Friday, July 28, 2006

Welcome To The Jungle, indeed

The Fake Doc has a lovely and amusing post on the ecosystem of the hospital jungle, and the creatures one is likely to encounter there. You should read it, and then return to this post, because in the spirit of blatant theft appreciative reinforcement, I think I can offer a couple more animals one might spot:

Carpenter Ants (ER Techs): Constantly busy, able to lift several times their own weight, and frequently unnoticed by the other creatures in the jungle, the Ants take care of things that would be problems, if they were allowed to go unchecked. Ants can be annoying at times, but one should be careful about wishing them gone: if they really were to disappear, disgusting remnants of the daily work of the jungle would litter the landscape in a matter of moments. A wise Grizzly, Hedgehog, or other larger creature will cultivate an alliance with the Ants, because at times of need, the greatest help can come from the smallest of sources.

Otters (unusually competent MS4's): Otters are impressive and comical, all at the same time. They work nearly as hard as the most skilled of Beavers, and have an ability to get along with Beavers that too many other creatures lack. They are almost as quick as Hedgehogs, and only slightly less cute than full-on Bunnies. They are not nearly as powerful as Grizzlies, but what they lack in killing power they make up in agility. Sometimes an Otter can be doing well enough to be mistaken for a Hedgehog; when moving at full speed, the blurred shape of the two creatures is remarkably similar.

Wolves (Physician Assistants): Wolves can function very well alone, but by nature they travel in packs. You will usually find at least one Wolf in each of the busier areas of the forest; sometimes the wolf will be doing the exact same thing as the Bears, Badgers, or even Otters, side-by-side with them. Sometimes the Wolf will be silently stalking something the other animals haven't noticed yet. You may see the odd flash of violence as a Wolf works quickly and efficiently, but more likely the Wolf will simply appear to come and go with no discernible pattern. Often faster, more cunning, and more deadly than the larger, more powerful predators, Wolves will occasionally swoop in and take a tasty bit of meat from the other forest creatures; nothing is more amusing than a Grizzly Bear rumbling up, fully expecting a meal, only to find that the Wolf has already taken care of it.

There are undoubtedly more where those came from, too.

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