PHOTO INTERLUDE

The oft-used pre-aggression stance. This is a female. They do this often. All you have to do is step toward them, and they freak out and do this.

Allison, one of the research assistants on the UChicago team (above) and Sasha and Tara discussing the day's work in the lunch cage (below).

A red urchin under the sea grass in the intertidal...

Iguanas are everywhere on both islands.

There are iguana skeletons in tact all over the island, if you look around. They are invasive to the island, but unlike the monkeys, we don't like them. They eat the monkey chow, which is how they become so large, but often they are too stupid to figure out that they must walk out of the doorways in the corral fences in order to escape. As a result, you can often just sit and watch iguanas run head long into fences for hours. After a while, though, the unlucky ones will get stuck in the fence, and eventually, they die of dehydration and starvation (and sometimes monkey attacks).

Hermit crabs are everywhere, too. They range in size from smaller than your fingertip to bigger than your fist and are actually quite creepy. This is mainly because they swarm on dead things. You do the math.... Yeuch!

Remnants of the island's original home beneath the sea are visible everywhere in shells, huge chunks of bleached, calcified brain coral, and giant volcanic rocks. 

(Above) This is Sasha. I keep mentioning her, so here she is. She is awesome. :) I mean, everyone is pretty awesome, but she is definitely up there. Heh.

Sorry about the lazy post today, but there ya go...

Much love!

B