Elizabeth Preston

@inkfish

Science journalist, humor writer and aspiring cephalopod. Boston-adjacent. Author of THE CREATURES' GUIDE TO CARING, out now! elizabethgpreston.com elizabethgpreston.substack.com

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Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· 7d

Please enjoy this video, recorded in Wellfleet, MA, of a fiddler crab defending his hole against another fiddler crab who wants to be in that hole (and seems to forget, for most of the dispute, that he has a beefy arm): 🧪🦀

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· 15d

Urgent beach question: is this a shrimp? It’s jumpy! 🧪

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· 15d

I heard Bluesky likes crabs so here's a bucketful of fiddlers that my kids collected on the Cape yesterday. (The crabs were set free before any violence ensued. And then they all ran off in a sideways parade like 🦀 🦀 🦀 🦀 🦀 while the kids shrieked)

Video of a pink bucket with water and many fiddler crabs inside, climbing on top of each other.

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· 19d

Bug people: This construction vehicle in my neighborhood was reminding me of something, and I thought it was some insect's proboscis, but maybe it was dragonflies mating? Please weigh in. 🧪

A construction vehicle is on one side of a large pit, with a very long segmented tube contraption stretching to the other side and poking into the ground.

Blue-tailed damselflies mating, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue-tailed_damselflies_(Ischnura_elegans)_mating,_female_typica_2.jpg

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· 20d

Camberville!! I’m so excited to be at @portersqbooks.bsky.social tomorrow night, teaming up with my pal Perrin Ireland to talk about animal families and the hanky-panky that makes them. See you there? 🧪

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· 22d

Sal has been hanging out with a new partner, who I suggested calling Faux Pal. And...they have a kid! Sal has brought Sal Jr. to visit my sister on her walks. Here are the three crows (you can see Sal's hop): (4/n) 🧪

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· 26d

Fun (?) fact, echidnas don't have nipples, so babies just lick up milk as it leaks out of their mom. 🧪 (photo via @sandiegozoo.bsky.social)

A baby echidna in a person's hand. The caretaker is squirting drops of formula from a syringe onto their palm for the puggle to lap up.

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· 26d

Look, whatever's going on with you right now, I really think it would help to take a moment and consider this perfect echidna puggle. 🧪 (photo via @sandiegozoo.bsky.social)

A baby echidna resting on a folded towel on top of a scaled that reads 700.0 g. The echidna is black and potato-shaped, with a brown beak.

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Jul 8

Finally saw a cardinal with only his head feathers molted, and I definitely would've thought he was diseased if not for @rosemarymosco.com's Bloödcheëp: 🧪

Grainy photo of a red bird with a bald black head perched in a garden.

Even grainier photo of a red bird with a bald black head perched in a garden.

Comic titled "Know Your Northern Cardinals" by Rosemary Mosco. Three drawings of normal-looking cardinals are labeled "Juvenile," "Adult Male" and "Adult female." A fourth drawing shows a cardinal with a bald black head above a red body, and is labeled "Bloödcheëp, Frightful Molt-Demon of the Cursed Abyss." Credit is birdandmoon.com

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Jul 7

Dear researchers: I love when you do this. 🧪

Screenshot from an email: "I hope you've been well. Five years ago, you wrote a wonderful New York Times article about our [scribbled out text]. At the end of your email, you said you looked forward to hearing what I would be working on in the future. I suddenly remembered that message, so I thought I'd send you a quick update."

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Jul 2

Drove to the bookstore to sign a single copy for a customer who'd requested it, and I was rewarded with this heart-boosting note:

An order form for The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care. Circled text reads "Inscription: Whatever the author would like to write for me. :) I loved reading this book so much! Thank you Elizabeth for writing it. It is one of my favorite books I have EVER read!"

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Jul 1

Also available in the UK and Australia from Scribe, with this adorable manatee cover: scribepublications.co.uk/books/the-cr...

A blue-green book cover with a swimming manatee adult and very chubby manatee baby. White text reads "The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care." The author is Elizabeth Preston (me!)

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Jul 1

Mary Roach called it "hilarious," Booklist called it "captivating," and Audubon magazine says it's "A delightful read that will make you think and feel." Order THE CREATURES' GUIDE TO CARING wherever you like to buy books: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741329... 🧪

Book with a yellow cover featuring a photo of a male Northern flicker feeding his chick. Blue and red lettering reads "The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care." The author is Elizabeth Preston (me!)

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Jun 15

It’s almost Father’s Day and I have a great gift idea for you! Order here: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741329...

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Jun 1

Oh man I wish we saw it

Screenshot of text message exchange dated "Yesterday 2:11 PM":
"Wtf was that??"
"What the hell
It shook the house"

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· May 18

My 6-year-old and 9-year-old made motivational posters that became increasingly deranged:

Child's drawing of a sunset. Text reads "When life gets you down, be a sunrise"

Child's drawing of a sky. Text reads "When life gets you blue look at the clouds"

Child's drawing of scissors, a stapler, and a severed finger dripping blood. Text reads "When you cut off your finger stapel your finger"

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· May 13

Who do I know in Williamstown? Come join me and my former professor Jim Shepard TOMORROW to chat about my new book (and find out whether he feels betrayed that I quit writing fiction the moment I graduated)! events.williams.edu/event/an-eve... 🧪 #ephs

Purple flyer reading "Upcoming event at the Williams Bookstore. Elizabeth Preston and Jim Shepard. The Creatures' Guide to Caring. May 14, 4:15-5:30 PM. 81 Spring Street, Williamstown, MA, 413-458-8071."

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· May 8

I'm not PROMISING you'll love my book but... www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741329... 🧪

Screenshot from Goodreads for the title "The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care" by Elizabeth Preston. Average is 4.90 stars (10 ratings, 8 reviews)

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· May 7

Book launch event is tomorrow!! See you there, Boston-area folks? I brought my Party-Planning Mom energy (baked cookies that match the cover) www.harvard.com/event/elizab... @harvardbookstore.bsky.social 🧪

Flyer reading: "Harvard Book Store presents a discussion featuring Elizabeth Preston. THE CREATURES' GUIDE TO CARING: HOW ANIMAL PARENTS TEACH UST THAT HUMANS WERE BORN TO CARE. Friday, May 8, 7pm at Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA. More info: Harvard.com" with a photo of me plus my cute yellow book cover

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· May 6

A truly aspirational sentence (writing-wise, not in the sense of wanting to become a cultural foie gras) in @joshgondelman.bsky.social's latest newsletter:

"Recently, though, I've been thinking that I owe an apology to the concept of the snob. I've felt a little destabilized lately over how much mediocre garbage is funneled down our throats, as if we were all destined to become a rich foie gras made of Mr. Beast's viral stunts and dating shows where the eighteen hottest people in a small American city rub against each other until two of them are famous enough to do sponsored Instagram posts for FDA-ignored skincare products. It's overwhelming and dispiriting."

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Apr 29

My book is out in less than a week!! I tried to make a video about why you should buy it for Mother's Day, but now I'm not so sure. 🧪 Ordering options here: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741329...

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Apr 23

Have your ordered your copy of THE CREATURES' GUIDE TO CARING yet? We promise we'll brush the dirt off! 🧪 signed copies from @portersqbooks.bsky.social here: portersquarebooks.com/book/9780593... other ordering options here: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741329...

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Apr 22

Check out the adorable bird's nest fungi I found popping up next to my fiddleheads: 🧪

Close-up image of dirt and wood chips. In the background, fiddlehead ferns are emerging. In the foreground are several tiny brown fungi shaped like cups, with clusters of tinier white discs inside them.

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Apr 14

Congratulations to the authors of a 2008 paper on skin-feeding by caecilians for the most disturbing clause you'll see today: 🧪

Screenshot reading: "involved the simultaneous activity of all members of a clutch. Feeding behaviour is quite frenetic with the young frequently tearing pieces of skin by spinning along their long axes and sometimes struggling over the same piece of skin. The mother remains calm during this activity. When the mother has been peeled, the young continue to search for and eat fragments of skin on the substrate. Feeding bouts are short: just seven minutes for the only" (The phrase "When the mother has been peeled" is highlighted.)

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Apr 2

My third-grader brought home her Freaky Frog report, and I have to say, she nailed the lede.

Part of a typed paragraph with the first sentence underlined: "The Water-Holding frog holds as much awesomeness as it holds water! The Water-Holding frog lives in the dry deserts of Australia, and gets so big when it holds water. It even absorbs 50% of its own body weight just in water! It eats small frogs, tadpoles and insects. Some of its predators include birds, larger frogs and"

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Mar 25

Sale alert!! Barnes & Noble members can get 25% off my book if you order today or tomorrow: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-creatu...

Yellow book cover reading "The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care." The author is Elizabeth Preston.

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Mar 19

Parents: Have you ever seen a more cursed object?

A Covid/Flu combined rapid test showing positive results for both flu B and Covid, because apparently I have angered the universe

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Mar 6

My husband has been reading my book, and just reached the chapter about African wild dogs—but until I remembered that, I was pretty alarmed by this text he sent me from the train 🧪

Text message labeled "Today 8:19 AM" reading "Collective disemboweling" with a green nausea emoji

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Feb 20

My daughter checked out Harriet the Spy from the library at my suggestion, but now I'm worried she's going to learn too much

Picture of a page from Harriet the Spy, with the line "Writers don't care what they eat. They just care what you think of them" highlighted

Elizabeth Preston@inkfish· Feb 17

"I couldn't think of anything for E." -my 9-year-old, after making this acrostic Valentine's card for her grandparents (she's not a perfectionist and I honestly love that for her)