Life, Death, and Taxonomy

“…and today we’re talking about a moth that is marked for death. But more on that later.”

If you’re wandering the forests of East Asia at night, you may encounter a creature that bears an ill omen. Black cats, ravens, owls– people around the world believe some animals are a sign that death is around the corner. But the Greater Death’s Head Hawkmoth would send a chill up the spine of even the least superstitious explorer. Why would any animal sport the image of a ghostly skull in Life, Death, and Taxonomy.

“…and today we’re talking about the world’s tiniest mammal. But more on that now.”

The smallest of sky-dwellers won’t win any contests of strength or speed, but hunting at night requires more precision than power. A sound in the forest will echo through the dark in a million directions, but a small source can create the right pitch to create pinpoint sonar. The bumblebee bat is as humble in it’s size as it is in it’s name but it has just the right fit to thrive in life, death and taxonomy.

“And today we’re talking about frogsicle.”

Description of the Frog

• Appearance: This frog gets its name from two inguinal poison glands on its lower back that resemble eyes, creating a “four-eyed” effect. These glands are part of a defensive posture where the frog lowers its head and raises its rear to appear larger and deter predators by mimicking a larger animal’s face.
  
• Coloration: It has variable coloration, typically featuring a marbled pattern of gray, brown, black, green, or small yellow spots.

“…and today we’re talking about a a creature that looks like a float on Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade.”

Dive into the deep, where the ocean weaves its wildest wonders. A creature slinks through the sea like a ghostly ribbon, glimmering with an eerie glow. This aquatic apparition dances in the dark, a silent symphony of shimmering splendor. It’s not a jellyfish, not a worm, but a bizarre beauty that lights up the abyss like a neon noodle. But sometimes it pays to be a radiant renegade of the deep here in Life, Death, and Taxonomy.

“…and today we’re talking about the most famous fluffy animal around.”

Looking to nature to find the cures for aches and ills seems like a uniquely human trait. But many animals use the elements to take care of their ailments. You may not realize, but there’s one farmiliar friend that’s extremely good at recognizing medicines in nature, wherever they are in the world. If you know the right herbs and minerals to take care of your health, you should count your blessings instead of sheep in Life, Death, and Taxonomy.

“…And today we’re telling about a creature that sounds likes a bad thing to call someone.”

Beneath the briny blue of South Africa’s coastal waters lurks a creature with a schnoz so prominent it could co-star with the proboscis monkey in a muppet movie. The black musselcracker, a reef-roaming, shell-smashing singleton, chomps through crustaceans like a kid through Halloween candy. With a face that only a mother could love, this fish hides a secret that flips its life story like a dramatic soap opera plot twist. But sometimes it pays to be a deep-sea drama queen, it’s the black musselcracker here in Life, Death, and Taxonomy.

“…and today we’re talking about a creature that sounds like a brand of expensive tea.”

The unblinking eyes of the spicebush caterpillar stare into the face of danger. Subterfuge is a great tool, but maintaining a ruse requires showmanship and commitment to a role. If a hungry predator sees past their sly facade, this caterpillar’s spices are cooked. But taking advantage of your enemy’s deepest fears can be effective in Life, Death, and Taxonomy.

“…and today we’re talking about an animal with a name that sounds like a AAA baseball team.”

Deep in the dark, desolate depths of the ocean, where the sun don;’t shine and the pressure is crushing, there slinks a squishy, sausage-shaped sensation. This waddler of the abyss trundles through the muck with an extremely bizarre gait. With a body like a bag of jello and a locomotion style that’s more “inflatable parade float” than anything else, the sea pig is the pinnacle of effortless grace. But when you live at the bottom of the bottom of the ocean, it pays not to care what other people think about the way you walk like the sea pig here in Life, Death, and Taxonomy.

“…and today we’re talking about a flat character. But more on that later.”

Everyone likes a comeback kid. Clutching victory from the jaws of defeat. But what the Black Planarian Flatworm does is way beyond a come from behind win. This pond citizen has a regenerative ability so extraordinary that it would give a thinking creature a ship-of-theseus style identity crisis. Sometimes that’s what it takes to survive in Life, Death, and Taxonomy. 

“And today were talking about something that’s not real velvet but it is a real worm. It is actual worm. It lives like a worm.”

A wanderer in the undergrowth, glides along the leaf litter, searching for prey to tuck into the cradle of decay. This plush creature hides a secret silk used to knit gossamer snares. If you’re caught in its trap, the dreams it weaves will never end. Forever lost to the velvet worm’s forest floor domain. Each falling leaf, a stone added to the cairn above your grave in Life, Death, and Taxonomy.