Octopuses. So alien, so neat, and so smart.

I love pretty much every animal depending on how I’m feeling that day.

So here’s one pick from each major category I can think of:

• Cnidarian: Portuguese Man-o-war. I just think they’re neat.
• Worm: Leeches. They look cool.
• Mollusk: Blue-ringed octopus. Dangerous boios with pretty colours
• Arthropod: Ants. Eusocial insects are so cool!
• Fish: No
• Amphibian: Any large toad. They look funny.
• Reptile: Tegu, they’re like the cats of reptiles.
• Bird: Corvids in general. Crows, ravens, etc. Playful smart cuties.
• Mammal: So many choices… But I’ll go with Raccoons. They have grabby little hands and funny lil’ masks. They are ADORABLE.

nautilus I love the way they look and move. I’d keep a tank of them but don’t want them to go blind.

They’re so ancient evolutionary speaking that their eyes are sensors behind a hole in the shell. They have no way to dilate in response to light and are adapted to deep low light conditions.

So keeping them in a tank where I could see them would burn their eyes out in a day or two.

• Nuthatch
• Carolina Wren
• Luna Moth
• Water Bear
• Carolina Prairie Chicken
• Capybaras

Octopuses. They only live about a year, but they are very intelligent. Usually intelligence is found in longer-lived creatures. They are solitary, but form good bonds with humans. They have lots of clever adaptations.

I really really love them, and I can’t stand seeing people eat them. I’m a omnivore, but it’s like watching someone eat a dolphin or an ape or an elephant. Just wrong.