I like exceptions. I like animals that make it hard for scientists to make generalizations about animals.

I like animals that break the rules. I like sharks that walk on land and poisonous birds.

I like bears that eat bamboo and crabs that eat seagulls.

I like parrots that can't fly and squid that can.

And I've spent hours talking about all those creatures I mentioned and more on this podcast throughout the years.

I like exceptions.

Bagheera, the panther in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, is an exception among the other animals of the jungle in that book.

This panther was raised in captivity amongst humans, and poetically he himself raises a human,

Mogli, in the jungle.

For both Mowgli and Bagheera, their literally exceptional status, as animals raised outside their

environs, is what creates much of their intrigue as characters.

Today, we're going to talk about an exception named after both Kipling and

this panther, a species sometimes referred to as a vegetarian spider. Bagheera Kiplingi.

I'm Mackin. This is species.

Welcome to the show.

Thank you to all the families who came to the book tour.

It was a full or almost full house at every stop.

Everyone was lovely.

This week's episode could not be better timed as the symbiotic relationship I am about to discuss after the intro appears in the book, Animal Sidekicks. Also, I did a guest

spot this week. I'll let you know when it's live. It was on the Plant-based News podcast,

and today's episode is about a strangely plant-based

animal, which is what I consider myself. Apologies for the week's delay in releasing this

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