Frogs

Frogs and toads, cold-blooded herptiles (amphibians and reptiles) can be found on every continent except Antarctica. The name originates from ancient Greek, roughly translating to “loathsome yucky thing which crawls on its belly.” They have been around since the Jurassic period, sharing the world with the likes of Tyrannosaurus rex, and were the first creatures…

A Jaguar Kissed my Face

It is pitch black, an evening tarred with solid darkness, and the air feels thick and syrupy. It engulfs me in satin, a sensation akin to confinement, but there is nothing I can do about it. I feel my unwanted companion, Mr. Claustrophobia, creeping into my consciousness using his tendrils of fear to agitate and…

In Search of Killer Ants

FROM DEEP within the towering jungle, at the very extremity of the coffee plantation, a spine-chilling noise is heard by all. Hooves and claws drum upon the ground, branches crack, animals wail in fear. The workers down tools and stare in dread towards the forest; they know what’s out there, they know what’s coming. Panicked…

Matapalo

If strangler fig trees lived in my native England, oh what a happy childhood I would have had. Such bizarre twisted forms, full of caverns and convolutions, perfect for climbing, perfect for boyhood adventures. However, they do not grow in Europe, or anywhere else outside of the tropics, so now I make up for my…

Galapagos

GALAPAGOS First published in Global Adventure, October 2004. I have always been rather fond of boobies, lovely things that they are. I saw my first pair on a television program at an impressionable young age and fell in love instantly, vowing that when and if I [eventually] grew up I should like to see as…