On a trail in the rainforest of Costa Rica I saw both the smallest and most beautiful creatures about. Tiny leaf cutter ants carrying burdens many times their size headed across the trail in a single line. They obviously were on their way back to the nest. We carefully avoided disrupting their journey. Crossing our path above was the prettiest butterfly I'd ever seen. This nameless beauty was the size of my hand and the most brilliant blue I'd not even found in a flower.
The meanest critter of all was the Tasmanian devil. In an enclosed area we witnessed their feeding time and it wasn't pretty. The rabbits on their menu, thankfully no longer alive, were torn apart by rival 'devils' with a ferocity I'd yet to see in nature.
In contrast, the koalas seemed content to make use of their time munching on bamboo shoots. There were two marsupials on our 'go to' list on the Australian trip. Kangaroos eluded us but their smaller cousins the wallabies put on a show with their bouncing around.
Alaska's animals were not in short supply. Sadly the only moose we saw lay alongside the train track. Obviously he was the loser in an encounter with the train. We were fortunate enough to stand in one spot in Denali National Park and see grizzly bears, caribou, deer and far above in the distance, dall sheep. The grizzly we watched from the bus was busily digging to reach into the burrow of a ground squirrel. It took only three swipe with its massive claws to be shoulder deep into the burrow. Later we witnessed a sow grizzly with her two cubs along the side of the road. This was at the bottom of a steep hill and we wondered as we watched a cyclist headed in that direction exactly how fast he could pedal.
No comments:
Post a Comment