As a child, I watched Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom - I can still hear the music and the host's voice! As a child, I also relocated several bugs and lizards into containers so I could watch and observe them. (WittyGirl inherited this habit) I grew up in South Florida - close enough to the Everglades to be considered sub-tropical. THEY say "Everything is Bigger in Texas", but then, I think THEY have NEVER been to the Tropics - Insects and Reptiles can be GIGANTIC in the Tropics! I haven't verified this, but I believe the further south you travel in the Tropics, the Bigger the critters become.
Singapore is 90 miles from the Equator - pretty deep into the Tropics. One would think that being a metropolitan city of 5 million people, there wouldn't be space for critters because of all the buildings and people. I don't know how it exists, but Singapore is a city inside a jungle with all the wild life that includes.
I've explained how Singapore homes are made of concrete, not sheetrock on the inside. There aren't any screens on the windows! Basically, anything can fly or crawl in. This is disconcerting even for a non-squemish person! At first, I HATED the geckos. However, I quickly learned that a few geckos in your house aren't bad as they eat the insects. WittyGirl started naming the geckos in the house. Dobby was the biggest one. I don't have a picture of him -geckos only come out at night and are quite skittish of people - go figure!
This is on the ceiling of a restaurant in Thailand. It is easily 10 inches long!
This is one of Dobby's offspring, I think. There is no way I would ever pick up Dobby himself - he was bigger than my hand!
This is a Cicada - I know it is hard to get perspective, but this bug is the length of my whole hand. Cicadas are the bugs that buzz in the heat of summertime in the US. Well, for some reason in Singapore they make a high pitched siren like sound. A friend's son called them Screaming Headache bugs. I think that was accurate.
Spider - who knows what kind - would cover my palm if I was brave enough to hold it in my hand. I regularly encountered these on my walks in the Botanic Gardens! Warning: If you do the Rainforest Trail, just after dawn, be careful to dodge their webs. I freaked out one time because I walked into a web on the trail - It was an AFV moment! - The trail was deserted - no one saw me - now, I know why.
What does bother me . . . and these do NOT live in Texas are the Water Monitors!
They do this "I'm Big & Bad swaying walk". You can hear their claws click if they are on concrete. They can swim - thus the name Water monitor! It wasn't till about 2 years into my Expat assignment that I learned they can climb trees! Unbelievable! I lived on the 2nd floor of a condo! REMEMBER what I said about how anything can get in?! Monitors are all over Southeast Asia!
We stayed on the 1st floor of a very nice hotel in Bali, Indonesia. This is what I woke up to my first morning! I am on my patio taking these pictures!
I was at another resort on an island in Malaysia, reading a book by the pool on a lounge chair, watching WittyGirl swim. I heard a rustling . . . I glanced around and right behind the row of lounge chairs headed my way was a big monitor! I stood up and ran away to the edge of the pool in case I needed to save WIttyGirl.
Mind you I'm at a resort in Malaysia - not everyone speaks English. I wasn't sure what to do ---yell? - I didn't want to start a Panic! So I stood by the pool and watched the monitor go under several people's lawn chairs checking out their bags and stuff. They were oblivious had no idea a monitor was right under them!!!! He finally moved on, but when I turned around the Bartender was laughing at me. I asked him what was I supposed to do - - - He said nothing - that the monitor was looking for an easy meal. GROSS!!!! EEEEEWWWW!!!! Heebie Jeebies!!!!!
Supposedly the "water monitors" are relatively harmless - - -so THEY say. It is apparently their cousins the Komodo Dragons that are the real bad boys. Incidentally, the dragons live on an island off the coast of Bali!!!! Do you remember me saying they can swim?????!!!!!
On one of my last walks in the Botanic Gardens they posted this on the information board (Sorry for the glare - iPhone) - zoom in so you can read it!
I don't agree with the statement that they are shy and more afraid of me. HA!
As I was leaving Singapore, out on Sentosa Island they have an exhibit that we went to see at the aquarium. This is what happened . . .
I kissed the monitor - GOODBYE!
Pretty real looking, eh?
This whole post started because it is supposedly Spring here in Texas. It was 38F this morning! However, the little green lizards are starting to come out. One was on my kitchen window - outside. I like the little green lizards - They are a plus to repatriation and that I no longer have to be concerned if a monitor is going to be on my walking path!
I was filling a planter box with soil, getting ready to plant tomatoes and peppers this morning, when a toad hopped out of the flowers. I thought of WittyGirl. A green tree frog also visited me while I worked.
ReplyDeleteMoustacheMan