From here.
- What’s your favorite large, furry animal?
I think polar bears. I perceive them as being mostly solitary creatures, and what a rough existence they seem to have. Plus they’re so cute while being so fascinatingly ferocious. - What’s your favorite large sea creature?
I like walruses and giant squids, although I get the feeling walruses aren’t as charming up close as they are from afar. - What’s your favorite insect?
I’m fascinated by praying mantises. They’re so mysterious-looking and so scary, but they’re mostly human-friendly, right? I mean, there’s no reason not to want them around, I think, and do they eat other bugs? I used to know a thing or two about mantises but it’s been a long time. Plus Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy is such a great character. A being whose super power is compassion. - What are your favorite names for pets you’ve known?
A friend’s neighbor had a dog named Budweiser. That was pretty cute. One night at Honolulu City Lights, some friends and I met a cat whose name was Manapua, which is only super funny if you’re from Hawaii. It’s our word for char siu bao, or steamed pork-filled dumplings, and urban legend has it that the manapua wagons, which are like neighborhood food trucks crusing the neighborhoods, make their manapua out of feral cats. It’s a disgusting legend, but we all grew up hearing it. I never believed it, of course, and I had many, many manapuas in my day. Plus the parents of one of my good friends owned a manapua wagon. - Besides unicorns, what are some mythical beasts you wish were real?
Griffins for sure. Manticores.
When I was a kid we used to catch preying mantis, kept them caged for a few days and fed them grasshoppers. It is quite fascinating to watch them prey on the hapless victim, scoop them up alive with their powerful claws and watch the thing eat its prey alive. Yum! 🙂