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Animal Qualities

Hard places

Graze the thin air.

Animals grouped here express a similar quality through their behavior in nature. Each species still has its own principle, lesson, meaning, and field-guide page.

5 species

Andean Goose (Chloephaga melanoptera) thumbnail image on AnimalDex

Andean Goose

Species principle: Altitude Fit

Graze the thin air.

A hard place becomes home when the body accepts its altitude.

Andean Geese live in high-elevation wetlands and grasslands of the Andes, grazing in cold thin-air environments with strong bodies and pair bonds.

Gidgee Skink (Egernia stokesii) thumbnail image on AnimalDex

Gidgee Skink

Species principle: Crevice Kinship

Share the crevice.

Hard places become easier when the crack is shared.

Gidgee Skinks are social Australian lizards that live in rock crevices, using spiny tails and rough scales for defense and group sheltering.

Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis) thumbnail image on AnimalDex

Rock Hyrax

Species principle: Rock Communion

Warm the rock.

A hard place softens when warmth is shared together.

Rock Hyraxes live in colonies among rocky outcrops, using gripping foot pads, sunning behavior, alarm calls, and close social groups for safety.

Vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) thumbnail image on AnimalDex

Vicuna

Species principle: Altitude Gentle Endurance

Stay soft in hard air.

Gentleness can survive hard places when it is built for them.

Vicuñas live in high Andean grasslands, using fine insulating fleece, slender bodies, and social alertness to survive cold, thin-air environments.

Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) thumbnail image on AnimalDex

Wallcreeper

Species principle: Cliff Grace

Bloom on stone.

Grace is not fragile when it can cling to stone.

Wallcreepers forage along vertical cliffs and rock faces, using curved claws and fluttering crimson-patterned wings while searching crevices for insects.

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