Florida fun fact!

I mosey the beach and avoid them because they look downright evil, like they wouldn’t only give your foot a pinching sensation if stepped on, but probably suck your foot, leg and whole being into the depths of hell if given the chance. Upon further inspection they’re actually really brittle and not that scary at all, but what the hell are they?

This little guy is known as mermaid purse. Mermaid purses are egg cases for clearnose skates, a type of sea ray that has no venomous stinger but may have sharp thorns on its body.

Go on. I know you can go about your Friday much easier knowing this now.

Slimy and scaly, just my speed.

In a spur of the moment decision at noon today, Boy and I ventured to the Florida Aquarium – AND IT WAS AWESOME. Though we may have been the only ones there not with children. Which was fine, because every kid we saw today was a BRAT.

We saw sea otters, pink spoonbills (that were flying around with other birds too freely and freaking me out), lemurs, enormous fish, coral reefs, octopi, sea dragons. My two favorites were the alligators and the rays. There was a pool of rays that you could friggin’ pet. YOU COULD PET THEM. AND I DID. AND I DIED. I pet this dude, in particular, and he was slimy as all get out. I didn’t mind one bit.

I am so damn fascinated with these things, with how unusual and graceful they are. They are just so fluid and beautiful, and they look absolutely hysterical from the bottom.

HEY NEIGHBOR.

Two gators were sunning themselves, and I learned a simple way to tell gators apart from crocs: It’s all in the teeth. When their mouths are closed, crocodiles’ teeth show; alligators’ don’t.

I am such a child that almost every single thing I saw today reminded me of Finding Nemo. After the cut (which I hope works, I’m doing this on my iPad) you can find all my new friends.