Monday, January 9, 2012

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

mongoose
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!

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

mongoose
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 ?

mongoose

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.....

mongoose, bird

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

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

mongoose, growling

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

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

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

mongoose

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










4 comments:

Unknown said...

Since I being too lazy to look it up myself, I will ask you if there are more than one species of mongooses? For I am thinking that the mongooses around India are rather grey in color.

RyukyuMike said...

Jerry,
That's correct; they have a few different species of mongooes.
Being similar in the lazy department, I didn't bother posting a wiki thingy but, may dig up something of a link for you. Standby...

Stephanie - The Travel Chica said...

Never seen one of those before.

RyukyuMike said...

Stephanie,
They are a serious problem in places like Hawaii and Okinawa so, I guess if you never saw one, you are lucky !