Side Notes

09/30/12

Just a little bit about the animal life here! Spotted this pretty fella on the way to campus one morning... I hate looking like a tourist when I live here, but I pulled out my camera anyways. Subtly, you know (is that word spelled right? It doesn't look right but really I have no idea. Moving on!). 

He's called a Frangipani caterpillar and will someday (assuming he is not squished) become a moth that is significantly less pretty. According to wikipedia, their appearance might be mimicking that of a coral snake, but regardless, they are really brightly colored! They are mildly toxic to would be predators including other bugs and birds. Nothing about biting people though, so I think we're safe! Still, I didn't get that close. You never know in a place that has carnivorous centipedes. (I'd say I'm working on getting a picture of one, but if I never seen one again on this island that would be just fine too!)

And this little guy is just one of the many lizards I have seen in my apartment. I'd say he was about 4 or 5 inches long; the biggest one I've seen was probably 8 to 10, but he scurried through a crack in my ceiling (which doesn't leak when it rains...so that's good. Might just be room between the boards on the lofted ceiling) before I could take a picture. The fact that this was right above my bed was slightly concerning, but I'm choosing not to dwell on it. The worst part of the lizards is just the surprise, I saw this little guy when I suddenly moved a towel hanging on the other side of the door. Generally I am okay with them being in here; they eat the mosquitoes that would be otherwise bothering me, and I am kind of used to it. In Hawaii there was a relatively similar thing, lizards would be in and out. As long as they don't draw the centipedes, we are all good!

There are some other cool animals I've seen here, lots of crabs, a greenish heron, and the iguana who I think lives in my front yard, but I am still working on pictures! More soon!