I guess I could say I don't really mind them.  Like any long-term commitment you want to do your research, though!  Not only do some medical conditions interfere with tattooing, but you want to find a good, reputable artist, who's clean and whose expertise can satisfactorily do your design. Make sure they can spell and use grammar, too; you'd think that would go without saying, heh, but I think we've all seen bad tattoos where that isn't the case.

Hey-eyyy guys. Kinda came down with somethin'. I'll get back to all those asks in a little while, includin' that mega one someone sent me for that meme. Just gotta get back to fightin' strength; right now, heh I've kinda been quarantined in the Tortuga.

Hmm, that's hard to say.  There's so many arguments both for and against feeding birds that the truth often gets lost in the matter.  It's such a location-sensitive topic too, though I'm of the mind that bird feeding is just another food source for them.  And it can really help them when other food is scarce, particularly during the winter!

If you're really worried, then why don't you see if you can set up a more general bird feeder?  Platform type would be best, though as mourning doves usually feed on the ground they can take advantage of other types as well, as opportunistic as they are.  That way, the doves can take food if they want it, and you're helping out the other wildlife in your area too!

That depends on which ones you're asking about!  There's the Northern and Southern flying squirrels that live in North America; the Hagen's, Indochinese and Sumatran flying squirrels from Southeast Asia; the pygmy flying squirrels from Borneo; and the Groove-toothed flying squirrel from China, just to name a few!  All in all there are 44 species in this tribe (a biological sub-ranking between family and genus), and they're found all over, though there are a majority of species in and around Asia.

9:Most embarrassing moment from your high school years?

I'm just gonna say the time I got grounded for a month for something stupid I did once, and ah, leave it at that.

16:Madonna or Lady Gaga? Neither? Both? Who cares?

Who cares?  I don't mean that spitefully, not at all!  But you listen to whatever you like, right?  Who cares what anyone else thinks?  That being said, I don't really listen to either of them? Not beyond the odd, random song that pops up here and there anyway.

30:The latest you've ever slept?

Ahaha, that's easy.  The day after our desert elves adventure, when Martin and I were trying to find Koki and Jimmy out in the desert.  After looking all day and all night, we were tuckered out!  And okay, the elf owl suits may have influenced this some, but we didn't wake up until the sun was setting again, the next evening.  Iiiii'd say that was pretty late!

44:If you could change your natural hair color, would you? To what?

You know, I don't think I would!  I rather like being a brunette.  My hair actually used to be blonde, when I was little, and it just darkened over the years.  Y'know though, if I went back to blonde, somehow I don't think I'd look too bad.

... I'd look like Martin, but not too bad.

46:Do you use a reusable water bottle? If not, you should.

I'm gonna assume you're asking about the La Brea Tar Pits, as that's the one most people are familiar with.  And although there are other asphalt lakes in California- the Carpinteria Tar Pits and the McKittrick Tar Pits -that's the one I'm gonna talk about.

The La Brea Tar Pits- or Rancho La Brea Tar Pits -is one of the greatest deposits of ancient life around!  You wouldn't believe the amount of species that have been found here.  Some of the creatures include the California tapir, American cheetah, dire wolf, Columbian mammoth, and the Daggett's eagle.  Many recent and still-living species have also been located there (such as the bobcat, termites, and black bears).  Even plants have been found, and everything pulled up is studied, even preserved pollen grains.  All in all, more than 600 species of vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants has been pulled from this site.

An interesting fact about the La Brea Tar Pits is that so many more predators are found than herbivores, though no one's quite sure why.  Some think it could be because of scavenging, some predators seeing a trapped animal and thinking "Oh hey, here's an easy meal" and then getting stuck themselves.  Others think it may be due to pack hunting.  Whatever the cause, it's certainly a fascinating thing to see!

A couple final notes: Of all the creatures found here, there's only been one human.  She's known as the La Brea Woman, dated to about 10,000 years ago, and she was found with the remains of a domesticated dog.  This has led scientists to believe she was ceremonially interred.  There's a museum at the tar pits where her remains had been displayed, though they've been taken off exhibit in recent years out of respect.

I severely doubt it.  Humans need human interaction to grow into anything recognizably human.  Just like other animals, we pick up culture, language, and behavior from our parents and our surroundings.  Without that input, feral children- the term for cases like this -just don't have the skills to last in society.  They lose the ability to learn a language and may reject basic human necessities.  And unfortunately, others just don't know what to do with them.

The domesticity of an animal has nothing to do with it.  Even though ancient stories may romanticize it, being a true feral child won't raise you into anything remotely human, and in fact it can be considered a form of child abandonment and even abuse.  Humans just aren't designed to be brought up that way.

2:White, milk, or dark chocolate mocha?

Heh, isn't this one a little better suited to Martin?  Kidding.  Ahhh, let's see here...  I'm not that much of a regular drinker of any of those, but I'd have to say milk chocolate mocha.  Not too much, not too little, it's good.

6:What kind of smoothie sounds really good right now?

Guava mango papaya.  Hmm, I wonder if I could make that now...

11:Have you ever climbed a tree more than twenty feet off the ground?

Oh yeah-hah, all the time!  Whether it's ascending into the boughs of the Indonesian rainforest, or going up into the New Guinea canopy, no matter the height I'm gonna climb it.  Especially if there's a cool creature to be found!

1: What eye color do you find sexiest?

2: White, milk, or dark chocolate mocha?

3: If you could get a Sharpie tattoo on your back, what would it be?

4: Did you grow up in a small or big town? Did you like it?

5: Your favorite adult as a child? (and not your parents, if they were your favorite)

6: What kind of smoothie sounds really good right now?

7: Most embarrassing moment from your elementary school years?

8: Most embarrassing moment from your middle school years?

9: Most embarrassing moment from your high school years?

10: Pirates or ninjas? Why?

11: Have you ever climbed a tree more than twenty feet off the ground?

12: Did you like swinging as a child? Do you still get excited when you see a swing set?

13: If you could have any pet in the world, illegal or not, what would you get?

14: What's your most favorite part of your body?

15: What's your most favorite part of your personality?

16: Madonna or Lady Gaga? Neither? Both? Who cares?

17: Have you ever watched the Superbowl all the way through?

18: Have you ever watched any major sporting event drunk?

19: What's the most delicious food you've ever eaten in your life?

20: Margarine or butter? Which did you grow up with?

21: Whole, skim, 1%, or 2% milk? (Did you know they make 1 1/2% milk?)

22: Which continents have you been on?

23: Do you get motion sickness? Any horror stories?

24: Backpacks or satchels?

25: Would you wear a rainbow jacket? A neon yellow sweater? Checkered pants?

26: What was your favorite cartoon growing up?

27: If you had to have a cow or a pig, which would you take? Why?

28: If you had to look at one city skyline for the rest of your life, which would it be?

29: Longest plane ride you've ever been on?

30: The latest you've ever slept?

31: Would you buy a sweater covered in kitten pictures? Would you wear it if someone gave it you for free?

32: Do you pick at scabs?

33: Favorite kind of bean? Kidney? Black? Pinto?

34: How far can you throw a baseball?

35: If you had to move to another country, where would you move?

36: Have you ever eaten Ethiopian food? Vietnamese? Korean? Nepalese? How was it?

37: Small, liberal arts school or public university? Why?

38: A relationship with love or one with sex?

39: Do you eat enough vegetables?

40: Do you like horror movies? How about thrillers?

41: Would you scratch a crotch itch in public?

42: Do you swear in front of your parents?

43: Coolest thing you've ever been for Halloween?

44: If you could change your natural hair color, would you? To what?

45: Do you want to get married? Have kids?

46: Do you use a reusable water bottle? If not, you should.

47: City or nature person?

48: Have you ever used something other than "makeup" as makeup? (Like paint? Markers?)

49: Can you walk well in high heels? Even if you're a guy?

Well I wouldn't say we cuddle, but sometimes Martin and I do just enjoy vegging out and watching a good film or two!  It's one of the best things to do when the weather just makes it impractical for going outside, though that's hardly the only time we'd do it.  I wouldn't say there hasn't been the occasional crew movie night either~

Even as active as Martin and I like to stay, sometimes there's nothing better than sitting around, taking a day off and just watching a thing or two with the people you care about the most.

Aw man, how could I ever choose!  From the creature pods to the gliders to the manta riders, it's just so hard to decide!

I gotta give special props to the amphisub, though. It's let us see things that no other human has been able to, and go places no one else has been.  Plus, it's just plain fun to drive!

Heh, does this count?

Alright, so the gila monster never made it through the walls of Martin's boot, thank goodness.  We haven't actually been bitten by anything highly venomous, mostly because of the great care we take with such dangerous creatures and the respect we give them.  There was a time when something a little farther down the venom scale got to us, back before we became part of the Tortuga's crew.

Martin and I were on a camping trip through Costa Rica, studying the vibrant wildlife and brushing up on our survival skills, you know, as y'do.  There was one morning where I'd forgotten one of the golden rules of camping- always, ALWAYS, shake out any clothing left out in the open overnight.

I learned that the hard way this trip when a scorpion nailed me, having been hiding- and probably hunting -in my things.  It hurt too, but thankfully we had proper first aid on hand, and it wasn't one of the 25 species of scorpions known to be lethal to humans.  Lesson learned all the same though!

Well, first there needs to be an understanding of what "extinct in the wild" means, for those who might not be familiar with the term.  This is when an animal is no longer found in its native habitat, with all known living members found in captivity, or in naturalized populations outside its native range.  Creatures fall under this distinction for a number of reasons, such as habitat loss, predation, and poaching.

When an animal is classified as Extinct in the Wild, or EW, they will generally be put into conservation breeding programs, with an ultimate goal of reintroduction into their historic habitats.  Such plans have been used, and successfully, with animals like the California condor and the Przewalski's horse.  

Sometimes it's not always easy to reintroduce a species though, and not always because of habitat loss.  Being out of their natural habitat can change the behavior of a species, and without proper survival techniques passed from parent to young, it can be difficult, if not downright impossible, for them to eke out a living in the wild.

Ooh, that's a tough one.  There's so many cool creatures of myth out there, and yeah I could say phoenixes, or dragons, or any of the really popular ones.  But y'know what?  I'm gonna go with a couple lesser known ones, just because they're really cool and deserve to be looked at too!

Now, considering this first one has an animated film about it, it might be a little better known, but one of the ones I gotta pick is the Deer of Nine Colors.  This is from an ancient Chinese cave painting tale dealing with kindness, greed, and justice.  The animation, done in 1981 in China, is essentially a retelling of the fable, and if you can find a translated copy, I highly suggest looking it up!

The second is the Bennu, a sacred heron deity from Ancient Egyptian times, that many think is the inspiration for the phoenix itself.  It was said to be the soul of Ra, with a cry that marked the beginning of time, and it was associated with the flooding of the Nile.  Also, it was considered to be a reincarnation of Osiris, and many depictions showed the Bennu perched in the willow trees sacred to him.

I'm gonna be heading to the very back of my inbox too, since I've let some of these sit for...  Er, well, the date on some of these is upwards of a year old, so they've been there far too long.  Sorry for the wait on them, guys!

Just keep those questions coming, and we'll keep this thing moving~

Behavior, usually!  Even without sexual dimorphism- or monomorphism, to be more precise -animals have marked differences in other ways.  Take some species of finches, for example.  While both females and males have their different chirps, it's the males that generally have longer and more involved song and dance routines.  Females will also display nesting behavior, laying eggs even in the absence of a male; heh, that's the biggest giveaway right there!

It can be difficult when observing creatures like this, but usually if you watch long enough, you start to pick up key differences between them, even if you can't look and instantly tell.  Unfortunately this isn't always a hard and fast rule, and some animals need to be professionally sexed via methods like ultrasound and laparoscopic examination.  Buuut those are usually only important in breeding programs and other establishments, so hopefully even if you can't tell if a creature is male or female, that won't diminish your enjoyment of watching it any!