We went back to where the wild things live. What's up with the deer! We don't have deer, do we?
This robo-lightman explained that, indeed, Singapore does have a population of Lesser Mousedeer on the island, although this oddly-specific sign makes them insecure, since they do not have antlers and are smaller than monkeys. (The Greater Mousedeer have mostly moved to a separate off-island island.)
I've always been a fan of the robo-lightpeople, although I was concerned by this one's hygiene up close. Robo-lightlady seems to be keeping tidier.
So, where are these wild animals we heard about? Well, Barry spotted a house shrew near our house.
And our balcony wall gecko stopped by.
But that was lame, so we braved the obvious risks and headed back to the jungle.
Here's a rare pine cone in Singapore! What, coniferous trees? Why yes, this is from the Casuarina Equisetifolia, or Common Rhu. (For those who live here, fun fact: Tanjong Rhu was named after these trees, which grow along the river and the beach.)
Once you start tree learning, or dendrology, it's hard to stop. Many trees are non-native species, like this African oil palm deep in the jungle.
The Canonball tree (Couroupita Guianensis) is native to Central and South America, and is super fun because it's covered in balls that can be up to 25cm in diameter.
But we came to see the animals!
Here are some relaxing during spa day!
This baby monkey with a perky hairdo was brushing its teeth with a stick! (I took many pictures to be sure this was actual dental hygiene ).
While we didn't see any mousedeer, we did find another plain of jars. Why is this common in our jungles?
I'd think someone would take this home...
It wasn't a strong animal week, so how about some Bleeding Heart Glory-bowers, or bagflowers, about which I can find no fun facts.
The Thunbergia Fragrans, or Whitelady, is not named after the cocktail of the same name, which is really just a gin sour with orange liqueur. You may as well add the vermouth and make it a Corpse Reviver #2, because that's more delicious. In summary, cocktails are more interesting than flowers.
Let's end with the Lantana Camara, which looks all sweet and nice, but is actually an invasive species reducing biodiversity! I'm going to tell the Robo-lightlady to combat this!
