Critters in the Yard

The Variegated Squirrel

Check out the colors on these little guys! It's called a Variegated Squirrel and likes to hang out in the trees. Don't usually spot them unless they're moving around and leaping from one branch to another. They are pretty quick! He's chewing on a guava in the first picture.

The  Agouti

Reminds me of the little guinea pigs the kids had for pets years ago. But looks like a little piglet when it's up on its legs and running. Shy and doesn't like to get too close to people. Glad that Hector doesn't chase them so they'll feel safe in the yard. I notice that they're coming closer to the house and letting me get closer for pictures.

 

The Coati (Ticos call them Pizotes)

 These are not shy at all. They are good climbers and sleep in branches high in the canopy. Males travel alone. Females are in large groups with their young. I worry about one of these eating Hector! They come right up by the house and I wouldn't be surprised to see them come inside.

Francisco told me that they had trouble with coatis during the 5 months he spent in the jungle studying howler monkeys for his Master's thesis. The coatis figured out how to unzip the tents and would raid them for food. So they started leaving the zipper at the top of the door. Then the coatis figured out how to stand on each other's backs to reach up that high. Pretty smart!

It was a coati that got one of Hannah and Francisco's pet chickens. All that was left in the pen was one solitary feather. So sad. See why I worry about Hector?

If you think you hear drumming during the last half of this video, you're right! They're teaching it to the kids at the school in Santa Elena. Even though it's a couple kms away, sound carries up here on the mountain.

 The Guava

And this is what they are all eating in the yard. Grows on trees and turns yellow when ripe. Really good for you. Better than an apple a day!