5 goofy animals that deserve your love

As you get older you start to notice patterns in the way you think.  Trends in your brain, paths that you take to make sense of the world.

I certainly have noticed some intellectual route finding that takes place in my head.

For example, I like weird animals.

Sure, it’s easy to appreciate a beautiful cheetah, a koala bear, or a noble bird of prey. And while I like those as much as the next person, give me those critters that are peculiar, odd, a little different. The more unique and mysterious, the better.

So let’s meet some of those unloved, unusual, and unbelievable animals that we all should appreciate more:

Bumblebees

Perhaps the best named animal in the world, Bumblebees are all at once comical, utilitarian, beautiful, and strange. A chief pollinator, obviously, these buzzing blimps thrive for a year before expiring, leaving behind a legacy of happy plants and flowers for us all to enjoy. Once briefly considered aerodynamically impossible, they do seem quite unlikely. Their tiny wings and big bottoms bounce around your garden, almost as if they were drunk. Today, they are increasingly threatened, so seeing one is more and more gift of Mother Nature.

Moose

One afternoon I was driving through a Colorado forest returning from a hike. Suddenly, not 6 feet in front of my car, a Moose and her calf crossed the road without a care in the world. I have been fortunate to see Moose a half-dozen times in my life. Up close and personal, your first thought is “Oh my God it’s huge!” Then you quickly shift gears, and examine the strange collection of parts that make up this ungulate. Scrawny back legs, a crazy chin/beard thing, and antlers the size of a major kitchen appliance. It’s hard to fathom how such a creature evolved across the millennia, yet they are amazingly odd and endearing, as long as they aren’t about to stomp your ass.

The Gila Monster

Nothing prepares you for the sight of this prehistoric badass. I once observed one in the wild, and it was unforgettable. I was on a hike in Arizona and suddenly to the right of the trail appeared some manner of orange rock goblin. It looked like a bowling ball, a Corgi, and a coral snake all melded into one wobbly mini-dragon. But their looks are just the first level of weird. In sufficient doses their venom is poisonous to humans, but at the same time the chemicals secreted within may have unique medicinal properties to help in the treatment of diabetes, cancer, and more. They are not monsters, but pharmaceutical treasure troves.

Pelicans

It’s hard to imagine a design more absurd than that of a Pelican. Outrageously large wings, a beak the length of a baseball bat, and oh yeah, let’s add an inflatable balloon that captures several gallons of water under the mouth! But if you have ever seen them in action, Pelicans truly amaze. First, they are top notch flyers….Top Gun graduates have nothing on these birds, who skim inches over the surf at breakneck speeds. But they really can excel when it’s time to eat - dive bombing unsuspecting fish like a Japanese Zero. One of my fondest memories is standing on a beach along the Washington coast, watching these creatures slam into the water headfirst again and again, extracting their supper among from the bountiful sea. Death from above indeed!

Beavers

Nature’s engineers. Beavers are well known for their odd composition and dam building. They seem to be comprised of a grab-bag of spare parts - clawed feet, teeth like dominoes and a pancake tail. But it’s easy to underestimate the sheer impact these furry critters have had on human history. Of course, we know that their fur was supremely sought after for hats and fashionable items of the 19th century - amazingly dense and soft. It drove huge economic currents across the world and nearly forced these poor guys to extinction. Yet their ecosystem engineering is what we should admire - they literally shape the planet with their dams, creating marshes and ponds and pockets of sustenance for a wide variety of animals. Seeing a beaver dam up close will astound you. In my old neighborhood in Portland we were fortunate to have a beaver move in and set up shop. The dam was 5 feet tall, over 20 feet wide, and held back tons of creek water. You could not believe that a small rodent would create such a thing, nor how impactful that structure would be for the surrounding area. For interested enthusiasts who want to learn more, I highly recommend the book Eager: The Secret Lives of Beavers and Why They Matter.

I could list more, but these five goofy specimens give you a sense of the wonder that the natural world gifts us. They all are weird - gangly, odd, not something you would normally consider. But they each are dear to my heart.

For their uniqueness belies an evolutionary heritage and specialization that is unlike no other. They are experts, niche leaders. They live and thrive at the edges of normality, bringing unique tools and adaptations to survive in a most singular way.

There’s a lesson for us all there…how the goofy and the bizarre can accomplish what no others can. How we dismiss the oddballs at our peril, and should look to them with fresh curiosity and wonder, earnestly asking “What’s the story here?”

And once we engage, we revel in the joy of understanding, recognizing how we all are weird and different. And how we all have a role to play.

Parting Proclamation

Words, wit, and wisdom.

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Disclaimer:

All content and opinions are solely those of the author (Jack), and not representative of my employer, former employers, anyone in Congress, my family, former college roommates, Baptists, the good citizens of Colorado, or my dog Mabel.