Bound to happen

Graham, nice math.

Just to save your scanner I'll post two pics of a Long-tailed Macaque (Imnotsuricanspelltheenglish nevermindthelatinname). This primate was, in fact, trying to mug a tourist, just like you describe. Can you tell? Luckily I fought back - there was no way it was getting my Canon, even if I don't have a prime lens. Geddit?


So, point reclaimed. But I must admit I am not going to be able to get that Black Rat on my list, unless maybe I go on holiday with you again. After all, my closest encounters with rats have been in your company...

Now, where to go next. Like a mammalian version of Mornington Crescent, many routes seem possible, but only one is possible. Yes, it is a mammal that I have actually seen this week so it therefore bounds into the blog: Roe Deer (Capreolus crapeolus).

These photos (that I took at a nearby site in November) clearly demonstrate how excellent fieldcraft can achieve a series of images of an individual going about its normal behaviour... err, with the emphasis on going.








Graham: 4

Geoff: 7

Totalogia: 8

Loads of primates

Great stuff. The photo is a bit fuzzy Geoff, even for a stationary animal, but nonetheless quite a coup. Unfortunately, I regularly see flying primates - every time I hop on Ryanair it seems to be crammed with Homo sapiens. Or should that be Linnaeus' five-toed man? Still, good for you. Oh, and no, I won't be including the good old-fashioned human on the species list. How about another primate I saw in 1996 in Malaysia. Yes, the famous Batu caves just outside Kuala Lumpur, festooned with Hindu shrines and teeming with Long-Tailed Macaques, Macaca fascicularis. Of course back in the nineties, I had my trusted Nikon FM2, so I don't have a digital photo to hand - will scan one day. Out of interest, fascicularis means a small band, as individuals tend to go around in groups and, in the wild, mob unsuspecting tourists for an easy snack.

I've also realised that you got in cleverly with Brown Rat. It almost escaped me that I should retaliate with my own brown rat, not to mention a black one. My first brown rat sighting was at the age of about 4 in the family back garden. But it wasn't until my brother bought The Stranglers album, Rattus norvegicus, that I started getting interested in taxonomic nomenclature. The only Black Rat I can recall was in the Seychelles - a cute little fellow with a white bib. Ah, but then we saw Rattus rattus together, didn't we?

So by my calculations that brings us to Geoff 5, Graham 4. And between us, a grand total of 7. Impressive