The beasts I live with

Due to the lock down it was quite a difficult task to explore exteriors these couple of days. Beyond a limitation I took it as a challenge and an opportunity to explore the interior of my house, the environment inside, the ecosystem in which I coexist with some other beasts. The first, and the biggest, of all the non-human life inside my house was the curious Amélie, a cat from a mysterious breed that has share with us from almost two years now.

What’s curious about little Amélie is how she’s come to change every aspect in this ecosystem called house. Not just in an emotive and transcendental way, but also in how things interact with each other and move around. A couple of years ago, I would say there were some more beasts around; however, I think now we have encountered a balance. What Amélie is looking at in the picture is actually another mysterious creature that rounds the house making some contemporary art in any corner it gets the chance.

A little Pholcus phalangioides –according to Google- is the long legs spider that tents Amélie once in a while.  This arachnid is quite steady most of the time, hoping some dumb fly or mosquito gets trapped in its webs. Thus, it seems to be a good guy doing its job. No complains about little Ralph, he’s following his duty, he occupies his trophic level. Moving to the living room; in a cable, chilling upside-down, was a potential Ralph’s food. A traditional domestic fly that seems to fly around the house looking for something to eat or for someone to bother. Two life purposes. In both of them she’s pretty good. However, she would mainly end her life eaten by a spider or once dead by some ants.

The same ants that have irrupted my house for some of Amélie’s food. I mean, now we have covered an entire food chain in no more than 150 m2. Every living been in this house is occupying a role and making this indoors ecosystem works somehow. So many beasts in such a reduced space. Put this in perspective and see; we –the humans- are just the guests in this diverse habitat, we are just a complementary form of life in this beautiful ecosystem.

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