When i spent a week vacation in Playa del Carmen last month, i bumped into an animal i had never ever seen in my entire life. Never seen it on TV, in books, let alone in real life. It was looking like a marmot or a squirrel but as big as a badger, with no tail and so shy it was basically impossible to get a close shot picture.
And i got back home without knowing what that animal was. I asked some of my animal-expert friends but how do you precisely describe an animal you've only seen from far away and without a picture of it? I mean i have a lot of faith in my friend's knowledge but i dont really believe in miracles either.
Well today, i finally got a name for it. Looks like my dear friend Tim didnt forget about that little bugger and he sent me a quick text this morning with only 9 words that lightened my day: "the name of the animal you saw is tzereque".
As soon as i got home, i checked on google images and that was it. That was so it. So then i did what i always do in such a situation ... i rush to WIKIPEDIA to get more info about it all.
I'm not gonna even try to describe the nervous knot that formed in my stomach when i got an error message on the screen saying that that noun did not exist, nor in english, nor in spanish.
Back to google. I found another spelling "sereque" ...
Wiki still doesnt know any of it.
Damn Wikipedia, you've never ever failed me so far, what's the matter with you today?
But that was without counting on the wonders of the Internet. Digging a little here and a little there, and i managed to found the latin name of the damn animal. And i mean if an encyclopedia doesnt recognize a latin name, then i'd known for sure that internet would have failed me big time.
So there i had it: a dasyprocta agouti or Mexican Agouti. That's the name of the little animal that intrigued me so much in Playa del Carmen. And i even learnt they are related to Guinea pigs!
What a wonderful world of technology we're living into!
I love the 21st century!
I have just come back from the Rui Yucatan Hotel in Mexico. The animal you refer to is in this hotel in the dozens and spelt by the locals as TZEREKE. The Thomson and First Choice reps tell you is very nervous but if you take dried banana from brakfast for them they will eat from your hands but be aware they will be back every day in large numbers expecting to be fed again. This hotel also had monkeys in the grounds that likes bananas.
ReplyDeleteHello, I found your blog while searching for an answer to your same question, what the heck was that we saw in Puerto Aventuras? While in Mexico in March we encountered the now known Tzereke or Mexican Agouti. Thanks for your research, now I can sleep :)! By the way, love your style!!
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