Bugs, Animals, Insects... Oh My

So, Vanuatu is filled with some of the largest and most weird looking bugs I’ve ever seen. Some look the same as the ones we have back in the States, but others I swear are just unique to this diverse country. I think this will be a continuous blog post, and as I see new and interesting bugs/insects, I will be uploading them along with the others.

In addition, to the common animals, which are encountered practically every day, such as: the foul, anorexic dogs and cats, rats, geckos, lizards (various sizes and colors), mosquitos, flies, ants, roaches, worms, centipedes, millipedes, grubs, moths (mutant ones that are the size of your hands), grasshoppers, snakes, and wasps; there are much, much more that I either don’t know their names or maybe are just local residents to Vanuatu alone. Some look like they have been dropped in from space, mutated in some way or another, or to me are characters out of popular television shows. For example, last month I saw a lizard with green skin and purple pok-a-dots…now who does that sound like? Baby Barney?

Luckily, I have been told that all the animals, bugs, insects, and some that I don’t think are even classified under a scientific name, here in Vanuatu are all NON-Poisonous. Yes, the centipede bite and wasps can cause immense pain and swelling, the flies will surround you even if your clean or dirty, geckos who will never leave your house even if you have a pussy cat, crabs who just wander in and hide in the corners of your shower, beetles who hiss, and Giant grubs, and those pesky mosquitos that are ever present are just day-day life here, from the sand beaches to the dark bush of every island in Vanuatu. But there are plusses to these interesting 'things'. For instance, you could have a animal lawn mower, like my new nani (goat).

Me and my host sister, Evelyn, have gotten into taking photos of interesting bugs in and around my house, so here is a small photo album of the mini/mutant wonders, at last in my community.

·         Don’t let this post scare you into coming here, just think of it as an added bonus to the adventure!!

     Some Local Grubs (P.S. I ate the Big Mama Jamma on the right)