Predators I Have Known - Alan Dean Foster [0]
Alan Dean Foster
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copyright © 2011 by Alan Dean Foster
cover design by Jim Tierneyinterior design by Danielle Young
ISBN: 978-1-4532-1038-3, 978-1-4532-1040-6
Published in 2011 by Open Road Integrated Media
180 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com
To Gaia
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
I. TYGER, TYGER, BURNING BRIGHT...
East Central India, April 2003
II. THINGS YOU NEVER FORGET
South Australia, January 1991
III. FELIX
Mount Etjo, Namibia, November 1993
IV. THE CUTE LITTLE OCTOPUS AND THE HOMICIDAL SHELL
East Central Australia, November 1989
V. JEALOUS ANTS, MILLIONS OF ANTS, AND REALLY, REALLY BIG...ANTS
Southeastern Peru, May 1987
Northeastern Gabon, January 2007
Southeastern Peru, July 1998
VI. SHARKS I HAVEN’T JUMPED
Bismarck Sea, September 1997
West Australia, April 1992
VII. FLAT TIRES, OLD CANVAS, AND BIG CATS
Tanzania, July 1984
South Africa, May 2002
Tanzania, August 1984
Mount Etjo, Namibia, October 1993
VIII. MEANWHILE, SAFELY BACK HOME...
Prescott, Arizona, Anytime
IX. EYES ON THE TRAIL
Central Gabon, January 2007
X. EVER WONDER HOW WE TASTE?
Papua New Guinea, October 1995
Tanzania, July 1984
Southeastern Peru, May 1987: A Sartorial Digression
XI. EATING, YAWNING, AND COITUS INTERRUPTUS
Northern Botswana, October 1993
XII. AIR JAWS
South Africa, June 2002
XIII. DRACULA IS A MUTE
Northern Borneo, September 2010
XIV. TEENAGE KILLER NINJA OTTERS
Southwestern Brazil, May 2000
CONCLUSION
Born to water,
Live like fire,
Leave like the wind . . .
INTRODUCTION
OVER THE PAST FORTY YEARS, in the course of visiting six of the seven continents and a good portion of the world’s seas, it has been my privilege to observe and marvel at thousands of different animals in their natural habitats. Every one of them, from leafhoppers to leeches, has been in one way or another fascinating, intriguing, and beautiful.
Still, there is no doubt that of all Earth’s creatures we retain a special admiration for those bold enough, brave enough, and tough enough to contend with us on our own terms. So used are we to making food of every other living thing that when one comes along that is inclined—circumstances permitting—to make a meal of us, we are often struck dumb with admiration at the sheer audacity of it. Are not we humans the masters, the controllers, the lords and overseers of this world?
As civilized and populated as it has become, not always.
Thankfully, I say. Most of us live daily lives far too cosseted. Surrounded by the artifacts of our burgeoning, squalling, sprawling civilization, it is all too easy to lose touch with Nature and all that she proffers.
Sometimes she offers us contacts we would rather not make. When they occur, such moments, such encounters, offer us a charge, an exchange, a taste of something our ancestors knew intimately but we have largely forgotten. It is a good and useful thing to experience again such moments in time. At a suitable distance, of course.
Sometimes, the intervening space contracts, often when we least expect it to do so. Then the adrenaline surges, the pupils expand, the heart pumps a little (occasionally a lot) faster, and we feel more alive than usual. There is inestimable beauty in such encounters. At least, there is as long as you watch where you are stepping, or putting your hand, or focusing your eyes.
I write a fair amount of science fiction. If you think back on the stories you’ve read in that genre, or the films you’ve seen,