Okay, so it's not exactly pouring, but it's definitely raining. And I definitely can't find my monkeys. I'm sensing a trend here. It rains -> no monkeys. This probably won't be good come November...since that's the start of the rainy season and all. I mean, they've got to be here somewhere. I guess I'm just not looking in the right tree at the right time. I've checked all their usual hangouts. Lazy tree #1? Not there. Lazy tree #2? Not there either. Favorite viney patch near papaya tree? Nope. Semi-favroite/frequented tree near that other tree over by where they sometimes rest on Monday and Tuesday afternoons?? Yeah, no. Thye're not there. I don't hear them (or anyone) vocalizing. I don't hear them scurrying about through the canopy. Yvaga Guazu is actually eerily quiet this afternoon. I don't hear much of anything, minus the pitter patter of rain drops on the forest floor. And the occasional bird. But those birds are always making noise....and giving me headaches. They aren't like the nice, springtime chirps of adorable little songbirds. No, they're more like the irritating squawks of larger - not cute - avifauna that make you want to pick up the closest rock and chuck it towards that feathered friend's general vicinity. So the headaches are totally understandable. As is the rock throwing (I promise I've only maybe done it once...or twice).
The past few days have been pretty normal in the GN titi monkey world. No unusual behaviors...no new and unusual resting or feeding trees. I think I've finally figured out their rhythm. Even when I can't find them, I usually know when and where to wait, and they just come to me. Except for today. Today's rainy day is definitely an exception. My little baby titi is getting so big now! It's finally starting to spend more time off the male's back, exploring the nearby branches, trying solid foods, playing with big brother. Plus I think I've finally settled on a name for GN's newest addition. Well, at least if it's a boy. I don't have a name if it turns out to be a little girl. And I don't really even know how I'm supposed to know if it's a boy or a girl by December, but I guess it could just be a girl with a boy's name. That seems to be pretty popular these days. You know, Morgan, Charlie, etc. Boys name...but for girls. But this particular boy's name that I've picked out isn't exactly on the list of unisex titles. But then again, it is just a monkey. And I don't think a female monkey would mind too much if its name didn't accurately correspond with its chromosomes.
So this rain. I'm kind of loving it...which is weird. Usually I hate the rain. Like hate hate the rain. However. When the rain takes the daytime temperature down about 25 degrees (from 95 to 70), I have to admit that it's kind of the best thing that could've happened. I mean really....I'm wearing a jacket right now. WHAT. I know. It's crazy. I love jacket temperatures. And these past few weeks have not been jacket-worthy. The only not good thing about this weather is the clear absence of my titi family. And thus a clear lack of data on my part.
FUN SCIENCE FACT #14: A large swarm of desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) can consume 20,000 tons (18,160,000 kg) of vegetation a day.
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