Snorkeling finding

Sea Urchin tests, are one of the many beauties you may find when snorkeling in Sao Tome. The fivefold radial bands indicate the kinship with the starfish and all other echinoderms.

Eco lodge – Jale Beach

A couple of nights at the Eco lodge at the Jale Beach (Praia Jale - Sao Tome and Principe) will give you the feeling of paradise and the opportunity to participate in a wonderful community development project . With a little luck you will be able to see the giant turtle, a species in extinction all over the world. Information and reservations through (+)239/222792

50th post

To commemorate the 50th published post at “Stealing from a hermit crab (allorange.blogspot)”; a re-post of the story that originated this blog’s name.

stealing from a hermit crab
Just the other day, I stopped by the beach to have a sandwich for lunch, and as I was leaning to pick up a nice shell, it started running from me … I was amused finding that both me and this hermit crab had similar tastes on shells.

Sand dollars from Sao Tome

From the Echinoderm class the Sand dollar is a unique marine animal. In Sao Tome and Principe they can only be found in one beach, the beach of the seven waves (Praia das Sete Ondas).
The particularity of the Santomese Sand dollar is that he reminds us of a mask, or a ghost, or a …

Playing games

This couple of Pintailed Whydah (Vidua macroura) played hide and seek for several minutes showing pleasure on just being with each other. When I got too close the male performed a wonderful flight waiving is long tail in the air.

A dog has to do what a dog has to do

Lizard ears

This wall lizard has incredible hearing and sight, I was able to catch this one on profile and get the detail of the external ear opening. Several lizard species have some sort of third eye they use to regulate how much sun exposure they need … what amazing little bests.

We are family

This family reminds me on how much I miss my own.

Butterfly luck

The ants took care of the burial. In a couple of hours there was nothing more than this out of a beautiful butterfly.

Amazing spider

From up the montain into the forest of the smallest country in Africa, this amazing spider, a very unique spiny orb-weaver a Gasteracantha sanguinolenta C. L. Koch, 1844 (Africa, São * Tomé Socotra).

Free Willy

I was able to catch this little fish after an ingenious trap setting; my 2 year son sent it free soon after. We called the fish - Willy, :o).

A mention to the excellent camouflage. Can you immediately spot the 3 fishes in the picture?

Puppy the fighter

The puppy and the pig face each other ready to a mortal combat ... suddenly the fearless killer machine jumps over a vanquished big pig …

In the end, it really looked like the pig was having a lot of fun at the puppy expenses…

Tidal death trap

In a tidal pool a drama occurred, probably a few hours before my arrival. A fish trapped in a tidal pool, lacking of oxygen was caught by a Sea anemone and was being devoured right in front of my eyes.

The revenge of the hermit crabs

Yesterday was a public holyday, celebrating the National women’s day, and as my family is leaving for some months, we took the afternoon off and went to the beach, we always have fun there and of course it is always a place full of blogging opportunities (I will be posting some amazing stuff over the next few days).
I decided to look for hermit crabs, and did take some shots … until I started feeling itching on my legs. It started growing in my body until I realize it was not some insect bite but actually a skin allergy, maybe of something I stepped over while distracted by the hermit crabs. This morning I felt like I had been bitten by 1000 mosquitoes. I am on hydrocortisone and antihistaminic pills but can only think that maybe in some way the hermit crabs got a little revenge over the title of this blog. Well, I really need to go scratch myself now …

stealing from a hermit crab

Just the other day, I stopped by the beach to have a sandwich for lunch, and as I was leaning to pick up a nice shell, it started running from me … I was amused finding that both me and this hermit crab had similar tastes on shells.

The cows but not the goats

I was sitting in this amazing beach in Sao Tome and Principe and suddenly …