Mongoose: Never Knew She was Pregnant When I Shot Her (Photo Essay)

This series of photos was taken about this time of year back in 2009 when I was supposedly making a grocery run sans the missus.  Without her riding along, giving me directions, I kind of get lost whenever I see a side road that the cameras and I might enjoy. It's fun going out of the way looking for wildlife by yourself.  

That's why I volunteer to do the shopping (without an assistant) every chance I get. It saves a few bucks, too!

        Mongooses are pretty skittish varmints and you rarely see one stay still long enough to focus on them.

This one was acting kind of strange.  It even looked me right in the eyes while I parked the car.
Knowing there wouldn't be time to set up a tripod I just jumped out and figured I'd shoot in continuous mode with the camera handheld.  Fuzzy pictures are better than none at all, and way more fun than going shopping.  Ain't that the truth ?

The pregnant part of this story comes later. The only part of the body I'm watching is the eyes when I shoot wildlife.  There isn't exactly time for physical examinations in this line of business.

      I was really busy concentrating on focus, aperture, shutter speed and zooming-in on the critter.....

         when a bird popped into the scene so fast, I didn't get a chance to adjust my focus.  Ouch, it's a blur.

      Whatever it was that Rock Thrush (bird) was interested in, the mongoose wasn't willing to let him have it.

           The bird took the mongoose's suggestion and flew off for dinner somewhere else, in a hurry.

        Then, the critter looked right up the barrel of my 500mm lens like it was coming after me, next.

                       The little wise guy (what I thought at the time) even stuck his tongue out at me.

My final shot was the critter walking off with a toothpick or straw hanging out of its mouth acting like it's the number one lightweight weasel/varmint/mongoose in all of Okinawa, Japan and maybe, the whole world.

It wasn't until I was developing the photos at home, the missus (who knows everything except how to make beer) came along.  She says, "Look.  That mongoose is pregnant"!

I never knew she was pregnant when I shot her but, take a closer look at the mongoose photos.

                                         NOW,  IS THAT A PREGNANT MONGOOSE, OR WHAT ?


NOTE: The Mongoose is not related to the weasel.  But, they are some savage varmints that should have never been brought to the island of Okinawa.  NATIONAL GEO VIDEO

RELATED POST:  MONGOOSE ( HERPESTES JAVANICUS ) OKINAWA, JAPAN

MORE ABOUT THIS INVASIVE SPECIES:  SMALL ASIAN MONGOOSE