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Meet the coati
I have had the absolute pleasure of seeing today’s animal in the wild. My senior year of college, I went on a trip to Costa Rica over winter break for a class. One day, while we were getting ready to hike in the cloud forest, we saw a coati in the parking lot. He was […]
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Meet the rabbit
This Sunday is Easter in the Christian Church, which means there’s been a lot of rabbit imagery lately in the secular world. Which raises the question: where did the Easter bunny come from? Why is it associated with Easter? To start with, let’s make this clear: there is no mention of an egg-laying bunny in […]
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Meet the Great Horned Owl
I love owls; they’re one of my favorite animals (up there with foxes and wolves). I even have a set of owls that I cross stitched hanging on the wall in my bedroom. And honestly, what’s not to like about owls? They’re so cool! They have asymmetrical ears, which helps them better pinpoint the location […]
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Meet the American robin
It’s officially spring! At least according to the calendar. Here in Boston, we just got finished with some cold, winter-like days. Which is not surprising because, you know, Boston in March is unpredictable like that. But still! Warmer days are in the weather forecast and the spring flowers are starting to bloom! In honor of […]
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Meet the sea spider
I do not like spiders. I know, I know. They’re important for catching insects like mosquitos and they serve as an important food source for other animals, like bats. But I still don’t like them. They just have too many legs. So imagine my horror when I learned about sea spiders. There are over 1,300 […]
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St. Patrick and the snakes
Gather around, friends. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I’m going to tell you a story… Once upon a time, in this case the 5th century, a religious man who would one day be known as St. Patrick went to Ireland. He started converting the local druidic people to Christianity, baptizing thousands of people and […]
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Meet the spotted hyena
It’s Women’s History Month, and this past Tuesday was International Women’s Day. What better way to celebrate than by learning about a species with super cool females: the spotted hyena. Spotted hyenas are the largest members of the hyena family. Although they look and act more like dogs, spotted hyenas are actually more closely related […]
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Meet the nightingale
There is a lot going on right now, and I’m personally feeling a little off lately. You know, just feeling very tired and tearing up easily at random things like commercials. All the classic “your mind is dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety” stuff. But although it can be beneficial to limit your […]
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Meet the common coquí
I am once again traveling (so this post may also be a little short)! This week I am in San Juan, Puerto Rico. And let me tell you, it is absolutely lovely. One of my favorite parts so far has been getting the chance to see new wildlife. Because Puerto Rico is an island, there […]
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Meet the Florida scrub-jay
I’m in Florida this week for vacation, so this post will be a bit shorter. But I wanted to take the time to introduce you all to the Florida scrub-jay! I’m very excited about this bird. Why, you might ask? Well, the Florida scrub-jay is one of only 15 bird species endemic to the United […]