Creatures & Comforts

Day 1493 of posting pictures of elephants.

Ambo, sent to me by @aegor-bamfsteel!

Surprise! Scientifically described in 1898—and last spotted in 1913—the red-crested tree rat (Santamartamys rufodorsalis) was thought to be extinct for more than a century. That changed in 2011, when two observers in a Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta nature reserve in Colombia stumbled upon this critter. This long-whiskered rodent can grow up to 17 in (45.7 cm) long. It’s nocturnal and arboreal, though little is known about this species’ behavior. The red-crested tree rat is listed as Critically Endangered, due to loss of habitat. 

Shell Falls slips through its granitic canyon, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

Puffin - Iceland 2026

Na-Na-Na-Na-Na Bat Hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus)! Named after its favorite snack, and not to be confused with your favorite superhero, this raptor mainly feeds on small bats. It has a wide but fragmented range and might be seen in parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, and Papua New Guinea. It lives in a variety of habitats, such as forests, wetlands, and savannas, where it spends most of its day roosting on a perch. But when the Sun starts to set and bats come out, this bird is quick to strike. Within about a 20-minute timespan, it can catch and gulp down as many as 11 bats!