Introducing: Gray Wolf

You want to know about things that happen to us? Is that correct, Ma’am?

Our pack is close now. We all huddle against one another. Sister and I spend much time together, now that Mother has become more irritable. She is pregnant, you see. We will have new puppies soon, Ma’am.

Sister and I are not so sure about that. Now, when we play, we get stern looks when we are too noisy. We are not allowed the choice meat anymore, and no amount of whining gets us anywhere. It is not fair!

Pouting does no good, either, Ma’am. None of our tricks are working, and Mother will barely acknowledge our cries.

Sister thinks we should try to help Mother. Mother seems tired, and Sister thinks maybe we should snuggle her and keep others from pestering her. But I say, Brothers do no such thing, why should we?

Father still lets us near him, so I say we stick with Father, don’t you agree, Ma’am? Let Mother figure this out for herself. If she doesn’t need us, then we don’t need her!

(Interpreter’s Note: She left at this point rather quickly, as one of her brothers distracted her with a game of chase. I hope to speak with her more about this issue in the future.)

Introducing: Mountain Gorilla

I am big. I am tough. I am very strong and very large. My coat shines, and my face is clear.

(Interpreter’s Note: He paused for a while here, presumably to chew the large mouthful of roots he had, but I suspect he was thinking about how much he was ready to tell me.)

You say that none of the other gorillas will hear about this?

Alright, here we go then. Yes, I am big and tough. Strong. Large.

But I am not ready for this.

What have I gotten myself into? “You could be boss”, they said. “Go on, you can take him!” they said.

I am going to challenge the resident Silverback. I am not sure when, but probably soon. I could barely keep my leaves down today. I threw some fallen logs to let out the agitation, but just succeeded in angering some nearby wasps.

I can’t take this anymore. He’s old, sure, but he is powerful! Who am I to challenge him?

Oh, but the ladies…they have been so encouraging. They are all tired of his leadership, and they chose me. Me! They want me to fight him for the right to lead the troop. Yes, this is what I should dwell on, rather than thoughts of getting my head smashed like a bad piece of fruit. Oh dear, this is not working at all. Ladies. Think of the ladies.

The old Silverback is weakening in health. It is obvious. His mind does not think quickly. I left my group of bachelors and have been following this group for some time now. The young ones, the females without young have been coming to visit me. They have told me much about the old Silverback. They want me instead.

I will keep you updated. You should leave me, so I do not smell too much of human. No ladies would dare come near me then.

Introducing: Loggerhead Sea Turtle

I am quite sure the word “blog” was invented by somebody in the ocean. It has a nice, deep-sea ring to it, does it not?

So you say this blog is a place to tell stories? I have stories, alright. Many, many stories. Stories to make you melt with serenity, stories to thrill you deep in your shell. The ocean gives you stories, and it is the lucky who live to tell them.

I have seen a lot in my days. Mostly, I do not think on it. Instead, I just enjoy the sea. The oscillating waves, the cool currents. Can you feel the sea? Can you feel the life around us? It breathes with us. It flows, as life flows, and it can give us…can give us...where was I? What?

I am afraid I've lost my train of thought.

Come back later. I am tired, and wish to rest. When you want a story, you should ask for it, rather than let an old turtle babble on.

Introducing: Amur Leopard

I do not have much time to give you, as my son is getting anxious again. We have not eaten in two nights, and I must rest for the hunt when the sun goes down.

Our last meal was a small deer, one who was clearly weakened by the long winter. She was an easy kill. My son was able to replenish some of the fat that has left him these past few months, and I was able to restore my energy.

You really mustn’t twitch so with that pen of yours.

The snow has blasted harder than usual for two days now. It stings my muzzle, and makes tracking prey exceedingly difficult. So we have waited it out. Tonight, it seems, the storm has calmed. Tonight, I may not need to hunt, as the storm sometimes hunts for us. She stings our faces and burns our ears, but she always gives due compensation. It is the way things are.

I rest, nevertheless. It is only the foolish that put faith in luck. A well-rested body is the key to any chance of success.

You really must stop twitching, so. It has been two nights, and the stomach has been known play tricks on the mind, little human.

Introducing: African Elephant

Talk about life? I can tell you a thing or two about life. You can’t just live it for yourself. In fact, you can’t just live it for one elephant only, yourself or otherwise. You see, I am the matriarch* of my family, and that means I have a lot of responsibility to shoulder.

It is wet here now. For now, things are comfortable, but I know that will be changing not too far ahead.

When things dry up, I get anxious. No, I will not answer why that is. I am not sure I am willing to talk to you about everything just yet. Just know that there is no creature that welcomes the dry season, and there is no matriarch who has been through it free of guilt.

I am going to go help my niece’s young fool of a son knock over the acacia he is pushing on. Maybe I will “blog” again later, if you would keep your short human trunk out of business it does not belong in.

(*Interpreter’s Note: The word “matriarch” is used here, since it is the scientifically accepted term for the female leader of an elephant herd, and probably the term readers are most familiar with. To directly translate from Elephant, her title would actually be something closer to “Big Mother Who Knows Everything Best”.)

Introducing: Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse

A blog, right. Okay, so, I woke up today. I mean, really woke up. From hibernating. And I found some seeds. Wait, no, first I wanted to find some seeds. Yes. There were not any, you see. Seeds. I wanted to get some. So, I stretched a bit and scratched open the passageway to the outside. Dirt, dirt. Old grass. I felt pretty sleepy, still. In my scratching, I came across one of those long black beetles, you know the ones I mean? Anyhow, I grabbed it. Grab. Snack. Good start to Spring.

Then I went outside. Well, first I sat in my doorway. Had to make sure it was safe, right? Yes. Safe safe. No bad smells. No, well, there was a smell of a coyote. Those are sure smelly. I sneezed at its scent. But it was not new. So, safe.

I went outside. HOP! It felt great to hop again! My legs were all stretchy and springy and I dove into a mess of new grass. Seeds. Not many, but it was okay. Still some. Yes?

Is that what I am supposed to say in a blog? I can tell you other things, too. But I have seeds to eat back in Nest.