There are a number of "critters" besides tourists which abound in the Islands. One of them is a real cutie. You probably are familiar with the gecko from the Geico Insurance advertisement. It is very endearing, I think. Here is one that was just outside our window the other day. As you can see I took the picture through a screen. I was able to get pretty close that way. Otherwise I haven't been able to get so close. Geckos can been seen almost anywhere. Sometimes they're in the house. They supposedly eat insects, including cockroaches, so they are mostly welcome.
Then there are the chickens!! I haven't seen so many on Oahu, but this picture was taken in the botanical garden we visited on July 5 (on Oahu). There a tons of them on Kaua'i. In fact the crowing of the cocks can sometimes be very annoying--they don't always wait for sunrise and they continue through the day as well.
Another common critter is the mongoose. They were introduced in the late 19th century as a way to control rats. Unfortunately they eat not only rats but other species, including endangered ones. They have become prolific. I've seen them at a distance but never been able to take a picture of one.
In the ocean there are lots of critters of course. The one which most often concerns us as beach-goers is the box jelly fish. I've seen them in an aquarium--and they're beautiful.
But every month, about a week after the full moon, they like to come ashore in Waikiki, where they cause problems for swimmers because of their stings. I've never seen one in the water at the beach, and I don't want to, either. When the jellies are in the area, warning signs are posted--at least on the beaches at Waikiki.
Yesterday and today are days when jellyfish have been stinging. Swimmers beware!
2 comments:
Neat pictures. That little Gecko is cute! The insurance company commercial on TV is about the only one I watch...mainly to watch that cute little critter.
Isn't the mongoose the critter that wrestles with a cobra, or maybe it's the other way around. Perhaps if there were snakes in Hawaii they (the snakes) would control the rat population. Guess I'd as soon have a mongoose than a snake on second thought.
There are supposedly no snakes in Hawaii. As to the mongooses controlling the rats, apparently that doesn't work as well as was hoped. They do eat some rats, but the mongoose is mainly diurnal and the rats nocturnal.
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