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Thursday, February 12, 2009

Dwarf Galago

If my technical assistant (read, mechanically competent child) can manage we'll post a picture, but a quick note for old team mates and nature lovers.  We saw a first-ever new animal at team meeting tonight.  A dwarf galago (bush-baby), Galagoides thomasi I think, a distinct race that occurs in NE Congo.  First a slim squirrel-sized primate dropped down from the mango tree, stirred Star into a tizzy, jumped, ran up a couple of other trees and hopped back down, making its way erratically across the yard.  We got a good view of its pointy ears and over-sized eyes and long furry frayed looking tail.  Then the kids noticed a tiny baby version on the ground, it looked like a small wing-less bat with a long curling tail.  It did not move well.  Julia put on gloves to move it back into the tree and Annelise had the presence of mind to warn her against touching near the teeth . . . as Luke pointed out on the phone, there may have been a reason we saw these two tonight, perhaps they are sick.  And the primate to human transmission of viruses in Bundibugyo and environs lately has not been happy news.  Always something interesting in our yard!

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