Jaguar, the indomitable beast. Photo © The Nature Conservancy (Matt Miller)

The photo above is one of the highlights of this story at Cool Green Science. We have been to the location where this photo was taken and agree it is an awesome spot in terms of probabilities. But not as good as the probabilities in the wilderness surrounding Chan Chich Lodge:

Where to See 10 Impossibly Elusive Mammals

BY MATT MILLER

I grew up dreaming about seeing the world’s rarest and most elusive animals. I knew that some would be extremely unlikely if not impossible. See a snow leopard? Biologists spent months, years, seeking snow leopards and never caught so much as a glimpse.

In reality, you can now see many of these cryptic creatures, if you know where to travel and search.Why is it easier to see a jaguar or an aardvark now? In large part, it’s communities of enthusiasts on the web sharing their sightings. Communities of mammal watchers, citizen naturalists and eco-travelers provide trip reports and travel guides, an invaluable source of help when planning a trip.

It’s also true that some wild areas are less wild and more accessible, so there is a bittersweet aspect to finding the wildlife. I take solace in the fact that there are still plenty of mammals that remain out of reach – roaming only the most inaccessible wildernesses (these “grail” mammals will be the subject of a future blog).

But seeking out the species in this post will still be an adventure. For many, you’ll have to put in time and plenty of pre-trip research. For any travel related to wild mammals, Jon Hall’s Mammal Watching web site and forum should be in your bookmarks. Jon has seen all of these creatures, and many, many others.

Photo © Jon Hall on mammalwatching.com

1. Aardvark

On my first African safari in 1994, I tripped over a large hole and my guide remarked, “Aardvark.” He must have seen the excited look in my eyes, as he followed with, “We won’t see one. No one ever sees one.”

And this has long been safari lore: go to the great national parks and you will have elephants and lions and cheetahs galore, but spotting an aardvark is like hitting the lottery.

Exactly twenty years after stumbling across that burrow, I found myself looking at an actual aardvark. By design.

Where to See:

The Kimberley area of South Africa has a large population of aardvarks and guides and biologists who know how to find them. Marrick Safari Camp and Benfontein Reserve, two private nature preserves, have excellent track records in finding aardvarks (I saw two during four days at Marrick). Night safaris are the name of the game.

While You Wait:

These reserves offer some of the most exciting night safaris in the world, with other elusive mammals regularly sighted, including black-footed cat, aardwolf and hedgehog. During the day, visit Mokala National Park with white and black rhinos and a bevvy of interesting ungulates…

Read the whole article here.