Mwamba's Other People (Act One: Invertebrates)

Here at Mwamba there are a lot of people. ARK itself employs almost twenty people. Being located in a high density tourist area, a lot of guests arrive in the high season and with school groups visiting, Mwamba can be a busy place. But there is another world to this place that I have been itching* to show. So in a two act performance I will reveal to you a world of the small, the creepy-crawling, the things that go bump in the night...or daylight.

To be politically correct, most of the animals that will be shown are beautiful in their own special way. True, for many of us the mollusks, insects, crustaceans, reptiles and birds found here at Mwamba are not the species that we tend to favour; these animals are not your giant panda, baby seal, elephant, or whale. Yet, these "others" are the species that really rule the world (Did you know that the world's ant population outweighs the entire human population). For these animals it takes a lot of effort for most people to move beyond their shells, scales and slime. The way they look, act and behave is so foreign to us but we (including myself) need to confront this prejudice because ants and their like really are quite amazing when one begins to learn about them.

So without further ado let me introduce to you...

A mollusk...

A Giant African Land Snail.

Their intriguing courtship behaviour between hermaphodic (meaning having both testes and ovaries) individuals involves petting heads for up to a half hour, and actual sex can last up to 2 hrs. Viable sperm can be stored in the body for 2 yrs!

Unusual to say the least...

The above sand formation is, I think, caused by another snail species. Why its formed this way or for what reason I don't know. Anyone out there have an idea?

A tiny cute transparent slug.

...and loads of insects...

Hmmmmm! Honey Flakes! Yes, all the black dots are ants.

I must start with ANTS! They are everywhere and in everything. There are these teeny, tiny ones that are addicted to sugar. Jam, honey, sugar in cereal, sugar coating on pills, anything with a hint of sucrose is devoured by these little guys.

Close up shot! Strawberry jam anyone?

If you like butterflies then come to Kenya. Over 800 species have been recorded (there is actually a butterfly season, a time of the year when many different species appear for a couple months).

Praying Mantis, the holiest of insects.

The many legged Milliped (not an insect).

This one looks like a leaf!

A pink and white moth.

Huge beetles!!

...and spiders (no, they are not insects but arachnids)...

Even spiders can be beautiful!
Stripes make anything look snazy!

Yeah...this guy was in our bedroom.

A wee baby scorpion, isn't it so adorable!

... and a couple of crusteceans.

A hermit crab in the dining room.

Ghost crabs cover the beach at night to forage.
They come into the dining room and office at night during high tide.

*Note: Some of these critters may cause you to itch, squirm, perspire, or make you feel generally uncomfortable.

Tune in next time for more of our neighbours...