When sharing wildlife photos here, whether from guests or some of our own, the idea is to provide constant reminders, to ourselves and to everyone else, of the value of conservation. Even with a title of a post meant to draw a smile, it is not to be cute so much as to address the wonder of the moment captured in the camera. I really do wonder whether the margay purrs. And Chrissy Mason’s photo of the margay helped me wonder that more effectively.

The photo above, and the one below–both also shared by Chrissy–got me thinking about whether primates really smile, or whether it just looks that way to us (you must have seen that photo, reportedly a selfie taken by a macaque, that sure looks like a knowing grin). Continue reading →

In the post where I mentioned this margay sighting I did not yet have any photographic evidence. Now I do. Prior to their departure, the same Los Angeles family mentioned in this cat-sighting post handed me the memory card from their camera and I was able to pull these images. In the rush of the holiday weekend I had forgotten these until now. Above was the first, taken as quickly as the camera could be lifted to follow the spotlight. Below, an enlargement of the cat. Continue reading →