26 October 2010

A Ninja Mongoose

I recently photographed two Small Grey Mongooses at Tygerberg. This is the first time that I've captured more than one of them in the same photo.

Is the one Small Grey Mongoose (Kleingrysmuishond - Galerella pulverulenta) trying to sneak up on the other mongoose or the camera?

I don't know much about the inner workings of the mind of a mongoose, but is the mongoose to the left trying to hide behind a single blade of grass?

5 comments:

  1. I added myself to follow your blog. You are more than welcome to visit mine and become a follower if you want to.

    God Bless You :-)

    ~Ron

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  2. Great Image. Looks like they were both traveling towards the camera. Perhaps they are a mating pair ?
    The one mongoose could be sniffing the grass or its just simply by chance.

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  3. I think it's called Murphy's Law.

    I instead, had 2 intruders sneaking up to the camera. They in vein tried to have it removed, fortunately they are not as smart as the more urban variety. One of them left behind a nicely composed little photo. I like the reflection of the camera's LEDs in the eyes.

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  4. Sheesh, lucky they're short-legged critters or your camera would never have survived this encounter. Here you've captured a lovely photo of a classic mongoose cooperative-hunting technique. The largest mongoose acts as decoy while simultaneously tail-semiphoring instructions to its 'hidden' accomplices. Based on this info, the others creep up in ambush on victim, from both before and behind. Lucky escape!
    Congratulations too on your blogging anniversary (belated, I know, but I've been down and out with malaria). I always enjoy visiting your blog: lots to interest and entertain!

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  5. @Lynda:
    Thanks for the explanation :)
    There you have it folks, straight from the expert: The mongooses were hunting for camera traps (trying to make a quick buck, or maybe they are a even more secret unit of the already very secret Secret Police). Mmmm, I'll have to be more carefull in the future around these guys...
    (Hope you are feeling better and glad the scorpion didn't complicate matters further. Down here I only get close encounters of the Cobra kind. Though, you seem to have a good track record with Pythons, etc. also :P)


    @Anonymous:
    Glad the camera is safe :) I've been fortunate and lucky in not having a camera stolen, yet. Just last week I got about 4 groups of people walking past a camera and most of them never even noticed it.

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