Around the world in fifty weeks aboard our hot air balloon is air-bound as we speak. S – U haiku will transport you today to the Pacific ocean, the asian continent and the woodlands of Europe, to pique our conservational concern.
Steller sea-lion
Steller sea-lion bulls
grumbling, growling vocal play,
diving, dipping down.
The Steller sea-lion is the largest of all seals and sea-lions and they have an appetite to match. When they age, the males have long coarse hair, which resembles the mane of African and Asian lions, giving them their name. These big bulls are three times the size of the females.
These giant pinnipeds hunt pollock, flounder, squid, octopus and, rarely, smaller seals. They are found off northern Pacific coasts from Japan to California.
?Steller sea-lions are both land and sea creatures, and they prefer colder waters. When not in the water, adults can mostly be found on rock shelves, ledges and sand beaches where they gather to breed and give birth.
Steller sea-lion numbers have declined because of accidental capture in fishnets, loss of food source to fishermen, and hunting. Some are shot each year by fishermen who consider them competition or pests to the fishing industry. This species is now legally protected by the United States, and intentional killing of any Steller sea-lion is prohibited.
South China Tiger
Tiger’s throaty roar
warns prey to stay far away.
Feline night hunter.
Tigers are the largest members of the cat family and are renowned for their power and strength.
There were eight tiger subspecies at one time, but three became extinct during the 20th century. Over the last 100 years, hunting and forest destruction have reduced tiger populations from hundreds of thousands of animals to perhaps fewer than 2,500. Tigers are hunted as trophies, and also for body parts that are used in traditional Chinese medicine. All five remaining tiger subspecies are endangered, and many protection programs are in place.
They are powerful nocturnal hunters that travel many miles to find buffalo, deer, wild pigs, and other large mammals. Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage (no two have exactly the same stripes). Despite their fearsome reputation, most tigers avoid humans; however, a few do become dangerous man-eaters. These animals are often sick and unable to hunt normally, or live in an area where their traditional prey has vanished.
Into the Land of the Unicorns, Book 1 in the Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville
Unicorn – child’s play.
Silver pale, so fleet and gay.
Old magic alive.
The unicorn is a European animal that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat’s beard and cloven hooves. The first sightings were mentioned in natural history books of the ancient Greeks. This elegant animal was loved in Medieval and Renaissance times when it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be captured by a pure maiden. Its horn is said to have the power to render poisoned water drinkable and to heal sickness.
This animal thrived in its woodland habitat well into the19th century. Unicorns were often spotted by historians, alchemists, writers, poets, naturalists, physicians, theologians, and, of course, young children. They are gentle, shy creatures and need approaching with belief and a magical mindset.
Sadly in the 21st century sightings have become very rare indeed, and the unicorn is now on the critically endangered list. Main threats have been the habitat destruction through the crushing of creativity in peformence-driven education. Great present-day unicorn conservationists include authors such as, Bruce Coville, Kathleen Duey and Jane Yolen.
In my 20's, with only my guitar and a rucksack, I wandered the continents, immersing myself in the lives of some wonderful people, projects and stories, which changed the way I view my responsibility to others and this earth. Right now I'm a European transplant in the US who writes books for children and young adults. Stories can help us not only navigate our world but can connect us to others, and allow us to inspire and help each other. I believe that equity and empathy should be at the core of our all actions, words, and stories.
I am also a school librarian and I get a kick out of book-matchmaking! And I use the pronouns she/her.
Love this post, mainly because you featured the beautiful majestic tiger and also the unicorn and animal I thought was no longer with us and one that often dreamed of owning as a kid. I just loved unicorns. Horses made the next best thing. They certainly are magical, pure and graceful. Thanks Joanna.
They are such beautiful cats aren’t they? I love the Siberian tiger in particular.
A clever solution for the letter U! Excellent endangered species haiku again this week, Joanna. Arthur was fascinated by sea lions about 6 years ago when we watched the live camera streams of the animal groups on National Geographic. They are pretty amazing creatures!
Glad you liked the unicorn! Those sea lion bulls are huge yet so agile! I like the aging ones with the whiskers!
The sea lion is cool! Great haiku!
Thanks, Erik!
I love your haikus! Always a treat to read and read about!
Thanks for dropping by, Sheri!
It’s horrifying to read the statistics every Monday and realize what we’re doing to our fellow travelers on this earth. But I love your haikus, and all the information you give about each animal.
And I especially love that you featured unicorns — and Bruce Coville’s work to save the species. I love his unicorn series. (I haven’t read the other authors’ unicorn books. I must do so.)
Thanks, Joanna!
Haha, I thought you’d enjoy the unicorn info, Beth!
I let Bruce Coville know about your post, and he was delighted. Just so you know.
Oh, thanks, Beth, that’s so sweet!
Always enjoy the animals you feature and your beautiful haikus. So sad about the plight of tigers and the reduction in their populations. Magnificent animals. I didn’t realize there were unicorns at one time, always thought they were mythological creatures. Love Bruce Coville’s Unicorn series. Great post today.
Love the haikus, of course! Love Unicorns. My #1 unicorn book is Peter S. Beagle’s “The Last Unicorn.”
Oo, that’s a new one on me, Linda. Thanks for the recommendation!
I’ll second that recommendation!
All beautiful. My favorite is the sea-lion!
Penny, I find the sea lion’s face incredibly expressive!
Great post! How ironic that tigers, erroneously thought to be extremely dangerous man-eaters, actually become more dangerous as humans threaten them through habitat destruction.
I love the unicorn part. 🙂
Ishta, it is a tragic irony indeed, and not just true of tigers. Glad you enjoyed the unicorns, I had plenty other ‘u’ animals to choose from, but felt the unicorn deserved its place!. 🙂
“Main threats have been the habitat destruction through the crushing of creativity in peformence-driven education.” Brilliant.
I just want to grab that sea lion’s face and smush it and say wooshy wooshy woo. Three more excellent additions to the collection. 🙂
I want to give the sea lion a big kiss, but imagine it would be pretty bristly!
Thanks again for sharing these tight, compact little vignettes of some beautiful creatures. I wouldn’t wooshy-wooshy-woo any of them, but I might take a ride on the unicorn! 😉
I plan on discovering what will make you go wooshy-wooshy-woo, Matt!
I enjoy haiku and you have done it beautifully. I like the pictures too. Thanks for a great post.
Thank you, Joy! It’s fun to try and pack a small bit of info into so few syllables.
Love the one about the tiger – my favorite kind of cat.
I think I love all cats, but I have a fondness for the white ones like Siberian tigers and snow leopards!
Oh, you make me want to write about a unicorn! Thank you for these. Though I learned in research for my zoo book DON’T FEED THE BOY that tigers don’t roar, they “chuff.”
Irene, thanks for teaching me about chuffing tigers. 🙂