Alie Ward

He grew up southeast of L.A.

in hilly Whittier, which has its share of kind of suburban Americana and patches of landscape that are home to native and imported plants and animals from cacti and wildflowers to some scaly and furry residents.

What kind of critters did you see growing up in Whittier?

Were your parents or siblings or aunts, uncles, were they outdoorsy at all?

Which states haven't you been to?

Okay.

I've been to 48.

No New Mexico and no West Virginia.

If anyone's listening to this, if there are talks in South Carolina or Hawaii.

Where has your work taken you country-wise?

I know you mentioned that you had seen a platypus in the wild.

Do you find that different continents or different regions or biomes have animals with stronger defense systems?

Does it matter what kind of predators are around?

Do you see an evolution of different scales or spikes or stinks?

I always think like, okay, if there are big cats around, you're a little screwed.

Male deer, bucks.

Yes.

Horns of, you know, eight point deer has like eight shivs coming out of its face, but a doe doesn't, but they're still vulnerable to like pumas, let's say.

Are the horns used for defense or is that purely just mating?

I would be inclined to say just mating, but can you ever stab back?