(originally sent 3/27/07)
Night-time bug sounds, Baka women chatting around the fire, and the screams of a distant tree hyrax. I find this melange of sounds quite interesting. Of course, you have heard the sound of bugs chirping and singing in the trees, but the sound is amplified in the forest by the mere volume of bugs present and the lack of competing sounds. The bugs make a great background noise for Baka voices heard in the darkness. But the real point of interest is the tree hyrax that is screaming in the distance. If you have never heard of this animal, you are not alone. The tree hyrax is related to the elephant, but looks nothing like an elephant. It is a small rodent-like animal that lives in the trees. At night, this little animal makes a big noise. First, it warms up by letting out a few evenly spaced hoots that sound like a monkey. Then, those hoots quickly evolve into piercing screams that sound like something from either a maternity ward or a horror film. It is, naturally, something that can be quite nerve wracking the first time it is heard, but tonight it just serves as a reminder that I am not in North America.
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