Eating its breakfast up in a pine tree, littering the detritus all over the neighborhood.
Group of what appeared to be three young squirrels emerging from nest in tree cavity.
(From Notes Taken At The Time): "Well, the very first Mammal I saw after nightfall was the one rumoured to be here that I’d spent the entire lead up of the trip telling myself I’d have no chance of seeing. I was just reaching the main stand of forest, quite literally only two trees in, when I just happened to do a sweep with the headlamp… wait!! Wait!!! There, crouched on one of the sturdy boughs exactly like a Squirrel, its fur glowing the most astounding shade of purply-bluish pearl, was a creature that struck me vividly in the moment as being like an exact cross between a Squirrel and a Bilby, with big, slightly pointy Bat-ears, a very pointed snout and… and… I actually cursed in shock and absolute disbelief when I saw the gigantic, impossibly fuzzy black brush of a tail trailing proudly out behind it!! There, peering down at me without an ounce of fear by a great deal of curiosity, was none other than a PHASCOGALE!!!! The next ten minutes were the best I’ve ever spent with a Mammal on land, hands down; it was like the Phascogale was very poorly playing peek-a-boo, its unquenchable curiosity making it unable to resist scuttling closer and peering out at me with those almost purplish-shining eyes, no matter how much my movements initially startled it… it moved, once again, astonishingly similarly to a Squirrel, racing with quicksilver litheness around the trunks and branches of the trees, totally happy to cling on upside down if it had to!!! It also occasionally looked for food in a most novel way; it sit in its Squirrel-pose, then frantically paw at the bark with its front feet, digging out any bugs that might be hiding!!! I ended up leaving it be long before it lost interest in me… and so the Phascogale passed into the pages of absolute history and truly joyful memories!!!"
(From Notes Taken At The Time): "Well, the very first Mammal I saw after nightfall was the one rumoured to be here that I’d spent the entire lead up of the trip telling myself I’d have no chance of seeing. I was just reaching the main stand of forest, quite literally only two trees in, when I just happened to do a sweep with the headlamp… wait!! Wait!!! There, crouched on one of the sturdy boughs exactly like a Squirrel, its fur glowing the most astounding shade of purply-bluish pearl, was a creature that struck me vividly in the moment as being like an exact cross between a Squirrel and a Bilby, with big, slightly pointy Bat-ears, a very pointed snout and… and… I actually cursed in shock and absolute disbelief when I saw the gigantic, impossibly fuzzy black brush of a tail trailing proudly out behind it!! There, peering down at me without an ounce of fear by a great deal of curiosity, was none other than a PHASCOGALE!!!! The next ten minutes were the best I’ve ever spent with a Mammal on land, hands down; it was like the Phascogale was very poorly playing peek-a-boo, its unquenchable curiosity making it unable to resist scuttling closer and peering out at me with those almost purplish-shining eyes, no matter how much my movements initially startled it… it moved, once again, astonishingly similarly to a Squirrel, racing with quicksilver litheness around the trunks and branches of the trees, totally happy to cling on upside down if it had to!!! It also occasionally looked for food in a most novel way; it sit in its Squirrel-pose, then frantically paw at the bark with its front feet, digging out any bugs that might be hiding!!! I ended up leaving it be long before it lost interest in me… and so the Phascogale passed into the pages of absolute history and truly joyful memories!!!"
Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) is distributed in estuarine ecosystems throughout the tropics. Its viviparous "seeds" (propagules), become fully mature plants before dropping off the parent tree. These are dispersed by water until eventually embedding in the shallows.
Rhizophora mangle grows on aerial prop roots, which arch above the water level, giving stands of this tree the characteristic "mangrove" appearance. It is a valuable plant in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas coastal ecosystems. In its native habitat it is threatened by invasive species such as the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius). The red mangrove itself is considered an invasive species in some locations, such as Hawaii, where it forms dense, monospecific thickets. R. mangle thickets, however, provide nesting and hunting habitat for a diverse array of organisms, including fish, birds, and crocodiles.
IMG_2290 Lokobe
IMG_2222 Lokobe
18" long (estimated) A fascinating fish. This male looks after the fry until they finally disperse. Thanks for the ID Sandy. Reid. Photography by Andy McDonald.
I think platforms had been provided for these turtles but they were not captive. I do not recall whether they were painted turtles or sliders
© Michael Bommerer
Isla Santiago, Galapagos Ecuador
such a beauty 🥺
rainy, 13°C
Encontrado en una casa de la rancheria Ishipa, vía a Maicao