White-lipped Peccary

white-lipped peccary

You were separated from your group. It was your idea to be in the back in order to gaze up to the canopy of green trees and look for birds. And now here you are, in the middle of an Ecuadoran rainforest. . . alone.

You decide to keep walking toward where you believe your group is, slowly and carefully navigating the dense undergrowth, spiderwebs, tree roots, and scary things you can’t even see. Then you hear it: the unmistakable sound of grunts. Many, many grunts–like 200 low, guttural moans–and the gnashing and clacking of teeth. At the same time, you smell it: something dark, musky, stinky, and slightly rotten. Finally, you see it…

A wary of wild hogs called white-lipped peccaries, who are known for being aggressive in defense of territory, and for roaming in large groups of up to 300 members (called a “wary”).

You are not sure what to do. Will they be angry when they see you? Should you be cautious in your approach?

Nah. This is your wary, you little lost pig. And you don’t have to be wary of your wary.

 

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Walrus

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Imagine using your front teeth to pull yourself out of the pool after a long swim. That is what the walrus does.

Imagine using your upper lip to search around on the floor to find your favorite food, lets say pepperoni, because the lights are off. That is what the walrus does.

Imagine holding your breath for 10 minutes and diving to 300 feet. That is what the walrus does.

Imagine being able to sleep while swimming. That is what the walrus does.

Imagine being in freezing water, 8 inches of ice separating you from the air you need to survive. What do you do? Just slam your head into the ice and use your teeth to make an air hole. That is what the walrus does.

The walrus lives in isolated places (cold Arctic regions), so most of what is known about them has been observed from walruses in captivity. This means there is still much to learn about these graceful swimmers who spend two thirds of their lives in the ocean.
What is evident is they are mysterious and pretty bad ass. How many species of animal have a Beatles song about them?