Okay so I'm brand spanky new to challenges.
I'm going to try my hand at it though.

This will be an educational type deal.
Meaning Each animal prompt should be used in a way that teaches the characters something new. Mostly you have to explain the animal in the story. For example Here is an excerpt from my story Blood in the Water, Chapter 34:

“Hai Po Poto moos? What is that?” Kagome struggled to pronounce the strange word.

He smirked before answering, “Hippopotamus. It is a very large animal. It's name literally means Water Horse. They live on both land and in rivers. They are very aggressive, and powerful. Foolish humans think that they are lazy because they 'yawn' a lot. They are not actually yawning, they are showing their tusks. It is a warning of danger, that they are ready to attack. They could fit This One's full torso into their mouths quite easily. On land they are fairly slow, but in the water, they are swift, and powerful. Mermen coming of age must kill one full grown male hippopotamus in order to prove that they can properly protect a female. It is one of many trials.”

“They sound scary. What about that other thing? Crock co dials?”

“Crocodiles are dangerous as well. They are another animal. The share the same waters as hippopotamuses. They have many teeth and powerful jaws. They are fast and strong. In groups they are even more dangerous. Mixed in with large numbers of hippopotamuses, the rivers in Africa are deadly. Those are not the only predators though. There are fish and snakes, and large land dwelling animals.”

-- end example--

This is Sesshoumaru explaining to Kagome about these animals she's never heard of. Blood in the Water is rated MA, so no YIMS allowed.

You can also just introduce the animal, either by a book, video, story, or in person, like: 'Kagome opened the wiggling bag and withdrew a small fuzzy animal.'

I hope this helps with creative freedom for this challenge, and gives you guys some ideas for stories and stuff.

To start off I'm going to use some animals that I think most everyone is familiar with. This is an open challenge, so I don't intend to put a cut off date.

I don't have banners or tokens just yet, but when I do, I'll get them up.

I will try to give some information about the animals. However, if you want to find out more to use in your writing, Wikipedia, Google, and Encyclopedia.com are great for this. I'll try to post links to Encyclopedia.com for the different prompts to make things easier for you guys.

Post your story link to the thread along with rating if it's M or MA.
I really hope you guys enjoy this. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be happy to clarify.

To Start off with:

"Ferret"
Info about ferrets: A member of the weasel family related to otters, badgers, minx, and many others. They are roughly 18 inches long, nose to butt, stand up to 6 inches tall. 6 inch long tail. Come in a variety of colors of blacks, whites and browns. They sleep roughly 15-20 hours per day. Naturally nocturnal.

They hunt, mice, rats, snakes, small animals and have been used for over 4,000 years to hunt prey such as rabbits for humans, as well as being kept as pets. They are friendly, frisky, and curious. They have no fear of humans. Ferrets have been known to fight and overpower animals as large as wolves and dogs with little to no injury to themselves.

They are one of a very small group of vertebrates that can literally be tied in a knot without being injured. Highly intelligent, and fierce when threatened. Groups are called a business, babies are kits. Females are Jills, Males are Hobs.

I'll add more after I get the info pulled for the animals. You do NOT have to use all of the info! I just thought it would be easier if you had more to choose from.

Good Luck and Have Fun!
~Starfyre