arboreal_priestess (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
arboreal_priestess) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2018-02-14 03:44 am
arboreal_priestess) wrote in fandomhigh2018-02-14 03:44 am
Entry tags:
The Cryptozoologist's Field Guide, Wednesday, Per 1
The lesson plan Verity had planned had gotten scrapped by a phone call about ten minutes before class. She might have cancelled class entirely if her stupid cold hadn't made her do that last week.
"Okay!" she said when everyone had arrived, very grateful her class was tiny. "Today you're about to get a hands-on lesson about a cryptid called the Mishigamaa. The Mishigamaa is one of the five extant species of plesiosaurs that have survived to the present day; they can only be found in certain lakes up in the general Michigan area, leaving them to be colloquially called the 'Michigan lake monsters'. Their proper name, 'Mishigamaa', comes from the Ojibwa word for 'large lake,' though we're pretty sure the Ojibwa used a slightly different term for the creatures themselves."
How did one say 'Oh shit!' in Ojibwa?
"Due to human interference, like pollution and overfishing, the Mishigamaa are near extinction, spawning several cryptozoological conservation efforts. However, since Mishigamaa only mate after a pod member dies, keeping their numbers stable is very hard. This is compounded by the fact that Mishigamaa are air-breathers and after the rigors of birth, mother nor calf need to come up for air and rest. If they remain submerged for long, they will start to drown. Most Mishigamaa sightings occur during this time and can lead to injuries and death for Mishigamaa and spectators alike, as the mother tries to protect the calf."
Verity pulled back her hair into a no-nonsense ponytail. "One of the conservationists I mentioned before has a Mishigamaa mother in labor, but she is young and a rescue and it isn't going well. So, hope you dressed warmly, class, because you get to see your first real cryptids in the flesh today. While participating in the miracle of birth. Let's go!"
"Okay!" she said when everyone had arrived, very grateful her class was tiny. "Today you're about to get a hands-on lesson about a cryptid called the Mishigamaa. The Mishigamaa is one of the five extant species of plesiosaurs that have survived to the present day; they can only be found in certain lakes up in the general Michigan area, leaving them to be colloquially called the 'Michigan lake monsters'. Their proper name, 'Mishigamaa', comes from the Ojibwa word for 'large lake,' though we're pretty sure the Ojibwa used a slightly different term for the creatures themselves."
How did one say 'Oh shit!' in Ojibwa?
"Due to human interference, like pollution and overfishing, the Mishigamaa are near extinction, spawning several cryptozoological conservation efforts. However, since Mishigamaa only mate after a pod member dies, keeping their numbers stable is very hard. This is compounded by the fact that Mishigamaa are air-breathers and after the rigors of birth, mother nor calf need to come up for air and rest. If they remain submerged for long, they will start to drown. Most Mishigamaa sightings occur during this time and can lead to injuries and death for Mishigamaa and spectators alike, as the mother tries to protect the calf."
Verity pulled back her hair into a no-nonsense ponytail. "One of the conservationists I mentioned before has a Mishigamaa mother in labor, but she is young and a rescue and it isn't going well. So, hope you dressed warmly, class, because you get to see your first real cryptids in the flesh today. While participating in the miracle of birth. Let's go!"
Go For A Swim
Stay or snorkle, it's your choice.
Re: Go For A Swim