you to!”

Reaction Yoite: Amy would likely get on with Yoite, and would be interested in working together with her to help educate people on reptiles, providing a handling session and keeping the animals under control as Yoite controls the students and explains information to them in a way that they’d understand.

[leahlisabeth]

 tagged by @spanglebangle

rules: answer these 20 questions and tag 20 amazing followers you’d like to get to know better!

name: Leah

nicknames: SO MANY!  I’ve been called Wee-Wee, Lee, Lee-face, Leaner, Larno, Larney, Len, Leonard (which got really awkward when I started dating a Leonard), Lenjamin, Florence, Florriecutes.  I’m sure there are more.

zodiac sign: Libra, but I’m also on the cusp of Scorpio so it’s sometimes accurate too.

height: I’m approximately 5′4″

orientation: Demi and only interested in one person who happens to be male.

nationality: Canadian

favorite fruit: Basically any fruit.  I guess if I had to pick, I would go with cherries.  I kind of go through cycles where I eat one fruit until I get sick of it and then switch to something new.

favorite season: Definiteley Autumn.  I love the colours and it’s still nice out but it’s not too hot.

favorite book: Way too hard to choose.  I read so many so that is always changing.  I guess the most important book has been Lord of the Rings because it was part of what pushed me into linguistics.  But seriously, I love so many books.

favorite scent: My favourite smell is Christmas. Basically apples and cinnamon and pumpkin and cranberries.  Yum!

favorite color: I love really rich colours, like royal blues and purples, and burgundy, and forest green.

favorite animal: If it is a mythical creature, then dragons and unicorns, if it’s not mythical, than lemurs.

coffee | tea | hot cocoa: tea, definitely tea.  Hot cocoa is a close second and coffee isn’t even on my radar.

average hours of sleep: It depends.  I can usually manage 8.

cat or dog person: Um...not really either?  I’m more of a reptile/amphibian person.  If I have to choose, then dog because I’m allergic to cats.

favorite fictional characters: ALSO SOOOO MANY!!!  Neil Josten, and indeed all the Foxes, Ronan Lynch (trc), Eric Bittle (omgcp), Lance and Keith (Voltron), and John Crichton (Farscape), Sokka (atla), Damienos of Akielos (Captive Prince), Sam Winchester (Supernatural), Yuuri Katsuki (YOI), Rin Okumera (The Blue Excorcist), Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist), Eliot Spencer (Leverage), Cassandra Cillian (The Librarians) and like so many more.  I have a big heart.

number of blankets you sleep with:  Sometimes none.  Never more than one.  If I’m cold, I’ll put on a sweater.

dream trip: :I really want to go everywhere.  Iceland is currently near the top of my list.  And I want to go to Disney World.  And I want to go to that town in Wales with 400 bookstores.  So many neat places in the world!!!

blog created: January 2014

number of followers: 113 and a lot of you are new since i joined the aftg fandom so thank you :)

random fact: don’t know if this is supposed to be about me or just in general.  But a random fact about me is that one of my greatest sorrows is that I am not bilingual.  And a random fact in general is that the Cree word for horse, mistatim, technically means big dog.

tagging: @apprenticedmagician @chocolatechipcookiesplease @gaara-of-the-sand-village @kfluffthewatcher @books-vs-reality​ @catlovesfandoms @stellamai @lingua-file @todayinmyteenageangst and anyone else who wants to!

[undefeatednils]

I was tagged by @olles-ferkel!  Thankee ^^

Rules: Tag followers that you want to know better

Name: Nils

Nicknames: I don’t have any consistent nicknames

Gender: Cis male

Star sign: Cancer

Height: 6′3′’ / 192cm

Sexual orientation: bi/pan

Favorite color: I sadly can’t say anything more specific than “blue”, because I don’t have a favorite shade or stuff like that

Favorite animal: the kakapo is my favorite bird, the maned wolf my favorite mammal, the komodo dragon lizard my favorite reptile, the axolotl my favorite amphibian, and the whale shark my favorite fish. I can’t narrow it down further xD

Average hours of sleep: 6 to 10 hours; currently about 8 hours or so?

Cat or Dog person: Dogs, mostly because I grew up with a dog, but I like cats, too.

Favorite fictional characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Remus Lupin, Beast (X-Men), Leliana, Merrill, Josephine Montilyet, Yotsuba Koiwai, Lady Eboshi, Uncle Iroh, Boromir, King Bradley, Haruhi Fujioka, Willy Werkel/Mulle Meck

Bands/Singers: Queen, Daft Punk, Schandmaul, Herbert Grönemeyer, Mark Ronson, Semisonic, Weird Al Yankovich, Wir Sind Helden, Louis Armstrong

Dream trip: Washington, D.C.

Dream job: I honestly have no idea anymore. As a kid I wanted to be a pal

When was this blog created: the oldest e-mail I’ve gotten from Tumblr dates back to November 2013, so that should check out.

Current number of followers: 394

When did your blog reach its peak: I think I had my most popular post very recently, unless I’m mistaken. It has amassed an incredible 54 notes, believe it or not. (here’s the post in question)

Time right now: 22:50/10:50 PM

Song stuck in my head: Vs. Trainer from the Pokémon Red/Green/Blue/Yellow soundtrack, mostly because I’ve been playing through Blue again the past month or so.

Last movie i watched: If I Stay. It was after a family BBQ xD

Last tv show I watched: Stargate SG-1

What i am wearing right now: pajama shorts and t-shirt; I’m gonna go to bed soon-ish

What kind of stuff do I post: maps (both my own and by others), stuff related to my fandoms, cute animals, puns, political and historical stuff, and my personal moments of inadequacy

Do I have any other blogs: yes, actually. I used to run @askwhatislove, which I mostly stopped doing because the joke had gotten old xD

Do I get asks regularly: I think it happens in phases. Lately I’ve gotten a few very sweet asks but it’s not very common

Why did i choose my url: Iserlohn is my hometown and also my nickname on the internet forum I frequent the most (alternatehistory.com). The alternate comes from the fact that 1) just Iserlohn is hogged by an Asian mom-and-pop shop in town and 2) because I originally started the blog as another outlet to post my alternate history work, mostly maps.

Lucky number: none

Following: 478 blogs I’m tagging... @artinmyhistory, @fierce-katzchen, @anachronistrocketeer, @inas-hussein, and whoever feels like it. Btw, if any of the four people I tagged doesn’t want to do it: no hard feelings. But, if you feel inspired by this post, feel free to tag me at the beginning of it because I’d love to get to know y’all better ^^

[sickandvomiting]

Get To Know Me Meme Tagged by @thesickficsideblog I choose: @feverfetish , @nerdlycharming @churningtummy , @feelingsick , @smolsickficwriter , @emetoandotherthings , @sickficprompts , @poorsickies , @sick-bae , @sitruksista

Name: G. Obviously I have more name, but this is what people call me.

Nickname: None, except for G. Although occasionally people call me Awkward. And my family calls me Pete.

Gender: Cis-Female

Star Sign: Aquarius

Height: 5′ 2". Almost exactly. At night anyhow. In the morning I’m about 5’ 2.75". Yes, I’ve measured.

Hogwarts House: Slytherin forever!!

Favorite Color: I do like black, but also deep blues, and also Fire colors. And also purples, especially lilac? But also teals and turquoises but also the colors of the forest?? But also—-

Favorite Animal: I’m so about all animals it’s not even funny. Cats are fantastic but I also really like dogs. I own a snake and love all reptiles, but I also love amphibians, especially salamanders they’re so cute. I love bugs too, except for mosquitoes and shit. They can fuck right off. Mantis shrimp are awesome, and also sting rays, especially spotted eagle rays and cownose rays. Also sharks, tho??? And I fuckin love octopi and cuttlefish!!!

Avg. Hours of Sleep: It constantly fluctuates between none and like 14. So I guess the average is technically around like 5 because I get less more often than more, but also go for days on end without sleeping, to the point of hallucinating a lil bit sometimes. Insomnia is a bitch.

Cats or Dogs: Cats!! I’m such a cat person it’s kinda crazy. But I also REALLY love dogs. But I don’t stop there. I love my reptiles too and I’m just an animal person, really. Favorite Fictional Characters: This isn’t a fair question. I have far FAR too many.

Favorite Singer/Band: I don’t have many specific ones right now. I listen to a lot of Broadway, though. How to Succeed, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, Little Mermaid, Wicked, Matilda, Hamilton, Footloose, and others. I also listen to a lot of jazz and classical, particularly Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong, but also Chopin, Beethoven, Holst, Mahler, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Bartok, Tchaikovsky….

Dream Trip: Well I’m actually currently planning a road trip with my friends all around the states. But also I’d love to go Germany. I’m probably going to intern at a Biomedical Engineering lab in Stuttgart at some point in the next two years or so. But I’d also be down with taking a few close friends to a little wooded area I know about an hour south of my home and just go camping there for a week or so. Did that last year; its honestly one of my fondest memories.

Dream Job: Cardiothoracic surgeon with the background in engineering that allows me to research and develop new artificial hearts and such.

When was the blog made?: A few years back, in the winter I think.

Follower Count: 450 or so I think???

What made you make this blog? I found a community that shared my interests and didn’t judge me for having them. So I wanted to be a part of it. And now I am!! Love you all!!!

[puravidaeh]

LOOKING FOR CHILD TOUR DISCOUNTS? WE OFFER TRAVELLERS FREE ACCESS TO DISCOUNTS FOR CHILDREN WHEN BOOKING COSTA RICA DAY TOURS THROUGH PURA VIDA! EH? INCORPORATED. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND/OR TO OBTAIN THE CHILD TOUR DISCOUNTS. CON MUCHO GUSTO (YOU’RE WELCOME) AND PURA VIDA! 🙂

LOOKING FOR STUDENT TOUR DISCOUNTS? WE OFFER TRAVELLERS FREE ACCESS TO DISCOUNTS FOR STUDENTS WHEN BOOKING COSTA RICA DAY TOURS THROUGH PURA VIDA! EH? INCORPORATED. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND/OR TO OBTAIN THE STUDENT TOUR DISCOUNTS. CON MUCHO GUSTO (YOU’RE WELCOME) AND PURA VIDA! 🙂

GOING TO COSTA RICA WITH KIDS?

Costa Rica lends itself to family travel. Not only are there plenty of options for in-country transportation, accommodations, and things to do in Costa Rica with kids, but there are ample opportunities for parents to teach (often with the assistance of tour guides) and for children to learn.

If you have ever travelled with children before, you likely know that just as kids say the darndest things, they can also ask some pretty inventive questions. In Costa Rica, when we hear young voices mutter: “what does ‘pura vida’ mean?” or “how does a sloth not fall from a tree when it’s sleeping?” or “why do Costa Rican people eat rice and beans everyday?” we smile, because we know parents have brought their tiny explorers to the right place: a country ripe with answers, opportunity, and firsthand experience that can appease the most inquisitive and fruitful minds. For every question about Costa Rica that your little one can think of, there are countless stories waiting to be told, facts ready to be cited, and points eager to be made–each one a new lesson worth learning and a valuable souvenir of your travel experience.

OUR EXPERIENCE TRAVELLING THROUGHOUT COSTA RICA WITH KIDS

As much as our business success relies on our Costa Rica travels, so too does much of our family enjoyment. Ricky and I often travel around Costa Rica with kids, with our Costa Rican niece and nephew in tow for many of our escapades. As spring chickens, they loved the thrill of visiting waterfalls, playing in rivers and pools, swinging on tarzan ropes, and taking nature walks. As time passed, they were old enough to travel to more remote destinations that require long travel distances and the use of a variety of transportation service types (such as boat transfer services). They also grew strong enough to handle more challenging hikes and mature enough to develop appreciation and patience for less-obvious rewards. As teenagers today, they love the thrill of adventure activities, complete immersion in nature, and opportunities to relax at hot springs and hidden hot spots.

They grow up so fast…

Nikki; with our niece and nephew at the La Fortuna Waterfall

Our niece and nephew at the La Fortuna Waterfall

Ricky; with our niece at the free hot springs in La Fortuna

Ricky; with our niece and nephew while swimming and enjoying a tarzan swing

Ricky; with our nephew while white water rafting

Ricky; with our niece and nephew at the Guayabo National Monument

Ricky; with our niece in Tortuguero

Our niece and nephew while taking the boat to Tortuguero

Nikki; with our niece at La Baula Lodge

Nikki; with our niece and nephew at the Springs Resort hot springs

Ricky; with our niece and nephew while ziplining

Ricky; with our niece and nephew at the hanging bridges

Nikki; with our nephew at the Llanos de Cortes Waterfall

Nikki; with our niece at the Llanos de Cortes Waterfall

Nikki; with our nephew while canyoning

Nikki; with our niece while canyoning

Ricky; with our niece and nephew while hiking around the Arenal Volcano

THINGS TO DO IN COSTA RICA WITH KIDS: GENERAL TOUR/ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS

If you’re looking to participate in tours and activities in Costa Rica with kids, you’re in luck; Costa Rica is an incredibly family-friendly vacation destination. To give you a rough idea of the multitude of adventures in store for travellers, consider the below list of Costa Rica tours and activities that typically allow child participation.

A sample list of things to do in Costa Rica with kids (minimum age limits may apply in some cases; don’t miss the category links provided below that allow you to narrow down tour/activity options according to your child’s specific age)

Listed in alphabetical order *Signifies a common and popular choice among children/families

*Aerial tram rides

*Animal sanctuary/refuge/center visits

Art gallery visits

ATV tours (children may participate as riders on a 2-passenger ATV driven by a licensed adult)

Birdwatching tours

*Boat tours / safari float tours

Canoeing tours

*Canopy ziplining tours

*Canyoning tours / rappelling tours

Catamaran tours / sailing tours

Cave tours

*Chocolate tours

City exploration

Coffee plantation tours

Classes, lessons, and courses

Dolphin watching tours / whale watching tours

Environmental sustainability tours / organic farm tours

*Exhibit visits (i.e., reptile exhibits, amphibian exhibits, insect exhibits, butterfly gardens, and hummingbird gardens)

Fruit plantation tours

Garden visit tours

*Hanging bridge tours

*Hiking tours (light hikes on easy-to-moderate trails)

Horseback riding tours

*Hot spring visits

Indigenous reserve tours

Kayaking tours

Museum visits

*National park tours

Night tours

*Rafting tours (typically rivers with class II/III rapids)

Rock climbing walls

Shopping tours

Snorkeling tours

Spice tours

Stand-up paddling tours

Sugar cane mill tours / trapiche tours

*Surf lessons

Swimming hole visits

Theater visits

Tree climbing tours

*Tubing tours

*Volcano tours

*Waterfall tours

Waterslide rides

Zorbing tours

THINGS TO DO IN COSTA RICA WITH KIDS: AGE-SPECIFIC TOUR/ACTIVITY RECOMMENDATIONS

A note about minimum age requirements for tour/activity participation

Although the above list of tour options showcases the variety of activity types available in Costa Rica that allow at least some degree of child participation, it is important to note that minimum age limits are routinely enforced and vary across activities and tour operators. Although some tour operators will allow children of all ages to participate in their activity offerings, others will only allow children older than a predetermined age to take part. If you are currently in the process of planning your Costa Rica trip, don’t forget to research tour operators’ minimum age limits before you place your desired tour and/or activity reservations. The last thing you want to do is show up at a tour operator’s office during your vacation and be denied access to the tour or activity your family is excited to experience due to your child(ren) not meeting the minimum age requirement for participation.

Learn which tours and activities your child(ren) can participate in according to their age at the time of travel

At Pura Vida! eh? Inc., we keep a record of many tour operators’ minimum age limits so we can reference this information whenever it is likely to impact a family’s vacation. In fact, we have categorized hundreds of Costa Rica day tour options by their minimum age limit (from 0 years of age–meaning that children of all ages may participate–up to 12 years of age) to help travellers sort through and locate tours and activities that their family can participate in during their trip. Should you choose to reference any of our category links provided below, remember to select the age that your child will be at the time of travel and not their current age.

Planning a trip to Costa Rica with kids? Use the links below to determine which tour and activity options will be an option for you given the age of your child(ren) at the time of travel:

Tours and activities that babies (i.e., 0 year olds) can participate in

Tours and activities that 1 year olds can participate in

Tours and activities that 2 year olds can participate in

Tours and activities that 3 year olds can participate in

Tours and activities that 4 year olds can participate in

Tours and activities that 5 year olds can participate in

Tours and activities that 6 year olds can participate in

Tours and activities that 7 year olds can participate in

Tours and activities that 8 year olds can participate in

Tours and activities that 9 year olds can participate in

Tours and activities that 10 year olds can participate in

Tours and activities that 11 year olds can participate in

Tours and activities that 12 year olds can participate in

THINGS TO DO IN COSTA RICA WITH KIDS: THE MOST POPULAR TOUR/ACTIVITY TYPES BY AGE RANGE

Learn which tours and activities tend to be the most loved by children of varying age groups

As we mentioned above when we reflected on our own personal experience travelling throughout Costa Rica with kids, a child’s interests, preferences, and abilities change as the child ages. As business professionals, we see the same lesson mirrored in the requests we receive from parent travellers, as the wants and needs of parents of older children differ from those who are parents of little ones. To help travellers understand which Costa Rica tours and activities tend to appeal—on average–to other parents with children in similar age ranges, we have compiled the list below.

The most requested Costa Rica tours and activities by parents of children within the 0-4 age range

Listed in alphabetical order *Signifies one of the top 5 most requested within this age range

Aerial tram rides

Animal sanctuary/refuge/center visits

Boat tours / safari float tours

Catamaran tours / sailing tours

Chocolate tours

Dolphin watching tours / whale watching tours

*Exhibit visits (i.e., reptile exhibits, amphibian exhibits, insect exhibits, butterfly gardens, and hummingbird gardens)

*Hanging bridge tours

Hiking tours (light hikes on easy-to-moderate trails)

*Hot spring visits

National park tours

Swimming hole visits

*Volcano tours

*Waterfall tours

Note: If you are wondering how it is possible for a 0 year old (a.k.a., a baby) to participate in some of the tours or activities listed above, the answer is: via the use of a child carrier. Many tour operators will allow incredibly young children to participate in tours when they are carried by a parent (in most cases, the use of a stroller is not permitted or recommended as the tour/activity terrain may not allow for it).

The most requested Costa Rica tours and activities by parents of children within the 5-7 age range

Listed in alphabetical order *Signifies one of the top 10 most requested within this age range

Aerial tram rides

*Animal sanctuary/refuge/center visits

*Boat tours / safari float tours

Canoeing tours

*Canopy ziplining tours

Catamaran tours / sailing tours

Chocolate tours

City exploration

Dolphin watching tours / whale watching tours

*Exhibit visits (i.e., reptile exhibits, amphibian exhibits, insect exhibits, butterfly gardens, and hummingbird gardens)

*Hanging bridge tours

*Hiking tours (light hikes on easy-to-moderate trails)

*Hot spring visits

Indigenous reserve tours

*National park tours

Surf lessons

Swimming hole visits

Tree climbing tours

Tubing tours

*Volcano tours

*Waterfall tours

Waterslide rides

The most requested Costa Rica tours and activities by parents of children within the 8-10 age range

Listed in alphabetical order *Signifies one of the top 10 most requested within this age range

Aerial tram rides

Animal sanctuary/refuge/center visits

Boat tours / safari float tours

Canoeing tours

*Canopy ziplining tours

*Canyoning tours / rappelling tours

Catamaran tours / sailing tours

*Cave tours

Chocolate tours

City exploration

Dolphin watching tours / whale watching tours

Exhibit visits (i.e., reptile exhibits, amphibian exhibits, insect exhibits, butterfly gardens, and hummingbird gardens)

Fruit plantation tours

*Hanging bridge tours

*Hiking tours (light hikes on easy-to-moderate trails)

Horseback riding tours

*Hot spring visits

Indigenous reserve tours

Kayaking tours

*National park tours

*Rafting tours (typically rivers with class II/III rapids)

Rock climbing walls

Snorkeling tours

Surf lessons

Swimming hole visits

Tree climbing tours

Tubing tours

*Volcano tours

*Waterfall tours

Waterslide rides

Zorbing tours

The most requested Costa Rica tours and activities by parents of children within the 11-12 age range

Listed in alphabetical order *Signifies one of the top 10 most requested within this age range

Aerial tram rides

Animal sanctuary/refuge/center visits

ATV tours (children may participate as riders on a 2-passenger ATV driven by a licensed adult)

Boat tours / safari float tours

Canoeing tours

*Canopy ziplining tours

*Canyoning tours / rappelling tours

Catamaran tours / sailing tours

*Cave tours

Chocolate tours

City exploration

Coffee plantation tours

Dolphin watching tours / whale watching tours

Exhibit visits (i.e., reptile exhibits, amphibian exhibits, insect exhibits, butterfly gardens, and hummingbird gardens)

Fruit plantation tours

*Hanging bridge tours

*Hiking tours (light hikes on easy-to-moderate trails)

Horseback riding tours

*Hot spring visits

Indigenous reserve tours

Kayaking tours

*National park tours

Night tours

*Rafting tours (typically rivers with class II/III rapids)

Rock climbing walls

Snorkeling tours

Stand-up paddling tours

Sugar cane mill tours / trapiche tours

Surf lessons

Swimming hole visits

Tree climbing tours

Tubing tours

*Volcano tours

*Waterfall tours

Waterslide rides

Zorbing tours

FREE ACCESS TO CHILD DISCOUNTS FOR COSTA RICA TOURS AND ACTIVITIES

Are you a parent or guardian who plans to travel to Costa Rica with kids? To help you save as much money on your vacation as possible, we have categorized many Costa Rica day tour options according to whether or not the activity’s tour operator offers a child rate separate from the regular adult rate. Feel free to use the link below to learn for which Costa Rica tours and activities child discounts are available.

Looking for child discounts? We’ve got ’em! Use the links below to determine which tour and activity options offer savings for children:

Tours and activities that offer child discounts (i.e., a child rate)

FREE ACCESS TO STUDENT DISCOUNTS FOR COSTA RICA TOURS AND ACTIVITIES

Are you a parent or guardian who plans to travel to Costa Rica with students? Although many tour operators cap their child rates at a particular age (typically around the 10-12 age mark, depending on the tour operator), some offer special student rates that allow for additional savings (note that in many cases, maximum student age limits apply, and in most cases, proof of current student enrollment must be presented to the tour operator). To help you save as much money on your vacation as possible, we have categorized many Costa Rica day tour options according to whether or not the activity’s tour operator offers a student rate separate from the regular adult rate and/or any available child rate. Feel free to use the link below to learn for which Costa Rica tours and activities student discounts are available.

Looking for student discounts? We’ve got ’em! Use the links below to determine which tour and activity options offer savings for students:

Tours and activities that offer student discounts (i.e., a student rate)

QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: Have you been to Costa Rica with kids? What did your family choose to participate in and/or what did your child(ren) love the most?

Pura vida!

If you’re more of a visual learner, take a moment to view our gallery photos below from a sample of our travels throughout Costa Rica with kids.

Ricky; with our niece and nephew while ziplining

Nikki; with our niece while canyoning

Nikki; with our nephew while canyoning

Ricky; with our niece at the free hot springs in La Fortuna

Nikki; with our niece and nephew at the La Fortuna Waterfall

Our niece and nephew at the La Fortuna Waterfall

Ricky; with our niece and nephew while swimming and enjoying a tarzan swing

Ricky; with our niece and nephew at the hanging bridges

Nikki; with our nephew at the Llanos de Cortes Waterfall

Nikki; with our niece at the Llanos de Cortes Waterfall

Ricky; with our niece and nephew while hiking around the Arenal Volcano

Nikki; with our niece and nephew at the Springs Resort hot springs

Ricky; with our niece and nephew at the Guayabo National Monument

Our niece and nephew while taking the boat to Tortuguero

Ricky; with our niece in Tortuguero

Ricky; with our nephew while white water rafting

Nikki; with our niece at La Baula Lodge

Costa Rica Family Travel: Things To Do In Costa Rica With Kids LOOKING FOR CHILD TOUR DISCOUNTS? WE OFFER TRAVELLERS FREE ACCESS TO DISCOUNTS FOR CHILDREN WHEN BOOKING COSTA RICA DAY TOURS THROUGH PURA VIDA!

[thechurchreport]

Is There Still Hope For Most Endangered Species?

Nature is both beautiful and mysterious. Man can’t help but wonder how nature managed to fill the planet and grow on its own and flourish without man’s help. They have provided shelter to a diverse list of wildlife that most of us haven’t seen face-to-face in our lifetime. And I guess, it is actually better that way. Many animals on the planet deserve to live on their own in their natural habitats rather than be transported to most zoos and circus for man’s entertainment and suffer a long, miserable, and lonely life in a steel cage.

With man’s intervention, we have managed to wipe out many animal species all by ourselves. From the threats of poaching, hunting, increasing urbanization, environmental degradation and climate change, how can these poor animals fend for themselves when the natural habitats they call home are no longer livable and that the planet has been increasingly becoming more difficult to live in?

The saiga antelope makes a strange pin-up for the conservation world. With its odd bulbous nose and spindly legs, it is an unlovely looking creature – particularly when compared with wildlife favourites such as the polar bear or panda.

But the survival of Saiga tatarica tatarica is important, for it gives hope to biologists and activists who are trying to protect Earth’s other endangered species from the impact of rising populations, climate change and increasing pollution. Once widespread on the steppe lands of the former Soviet Union, the saiga has suffered two major population crashes in recent years and survived both – thanks to the endeavours of conservationists. It is a story that will be highlighted at a specially arranged wildlife meeting, the Conservation Optimism Summit.

According to the summit’s organisers, there still are reasons to be cheerful when it comes to conservation, although they also acknowledge that the world’s wildlife remains in a desperate state thanks to swelling numbers of humans, climate change and spreading agriculture, which is destroying natural habitats. A recent report by WWF and the Zoological Society of London indicated that these factors have caused global populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles to decline by 58% since 1970, and that average annual decreases have now reached 2%, with no sign yet that this rate will slow down.

(Via: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/08/endangered-species-conservation-successes)

The world’s global biodiversity is fast depleting and many animals that were still here several years ago but have gone extinct can only be seen by future generations in books and scientific documentaries. It is disheartening that we are the main culprits why these animals were wiped off the face of this planet when we were supposed to be looking out for them and protecting them in the wild. The sad thing is that the threat is still here and will likely persist and along with it will likely take the lives of many other animals nearing extinction without a fight.

Climate change is rapidly becoming a crisis that defies hyperbole.

For all the sound and fury of climate change denialists, self-deluding politicians and a very bewildered global public, the science behind climate change is rock solid while the impacts – observed on every ecosystem on the planet – are occurring faster in many parts of the world than even the most gloomy scientists predicted. 

Given all this, it’s logical to assume life on Earth – the millions of species that cohabitate our little ball of rock in space – would be impacted. But it still feelsunnerving to discover that this is no longer about just polar bears; it’s not only coral reefs and sea turtles or pikas and penguins; it about practically everything – including us.

(Via: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/radical-conservation/2017/apr/05/climate-change-life-wildlife-animals-biodiversity-ecosystems-genetics)

Climate change came too early because of us. The technologies that we all use contributed to the increase of greenhouse gasses and carbon footprint that made the planet hotter and messed up nature’s natural weather systems.

There are some places in the world that are just so important, so vital to the survival of wildlife and so important to surrounding people and their livelihoods, that even if we doubt we will ever visit them in person, we just know we must cherish them.

The Leuser Ecosystem (pronounced low-sir) is a vast, enchanting tropical landscape on the island of Sumatra. Spanning over 6.5 million acres of lowland jungle, montane rainforests and teeming, carbon-rich peat swamps, Leuser’s forests are among the most ancient on earth. This is a realm where volcanic eruptions, fluctuating sea levels, and species migrations over uninterrupted millennia have enabled one of the most biodiverse landscapes ever documented to evolve.

From its pristine tropical beaches to its rugged high mountaintops, the Leuser Ecosystem pulses with life. It is the last place on Earth where SE Asia’s most iconic species, orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants still live side by side in the wild. To step into Leuser’s steamy rainforests is to experience a serenade of biodiversity, a cacophony of buzzing insects, singing birds, croaking frogs and loud-calling primates.

The Leuser contains some of the world’s highest known levels of plant and animal abundance, with at least 105 mammal species, 382 bird species, and 95 reptile and amphibian species, among countless others still unrecorded by scientists. The rainfall Leuser’s forests produce, and the numerous clear rivers that emanate within them, provide millions of local people with clean drinking water and irrigation for agriculture, including water-intensive rice cultivation, as well as many other needs essential to local economies.

(Via: http://www.alternet.org/environment/humans-are-destroying-last-place-earth-where-orangutans-tigers-rhinos-and-elephants)

As the more superior species on this planet (in term of skills and intellect), we have a responsibility to protect the planet and everyone else living in it to ensure our species go on and on through the years. However, we seem to be too good at destruction that we have managed to invent technologies that speed up climate change and global warming at a rate never seen before in centuries. As a result, wildlife species suffer and go extinct, never to be seen again.

While climate change is already a deadly threat to everyone on earth, we can still do something about it and prevent further damage by changing our ways. Support the use of sustainable energy and reduce our energy consumption. Minimize our technology use that contributes to the deterioration of the planet. Also, we must put a stop to the poaching industry and safeguard the safety and well-being of animals in the wild. They are the helpless victims of all these catastrophes but are the first to suffer once Mother Nature strikes back. If we truly care for this world and everyone in it, it is time to redeem ourselves and find means to slow down the progression of climate change for everyone’s sake.

The blog post Is There Still Hope For Most Endangered Species? was initially published on https://www.thechurchreport.com/

from https://www.thechurchreport.com/is-there-still-hope-for-most-endangered-species/