Jason Bittel, a University of Pittsburgh alumnus, has released a new book titled “Grizzled,” which highlights lesser-known and often overlooked animals native to the United States. In his approach to writing about wildlife, Bittel acknowledges that he favors these creatures due to the environmental challenges they face because of human activity.
“If all things were equal, none of these animals would need our help. But we’ve kind of messed things up,” Bittel said. “So, my thumb is on the scale, and I think that’s okay.”
“Grizzled” is written as a collection of essays rather than traditional field guide entries. The book aims to make readers reconsider how they view common or underappreciated species such as opossums and ants. For example, Bittel points out that mountain lions are the largest cats capable of purring.
“The whole premise of this book is that every animal has some sort of epic poem lying within, and it’s up to me to find it and figure out how to communicate it,” he said.
Bittel’s interest in science writing developed during his time in Pitt’s Creative Writing MFA program after initially being discouraged from pursuing science in high school. He later contributed articles about animals for outlets like National Geographic and the New York Times before compiling “Grizzled.” The project took shape over ten years.
“I sort of fell backwards into science writing,” Bittel said. “I grinded away for a number of years writing anything I could get my hands on. As the years went by, I was writing more and more about animals, and it really became my beat.”
The book features 50 different animals found across America, including both well-known species like bald eagles and less celebrated ones such as hellbenders—a large salamander sometimes called “snot otter” or “old lasagna sides.” Each essay discusses how these animals’ habitats have been affected by humans.
“I’ve always thought it was wild that we don’t know a whole lot about the animals all around us that we maybe take for granted as background noise,” he said.
While working on the book, Bittel had firsthand experience with one subject: yellowjackets built a nest in his writing shed. Rather than exterminating them, he opted for catch-and-release until winter arrived when only the queen survived by burrowing underground.
“By late summer a yellowjacket nest can have thousands and thousands of workers, and so I had hundreds of yellowjackets in my shed,” Bittel said. “I was never stung, but the droning, the constant buzzing — it was mind-numbing.”
He added: “Most of us don’t have all day to sit around and read scientific papers about porcupines,” he said. “But I do, and so my career has been talking to the people who have devoted their lives to these animals, taking the best bits and translating them for the public in a way that is hopefully informative, but also entertaining.”
Bittel will discuss his new book at White Whale Bookstore in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood on March 6 at 7 p.m.
