Wildlife Wednesday - just a little rant

Without a doubt, every single creation that God put on this Earth has the right to live, breed and thrive. God didn’t make any mistakes. Every species of animal that was put here was put here for a reason. And yet, one creature give me the willies and I can’t help but wonder. Sometimes I ask, “why?” and sometimes I just can’t even come up with a question. I just have to walk away, shivering.

Insects? No, there’s not a one I have met who has really turned me off. I’m not thrilled by wood ticks. Anyone who lives where I live knows the feeling that seems to hang with us from early spring until late summer. That crawly feeling of a wood tick looking for a place on your body to go after a meal. I can live with wood ticks.

Spiders? Really? They are our friends. They are predators who catch a great deal of mosquitoes. And speaking of mosquitoes, I don’t want any bats in my house, but they are definitely a friend to have in your backyard. I read somewhere that a bat can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes an hour.

And what about those mosquitoes? When they buzz around your ears and attack every piece of open skin they can find? I think it’s all in your head. I ignore them. Sure, they bite, but freaking out about it doesn’t help. Swat the ones you can, but let the rest be (unless you are in a malaria region). You have enough blood and if you just don’t itch, you won’t swell up or anything. Or build a bat house.

Snakes? My only beef with snakes is that they suddenly seem to be there, underfoot or hanging from something. If I know you are there, Mr. Snake, you don’t bother me in the least, just don’t sneak up on me.

On the other end of the spectrum, here where I live, there is a big wolf controversy. People say that wolves are so mean and torture their prey to death. And that they attack dogs and other domesticated animals. The wolves were here first. Is it any different from the African tribes who kill the lions that attack their cattle? Here in America we think that is wrong, but it’s not wrong to kill wolves. I don’t know. I think the predators have as much right to their lifestyles as the prey does.

All of that being sad, there is one animal that makes me squirm. They are so disgusting. I just can’t help it. I don’t even think I can post a picture of one here.

And yet they have a right to live too and not be eaten by those Chinese officials who made the news last week over this. Really? The Giant Salamander is a delicacy in many parts of Asia and eating it is thought to promote long life. Really? How can anyone eat such a horribly ugly creepy-looking animal? Even when I have come across those little black salamanders with red spots in my woodpile, I freak out. They are just plain gross. I don’t care how big or small they are.

But I wouldn’t eat one! And I wouldn’t want to see any of their species wiped off the planet. We need to just leave alone enough dank swampy places all over the world, and just let them do their thing. And keep them away from me.

Actually if you go to this website, you will see that most amphibians are rather creepy, except maybe for this Hewitt Ghost Frog. 

 (Hewitt Ghost Frog picture from http://www.edgeofexistence.org/amphibians/top_100.php)

Ok, now I will get off my soapbox and go about my usual life.