Apparently, the farther into the earth a creature
resides, the less aesthetically appealing it is to us, as if the clouds were
made of beauty cream and the dirt were made of... dirt. Birds are typically associated with gorgeous
gracefulness and freedom. When asked, most surveyed would choose to be a bird.
Koalas,squirrel monkeys, and their other tree-perched
counterparts? High up in the canopy and generally adorable. At sea level, things can go either way. Depending
where you tread, the terrain holds everything from bunnies to boars, ponies to
porcupines. (The giraffe is an interesting case: half airborne, half grounded.
Certainly, the head is cuter than the tail.) The subterranean realm is the place to go if you wanna
churn up some ugly. No shortage of worms, cicadas, and star-nosed moles down
there. The ocean yields the same effect; it's those critters way at the bottom―arctic,
soulless gourd-fish with spindly spotlights, jagged razor teeth, and murder
brains―that are creepiest. The skyand surfaceof the planet have been considerably more explored
than the spaces far below our feet. Imagine the as-yet-uncovered horror show of
buried species ready to freak us out if we'd only dig further! Somewhere deep
in the green, oatmeal nastiness of a secluded swamp lurks a revolting, blind,
snaggletoothed slime blob awaiting its terrible debut. : - | >