Wow, Iraq just got poured on for two straight days!  Wonderful change of pace.  And wonderfully muddy.  I’ve been coming to this country for 22 years, and I’ve never seen rain here before.  And with the downpour comes chaos…. vehicles adrift along the roads, walls and bridges collapsed, and strange animals appearing from who knows where. 

No one seems to have ever seen these little desert foxes before, especially during the daytime (not that I see much during the daytime, either), but they have come out in multitudes.  And they seem hungry - they walk right up to you, and nibble on your granola bar or banana.  I feel like I’m in some concrete children’s petting zoo.  

Just thought you all would like to know.  I don’t have much else right now.  Need sleep.  And another shower.  I’ve been traveling again, so I’m just getting settled back in here to “Mortaritaville”.  Wish I could say more, but you know how it goes (I suppose)…. the 3 of you who are reading this, that is!  I continue to be amazed by Fox, CNN, etc. (all those guys), and how quickly and readily they seem to get the “news” - and what’s true and what is not true.     

BTW, do any of you know where the word “news” comes from?  My grandmother used to tell me it was derived from “North, East, West and South” - sounds good, but I’m not so sure.  Here’s what Oxford says: “The original sense of news was ‘new things’; this is long obsolete.  Since the 15th century it has been used to mean ‘tidings, the report of recent events, new occurrences as a subject or report or talk.’  The adjective new goes back to Old English. “   Whatever, I’m going to bed!

These snakes rarely grow to even 24 inches in length; however, they are one of the most venomous species known to man, responsible for numerous human deaths each year.  Because of its fatality rate, this species is listed as the most dangerous snake in the world.

The venom is composed of almost equally neurotoxic and haemotoxic components; bite victims typically manifest widespread hemorrhaging and respiratory failure.  The vipers are active by day and travel over sand in a sidewinder fashion.  When cornered, they inflate the body and rub sections against each other, producing a loud and ominous hissing sound.  They strike quickly and repeatedly.

Fortunately, I’ve only seen one of these viper snakes so far.  But it was out in the desert on an op, and we discovered the snake about 10 feet from our sleeping area when we awoke early that morning.  One of the guys jokingly said to the medic, “We’d have to call in helo support to combat that enemy!”  The medic said, “Why?  You would be dead in about 5 minutes”. 

We moved on fairly quickly so as not to disturb our new friend.

The Ground Beetle, commonly refered to as a Domino Beetle, so named because of it’s white spots on a black shell, is extremely poisonous.  They spray a chemical that burns the predator when attacked.  Fortunately (for us), they cannot fly like other beetles because their wings are stuck together.  This is because they are actually considered a type of ant, but you would never know it from their size. 

They can run very fast (this seems to be a common desert trait) with 3 pairs of extremely long legs.  The legs also lift the body up, away from the hot sand.  Ground Beetles have very good eyesight, the better to spot their prey.  They can live for several months without eating, as food is hard to find in the desert (MRE’s are a real attraction). 

Soldiers learn early on to check their boots real good before sliding their feet into them.  Just another reason why I’m enjoying this so much!

AKA, Spike-tailed lizard.  Broad head, stout body and a flat, spike-covered tail.  Generally not dangerous to humans.  Generally.  But fairly inquisitive and very territorial - Known to bite off a finger or two with their snapping-turtle (like) jaw.

Can grow to 65 cms and usually live in loose colonies.  Colonies can extend over large areas, depending on the availability of food. Feeding on shrubs, the spiny-tailed lizard never drinks water and has special glands that help its body to dispose of uric acid.  The spiny-tailed lizard, called ‘dhab’ locally, often allows other creatures, such as snakes, scorpions and hedgehogs to share its burrow.  Despite its dragon-like appearance, it is a very placid animal that prefers to flee rather than enter into conflict.  If cornered, however, it can give painful blows with its spiny tail.  It’s strong jaws have no teeth, but possess sharp bone plates, yielding a nasty bite. The dhab used to be a welcome source of protein for the bedouin and the strong leather of its skin was widely used.

Scorpion-like in appearance (up to 6 inches long), they are very fast (10 mph) though not generally dangerous to humans. Generally. They tend to chase shadows, leading some to believe they are being chased. They have no venom and do not bite but, if threatend, they have rather large mandibles that can cut (pinch) deep gashes (like a pair of pliers) that require months of medical treatment to heal. Not actually spiders at all. For more info, go to: www.camelspiders.net and/or check out this killer YouTube clip!