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Bizarre Small Mammal Ethology

Paraxerus vexillarius

photo by William Stanley

It's been a while since I last posted anything, but I came across an article on the BBC today that is worth mentioning. It's worth noting, that this article will only appeal to a very specific demographic of people, namely those interested in East African small mammals ("Rats & Bats" as Bill Stanley says).

It seems that a bush squirrel as discovered attacking a fruit bat. This is particularly bizarre behavior because squirrels are herbivores and have never been known to even scavenge meat, let along hunt live mammals!

This incident was witnessed and recorded by Bill Stanley, of the Chicago Field Museum, who has travelled extensively within Tanzania and often bases himself at Kibebe Farm in Iringa. Furthermore, his discovery was made in Mwafomero Forest Reserve in the Rubeho Mountains (part of the Eastern Arc), part of the WCS Confervation Flight Program mapping project, which I had the chance to help out with in the Fall of 2006. Small world!

Some New Photos

Scotia Range - Will launches a clay bird as Uncle Eric draws a bead.

I've been pretty bad lately about getting photos posted, but I've just added a couple to flickr from shooting skeet last weekend when we had family visiting and also a couple from this afternoon at the Pennsylvania Jazz Festival at Spring Creek Park in Bellefonte. Click on the photo above to check them out!