Creatures of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo is full of interesting critters, and I saw a few of them during the five months I spent in different parts of the country. Now that I’ve left DRC, here’s a snapshot of some of the bugs and beasts I encountered:

Caterpillars in Kindu:

Caterpillars eventually turn into butterflies and moths, like these ones in Lubutu and Kindu:

Tadpoles near Lubutu:

Praying mantises in Kindu:

And more praying mantises near Lubutu:

Dragonflies near Lubutu:

Strange but not unfamiliar creepy crawly in my Kisangani hotel room:

Strange and unfamiliar bug near Lubutu:

Huge beetle in Lubutu:

Cricket in Kindu:

Grasshopper with a face like a cartoon skull in Kisangani:

And of course some predators… ants attacking something bigger than them in Kindu:

Ants attacking a larger flying red ant in Kindu:

Spider gobbling up an unidentified critter in my Kindu bathroom:

A baby gecko, great hunters of mosquitoes and other insects, in Kindu:

A skink in Kindu:

An agama lizard in Beni:

Another agama lizard, caught and killed by a creature higher up in the food chain in Beni:

Three crocodiles relaxing together in Beni:

Two turtles in the same pond as the crocodiles, also stacked up, in Beni:

Annoyingly loud pied crows in Beni:

Polite and silent kid goat near Obokote:

Relatively obedient cow between Lubutu and Kisangani:

And a large and not-at-all shy fruit bat in Beni: