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I’m back on terra firma… this time on the vast plains of Venezuela.
Something’s moving in the distance. It’s a red-footed tortoise!
I can't imagine what this jungle-dweller is doing here.
Since it’s lost, we decide to follow it.
While its presence here intrigues me, these two small owls seem worried.
The tortoise is completely harmless, but they must not know that.
What luck…
Now I understand.
The mother owl has a baby who’s never seen an animal remotely like this before.
Burrowing owls are fond of lizards, rats and frogs,
but they’ll hunt just about anything as long as it's not too big.
The job of the male owl is to break the rat’s neck
then the female will divide it into pieces and prepare the family meal.
The baby is impatient or very hungry and grabs the rat to carry him to his cool burrow.
This owl is indignant that the strange creature, whatever it is, is headed toward his nest.
Unconcerned, the tortoise continues walking toward the security of the forest.
These sun-filled plains aren't very much to its liking. It longs for shade.
What bothers the owl is the direction that the lumbering shell is taking.
The tortoise doesn't understand what's happening.
What’s going on here? Just to be safe, it disappears into its shell.
The owl is determined to block the tortoise’s way.
I see it change course and slowly move away.
I suppose that it’s hurt or maybe just annoyed to have met with such hostility.