Friday 10 October 2008

Osga - Tarentola mauritanica

This is my favourite reptile species.
What? You DON'T have a favourite reptile?
Are you mad or what?!

These little creatures are lovely in all aspects, they have beautiful eyes and can walk up a wall without a problem. Though, if they enter your flat in the 5th floor (as happened to me while I studied in Coimbra) they might be quite difficult to catch and take to a new habitat.

The sayings here in the villages about Osgas are "very realistic" as follows:
Osgas are very, very dangerous. Once there was a soldier, who had survived many battles in the war, and when he finally came home one day at night, his wife had made him a soup. However in the little house there was no electricity, just candles (the story is from the past). So the courageous soldier did not notice that an Osga fell into his soup. He took it for meat and ate it. Next day he died. Osgas are very dangerous indeed.

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