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.)

Credit

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!