Spinybacked Orbweaver

One fine day Twisty saw a really weird looking spider on her back porch. It suddenly dawned on her that she knew nothing about anything. Here are the exact thoughts that ran through her mind:

Dang. Living in the city is no reason to foster a dysfunctional relationship with nature! Even if you never leave the house! Why, there are plenty of bizarre life forms right in your own living room!

Notice how she addressed herself as "you." Creepy, huh?

After that day, Twisty's collection of 80's hair band T-shirts seemed to lose its luster. She bought a couple of field guides and a Canon 10D and the Research Center was open for business. The Center's mission is to catalog as many of North South Austin's wild animals as possible, without rhyme or reason. Until the TwistyScope arrives, the focus of the project is limited to creatures that can be seen with the naked eye.

Note: Due to the half-assed nature of the Urban Varmint Project, species identifications, particularly among the invertebrates, are to be considered highly suspect. We do, however, rely heavily on field guides written by the finest experts, as this method accommodates the greater degree of sloth preferred by the Department. A partial bibliography is posted here. Latin names are included purely as a joke. Sue me.

We are aware that many of these animals are not actually "varmints" in the purest sense of the word. Sue me.

Unless otherwise specified, all wild animals pictured were photographed by Twisty on or about the Twisty Compound, and around the neightborhood, in Barton Hills, North South Austin.

[ Critter List ] [ Bibliography ]