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Laura on Life
Stampeding Wildlife
"Mom, did you know that sea cucumbers come in herds of thousands?"
How I kept a straight face, I'll never know.
"Is that so?"
I was cool as a cucumber - of the vegetable variety - even though I was coming apart at the seams inside.
If it wasn't the most hilarious thing I'd ever heard, the visual I got was, by far, the most bizarre.
It makes sense, though, that a creature with the name of a vegetable that was so ugly it would freeze Medusa, would need to travel in herds for protection. I imagine all the other sea critters would tease them mercilessly.
Still
a herd? Of sea cucumbers? They couldn't possibly move fast enough to be considered a herd.
There were once huge herds of bison that covered the Midwest. They were dangerous when startled because they would stampede.
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Does a sea cucumber become startled? Ever? And could a mass movement of sea cucumbers be considered a stampede? After all, they don't rampage as one unit in fear and anger as much as ooze languorously in one direction.
Who knows what might motivate a slug-like vegetable/animal to herd or stampede?
I have dust bunnies that live on my ceiling fans all winter that are motivated by turning the fan on high.
Those dust bunnies don't arrive in a herd as much as a horde. They fly down by the millions and wander around my carpet until they find a nice place to light.
Dust bunnies may come down in a horde, but after their descent, they are (Continued on page 11)
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