Glacier Mouse

This is a glacier mouse. These adorably fuzzy little balls of green fluff are as close as anything in the plant kingdom comes to being a mammal.

They’re actually a type of moss, but they’re known as glacier mice–no kidding, that’s really what scientists call them. They’re found only on glaciers, in chilly places like Iceland and the Himalayas.

This fall I spent two weeks exploring Iceland, and one of my most memorable adventures was a hike on a glacier. Crampons, ice axe, and all. (Not that I needed them to scale the glacier or leap crevasses, as I trudged with a dozen other tourists behind the guide, but still, it was fun to wear the costume. Like wearing a cowboy hat when riding a horse–you don’t need it but it’s cool.)