Introduction: Why Nopeland?

And more importantly: What is Nopeland? 

Originally, Nopeland is an Internet meme about animals, defined by the Urban Dictionary as "the place where Nopes live". So Nopeland is a place. A place full of Nopes. But what are "Nopes"?

Nopes are animals. A specific category of animals: those that generally elicit strong feelings in most people, and reactions of the following nature: 

Most often, animals widely categorised as "nopes" look like that:

A Nope.

Twelve centimetres of Nope

An eight-legged Nope

As you can see, the definition of a "nope" is quite loose, and varies from person to person. Snakes are seen by many as an object of fear and disgust, but some find them adorable. Some people are terrified of birds, and to them, sparrows and pigeons are just as "nope-ish" as spiders, scorpions or snakes. 

That's precisely because the definition of "Nope" is vague, that I chose to name that blog, and my business as a freelance arachnologist, after a dead internet meme, rather than something more serious and scientific.
That way, I can talk about all bizarre and misunderstood animals, not just spiders (another option was "Spider Tales", which is arguably better, but more limiting). Although this blog's main focus is arachnids, keeping the name vague will allow ventures into other aspects of zoology, an even to talk about creatures of the "cute" kind. 

But let's get back to what Nopeland is. Nopeland is a place; where is it, then? Somewhere in the heart of the Amazon? Or maybe in the Australian Outback? Well, not exactly... Actually, Nopeland is everywhere. Spiders, scorpions, centipedes, snakes... are everywhere on the planet. Maybe some even live in your house or your garden. The good news, though, is that you don't need to be afraid.
As long as you stay away from crocs and don't attack venomous snakes with a shovel, Nopes are not out to get you. Most of them actually couldn't harm you seriously, even if they wanted to. 

These animals are wonders of nature, some so strange they defy the imagination, as awe-inspiring as the polar bears and elephants whose decline worries us so much. 

Welcome to Nopeland, land of the weird and wonderful.⏹