Oh Deer!

We all cringe at the tragic stories when someone hits a deer with their car. Deer are helpless when a 70 mph box of metal is hurtling toward them. But what happens when humans are vulnerable, exposed, and without the protection of their metal box? Deer strike back!

Deer attacking cross country runner! Credit

Just last Saturday, a cross country runner was racing when he was blindsided by a deer! No worries the deer is okay, and the human's ego was only slightly bruised. The deer staged an attack and we should all take this as a note to prepare for the future. Think of the movie "Birds" but with deer instead. (I am never going outside again!)  This is slightly unnerving because this could have been me! I had a cross country race on Saturday too. Literally I ran past where a deer attack occurred just a few years ago. The deer were prabably watching me. (ahhhh!) Also I apologize for the strange red circle in the GIF. Not sure why it's there, but I can't get rid of it. :/

On the topic of deer, a week ago I was running in the woods and it was probably one of the most dangerous things I have ever done. However, I was not scared of a deer attack, I was scared of the humans. They were walking around with these giant guns, trying to kill the deer. Every time I passed a hunter, they scowled at me. Seriously, you don't know scary until you pass an angry man with a giant gun. 

Unfortunately for the men, I was disrupting their deer hunting tactics. (You're welcome deer!) Although I was helping the deer, I was putting myself at great risk. What if the hunter didn't realize I was human and thought I was a deer and shot me? What if a guy got so angry that I scared his deer that he shot me? What if I accidentally scared a hunter and he shot me? Moral of the story, don't run in the woods during hunting season. 

Did you know there are deer at Penn State? Well we have a deer farm, and I had the distinct privilege to visit it! This little gal is an orphan. She is the cutest thing ever!!! You may wonder what the purpose of a deer farm is. They harvest antlers and sell venison. They also raise orphans babies like this one!! (#awwwww)

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 It would be a travesty if I talked about deer and didn't mention the "Most Basic Halloween Costume 2016 Winner." This costume was everywhere and was made famous by a snapchat filter. With this social phenomena, humans were imitating deer everywhere. (Shoutout to deer!) Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any crazy stories about deer! 

Friends of All Plants

To not mention Fall while I am sitting here sipping my Pumpkin Spice Latte would be like talking about college without mentioning extreme sleep deprivation. My PSL is interconnected with Fall and with Fall comes my favorite part of the year, the changing color of trees. Every day I walk around the campus entranced by the vibrant colors of the trees changing color, which brings me to the next animal of the week, a tree. Yes, yes, I know, a tree isn't technically an animal, but I am fascinated by all life, not just the kind that breathes oxygen. Sorry. Would you feel better if the blog was named "Friends of All Life?" It just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Here at Friends of All Animals, we do not discriminate whether you have cell walls or not, therefore plants are included. I mean, seriously, how can we not include them, people name their plants! I met wonderful pet plant named Francis yesterday. Its owner was THRILLED because Fransis had a baby. Not going to lie, I was slightly confused when Fransis's owner presented me with this information, but I quickly learned that Aloe plants produce asexually. (S'CUTE) It is possible that I may adopt Fransis's offspring if the owner would be so kind, updates to come! 

#ShoutoutCassie

Back to the beauty of plants and trees, especially during fall. Seriously there is something about the firery orange, red, and yellow tree that cannot be represented with words. Even the most eloquent of diction cannot paint the same picture in my mind that I see when I am staring up at a tree. It is something about the immense size yet intricate detail of each leaf that cannot be replicated. However, this picture on the right taken by my homegirl Cassie does a pretty could job of capturing the exquizitness of a tree during fall. 

Jumping into the leaves is a common activity for Penn Staters as exemplified daily on the campus Snapchat story. I am guilty of jumping in some leaves in my day, but recently I came to a realization. Actually a couple.

#1 There could be literally anything in that pile of leaves. The pile could be hiding a giant block of cement and if  you jump on to a block of cement we all know what would happen. A knife,  disgusting trash, spiders. There could be a nest of MARBLED ORBWEAVERS! Anything. 

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#2 It could be an animals home. I bet a squirrel would love to live in a leaf pile, but humans keep jumping in them and crushing them. A squirrel might just be minding its own business storing some nuts in its humble leaf pile abode and a reckless human can ruin its days work in an instant. Doesn't seem very nice to me. 

Humans jumping in leaves is the equivalent to bacteria jumping in dead skin cells. Seems like a strange phenomenon, but hey Fall is my favorite season! Later this week I am hopefully going to become the proud owner of a baby Aloe plant! YAY! Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts on fall and if you have ever had a dangerous leaf pile encounter! 

A Win in More Ways Than One

WE ARE.....PENN STATE! OOOOOOoooooOOOO oooOOOOO OOOOooo OO OOOOOoooo OOOooo ! WE ARE PENN STATE! Pardon my excitement, but Penn State beat Ohio, and I know you probably already know this, but I just had to make sure in case you might be living under a rock. No worries though, I don't judge my audience based on their living preferences. You may wonder why I am talking about this wonderful occasion on a seemingly unrelated animal blog. As said by many great philosophers, the world is connected in strange ways.

It was the morning after this history making game and I was walking back to my friend's dorm after getting lunch. It was a glorious day, not too hot, not too cold, and the fresh win in our minds. I was in a zone of zen happiness talking with my friend, when suddenly I saw this.....

WHAT IN THE WORLD!?! I screamed, like so loud. I pride myself with my lack of fear of all things animals. I love all animals....right!?! Well I screamed. It must have been because I was afraid I was going to step on him and hurt him, not because I was scared...right?!?

Another thing about this mysterious world we live in, beyond all things being connected, is the strange timing of things. (Like how you trip only when a crowd of people are walking by or drop your phone at the exact moment that it falls down the tiny hole of an elevator shaft.) At the exact moment I screamed like a five year old girl, a group of football players showed up on the scene. Like seriously, they were not there when I was acting like a normal human being, they were only there when I was oogling at a bug on the ground. (YAY ME!)  They turned their heads looking back at me and my strange obsession over something on the ground. At this rate I will be Spider Girl in no time! Maybe I will have to call Squirrel Girl up, and see if she has any advice for handling the new found fame.

After the football players were far enough away, I began to focus on the surprising specimen on the ground. It looked like a spider, a tick, and an alien invader all combined. It was about the size of a quarter and was not moving. Honestly, it was one of the strangest things I have ever encountered on this Penn State campus.

Turns out, it is a spider, a Marbled Orbweaver to be exact. Although it looks like it could kill someone with a bite, they are actually relatively harmless. Also, this is a female, because the male marbled orb weavers are so small that you can barely see them. Look below for another picture of this spectacular insect. (WARNING: The picture below may gross out some viewers.)

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This week has been amazing, from a win in the game to a win of finding a one-of-a-kind spider.  I hope those football players realize what they were missing out on, because honestly, when will you ever have the chance to see a spider that looks like this ever again? Thanks for reading! Let me know if you like spiders and how you would have reacted to almost stepping on one of these!

For more information on Marbled Orbweavers, click here!

Lizzy Lizard: The Unconventional Childhood Pet

We all share the same embarrassment of our first email address. Ranging from green.pinkie.princess and soccergurllll27 to saxophone2741 and puddin.pants, the chagrin is real. Very real. Feeling a bit nostalgic this week, I bring to you my first email address..... LizzyLizard. (Cringe) This email address stems from my prized pets. Most eight year olds have goldfish, dogs, or maybe even a hamster as their first pet, but not me! My first pet was a lizard. Other young girls my age had Barbies, baby dolls, and dress up clothes in their room, but I had two 100 gallon aquariums.

Adult and Baby Bearded Dragon (Credit)

My first lizard was named Spike and my second lizard was named Kiwi, both of which were Bearded Dragons. I got them both from different reptiles shows when they were a wee little three inches. Although they are cute and little at first, Bearded Dragons can grow to be 20 inches long! The picture to the right shows how large the size difference is between the teeny babies and large adults. It is to note that one should never put babies and adults together like in this picture. Adults will eat babies! (Eeeek!)  Let's hope that little guy made it!

As I said earlier, I got my Bearded Dragons from a reptile show. If you have never been to a reptile show, I would totally recommend it! Venomous cobras, dimly lit rooms, and cigar smoke characterize the event. Perfect for an eight year old! (#ParentingGoals) My dad and I scoped the stands for the perfect baby lizard and settled on Spike. It is key to understand that it was 17 degrees that day and lizards need heat to live. We rode the two hour drive back home with the heat turned up completely, sweating to death, just so my first pet, little Spikey, would be okay.

I just had Spike at first, but when he turned six months old, eight year old Lizzy thought he was really lonely and needed a girlfriend. So off we went to the reptile show again to pick up a new girl Bearded Dragon. We raced home excited to unite the two new best friends (Or should I say arranged marriage?). This is where the fun ends. Spike tried to kill Kiwi. Like he actually wanted her to die. So we went to the pet store to buy another 100 gallon tank and they lived side by side for the rest of their 10 year life. It was a crushing blow to my childhood ideality of love.

Some families bring their dog into their annual family Christmas card, but my family had lizards in our annual card. If you don't believe me, look to the left.  LOL. Here I am posing by the Christmas tree circa 2006 with my reptiles.

Spike and Kiwi both lived to be 10 years old, passing away earlier this year. RIP.  Bearded Dragons are great pets, and I definitely would recommend them. I'm glad I got to share this walk down memory lane with you and my unconventional childhood pets. Comment below your cringe worthy first email address and if you too had any weird pets growing up! Thanks for reading!

Silly State Squirrels

When leaving the Penn State Campus, people don't remember the "We Are" chant, the long walks to class, or the clown obsession, they remember the squirrels. These crazy little guys are everywhere and are friendlier than the people asking you if you are registered to vote. Side note: the animalackofluenza must be bad if I am writing about squirrels.

Penn State squirrels might as well just be a different species. Distant from their rural cousins, State Squirrels have developed a unique appetite.  In the real world, squirrels are primarily herbivores, but State Squirrels live in a utopia of wonderful dietary choices straight from the trashcan. Developed from a possible gene mutation or experiment gone wrong, States Squirrels are basically freaks of nature. Their daily menu includes banana peels, crumbs from lunch, and the last drops from a basic white girl's Starbucks coffee. Maybe its the caffeine that is making them crazy? Once in a while, their pea sized brain gets to them and they accidentally consume tinfoil. (I saw this with my own eyes!)                              

Famous New York City Pizza Rat (1) 

Their favorite cuisine is a slice of pizza. I am assuming you are familiar with the viral New York City Pizza Rat. I was walking to breakfast one morning and seriously saw a squirrel dragging a piece of pizza, just like the viral rat. I felt like I was in a dream. Since when do squirrels eat pizza? I was so dazed that I missed my chance of fame. If only I had gotten my phone out sooner, I could have been the sole owner of the footage of the viral "Famous Penn State Pizza Squirrel." I could have had reporters knocking at my luxurious dorm door. I guess life is full of missed opportunities.

Sneezy is as excited for fall as I am!

It would be a travesty if I talked about squirrels and didn't mention the legend herself, "Squirrel Girl." This wonderful lady graced Penn State's campus for a few years before graduating in the fall of last year. Squirrel whisperer is known for her unique ability to talk to squirrels and overall love of animals. Each day should would interact with the squirrels, feeding them and playing dress up with miniature hats. She named a famous squirrel, Sneezy, who now has over 40 thousand followers and friends on Facebook. Wow, there is literally a squirrel that has more friends than I do.

Although each time a squirrels runs up to me I think it has rabies, these guys are an integral part of the culture of Penn State. We need to stop living in fear of the potential rabid squirrels and embrace them as one of our own. If squirrel girl can do it, we can do it too! Here's to the squirrels! Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of our State Squirrels.

Note: For more information about Squirrel Girl, read this article.

Camels and Kangaroos: OH MY!!!

It was a normal day of classes in the relentless lifestyle called college. I slammed by backpack to the ground preparing myself for the everlasting fight against sleep in my most boring class. The lull was interrupted by one word, "petting zoo." It instantly brought me back to my childhood love of animals and favorite place to visit. Some kids wanted to go to theme parks, others to pools, but I always longed for the petting zoo.

Petting zoos are full of fat animals, classically conditioned to crane their necks and open their mouths wide while begging for food. It seemed as if they have a permanent smile or maybe a crazed grin. Desensitized to the grabby fingers of four year olds, they live a life of luxury.

Bringing myself from my day dream, I contemplating skipping class. There was no way I was going to miss an animal on the Penn State campus. From a girl who literally can't break a single rule, please realize the severity of this thought. The overly consientious Lizzy took over and I decided to wait until after class. The second it ended I ran to the Hub and was immedielty filled with joy to see an animal. (#Animalackoflluenzaproblems)

That's my hand, and that's the camel trying to bite it. 

Camel and Hub lawn are two words you don't normally hear together, but let me tell you, it is true. There was a camel on Penn State campus and it was even hump day! He ate carrots out of my hand and even though I felt his teeth, he did not bite me. It's a miracle! It is a common misconception that camels have water in their humps, not true!!! It is actually fat, and it is really squishy. With the amount of carrots that our camel friend got fed yesterday, he is going to have the biggest hump. What a legend!

It is not everyday that you see a camel on the Penn State campus, but seriously, how often do you see a kangaroo? Yes, there was a baby kangaroo.

This little Joey wears a diaper and sits in a homemade pouch. He still drinks out of a bottle and he loves to be pet. Kangaroos are known for their long muscular tails, but I was very surprised when I touched it and it was squishy! Who knew that both camel humps and kangaroo tails are squishy? Well you do now.

The petting zoo was a great surprise and the highlight of my week. It is not everyday that you see camels and kangaroos on your way to class. Let me know if you too met the animals at the Penn State Petting Zoo! Thanks for reading!

Risking Life (and Limb)!

Who in their right mind brings an alligator to a classroom? I'm not talking about a cute little one foot long alligator, I mean a 6 foot menacing pet gator. One would think that its mouth would be taped for safety, but not in this case. This is a trustworthy gator. Sounds like an oxymoron to me. And guess what, he has a name too, Apollo.

I honestly thought I hit the low of animalackofluenza last week when I paid money to pet a dog. Unfortunately it has only gone down hill from there. I am now at the point where I am willing to risk life (and limb) to get close to animals. This past week I had my hand inches from a mouth with 80 teeth. I am lucky to say that I still have enough of my fingers to type this blog, but others suffering from animalackofluenza have not been so lucky. RIP.


So this is Apollo, a famous American Alligator that I was fan-girling over last week. Police found him abandoned in a plastic tote nailed with wooden boards. Without food, water, heat, or daylight for an unknown time, he his lucky to alive. Now he is one of the most famous alligator's in the world and can even do tricks! I was graced to be in the presence of his greatness recently, and wait until you see what he was wearing. In case you can't read the caption, he is wearing a Penn State shirt. Seriously #goals!

Picture from Christina's Pets

We all laugh at those people who walk their cats on the campus story. We gawk when we see a ferret on a leash. But, what do we do when we see an alligator on a leash? Yes, Apollo that Alligator walks on a leash. He walks better than most dogs, and only pulls slightly. Although he is still working on heeling, he recently learned how to go up steps!

Apollo's unique abilities are a result of his connection with his owner, Christiana. She is one of the few people in the world to have a human-animal bond with a gator. She has transformed him from a potential human killer to a docile pet that goes on field trips to Kindergarten class rooms, fairs, and colleges.

Picture from Christina's Pets

Apollo is not alone. He has many reptilian friends including his protege, Tiny! See if you can spot him on the Lion Shrine.

Although I am now partaking in risky behavior, hopefully this will be the extent of my symptoms of animalackofluenza. The human-animal bond is a powerful thing that can transform both animals and humans, and it was incredible to witness it first hand this week.  If your interested in learning more about Apollo and his owner, visit Christiana's Reptiles. Let me know what you think about Apollo. Thanks for reading!