Creepy Crawlies

 In my last post I started a little series about the culture in the Philippines, specifically here in Aurora province. Last post was about animals; this post gives you a glimpse into the world of insects and reptiles. Moving here I was so concerned about all the gekkos (lizards) that I heard lived in the house. Honestly, I prayed so much about them. Two years later, I've encountered much worse than gekkos and I hardly even notice them scurry across the room anymore. The following, however, are still on my radar. 

 

Spider that I found right above my head one day when reading in a kubo (small hut).  

 

These slinks are everywhere. They still startle me when I hear them race through the bushes as I walk past. 

 This type of toad secretes poison through it's skin so we try to keep a distance. They are usually all around our kitchen at dark.

 

Interesting little creature, but thankfully harmless. 

 

 

Scariest living thing we've encountered here, in my opinion. This caterpillar, called a higad, is very poisonous. Praise God we haven't been touched by one, but we've seen our neighbors swell up and have welts for days. If they as much as touch your clothes on the line you'll itch for hours. 

 

This is the first snake we saw here.

 

The cockroach, my worst enemy. I've never hated a bug so much. They fly and bite and grow to be like 3 inches long. Yuck. My awesome husband saves the day every time he kills one. 

 

This is a really cool eel our friends found at a nearby beach cove. 

 

These spiders go in and out of 'season'. They're almost as big as my hand when stretched out. I found this one in the kitchen sink. 

 

 

Another higad. There are a few different colors of them. 

 

 

This big guy was outside our bathroom window. Note the duck tape to prevent his entrance haha. 

 

Millipede? Centipede? I don't know, but it's another poisonous creature.

 

Hidden under the dirt, this bug makes the loudest screeching sound at night. Sometimes you can't even think it's so loud. 

 

 

Big papa hermit crab. He's on the lookout for a new shell. 

 

Look at this cool starfish we found a couple of weeks ago! 

 

None of the Filipinos we were with knew what this little sea creature was. While I realize it may not look like it, it is a living thing :)

 This beehive looks like one you'd see on the movies. It's so perfect. It was right outside our window. Some of the men who were here to help smoke it out actually ate the bee larva. Apparently it's delicious. 

 

 

Josh hates snakes. But he so bravely killed this deadly one in our kitchen about a month ago. We've heard about them since we moved here, but it was the first we'd seen. 

There are a few other creepy crawlies that I wish I had captured on camera, like certain varieties of beetles and frogs that are fried and eaten and some gorgeous butterflies. But hopefully you've enjoyed seeing this aspect of our island life!