12 March 2011

Well, it's another beautiful day in Paradise! This morning we went to the Farmer's Market at La Reine and purchased some locally grown fruits (mostly bananas that are the most delicious I have tasted) and vegetables. We also picked up some parrot fish and Mahi Mahi for dinner that Julian and Kris prepared while we were releasing the 12 mongoose that we captured today. After breakfast we went to the Frederksted pier to check out the vendors selling trinkets to the passengers on the cruise ship that moored for the day. I am not much of a fan of cruise ships, but it does appear to be good for the local economy. Fortunately they only arrive several times each month.

Four of the 12 mongoose we captured today were recaptures from a previous expedition and one was recaptured from yesterday - the other seven were new captures. One female, whom we have never captured before, had no teeth - just her roots were exposed. Despite having no teeth, generally viewed as a definite disadvantage for a carnivore, this female appeared very healthy. A mongoose's ability to consume so many types of food, e.g., insects, small mammals, birds, turtles, crabs, fruits, garbage, etc., allows it to thrive on these islands. A cursory examination of mongoose morphology demonstrates their generalized anatomy. Despite being in the feline group of carnivores, they have retained long snouts, non-retractable claws, plantigrade posture, and many other generalized features.

An old female with worn out teeth.

A young male with excellent dentition.

Brad and Justin tracked four fluorescent trails last night and have discovered a pattern in the foraging behavior of mongoose that is worthy of further consideration. It appears that mongoose visit and regularly forage in agave-like plants that we know contain millipedes. They only go to specific plants and it appears that this is not a random search process. We intend to investigate this phenomenon more closely.