a hybrid—with the long ears of an aardvark and the bushy tail of a giant anteater. (This character was the inspiration for Peter the Anteater, the University of California, Irvine team mascot. Also served as the inspiration for the mascot of the now disestablished US Navy fighter squadron VF-114 the "Aardvarks".) Maude: an ant, a nagging wife with a smart-alec son (Johnny) and a quarrelsome, straying husband. Jake: ant husband of Maude, who is always threatening to run off with Shirley. Queen Ida: the queen ant, an unfeeling and abusive dictator. Queen Ida was based on Hart's wife Bobby, whose given name was Ida. She was featured every year on her birthday, December 3, until Mrs. Hart's death in 2018. (The December 3, 2019 strip featured a parting message from the Queen to her subjects.) The Dinosaur: big but not too bright—a sort of sauropod with spinal plates like a stegosaurus. Sometimes called Gronk, which is the only sound he makes (although he can talk fluently in recent strips). The Clams: talking clams with legs, among other appendages. (Clams are also the preferred unit of currency in B.C.) The Apteryx (kiwi): a "wingless bird with hairy feathers," as he invariably introduces himself. The Turkey: makes his yearly appearance at Thanksgiving time, eluding the mighty hunters. Oynque: the turkey's porcine partner in crime, rarely seen without his trademark mud puddle. Wolf: the newest B.C. character August 24, 2009; a blissfully deviant domestication of Precambrian fur. Man's first friend. Various incidental ants, including a schoolteacher and her students. Raptors: velociraptors that try to eat the other characters. There are also several odd inanimate characters, including a talking Daisy and his/her friend, a talking Rock. Seldom-used or one-shot human characters Although the strip seldom expands its human cast outside of the established group of characters, there are a few exceptions. Anno Domini, or A.D., introduced during a weeks-long journey by Peter to discover the new world, which he successfully accomplished. His name is arguably a riff on B.C.'s name. He dresses as a caveman very much like the rest of the characters, but has a thick mustache and a stereotypical Italian accent, assuming a bit of a take on Christopher Columbus. He befriends Peter in the "new world." Conahonty, a Native American Indian, who also appears in the "new world" storyline, and befriends Peter. He is a friend of A.D.'s, and speaks rather