Assorted Local Fauna
The best part of being in the Malagasy wilderness is being around Malagasy wildlife. These are the various local creatures I encountered. Not all are identified, as I honestly don't know what the heck some of them were.
The object of the whole expedition, a fossa! This shot was captured by a camera trap. This image copyright Luke Dollar 2001.
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This butterfly was quite willing to hold still while
I got very close with the camera.
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The top of this species' wings is darker and more richly
colored, but somewhat out of focus. Biologists are baffled.
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This bug was easily three inches long and at least four
across the wings, and held completely still while I took its picture.
Courteous insects down there.
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This is a caterpillar. The full photo of it is approximately
life-size. No joke.
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Look closely. Those aren't flowers; they're bugs.
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A chameleon crossing the street.
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Same chameleon, doing his best to look inconspicuous
in hopes I'll leave him alone.
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Our guide that day picked him up so I could get this
gorgeous shot.
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Chameleons' only good trick besides "hope it doesn't
notice me" is the creation of these white warning spots, which supposedly
dissuade predators.
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This gecko was hiding in the crack of a tree, peering
out at us.
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This little guy would come into the dining area to drink
the puddle of water that spilled from our water filters.
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Another cute local lizard, possibly a gecko.
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A kestrel perched in a tree. Amazingly beautiful bird.
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Sadly, this was as close as I was able to get. My kingdom
for a telephoto lens.
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A Madagascar scops owl, sleeping in the daylight. In
reality, it was about the size of my fist.
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I don't know what made this nest in the dining hall,
but it's a remarkable design.
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We had no idea what this cocoon belonged to or what
might hatch from it. Actually, I still don't.
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A hognose snake that passed through camp.
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A snake that moved slower than I did.
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This is a great way to get snakes to hold still for
portraits.
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This is one of a number of turtles kept at a local turtle
breeding preserve.
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A wooly lemur in a tree, staring down at us.
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The wooly lemur is nocturnal, so its eyes have to reflect
a lot of light. They work.
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One night in the forest I noticed this wooly lemur regarding
me curiously from a nearby tree.
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DAMN
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He was about twenty or twenty-five feet away, and didn't
seem to mind the camera flashes.
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One of a group of brown lemurs we saw in JBA one morning.
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The same group of brown lemurs, wondering what the foreigners
with the cameras are staring at.
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This is where my photos of a family of Coquerel's sifakas
would go, if I hadn't forgotten my &#%$ing camera that day.
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Whatever you do, don't miss the famous fossa movie!