Mum, Don't read this post... Mwahahaha
So I figured I'd write a quick post about some of the critters that one can find around my tent. I'll start with the "cute little innocent" ones, then work my way to the "man eating killer" variety.
First of all the caterpillars, millipedes, and centipedes.... Everyday I wake up to about 20 or so caterpillars climbing over my tent. most are little green guys about an inch long. These little guys grow into butter flies about the size of a bowling ball... actually... they are huge... Then there are the big spiky ones... these are about the size of a cigar and covered in spikes... when scared they vomit green goo everywhere... and not just a little green goo, a whole lot of green goo. Yesterday I awoke to the biggest millipede I have ever seen crawling over my stomach... he was about 8 inches long... fortunately they are not poisonous or anything, just creepy. finally the centipedes, haven't seen too many of these, I'm told they are poisonous though.
Not all the animals are that cute... for instance a on Tuesday, I got out of bed (very sleepy), and mozzied down to the showers. Open the door to one of the stalls, and there sitting on the bench: a spitting cobra. No coffee on the planet could wake you up faster then seeing that snake first thing in the morning. Speaking of snakes, here are a couple that hang around the area:
Spitting Cobra: These "little" guys are deadly. They spit poison into your eyes to blind you, then bite, I think they have about a 50% kill rate in adults. fortunately they are relatively docile and do not attack unless provoked. One of the people at the camp actually trip and got tangled in one, and never got bitten.
Black Mambas: If I were to have nightmares about any animal down here... it's these guys. Nearly 100% kill rate in Adults, in as little as 10 minutes after the bite. Oh, they are very aggressive and territorial. They can grow up to about 4.5 metres, and the most amazing thing is that they can support themselves on one third of their length. This means that a 4.5m snake can "stand" 2 metres in the air.... scary.
well thats enough about killer snakes around my tent. I apologise for the lack of pictures, I am working so hard at getting a job, and combined with the massive thunder storms have not had the opportunity to take many. When I do, I will post them
Eli
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Okay - now you are going to have to write me EVERY day so that I know you have not fallen prey to a Black Mamba.
ReplyDeletePaula
Now that was a 10 out of 10 on my creep o meter. I think I'd have trouble falling asleep... or staying asleep....
ReplyDeleteIf you see the black mamba from Kill Bill 2, could you get me an autograph? My favourite insects from the tropics were the walking sticks. They liked to disguise themselves as hinges in the toilet stall door. There you are sitting and minding your own business when the door hinge gets up and starts walking away. It's enough to constipate you for days.
ReplyDeleteBe ever vigilant. To paraphrase Funakoshi, once you leave your tent, there are 10,000 scary things out there. In your case, they seem to be in the tent too.