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Jason GRIZZLED Bittel

@bittelmethis

Wild animal & author of GRIZZLED (March 3, 2026). Science Writer @ Nat Geo, NYT, WashPo, etc. Prev: KSJ @ MIT, Nat Geo Explorers. He/him. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804002/grizzled-by-jason-bittel/

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Latest posts by Jason GRIZZLED Bittel @bittelmethis

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Reading & Conversation: "Grizzled" by Jason Bittel (w/ Brooke Barker) We are ecstatic to celebrate local author, Jason Bittel, and his new book: Grizzled!

Come hear me read from my new book tonight in #Pittsburgh! The event is free, and they are also going to livestream! πŸ§ͺπŸ¦‘πŸ¦ŠπŸ¦‰πŸπŸ‘

www.eventbrite.com/e/reading-co...

06.03.2026 17:51 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

🀣

06.03.2026 00:07 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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395K views Β· 6.6K reactions | Can it be? An ectotherm out for a winter walk? In fact it is! This Spotted Salamander was "spotted" out for a stroll on the snow by a keen-eyed cross-country skier last w... Can it be? An ectotherm out for a winter walk? In fact it is! This Spotted Salamander was "spotted" out for a stroll on the snow by a keen-eyed cross-country skier last week. If you’ve been...

Probably not ideal, but looks like some early risers might actually emerge into snow! That's wild. www.facebook.com/reel/2693284...

05.03.2026 20:39 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Final count- my class got to catch, tag, measure, sample, and release 7 sharks of 5 species! Today we got to see a great hammerhead!

Fair winds and a following sea to another great group of students.

I’ll be running this class again in the fall!

05.03.2026 20:26 πŸ‘ 90 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1

Oh, nice!! I think I'll see you there, then!

05.03.2026 20:34 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Be Here Now: The Spotted Salamander's Guide to the Present You've probably never seen them, but there are huge, gorgeous salamanders hiding all around us.

Also, I riffed on the wonder of this natural phenomenon last year over at my totally free newsletter. Enjoy!

πŸ§ͺ #herping

jasonbittel.substack.com/p/be-here-no...

05.03.2026 20:15 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

My first thought was it might be slightly later, given latitude -- like fall foliage -- but it seems like they're constrained by the same temps/weather. So really just when that warmth and rain hit at the same time!

05.03.2026 20:14 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Looking like tonight (or tomorrow, Saturday) could be The Night in #Pittsburgh!! πŸ§ͺ

05.03.2026 20:05 πŸ‘ 15 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

Nice! Where do you go?

05.03.2026 20:00 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I woke up at 4 and couldn't sleep, so I went for an indoor row. Which was great! But now I might need a coffee to get to dinner, and I'm supposed to go look for salamanders after 9...

05.03.2026 19:13 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

No one appreciates how cute spotted salamanders are. They are SO CUTE.

05.03.2026 15:21 πŸ‘ 39 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0
Three drawings of lemurs on black paper. At the top a Fork-marked lemur drawn with white gel pen and pastel pencils; in the middle an Aye-Aye - I used yellow stickers for his eyes and metallic pencils for the line work; lastly an Indri lemur - his luminous green eyes are achieved with tempera stick - everything else pastel pencil.

Three drawings of lemurs on black paper. At the top a Fork-marked lemur drawn with white gel pen and pastel pencils; in the middle an Aye-Aye - I used yellow stickers for his eyes and metallic pencils for the line work; lastly an Indri lemur - his luminous green eyes are achieved with tempera stick - everything else pastel pencil.

A class on drawing lemurs over @artistinresidence.co
I've been working through the alphabet each week - two letters at a time. This one - M & N - Madagascar and Night. The series has all been about brainstorming A -> Z to produce drawing ideas. It works! #drawing #artclass #lemur #sciart #arttutor

05.03.2026 14:16 πŸ‘ 42 πŸ” 15 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ˜‚

05.03.2026 16:11 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

ha, more like skin creases, at least I think!

05.03.2026 15:28 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

You will appreciate this! I learned in writing this that the creases on their sides are not ribs, because they don't have ribs in the way that we do -- like, cagey-things. Rather, the creases act like an accordion, allowing the sallies to scrunch sideways left and right to locomote

05.03.2026 15:26 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Spotted salamanders are about to take a once-in-a-year midnight trek For just one or two nights each spring, spotted salamanders emerge from underground and go in search of vernal mating pools.

With all this rain and warmth, I'm wondering if tonight might be the night... so it's good timing for my latest for National Geographic! πŸ§ͺ #herping

www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

05.03.2026 15:20 πŸ‘ 38 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 2
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Jason Bittel wants you to love America’s wildlife like he does In his new National Geographic Explorer book β€˜Grizzled,’ the Pitt alum composes an ode to our animal neighbors, from grizzly bears to salamanders.

Some nice coverage for GRIZZLED over at PittWire by Patrick Monahan!

www.pittwire.pitt.edu/features-art...

05.03.2026 15:15 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Want to learn more about hummingbirds being the arrow of the gods? Pick up a copy of GRIZZLED!!!

05.03.2026 01:29 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Celebrating The Misunderstood: Mercedes Burns Featured In New Book On North America's Overlooked Critters - UMBC Mercedes Burns' research on daddy longlegs is featured in a new book highlighting some of North America's most misunderstood animals. She hopes readers will find "a new local species to love.

Love seeing Mercedes Burns get some institutional love over being quoted in GRIZZLED! Burns is an expert on harvesters/daddy longlegs/Opiliones, and she is amazing!!! πŸ§ͺ

umbc.edu/quick-posts/...

04.03.2026 18:32 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Sir, that is a gummy worm.

04.03.2026 15:21 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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A Totally New Kind of Wildlife Wonder-Guide You’ve got questions about GRIZZLED. I’ve got answers.

Wondering if GRIZZLED is for you? Here’s a handy FAQ about what’s inside my new book, who it’s written for, where to get a copy, and more! πŸ§ͺ

jasonbittel.substack.com/p/a-totally-...

20.02.2026 17:40 πŸ‘ 19 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
A box full of brand new copies of Jason Bittel’s new book, GRIZZLED, emerges from a hole in the ground, surrounded by dirt and tree roots, as if it has just woken from hibernation. The book’s cover features a grizzly bear prominently.

A box full of brand new copies of Jason Bittel’s new book, GRIZZLED, emerges from a hole in the ground, surrounded by dirt and tree roots, as if it has just woken from hibernation. The book’s cover features a grizzly bear prominently.

Text that reads, β€œTo Jess, Mark, June, and Huck: For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” β€”Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book

Text that reads, β€œTo Jess, Mark, June, and Huck: For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” β€”Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book

Happy Publication Day to GRIZZLEDβ€”a day I’ve been dreaming about for 10 years! πŸ§ͺ

❀️‍πŸ”₯πŸ»β€οΈβ€πŸ”₯

03.03.2026 21:34 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

@dovergirl.bsky.social I would like this book for my birthday.

03.03.2026 05:43 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Grizzled by Jason Bittel: 9781426223358 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books Funny, fascinating, and scientifically grounded, this charming book reveals unknown details about 50 well-known animals. Effortlessly readable, Grizzled reintroduces nature lovers to species they th...

Happy GRIZZLED Eve, to all who celebrate!!!

πŸ§ͺπŸ¦ŠπŸ¦‘πŸπŸ‘

www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804002...

03.03.2026 05:21 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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Come for the skunk. 🦨πŸ§ͺ
Stay for the great horned owl! πŸ¦‰

27.02.2026 16:18 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Today’s mantra:

MAXIMUM ADHESION. IMPOSSIBLE TO CRUSH. BECOME THE MOST EFFICIENT SHAPE

02.03.2026 13:40 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Come for the skunk. 🦨πŸ§ͺ
Stay for the great horned owl! πŸ¦‰

27.02.2026 16:18 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Terrible headline (this is NOT what the new research - link below - shows!), terrible AI image! Argh!
Here’s the actual research:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Where do I start?! 1/4

27.02.2026 11:13 πŸ‘ 826 πŸ” 226 πŸ’¬ 64 πŸ“Œ 34

Our coyotes (outside Pittsburgh) also love a good siren! Best time to hear them is at night, about ten seconds after the local fire whistle goes off.

27.02.2026 02:58 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Ha, we just saw this show for the first time. I was entertained!

27.02.2026 00:21 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0