Animal Encounters Part II

Last year (March 18, 2011) I blogged about many of my fun/scary/painful/amazing experiences I’ve had with animals: getting stung by a scorpion, watching a sloth try to cross the street, a turtle laying its eggs…

Here are a few more stories:

Lizard Loose in the House
Last week I took at 20 minute nap and when I went out into my kitchen/living room area there was a meter long lizard/iguana in the middle of the room. We stared at each other for 30 seconds and when I went to get my camera it got all excited/nervous/scared and it first ran into a corner. That made me a little nervous because I didn't know what it would do if it felt cornered (I don't know if lizards attack...). But then it sprinted towards the back door and I could hear it still running for a while after it got outside.

I did not get the picture.

Snake Scare
After hearing a lot of terrifying snake stories, I’m quite apprehensive of getting bit by one of them. A few weeks ago I almost stepped on a terciopelo (a very poisonous one) and it is quite normal to see dead ones on the street on a daily basis. I make sure to lift my pillow and blankets before getting into bed.

Last night I chatted the following with one of my friends:
“i just had the scare of a life time
well maybe that is a bit dramatic and not real
but i went out back and in the corner i thought i saw a snake go behind my suitcase
the light doesn't work out there so with a flashlight and a long stick i moved the bag
two big albino geckos scattered
i must assume that is what i saw because they wouldn't go back there if it was a snake
but oh man! that almost gave me a heart attack!!”

TP Check

(this was my 4th scorpion)
I’ve had 4 scorpions in my house and I’m always on the lookout for number 5. My toilet paper roll is placed upright behind the toilet and EVERY time I go to the bathroom I first check to make sure there isn’t a scorpion or a spider hiding in the middle of the roll. It’s become habit and I may freak out a few times when I don’t have to do that.

Knowing a Bug by its Smell
These past months I’ve been running a bunch and I try to go out in the early mornings and at dusk. In the evenings, miniscule (and not that small) bugs seem to think that my face is the perfect landing spot. I’ve started to think that I should invest in some lab goggles to run with. Many times they will go in my nose and no matter how quick I get it out (we are talking less than a second by blowing quickly) they each leave a very unique, and usually quite strong, smell that permeates my nostril for seconds or minutes. Who knew that bugs had such weird smells??

Scared of Ants
I never thought when I came to Costa Rica that one of my conclusions would be that ants are terrible and terrifying. Have you ever been bitten by ants? It is so incredibly painful and it itches a ton at the beginning. I hate it when I’m standing somewhere when suddenly I feel one (or a few) intense bites on my feet. I have this quick dance (and I see others doing it too) where I jump, throw my sandal off and quickly brush my feet off to avoid getting bit by the dozen of tiny ants that are surely walking over my feet (they are so small you don’t feel them until they bite you)

They are also pretty incredible too. Many times a bird will poop on my front porch and within minutes these middle size ants will be all over it. A few hours later there will barely be any trace of the bird poop. It is fascinating to watch!

Can I Bring One Back with Me?
I have just over 2 months left here in Costa Rica (crazy, right?) and many of my fellow volunteers will be taking a dog home. Thankfully I do not have a dog or cat that I have to decide what I should do with it. But there are a few animals that I would honestly LOVE to bring back with me. They have been added to my favorite animal list: My geckos. I really do not know what I will do when I don’t have a dozen running on my walls. I have the ugly albino ones, the cute thing nimble ones, the blue ones with a yellow head… they are small and, long, thin, fat… I even like their loud cries!

I’ve been fortunate to see many many more monkeys and sloths; I’ve seen an elusive quetzal; scarlet macaws continue to fly overhead; birds constantly fly THROUGH my house (love it when it’s a hummingbird)…