The Ghost Cat What the Puma saw, was completely unaware Unwavering and focused, was that deadly feline stare How many of unknowing, have been subjects of that glare? The answer lies in mystery, was the ghost cat really there? ~ Poem and Puma capture, The Ghost Cat © Jerry L. Ferrara
The Watcher Prey beware: I walk on padded paws so hushed And wait in silence to ambush Concealed I stay so patiently Knowing they will come to me If they sense that I am here They would never dare come near Anticipate, and hold my breath For soon arrives the stench of Death ~ Poem and Puma capture, The Watcher © Jerry L. Ferrara
A Woolly Wonder Something dark blocked the burrow’s entrance. As the Hairy Armadillo slowly came into view, it paused briefly while showing off a raised, long-nailed fore-paw. The posture seemed an appropriate visual expression for this well-equipped fossorial mammal, while its hirsute garb bore witness to its name. It was a woolly wonder. ~ Anecdote and Hairy Armadillo capture, A Woolly Wonder © Jerry L. Ferrara
An Exceptionally Efficient Killing Machine The Puma is an exceptionally efficient killing machine. In this case, death came to the fox via strangulation and the cat was caught in the act of skinning its meal. It was deeply moving to witness this biological event. It was also a first documented predation by the local Puma population on the Patagonian Fox. ~ Anecdote and Puma capture, An Exceptionally Efficient Killing Machine © Jerry L. Ferrara
Patagón What’s in a name? In the case of the South American region known as Patagonia, there seems to be quite a bit. The origin of the word Patagonia, though, is cloaked in controversy. One theory relates it was coined from “patagónes”, an appellation supposedly bestowed by European explorers on a mysterious race of indigenous giants. Further expansions of the legend purport the Patagónes had very large feet. Whether or not there’s validity to this narrative, it does make for interesting story-telling. Fast forward. Today’s image portrays a Puma cub lazily lolling on its back. This cub, if he reaches the age of one year, is destined to be name Patagón. Check out that front paw. Like all of its kind, the feet are impressively large and he’s bound to be a big cat, a giant. So Patagón just might be an appropriate moniker. It appears the enigmatic Patagónes may still roam the untamed Patagonian steppe, just in a different format … and that’s what’s in a name. ~ Anecdote and Puma capture, Patagón © Jerry L. Ferrara