Nature is So Fascinating

by Powderjaggy

Rating: teen
Tags: Fluttershy, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 7344

Fluttershy teaches her class about animals.

"Oh, um, hello. As you know, I am Fluttershy and I teach kindness.

The key to being kind to everycreature is knowing what every creature needs. So in this class I will be introducing you to the many creatures we share our world with, and how they live."

Rated T for potential discussion about predation, parasitism, reproduction, and other fascinating things animals do.

Has a badly neglected Twitter account with a similar premise.

Published 2020-01-29 22:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2021-06-13 22:43:52 UTC

The Platypus

Photo credit: Stefan Kraft

"Hello, class. Today we'll be meeting Percy here, who is a platypus. Take a look at his duck-like bill, webbed feet, and flat tail. There really is no other animal like the platypus. The first ponies to write about platypuses thought they must have been some kind of magical creature, maybe conjured up by an ancient unicorn wizard!

"Now we know that platypuses may not be magical, but they certainly are marvelous creatures. Even though they have a bill like a duck's, platypuses are mammals, and like most mammals they have fur. They have a lovely, dense coat that insulates them underwater. Yes, Ocellus?

"Oh, that is a good question. Most animal experts I know say 'platypuses' for more than one platypus, but Twilight tells me that 'platypodes' would also be correct. I'll stick with 'platypuses', if you don't mind.

"Now if I place Percy in this water tank right over here, you'll be able to see how he swims. He paddles around with his front paws and uses his back paws and tail to steer.

"The platypus' bill is a most wonderful tool. Platypuses keep their eyes, ears, and nostrils closed when they're underwater, you see, so they use their bill to feel their way around. They also use their bill to detect electricity! The muscles of all animals, including all of us, fire off tiny electric charges when we move. Because they are able to sense this, platypuses can hunt for prey even when they cannot see, hear, or smell a thing.

"Platypuses like to eat worms, insects, and crayfish, but Percy agreed that he would only eat these protein pellets while he's in the classroom. He needs a lot of food to keep his little body warm, so when he's awake he spends nearly all his time looking for food. Platypuses lose all of their teeth before they're fully grown, instead they grind their food using hard plates in their bill.

"Yes, Gallus, it is true that male platypuses are toxic, but experts prefer to use the word 'poisonous' only for animals that can poison others if they try to eat them. Male platypuses inject toxins using a spike on the back of their ankle, and an animal that injects their toxins into other creatures is said to be 'venomous'.

"So far, nopony has ever died from platypus venom. However, ponies who have been poisoned by a platypus have said that it was so extremely painful that, um, they wished they had. The pain can last for days, or even months.

"But it's very rare for platypuses to use their venom on ponies. Percy certainly won't unless you give him a good reason to. Platypuses only use their venom on ponies if they've been scared, like if somepony is trying to catch one. More often, they use their venom on one another. Male platypuses fight each other with their ankle spikes over territory and mating rights. In fact, they stop producing venom when breeding season is over.

"A female platypus raises her young by herself. She digs a deep burrow on the side of a riverbank, then brings in dead leaves with her tail to make a soft, comfortable nest.

"The platypus is one of very few mammals that lay eggs, and the female platypus lays between one to three adorable eggs at a time. When the babies hatch, they are blind and hairless, and their mother feeds them with milk that oozes from the skin of her belly. After four months, the babies are ready to leave the burrow.

"Well, it looks like Percy has found and eaten all the protein pellets I gave him, so that will be all for today. Have a lovely day, everycreature, and stay kind to each other."

Author's Note

The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is found exclusively in eastern Australia, including the island of Tasmania. They are not considered endangered at present, but their numbers are declining.

The backstory about ponies misinterpreting platypuses as the creations of a wizard is a nod to how Western scientists considered the platypus a hoax when they first learned of its existence.

The Greater Honeyguide

Photo credit: Francesco Veronesi

"Hello, class. This handsome bird is Cero, and he is a greater honeyguide. He is a male, as you can tell by his pink bill, black throat, and the white patches on his cheeks. Females have a white throat and a brown face.

"He is eating that candle, Yona, but no, there's nothing wrong with him. Most honeyguides feed on beeswax, which bees use to make the honey chambers in their nests, but a wax candle will do, too. They also eat insects, including bees' eggs and larvae.

"Honeyguides have thick skin that gives them a little protection from angry bees, but they can still die from getting too many stings. Usually, they go for nests that aren't being guarded by too many bees. Other times, greater honeyguides get help from other creatures.

"Books often say that greater honeyguides work with honey badgers, but so far nopony has been able to confirm that this actually happens. What we do know is that honeyguides will seek help from ponies who are gathering honey.

"When they find some honey gatherers, a honeyguide will get their attention with a chattering cry, as Cero will now demonstrate. The honeyguide then flies ahead to guide the ponies to a nearby bees' nest. The ponies use smoke to calm the bees and collect the honey, while the honeyguide is free to eat the beeswax that is left behind.

"Other ponies sometimes tell me that they're, um, amazed that I can talk to animals, but I think it's even more amazing that the greater honeyguide is a bird that has learned to talk to ponies. It's a wonderful example of friendship between two species.

"However, honeyguides have relationships with other animals that are not so friendly. Honeyguides don't take care of their own babies, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, like kingfishers and bee-eaters. A female greater honeyguide can lay up to twenty eggs in one breeding season, leaving each egg in a different nest.

"Because of this, other birds don't like honeyguides much and will attack them on sight. Honeyguides are fast fliers, so they can usually escape, and may even turn around and chase their attackers back. But if a female is caught while laying an egg in another bird's nest, things can, um, end badly for her.

"A young honeyguide hatches with a sharp hook on the end of its beak and, well, this isn't very nice, but it uses this hook to bite and kill all of its foster siblings in the nest. That way, it receives all the food that its foster parents bring. After about five to six weeks, the young honeyguide leaves the nest and is old enough to live on its own.

"Now Cero here never got the chance to meet his foster siblings at all, because I took and raised them myself before he hatched, letting his bee-eater foster parents take care of him without having to lose their own chicks. However, not all bird families who host a baby honeyguide are so fortunate.

"It's not very pleasant, but it's not fair to blame the honeyguides for how they behave. Animals don't always have a choice in what they were born to do. All of us here are very lucky in that we can choose how we treat other creatures.

"Knowing that unavoidable cruelty exists in the world, I hope that you choose to treat others with kindness whenever possible. Have a lovely day, everycreature, and stay kind to each other."

Author's Note

The greater honeyguide (Indicator indicator) is found in sub-Saharan Africa. In our world, it is of course humans that it partners up with instead of ponies.

The Blue Dragon Slug

Photo credit: Dapete

"Hello, class. In this jug of water here is a new friend I met at the beach. They're quite small, so you may have to come up to the front to get a good look at them. They are a blue dragon slug.

"I know they don't look much like a dragon, Smolder, but they really are a slug. There are many types of slugs that live in the sea. Some of them crawl on the sea floor, however blue dragon slugs carry a bubble of air in their bodies so they can float on the surface of the water. They spend most of their lives far from shore, but I found this one washed up on the beach. Luckily, I placed them in this jug of water before they could dry out in the sun.

"If you look carefully, you can see that they are floating upside-down. Their underside is pointing upward; this is the 'foot' that other slugs use for crawling on. As you can see, their underside is blue, which hides them against the ocean from predators viewing them from above, like seabirds. Their back, which points downward, is a silvery color to camouflage them against the sky from predators viewing them from below, like fish.

"They may not look like it, but blue dragon slugs are carnivores. They feed on other animals floating at the ocean surface, like jellyfish and jellyfish-like animals called siphonophores. Jellyfish and siphonophores have venomous, stinging tentacles, but blue dragon slugs aren't bothered by these. If I had two blue dragon slugs in the same jug, I would be worried that one of them would eat the other! They have strong jaws, so they can hang onto their prey even while drifting in rough seas.

"Um, I wouldn't put your claws in there if I were you, Silverstream. You're too big for a blue dragon slug to eat, but it can still give you a painful sting. They collect the stinging cells of their prey and store them in those fin-like structures you can see on either side of them, which means that any other creature that tries to touch them will also get stung! This gives them extra protection from predators.

"Like many other slugs and snails, each blue dragon slug is both male and female. After two of them mate, both lay strings of eggs that they attach to floating objects, including the remains of their prey. It's a little grisly, yes.

"I think that will be all for today; I've kept this slug away from their home long enough. I should go and return them to the ocean. Have a lovely day, everycreature, and stay kind to each other."

Author's Note

The blue dragon slug (Glaucus atlanticus) is found in temperate and tropical oceans all over the world.

Even if you were unfamiliar with siphonophores, you may have heard of one species, the Portuguese man o' war. Maybe I will do a future chapter on siphonophores.

The Ringed Caecilian

Photo credit: Iuri Ribeiro Dias

"Hello, class. Today's animal guest very graciously agreed to come in this terrarium so she can help me show you how she takes care of her babies. I must ask that you please don't tap on the glass or try to touch her.

"Right now she's underneath this piece of wood, but if she feels ready, I will pick it up so you can get a good look at her. Are you ready, Cecily? Here we go...

"This is Cecily the ringed caecilian, and those seven smaller caecilians are her babies. She may look like a giant earthworm, but she is really a kind of amphibian, like a frog. But as you can see, she doesn't have any legs and feet.

"There are over 200 types of caecilians, and like other amphibians, they need to keep their skin wet to stay alive and healthy. Some of them live in the water. Others, like the ringed caecilian, live underground in damp soil.

"Because they spend most of their lives in the darkness, ringed caecilians don't need very good eyesight, and their eyes are very small. In front of each of their eyes, they have a small tentacle that can extend from their face to help them feel their way around. Some caecilians have tentacles that are so close to their eyes that they pop their eyes right out of their head when they extend their tentacles! They're the only creatures I know that can do that with their eyes... um, except for Discord and maybe Pinkie Pie.

"Caecilians move underground by pushing through the soil with their plow-like head, and this is also how they look for food. You can't see them on Cecily right now, but caecilians have very sharp teeth in their mouth, which they use to catch worms, insects, and snails.

"Oh dear, these babies are getting restless. Maybe it's time for Cecily to show us how she feeds them.

"That's right, Sandbar. The babies are scraping off pieces of her skin and eating them. They have spoon-shaped teeth for this purpose, different from the sharp teeth of adults. But don't worry, this is not hurting her. She has grown a thick layer of nutritious skin specially for them to eat. After a few days, she will regrow a new layer, and she will continue to do this until they have grown large enough to live on their own.

"Ringed caecilians lay eggs, but there are other caecilians that give birth to live young. Those caecilians also have an interesting way of feeding their young: the unborn babies eat the lining of their mother's womb while they're growing up inside her body.

"Thank you, Cecily, for helping me with this class. I'll put this piece of wood back now and let you have some peace and quiet. Because caecilians spend so much time hidden underground, not many other creatures get to see their fascinating behavior, and there is a lot that we ponies don't know about them. Have a lovely day, everycreature, and stay kind to each other."

Author's Note

The ringed caecilian (Siphonops annulatus) is found across much of South America east of the Andes.

If you enjoy this story, you can consider following the new Twitter account I started with a similar premise. Some facts I tweet will be recycled from the stories, but there will be exclusive material on there, too.

The Common Vampire Bat

Photo credit: Acatenazzi

"Hello, class. This is Desdemona, and she is a common vampire bat. But please don't be alarmed. I made sure she ate well last night, so she won't be biting any of you here today.

"Out of over 1,300 types of bats, only three feed on blood— Um, no, Gallus, a 'Flutterbat' is not one of them. Only one of those has ever existed, and I didn't drink anycreature's blood... I think.

"Despite being called 'vampires', the vampire fruit bats that I helped Applejack with do not feed on blood. Besides the common vampire bat, the other two blood-drinking bats are the white-winged and hairy-legged vampire bats. Those two prefer to drink the blood of birds. Common vampire bats, however, usually drink from large, plant-eating mammals like cattle and, well, ponies. But they aren't picky, and may feed on blood from just about anycreature, including chickens, sea lions, penguins, and even snakes.

"Like most other bats, vampire bats use a system called echolocation to find their way around in the dark. They make high-pitched calls that echo off objects ahead of them, allowing them to identify and avoid obstacles.

"Once they have found an animal to drink from, a common vampire bat will land on the ground nearby. Most bats aren't very good at walking, so they don't like being on the ground. Common vampire bats, however, are great walkers, runners, and jumpers, as Desdemona is happy to demonstrate.

"Walking like this, a hungry vampire bat will quietly approach their target, as Desdemona is doing to me right now— No, Desdemona. I'm sorry, but you already had enough last night. Vampire bats can detect heat with their noses, which helps them find parts of the body where blood is flowing just underneath the skin—right behind a hoof, for example.

"Next, the vampire bat will use their sharp teeth to clip off any hair in the way, and then make a cut so small and shallow that a sleeping animal probably won't even feel it. They may feed from this cut for up to half an hour. Vampire bats don't suck blood exactly, they instead lick it up with their tongue as it flows. Their saliva prevents the blood from clotting as they drink.

"Blood is not very nutritious, so vampire bats need a lot of it to survive. They can drink more than two-thirds of their body weight's worth of blood in one night. However, they also need to stay light enough to fly back to their homes afterward, which means that they have to, um, pee almost constantly while they are feeding.

"In fact, blood is so low in nutrients that a vampire bat is in danger of starving to death in less than two days if they are unable to find anything to eat. What does a poor vampire bat do if they go hungry for a night? They get some help from their friends!

"During the day, vampire bats gather in dark places like caves and tree hollows. These colonies can include up to hundreds of bats. A vampire bat who hasn't been able to find enough to eat will ask for food from another in their colony who has. If the other bat agrees to help, they will spit up some of the blood they have eaten for the starving bat.

"This is a common way for vampire bats to make friends. The same bats will often sleep together, groom each other, and share food with one another. If a bat has shared food with another in the past, the other bat will be more likely to help them in return if they ever need food themselves.

"Vampire bats would have a hard time surviving if they didn't have these friendships. The poor nutritional value of blood affects how long they need to care for their babies, too. Most small bats only live off their mother's milk for about two weeks, but vampire bats may continue to nurse for up to nine months.

"Although they need to drink a lot of blood, vampire bats don't take nearly enough to seriously hurt a creature of our size. However, they can still pose a danger to ponies by spreading diseases like rabies.

"You probably won't encounter vampire bats throughout much of Equestria though. Because their diet contains so little fat, vampire bats cannot live anywhere that is too cold. And because of how often they need to pee, they also cannot live anywhere that is too dry.

"But if you do live someplace where vampire bats are found, you may want to sleep with your windows shut so they won't come feed from you during the night. And it's a good idea to keep your shots up to date, so you won't get sick if you do get bitten.

"Thank you, Desdemona, for staying up so long past your bedtime to help me with this class. I think it's time you got some rest. Have a lovely day, everycreature, and stay kind to each other. Just like the vampire bat."

Author's Note

The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is found in the Americas, as far north as Mexico and as far south as northern Argentina. Although they occasionally feed on human blood, they more commonly come into conflict with humans by spreading diseases among livestock.

Disclaimer: I am not a pest control expert or medical professional. If you actually require help dealing with vampire bats, please don't rely on this fanfic for advice!

The Dusky-gilled Mudskipper

Photo credit: CheongWeei Gan

"Hello, class. Today we will be meeting some of my fishy friends. They are dusky-gilled mudskippers. But even though they are fish, you'll see that I haven't filled their tank completely with water. This is because mudskippers actually spend a lot of their time on land! They are able to breathe both in air and in water by using their gills, skin, and the insides of their mouths. However, these body parts need to be kept wet to work properly, so mudskippers live in swamps and on mud flats, often close to where rivers flow out to the sea.

"Life underwater is very different from life on land—oh, yes, Silverstream, I'm sure you would know! For example, fishes do not have necks like we do, so they cannot turn their heads to look around themselves. In the water, a fish can simply turn their whole body around until they can look in the direction they want, but it would be most troublesome if they had to do that on land!

"That's why mudskippers have eyes that sit adorably on top of their head. They can rotate their eyes to see almost all the way around, above, and below themselves. Sometimes I wish I had eyes like a mudskipper... it would be much easier for me to see if something scary was coming my way. To keep their eyes moist, mudskippers blink, which is something that other fishes can't do.

"Mudskippers feed on insects, snails, and other small critters that they find on mud flats. Eating on land presents them with another problem. Most fishes don't have a flexible tongue to help them swallow food, like we do. They don't need one, because they can wash their food down by sucking in water along with it. But mudskippers need to feed on land without a flexible tongue, and they have a very interesting way of doing so.

"A hungry mudskipper stores water in their mouth when they come onto land. If they see something they want to eat, they will spit out the water onto their food, then suck it all back into their mouth, swallowing their food with it. This way, they can feed by suction even when they're not in the water. Those wouldn't be very nice table manners for a pony, but it is how mudskippers do things.

"As you might have noticed already, mudskippers can move around on land by pushing themselves along with their pectoral fins—the paired fins sticking out on either side of them. When they want to move more quickly, they can also jump by launching themselves forward with their tails. Some mudskippers, including dusky-gilled mudskippers, are even able to climb! They do this by sticking to surfaces with their pelvic fins, the paired fins on their underside. I've placed a few branches and sticks in this tank for them to climb on.

"Dusky-gilled mudskippers have been seen getting around in a way that no other fish has. They are able to use their tails to skip quickly across the surface of the water. The pools found on mud flats are often not deep enough to hide them from predators, so skipping across the water is probably a faster and safer way for them to escape to their burrows than swimming.

"Oh dear, I haven't mentioned that mudskippers dig burrows, have I? Their burrows are very important to them. Mudskippers are so used to moving around on land that they aren't as good at swimming as other fishes, so when the tide comes in and covers up the mud flats, they retreat to the safety of their burrows. But because the water inside doesn't flow much and is not exposed to air during high tide, the oxygen levels inside the burrow soon become very low.

"That is why mudskippers also dig a special air chamber as part of their burrows, allowing them to breathe while they're inside. An essential part of every mudskipper's day is gulping mouthfuls of air during low tide that they bring back to their burrows, refilling the air chamber with fresh air.

"When it's time for mudskippers to breed, a male mudskipper spends a lot of his time keeping other males away from his territory. He then tries to get the attention of nearby females by leaping into the air and spreading his fins. If a female accepts him as her mate, she will follow him into his burrow, where she will lay her eggs in another air-filled chamber that the male has specially prepared.

"The male works hard to take care of the eggs by himself, bringing them fresh air every day. When they are ready to hatch, he will wait for a high tide to cover the burrow, then remove the air from the egg chamber. The baby mudskippers quickly hatch once the chamber fills up with water, and swim out of the burrow to start their own lives.

"Oh, would you look at the time. I really should bring my friends here back to their homes on the mud flats, before their burrows are submerged underwater. Have a lovely day, everycreature, and stay kind to each other."

Author's Note

The dusky-gilled mudskipper (Periophthalmus variabilis) is found in Southeast Asia.

The Great Frigatebird

Photo credit: Andy Jones

"Hello, class. I hope everycreature is enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. I didn't think our guest would enjoy being cooped up inside the classroom, so we're having our class outside today. And if you look to the skies over there, you'll see him flying towards us right now.

"His name is Redbeard and he's a great frigatebird. He has come a long way to get here; he spends most of his time soaring high above the ocean. Probably the first thing you'll notice is that he really is a great bird! His wings can spread as wide as Princess Celestia's. Yet he weighs less than most of my chickens at home.

"Because he's so lightweight and his wings are so large, he can easily ride on air currents and hardly needs to spend any effort staying aloft. In fact, if you watch carefully, you'll see that that he almost never needs to flap his wings while he is cruising along. He can stay in flight for days or even months at a time when he feels like it.

"Believe it or not, Yona, he can continue flying while he is asleep! Sometimes, he'll keep one eye open to make sure he doesn't fly into any other birds, but he can also sleep in flight with both of his eyes closed. Rainbow Dash probably wishes she could fly like a frigatebird sometimes, especially if it let her take naps while flying... Um, please don't tell her I said that.

"Even though frigatebirds are such magnificent fliers, they do land on a regular basis, and it looks like Redbeard is about to right now. Their feet are so short that they cannot really walk, but they're fine for perching on tree branches—oh, or on my withers!

"Now that you can get a closer look at him, you can see that Redbeard has a bright red throat pouch. Only male frigatebirds have this. A female great frigatebird would be a little larger than he is, with a big white patch on her throat and chest. During the breeding season, male frigatebirds gather in trees on faraway islands, where there are no land predators to prey on their eggs and chicks. They then show off to the females by calling, snapping their beaks, and inflating their red throat pouches like balloons!

"Once they have found a mate, a pair of great frigatebirds will build a nest out of sticks, vines, and leaves, usually in a tree. The female lays only one egg at a time. Both parents take turns sitting on the egg until it hatches: while one keeps the egg warm, the other flies out to sea to look for food.

"It takes a very long time before a young frigatebird is ready to live on their own. Other seabirds are usually old enough to look after themselves in three months or less. A young frigatebird, on the other hoof, needs to return to their parents for food even many months after they have grown old enough to fly! This might be because of how difficult it is for frigatebirds to learn how to hunt by themselves.

"You see, even though frigatebirds get their food from the ocean, they do not like getting wet. A frigatebird will pretty much never land in water on purpose. Most birds produce oil from a gland near their tail, and they spread this oil over their feathers to keep them waterproof. But frigatebirds produce very little oil, so they would quickly get soaked if they found themselves in the sea. Not to mention, with their little feet, they would have trouble leaping clear from the water to get back into the air.

"So it takes a lot of skill for a frigatebird to catch a meal without getting their feathers wet. They usually go for fish swimming very close to the water's surface, which they can snap up with their bills as they fly past. They especially like to hunt for flying fish, which are these amazing fish with great big fins used for gliding. When flying fish are being chased by larger fishes, they can escape by jumping into the air and gliding for long distances before landing back in the water. However, traveling through the air like this puts them in danger of being caught by frigatebirds.

"Frigatebirds have another way of getting food. We saw earlier that Redbeard's long, pointed wings let him cruise effortlessly on air currents, but he can also fly very quickly and make sharp turns when he wants to. He uses these abilities to chase after other seabirds until they spit up the fish that they've caught, which he then takes for himself or feeds to his young. It's... not very nice, but it's what he needs to do to survive.

"Being in this class, you know that not all creatures have the choice of being kind to other creatures all the time. But that doesn't mean that we cannot make a positive difference in the lives of others. Could somecreature please pass me that jar, if that's alright— Oh, thank you, Ocellus.

"These are fish-flavored protein sticks. If you like, you're all welcome to stay behind after class to feed them to Redbeard. You can even try tossing them into the air for him to catch with his incredible flying skills! It's really the least we can do for him after he's traveled such a long way to come see us. And this way, he won't have to steal food from a poor booby or tropicbird when he gets home later. Have a lovely day, everycreature, and stay kind to each other."

Author's Note

The great frigatebird (Fregata minor) is found above tropical oceans around the world, where it breeds mostly on remote tropical islands.

And if you'd like to put some numbers on how big they get, they have a wingspan of 2–2.3 m (6.6–7.5 ft) and weigh 1–1.8 kg (2.2–4 lb).

The Brown-throated Sloth

Photo credit: Charles J Sharp

"Hello, class. Our guest today is Lola the sloth. You may have heard that there are two main types of sloth, the two-toed sloths and the three-toed sloths. Lola is a brown-throated sloth, one of the four species of three-toed sloths.

"Both two-toed and three-toed sloths have three toes on each of their hind feet. But three-toed sloths have three toes on each front foot as well, while two-toed sloths only have two. They're also different in some of their habits. Two-toed sloths are often... crankier, in my experience. And they prefer to sleep during the day, but three-toed sloths can be active during the day and the night... um, as much as a sloth can be active, at least.

"Whether two-toed or three-toed, sloths spend most of their lives upside down in the trees. Of course, we don't have a tree in the classroom, so Lola is clinging to me instead. With their long, hooked claws, sloths can hang from branches while hardly using any energy at all. They don't sleep quite as much as many ponies think they do though. Sloths can sleep up to 18 hours a day, but they usually sleep for 9 to 10 hours.

"Some creatures might assume that because they move so slowly, sloths have a hard time surviving in the rainforests where they live, which are full of dangerous predators. But being so slow actually helps them stay hidden from their enemies, even when they're on the move. They are so easygoing, in fact, that algae will grow in their hair, and many kinds of insects make their homes there, too. That might not sound like a pleasant experience to most creatures, but it allows sloths to look and smell just like part of a tree, letting them to blend right in. Sometimes I wish I could disappear like a sloth... it would be quite helpful.

"Everycreature lives at their own pace, and sloths have found a pace that works for them. The leaves that they like to eat are not very nutritious and take a long time for them to digest. Spending so little energy and moving so slowly, they can take as much time as they need to do this without worrying too much about being seen by predators.

"Sloths have some other wonderful features that help them live upside-down. Their hair grows from their belly towards their back, so rainwater quickly drips off them, keeping them dry after rainstorms. Three-toed sloths also have more bones in their neck than most other mammals. Almost all mammals, from a bunny rabbit to a pony to a giraffe, have seven neck bones. But a three-toed sloth can have anywhere from eight to ten! This lets them turn their head to look behind themselves—um, I guess that would be below themselves most of the time—without having to move the rest of their body. Excuse me, Lola, do you mind showing the class how far you can turn your head around?"

...

...

...

"This may take a little while..."

"You may be surprised to hear that sloths are very good swimmers. However, they don't like being on the ground very much. Crawling around quickly tires them out, and they cannot hide from predators like they can in the trees. But about once a week, they come down from the trees to, um, go to the bathroom. Three-toed sloths use their small, stubby tail to dig a hole in the ground where they bury their... waste.

"There's probably an important reason for them to take this a long and dangerous journey every week, but nopony knows exactly what it is. I've tried asking Lola, but... she hasn't told me.

"That's okay. The only things about yourself that you need to share with others are the ones you feel comfortable sharing, and that's true for every one of us in this room. Have a lovely day, everycreature, and stay kind to each other."

Author's Note

The brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus) is found in forests of Central and South America.

In the show, the character Lola the sloth was drawn as a three-toed sloth. The real Lola the sloth that she was named after was a two-toed sloth.

The Olm

Photo credit: Julien Renoult

"Hello, class. I'm afraid I'll need to keep the lights off today. Our guest is very sensitive to light. That's also why I have covered his tank with this dark blanket. But if you'd like to see what he looks like, you may line up at the front and take turns peeking underneath. Please remember not to tap on the glass.

"Don't worry, he may be a little strange-looking, but he's not dangerous at all. He is a type of salamander called an olm. The earliest ponies to write about olms thought they might have been baby dragons. Ponies... didn't know very much about dragons back then.

"As you know, a frog starts their life as a tadpole that lives and breathes in the water. Other amphibians are usually the same way. As they grow older, they lose their gills and become able to spend time on land. However, our olm friend does things a bit differently. Did you see the small red frills on either side of his head? Those are his gills. He still has them even though he's fully grown, and he'll live his whole life underwater. There are a few other salamanders that do this—for example, there's one called the axolotl.

"You won't find olms in the lakes and ponds around here though. The waters they live in are in caves underground. Caves are dark and scary places to ponies... at least to ponies like me. It's so hard to see where you're going, you might stumble into a solid wall or fall into a terrifyingly deep pit! Oh, I know, I can fly. But it's sometimes hard to remember when you're paralyzed with fright!

"Caves, however, are good places to meet lots of fascinating creatures. When Pinkie told me that Maud had come across some unusual animals while exploring a cave, I was ready to face my fears for the chance to see them myself. I got a lot of help from Twilight on this trip. She used her magic to light our way, and even figured out the right brightness and color of light to use so we wouldn't disturb the cave-dwelling critters. After our new olm friend agreed to make an appearance for you in class, Twilight was also the one who helped me move him into this tank and bring him here without hurting or scaring him.

"You may have noticed that you cannot see his eyes at all. Because he spends his entire life in darkness, he doesn't need eyes very much, so his eyes are covered up by skin. He can still use them to detect light, which he prefers to stay away from. To find his friends and his food, he uses his great senses of smell and hearing.

"Olms feed on smaller animals that live in cave waters, like little shrimps and snails. But their prey cannot always be found in great numbers, so they can go for ten years without food if they have to. Olms don't move around a whole lot, either. Explorers have recorded some staying in the same spot where they were last seen seven years ago. Coming to this classroom might be the farthest an olm has ever traveled!

"That might not sound like a very exciting life to you, but olms can live for a long time. They can live to be over 50 years old, and maybe even over 100! But I think we've given our guest here more than enough excitement to last even his lifetime. I need to go get Twilight so we can take him back home. Have a lovely day, everycreature, and stay kind to each other."

Author's Note

The olm (Proteus anguinus) is found in limestone caves of Central and Southeastern Europe. One population in Slovenia is black in color instead of white, has eyes that are visible externally, and can be found in waters closer to the surface.

The Turkey Vulture

Photo credit: Don DeBold

"Hello, class. This lovely lady perched on my back here is Aurora, and she is a turkey vulture. Some ponies like myself often call them 'buzzards', but the name 'buzzard' is also used for some other types of birds, so I'll try to use 'turkey vulture' for today.

"There are ponies out there who don't like these birds very much. Maybe they think turkey vultures look ugly, or even that turkey vultures are dangerous. That is quite unfair to the poor turkey vultures. I think they are beautiful in their own way. But more importantly, it's not very kind to assume what anycreature is like based only on their appearance.

"In reality, turkey vultures almost never hurt any other living creatures at all. Isn't that right, Aurora? Mm-hmm. You see, they only eat other creatures that are already dead.

"Aurora likes to spend her nights in a big tree or a tall cliff, with dozens or even hundreds of other turkey vultures. When they wake up in the morning, the first thing she and her friends usually do is spend some time tidying their feathers and sunning themselves as they wait for the sun to heat up the ground.

"About an hour or two after Princess Celestia raises the sun, the ground starts getting hot enough to warm the air above it. This creates these columns of warm air currents that rise into the sky, called thermals. Oh, yes, those of you who fly probably know all about thermals. Turkey vultures are experts at riding them. You can see just how long and broad Aurora's wings are. Her wingspan is nearly as big as Princess Celestia's, and this allows her to soar on thermals almost effortlessly.

"It's easy to recognize a turkey vulture as they soar. Not only are they big and dark, but they angle their wings upward while they are flying. They also rock from side to side in flight, so they can find lift on even very small air currents. I think... I think I might like flying more if I could do it as easily as Aurora does.

"Although turkey vultures like to sleep in big groups, they prefer to look for food on their own. However, if one vulture notices that another has found something to eat, they will often head in the same direction as the other vulture. Soaring helps Aurora spot her food from far away, of course, but she has another useful trick for finding food.

"She has a wonderful sense of smell. It allows her to find dead animals that she cannot see from the air, which is especially useful while she is foraging over dense forests. In this way, she can actually help out other types of vultures whose sense of smell is not so keen, like condors and black vultures. These other vultures follow turkey vultures to find food in forest habitats. Sometimes, the turkey vultures receive help from other vultures, too. Condors are bigger and stronger than turkey vultures, so they can open up the body of a large animal that a turkey vulture wouldn't be able to feed on by itself.

"It's not just other vultures that benefit from what vultures do. Vultures are a great help to all the other creatures in their environment. Yes, even all of us! Many germs that grow inside dead bodies can make us horribly sick. But vultures don't get sick from all the dead animals they eat, because their amazing digestive system can destroy even those deadly germs. And since vultures are able to find and clean up dead animals so quickly, they play a big part in preventing the other creatures in the area from getting sick.

"Maybe not everycreature finds Aurora as beautiful as I do. But as you can see, that doesn't make her dangerous, or unimportant, or any less deserving of kindness. Sometimes, it's the most unappreciated creatures who help us out most of all. Have a lovely day, everycreature, and stay kind to each other."

Author's Note

The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) is found throughout most of the Americas, as far north as southern Canada. Although the turkey vulture is common and its numbers are stable, around the world many other vultures are under serious threat of extinction due to prosecution by humans, as well as the use of veterinary drugs that are poisonous to vultures.