Wildlife

I have had several people ask me about the wildlife that I have seen here in Costa Rica. Before today, I had only seen a few lizards, cows, and lots of dogs. Including the one eyed dog that always hangs around one of the corners on my street. He just sits there all curled up and looks up at you with his one eye and watches you the whole time you walk past. Very creepy dog, in my opinion.

One-eyed-dogs aside, I had not really seen any noteworthy animals before today. Then, when I was walking to the bus today, some movement in the ditch/gutter next to the sidewalk caught my eye. But, I'm sorry, it was not a lemur or a macaw or a sea turtle or whatever other exotic exciting animals I should see here.

It was a rat.

This rat was bigger than many of the dogs here, and I'm not even kidding. It was at least a foot long, and that's not even taking into account the entire length of that awful naked disgusting tale. It was as fat around the middle as a softball. Not a baseball. A softball. Yes, I know the difference, and no, I'm not exaggerating. How repulsive!

The next member of the animal kingdom that was a part of my day was a dove. A lovely white dove. Much nicer, right?

Well, not really, considering the circumstances in which we made our acquaintance. When I came home from school (Hollie was there too) Lula was in the driveway talking on the phone and yelling at our dog. I didn't know why, until I saw the traumatized dove frantically and uselessly trying to avoid the jaws of Manchas. It was a very sad little creature. Already unable to fly (undoubtedly the reason it succumbed to our beast in the first place), before it left our driveway it was also severely lacking in the feathers department.

Today was just not my day for animals, I suppose.




**Note from a later date. Yesterday I went to the beach and saw many more typical Tico animals. This includes, but is not limited to: three iguanas, one other big lizard of an unknown species, a flock of macaws flying through the air, a crocodile, and approximately 30 vultures. I know, I killed it with the last one. But it's true!***