The Weekly Recap
Hello and welcome back to the weekly recap! This is also a recap of the past two weeks as we have been busy travelling, but I will be back on track now as I am back at uni. We were just in Hokkaido, which I loved and I think my dad did too – although failing to see a Sable led to him singing Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now by The Smiths with a lot more passion than usual.
To kick it off, there have been three trip reports from Madagascar. The first is from the Propitrek is full of stunning photos of mammals (many species of lemur), reptiles, birds and landscapes. The second saw 318 total species in only 26 days, 78 of which were mammals! There are many great pictures too and a detailed itinerary if you want to try to reproduce this epic trip. And finally, this one has a very interesting focus on Lac Alaotra Bamboo Lemurs, written for the Lemur Conservation Network.
Next is this Royle Safaris first mammal-focused tour of Panama: they were 40 species, 19 of which were bats but also the very rare Water Opossum, Armoured Rat and Kinkajou. There is also an adorable picture of Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloth napping (what I wish I was doing right now).
This week’s episode of It’s A Wild Life is Central Chile! They saw the Chilean Chinchilla, Sei Whale and South American Sea Lion amongst many others.
This report from national parks in Minnesota and the Dakotas features several of the North American classics: Bison, prairie dogs, and even an American Porcupine.
A report from Habre’s Nest, Nepal is filled with adorable Red Pandas! I love these so much that they used to be my go to 20 Questions pick (on rotation with koalas, naturally).
This trip report from Isla Maria Madre, Mexico saw both the Tres Maria Cottontail and Tres Maria Raccoon! There are also two species of dolphin, a Black Rat and lots of birds.
The final report is Western Sahara: Sandcats, Libyan Striped Weasel, Fennec and Ruppells’ Foxes and more. There are more stunning photos and also exact map markings of where each species was seen, which is very useful, and will save you hours of wandering around staring at the ground in the descending cold and dark, your father tutting every time you dare ask if you can go home yet.
Five new species of spineless (but very brave I’m sure) furry hedgehogs have been discovered in South-East Asia, two of which are entirely new to science! Definitely ones to add to the must-see list.
There are currently five Sun Bears very regularly visiting Kaeng Krachan NP in Thailand – if you want to see them, now is your chance!
Several people are asking for trip help and suggestions: India (Assam state reserves guidance), Botswana (looking for guide and location advice), Barro Colorado Island (good for mammals?). There are also questions on where to find Tassy Devils on Maria Island and Mohave Ground Squirrels in California. This great post about alternative mammal watching destinations in Borneo could be helpful to others with similar questions!
There are also a few mammal ID help requests. This mystery hamster(?) from Southwest Turkey and several Argentinian cavies.
A parent-friendly wildlife trip to Paraguay is being proposed. So if, like my father, you are the type of parent who cannot resist subjecting your children to the same… interests as you, and unlike my father you do somewhat care about their comfort and well-being, definitely check it out!
A new page has been added to the website which links all the IUCN Specialist Groups publishing accessible reports on mammals, so check it out if you have some free time – or need help falling asleep 🙂
If you would like to subscribe only to weekly updates like these from mammalwatching.com, you can visit this page.
Happy new year to everyone! And thanks for reading:)
Katy
Cover photo: David Andrew
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