The world’s tiniest dragon must defend his hoard, a single gold coin, from those who would steal it.
Suggestion: The dragon’s definition of “steal” is somewhat loose. It still allows the coin to be used and bartered and change hands–but on one condition: the dragon must be with it at all times.
They become a familiar sight in the marketplace.
“Here’s your change, ma’am. One gold piece.” The merchant holds out a palm, on top of which rests a tiny, brilliantly colored creature clutching a single gold coin.
“That’s a dragon,” you say dumbly. “One piece… and a dragon.”
“Yes.”
You cautiously reach out and attempt to take your change. You tug. It holds. You tug harder. The dragon lets loose a tiny, protective growl.
“Ma’am–no, ma’am, you have to take the dragon, too.”
“Sorry?”
The seller notes your dubious expression. “Not from around here, are ya?” They shrug. “Them’s the rules. Take the coin, take the dragon.”
They wait expectantly. Wondering how the world has so suddenly gone mad, you slowly, slowly hold out your hand.
The dragon perks right up. It scampers from their palm to yours with the coin clamped in its jaws and scales your sleeve with sharp little claws.
“Have a nice day, ma’am,” the merchant says. “Spend him soon, now, you hear? At another booth, if you can. He likes to travel.”
From its perch upon your shoulder, the dragon lets out a happy trill.
Bonus: the coin eventually passes to the rogue in a group of travelling adventurers. The dragon becomes the mascot of the entire group, and they lay out a small pile of coins for him to sleep on every night, clutching his coin like a teddy bear.
ok we have gone for True Seals (aka earless seals or phocids) here because if i get into every tom pinniped and maybe-a-sea-lion we’ll be here for an eternity. also i am only an amateur so don’t @ me if i’ve pulled the wrong pictures, the real point here is to celebrate the beauty of these glorious earless marvels.
15. hooded seal
no idea what the fuck’s going on with this dude and wikipedia tells me it’s a weird sex thing, but you know what, we all got our preferences! i’m happy that he’s so comfortable doing his own crazy thing with his face balls, and i wish him all the best.
14. monk seal
got called into work on her day off and really wants to finish her shift so she can get the hell back to basking. she’s a lil bit grumpy on the outside but don’t hold it against her, she’s just sleepy and seals can’t have coffee like we can, they can’t hold the coffee pot in their little flipper hands. let her rest.
13. elephant seal
there is nothing more beautiful than expressing yourself and look at him yell! i love him. look at those bloodshot eyes, he’s definitely been blazing before we hung out but that’s okay because he is just having the best time and so am i. probably a good hugger.
12. ross seal
unlike ross from friends, this is a dude i would chill with! not very much is known about ross seals, apparently, but that just adds to the appeal! who doesn’t like a little mystery? suave, sophisticated, big googly eyes, a real charmer.
11. bearded seal
a lecturer on classical literature and philosophy, but the kind who often throws pens and other small items around the lecture hall in a fit of academic exuberance. excellent taste in brandy. oxbridge educated and yet surprisingly down to earth.
10. harbour seal
Attention: Seals In Your Area Looking For Friendship. aka, they live in europe! i might be able to hang out with these seals! sure, in this picture they look a little bit like the way the regulars at a small village pub look at people who are Not Local when they walk in, but it’s not really because they’re unfriendly, they’re just very settled in their ways. if you drink an appropriately strong local cider and come along to pub quiz night, they’ll eventually welcome you as one of their own and share their homemade chutneys and jams.
9. leopard seal
a singer! wiki says they spend a lot of time vocalising underwater. talent! panache! flair! will fuck you up and look good doing it, and then afterwards will write a song about how they fucked you up, and you know what? it’s gonna be a real bop
8. weddell seal
beautiful! gorgeous! a true stunner! all eyes are on her and she knows it! draw her like one of your french girls.
7. crabeater seal
A Chunky One! must be all those crabs they’re eating. curves in all the right places, e.g. everywhere, because this friend is perfect from tip to flipper. can double as replacement for a beanbag chair.
6. caspian seal
maybe the raddest name! they’re usually only around 4ft, apparently, which is pretty little for a seal and that is a-okay for me because i am pretty little for a human adult so we are a perfect buddy match. wikipedia describes them as “gregarious” and it might be my favourite way to describe a seal. look at that gregarious motherfucker up there. what a legend, what a hero.
5. largha seal
wise and venerable. like an old man with liver-spotted hands quietly fishing by the shore. you see him there every day and wonder how he doesn’t get bored doing the same thing day in day out for as long as you can remember. when you ask him this, he smiles at your youthful bluster, tells you that living is itself enough of an adventure for him without needing to seek anything more, and then he hands you a werther’s original.
4. ribbon seal
they dressed UP to be here today, y’all. love the effort, love the tux, a truly dapper chap. the file name on this when i downloaded it was “ribbon seal swag.jpg”, and it is not inaccurate. a little bit aloof: the ribbon seal apparently rarely comes to land and doesn’t form herds. relatable, but does this bode ill for our potential friendship? would not stop me trying
3. ringed seal
not a lie: one time i saw this picture and immediately started fully weeping because it is so fat and perfect.
and because i can’t choose between them, we have two winners!
Winner: baikal seal
FAT BOY ROUND BOY FAT BOY ROUND BOY FAT BOY ROUND BOY
i
love????
they’re like balloons. they’re like dirigibles. who invented this? give them a nobel prize
Winner: harp seal
HAVE YOU SEEN A HARP SEAL BABY??? LOOK AT THE BEARD. A PERFECT CHILD, A SMALL FLUFFY SON WHOM I WILL PROTECT WITH MY LIFE. THEY LIKE TO HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS AND MAKE YELLING SOUNDS. THE SEAL WHICH MOST RESEMBLES LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA. A TRUE SEAL AND A TRUE GIFT TO THE WORLD
so the best thing about this is that bobcats, like just about every feline besides lions and domestic cats, are pretty solitary. they don’t really have friends. they aren’t really equipped to make friends.
domestic cats, on the other hand, do know how to make friends. they are friendly to the point that lots of feral cats live in colonies— the females hang out together, even raise kids together, and the males like to spend nonsexual time with their baby mommas. they groom each other, play around, and have a particular tail position to signal to one another— straight up with the tip curled— that they’re friendly and happy to see each other. cats learned how to be chill with each other in order to take full advantage of human food sources: an ancient granary supplies enough rats for a lot of cats, as does a modern lady with a big bag of frisky bits, so it would be a waste of time and energy for any one cat to try and stake the entire foodsource out for exclusive use. less fighting means more eating and resting which means a longer, nicer life and a lot more kittens.
so this stray cat, she obviously has no colony if she’s wandering around and sneaking into zoo enclosures, so she’s like ‘hey! there’s food here! what up, other cat, let’s be friends, let’s be friends and share that food’. and the bobcat is like ‘??????’ because actually wild cats are pretty cautious about initiating hostilities and anything new and aggressive makes them very worried. and the domestic cat is like ‘haha cool, ok, we’re friends now, big guy. no problems.’ and the bobcat is like ‘????? well…?? ok?’ and then they are friends.
the super interesting thing about most wild cat species is they don’t really have the capacity to make friends on their own, especially outside of sibling bonds, but, if someone comes along and does all the friend-making themselves, they’ll totally roll with it. zoo cats can get really attached to their caregivers— or, in this case, a very confident little calico demonstrating exactly why her species has been so darn successful over the last nine thousand years .
so anyway that is the best thing: bobcats are not equipped to make friends, but luckily for this bobcat this homeless lady did not give any shits and made friends anyway. and now they are both happy.
This southern sea otter is pawsitively excited to sea you!
These otterly adorable creatures can be found in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, where they serve as an important keystone species in kelp forests. Sea otters eat invertebrates like sea urchins, which like to chow down on kelp. By eating urchins, sea otters help keep those populations down so the forest can grow and thrive.
When you’re visiting the coast, give these significant otters plenty of space – a zoom lens can be key!
(Photo: Douglas Croft)
Please enjoy this unbearably adorable picture of a sea otter in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Cute and major contributors to marine ecosystems!
Fisherman: Friend, what do you want? [weasel sniffs at a closed bucket with fish] Hungry for some fish, aren’t you? Maybe I should give you a fishing pole? Eager beaver. Let me open it. [weasel is busy digging under the bucket. fisherman gently pokes it] Hey, there is a lid up here. Come on, pick any you want. [weasel grabs a fish and runs away] Hey, no “thank you”? Well, you’re welcome.
[A mom and baby otter are floating together. The baby otter is sleeping on his mom’s tummy so he’s still all dry and fluffy. She keeps giving him little otter kisses.]
just moving along like everyone else 