Skittles is a curious critter, especially when it comes to anything edible…

A small, reptilian creature stepped carefully across the patio. Paused, head bobbing from side to side, then stepped again. One three toed foot in front of the other. Sometimes in a quick, short burst- pause- then long, slow steps with neck stretched out, small head tilted to one side to get a better look at the potted plant.

She pecked at the stubby leaves with her short beak, and shook her head. Yuck! Whatever it was, those waxy leaves where not good to eat. She rubbed a stray fragment from her mouth with her front paw, and stuck out her tongue to try and get the waxy taste out of her mouth.

There must be something better here.

Near the pot were a few stacked sacks that smelled of earth and moist leaves. She nudged them with her beak, and jumped aside when one of the sacks shifted.

Nope. Not that either.

She stood higher on her hind legs, her long tail sweeping the ground as she stared around her. She blinked, head tilted. In the center of the shaded portion of the patio was an object that sprouted from the ground with a central trunk. Its branches rose a few feet and then spread into a flat, circular platform like a strange, flat-topped tree. Squatted around it were two stiff sentinels with four straight branches and squared backs.

These were strange indeed, but nothing new. What drew her attention was the round brown thing on top of the flat-topped tree.

She hopped onto the back of the four-legged thing, and craned her neck to see what lay at the center of the circular platform.

Aha! There was the round mound on top of a white, flat disk. The brown looked dry and fluffy, sprinkled with little white seeds, and in between the layers of warm brown was the crisp green of a leaf.

The tip of her beak could not touch the enticing treat no matter how she reached for it, so she hopped up onto the flat surface. She looked over her shoulder with quick, bird-like movements of her head, but saw no one. The man was usually nearby when she came here, but she did not see him.

The little seeds were delicious, so she grabbed the brown food and clutched it in her paws, then nabbed the green leaf with her beak. She was just about to nibble on something small and sour in the goopy stuff of red and yellow when she heard a familiar slam.

The man was coming!

She hopped off the table with a swing of her bone-studded tail, and disappeared into some nearby bushes with the bun still clutched in her paws.

---

The man hummed a tune as he walked out onto the patio, a tall glass of iced water in one hand, and a bowl of nuts and journal balanced precariously in the other. He stopped humming at the sight of the decimated burger on the table. Bits of lettuce and smears of ketchup and mustard on its wooden surface. Was one of those smears a small, three-toed foot print? He shook his head as a corner of his mustache turned up in a small smile.

He set his glass of water and bowl of nuts on the table, and sat in a chair with the journal in his lap. He opened it up and jotted down a quick scribble.

Note: use a basket. Leave a salad for Skittles.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

I hope you enjoyed this silly little story! It’s very simple, but it made me smile to imagine Skittle’s curiosity. It’s something I’ve seen my chickens do quite often, and so we’re always careful not to leave food unattended out on the picnic table!

For more curious critter silliness, take a peak at the turkeys and gator below.

Skittles would be about the same size as those turkeys, and I imagine her movements being rather similar. Only her head wouldn’t bob in time with her steps, since dinos have their long tails.

Can you imagine the turkeys below with long tails and scaly skin?

Imagine the texture of the gator’s skin on the general shape and movements of the turkey, and then you have how I imagine Skittles to be like!

Who knew gators could be so curious? In my wanderings on YouTube, I found a video of a gator exploring someone’s front porch, and even climbing up against the door to see the shiny doorbell. I wonder what this one is thinking?

Have you had any adventures with curious critters?

Critter of the Month is Skittles the Scutellosaurus

It’s no secret I love Skittles. Scutellosaurus is a relatively little-known dinosaur in popular media, but I do remember it from some earlier dinosaur books when I was little. Even so, I never really thought about it too much until the creation of this website. I was too enamored by Stegosaurus, Dilophosaurus, and Parasaurolophus.

So how did Skittles become the unofficial mascot of Pete’s Paleo Petshop?

Steggy started it all of course, with the illustration of her dress-up party with a group of little girls. Stegosaurus is a little big for the house though, plus it’s always a bit awkward to draw all of those plates and spikes.

If I had to choose a dinosaur that I would be drawing often, it had to be something simpler. Alfred was next on my list of possibilities, but again, he’s too big to make an easy pet. I needed a critter that was small enough to maybe be a house pet, and instantly recognizable as a dinosaur.

Preferably something that was at least kinda close to one of my favorite dinosaurs, because I really wanted Stegosaurus!

Scutellosaurus made the early list of pet shop critters because I remembered it from those books I read as a kid, plus it’s often shown as an example of early Jurassic dinosaurs (alongside Dilophosaurus). Do you remember the first picture of Skittles from 2016?

She’s small and cute, with an interesting silhouette that is easily recognizable from other dinosaurs. She’s a plant-eater, but also stands on hind legs, so she fits the stereotypical dinosaur body shape. Even better, she’s easy to draw, but it wasn’t until her first update that I really started to think of her as the critter I would have as a pet.

It was the first time I made a little model for reference. It’s a true shame I used clay that couldn’t be baked, because I regret not being able to keep her little model. I had no idea it would be such a huge turning point for me!

From this little sculpture came the illustration of Skittles that was a huge influence in the more realistic style of the shop’s critters. Something about her character really came through in the illustration, and I fell in love with her. I started drawing her a lot outside of the posts I share here on the site, and I considered her to be the critter I would have as a pet.

The more I drew her and imagined her adventures as a pet, the more she became a bit of a mascot for the shop. Especially with the creation of stuffed Skittles! First the very ugly prototype #1, and then the second, much better prototype.

I still plan on making another, truly life-size one at some point, but the second one has joined me at a couple of public events like library story time.

Scutellosaurus still isn’t my favorite dinosaur, exactly, but Skittles as a character has definitely become my favorite here at the shop. I love any excuse to draw her, so I created a new sticker for her and added her to my collection of clothespin puppets!

Remember how I said I’d be making more of these? The kids love them!

Here is a PDF you can download if you want to have a little fun with your own Skittles puppet.

Enjoy!

See you April 1st for the next Critter of the Month!

He looks tough, but once you get to know him he’s loyal to the core…and more of a softie really!

Share your guess in the comments! He’ll be one of the critters over on the critter page. 🙂