Hi DLordofTime,

Glad to see your much-anticipated picture of the Eder Gira bones. You did a fantastic job of capturing them all in a single frame; and you even caught one of the lit steam generators too--marvelous! Judging from the shadows and bit of sky in your pic, it looks like it was near day's end in Gira when you took it, true?

I agree, it works much better to bring your own camera. The ki is a bit crude and unpredictable for serious photography. Plus I like to make heavy use of the zoom (many of my best photos can be credited with the use of a zoom and a bit of editing magic).

I hope to see many more pictures from you!

_________________

I did indeed take it late in the day there. Infact, after resting in the cave, I came out to the glorious sight of a sunset. It was even more amazing than the pictures could possibly display.

Although I hung about the Cavern harbor area for the better part of a day, I saw no fish or sign of fish, heard no suspicious splashing, saw no likely rippling in the water. So I had to accept defeat for now and add this to my growing list of long-term zoological projects. But since I was already here, I thought I'd follow in larryf58's footsteps in search of the elusive Cavern Firefly. So off I went.

Similar to larryf58's observations, I could find none in Ae'gura itself, but found several in the neighborhoods Bevin, Kirel and Seret. They all seemed to be of the same species, similar in behavior to the solitary Fireflies in Direbo. The Cavern Firefly is yellow whereas the Direbo is white. However, since the lighting in each location is significantly different (though relatively dim in each), it likely would take more study to be sure their coloration truly was different, and to determine whether or not they were related or separate species.

Here is a Cavern Firefly in Bevin:

Another one:

Kirel:

And another:

And finally Seret:

Yet another:

I got to thinking about all the other varieties of fireflies seen in other ages and decided I needed to hunt down those I hadn't yet observed myself. I was very interested in figuring out if any of them were related or if each age contained its own unique species. So I was off to Todelmer first.

Just as larryf58 had already observed, there were solitary bright green fireflies throughout. Though they were not numerous enough to be found at each light, the location of the Todelmer observatories themselves atop the natural rocky columns made it difficult to judge whether fireflies might be found in the forested land far below, and if so, if they would be more plentiful and less solitary there. Altogether, I found solitary fireflies in eight different locations in Todelmer.

The path circling up the side of the large stone column housing the main observatory begins at the linking bubble. A short distance from there on the upward stairway, I found the first firefly:

About a quarter of a circuit on the path farther up, near the metal stairs, I found the second:

The third was about halfway around again:

The fourth was just before the final flight of stairs to the observatory itself:

The fifth was along the observatory perimeter at the stone column top:

Traveling to the secondary observatory, I found a sixth on the path ascending from the shuttle:

The seventh was at the apex of this stone column, again along the perimeter:

And the eighth was there as well:

I concluded that all eight fireflies I'd found were the same species.

I hadn't yet visited Kadish Tolesa, having assumed that in spite of the plentiful birdsong, I would be unable to observe them any better than in my prior visits. The canopy of the enormous trees there is so very high that one can only see mist above. And the trees themselves are so massive and grow so thickly together that it would be a serious undertaking indeed to figure out how to scale them. Nothing short of carving out stairs or bringing serious mountain climbing gear would do the job; and at this point, I honestly wasn't up to either approach. But in checking with the D'ni Zoological Society records, I noted that fireflies had been reported there. Although I had never noticed them in my prior visits to the age, I headed there next to continue my firefly study.

Happily, I did find solitary fireflies in four different locations. I concluded that there were at least two species of them; and possibly three. One variety is blue, another is white and all are solitary. Yet the blue can be found only in the wide open vista near the pyramid, whereas the white are found within the dense forest itself. Out of the two examples of the white variety, one clearly was attracted to light whereas the other seemed apathetic; so it was going to take significant further study to determine whether these two were related or not.

The first white firefly was cruising about one of the lamps along the forest path:

The second white firefly was near the rotating tree trunk, buzzing about in the shadows:

The first blue firefly was flying solo near the exit from the forest:

The second was not far away, at the edge of the landing near the stairs leading to the pyramid:

So far as I could tell from my own recollections and the DZS records, I had visited all the ages known to contain fireflies. Now it was time to try to sift through all the information. I decided this would best be started by creating a grid of my data:

As an afterthought, I added the Cleft caldera flies to the list. Rils had made a good point, that they could well be the same insects seen in Direbo, looking different only because of the dramatic difference in lighting between the two locations.

Whew, what a chunk of work! Firefly research obviously could become a full-time job, there are so many varieties and so many unanswered questions. But for now, I must leave such work to others, as my surface life and obligations were beginning to call.

Next: Kadish Tolesa concluded

_________________

My visit to Kadish Tolesa would not be complete without a trip to the vault and some photos of the butterflies, the Crimson Kadish. Although I'd already gotten some nice pictures of them at Laki'ahn, it simply wouldn't do to pass by those here.

I've heard the second vault called the future vault and have always wondered about it. Its very existence seems a paradox. And the presence of the butterflies there also is an unexplained mystery. As I began walking about, looking for a good observation post for capturing the butterflies with my camera, I noticed the torn pages scattered about. I had visited the vault before yet had never noticed the pages.

I looked carefully at each and realized that anyone who had read Katran's (Catherine's) Riven journal would immediately recognize her handwriting here. Yet the words themselves were puzzling and sounded more like the voice of Yeesha. And Yeesha's sign was clearly visible on the paper... Perhaps Yeesha and Katran are more similar than we realize. There is little we know with certainty regarding Katran from the years after Yeesha's birth, and Yeesha herself has remained silent regarding her mother. Perhaps these scattered notes offer some insight. Or simply present more paradoxes, more questions, more mystery...

The butterflies were plentiful, flitting happily about together. It actually took a great deal of time and patience to capture them on film; they tended to fly so high into the dimness above, it was hard to see them let alone photograph them properly.

Here is a cluster of them sailing away into the upper vault:

One nearly flew into my face:

I sat pondering my zoological journeys. According to my list, I had traveled through all the known ages and done my best to capture photographs of each animal I encountered. I had tried to observe their behavior and note anything curious or questions begging to be answered. It was time to ready myself for a return to surface life... and yet I sensed that things were not yet complete. That there were other ages, other animals.

Coming next: rolling back the clock

_________________

Dearest Ainia and larryf58 and all who contributed here to this astounding scientific research
of the D'ni animal kingdom and its flora partially as well, I am following your fascinating journey
and compelling scientific reports and breathtaking illustrations right from the beginning and when
I look at the 'views' I know that I am not alone ... It is especially edifying and inspiring to see you
contributing here, dearest Rils, providing your professional expertise and support ...

I'd like to thank you all very much for taking us all along your adventurous paths through the woods,
the deserts and up the mountains and hills, through the cities and all the manifold walkways, alleys
and canopies of any kind in the vast D'niverse beyond measure ...

Well, I believe, those of us being as impressed as I am will have taken their copies and prints of your
pictorial testimonies already, but nevertheless I thought it'd be nice to preserve this whole treasure chest
in any way as a valuable foundation for further explorations and scientific research etc...

I have created PDF files, one for every page, of this whole course of research, additionally providing the
advantage of not having to open all those tags which could serve for comparison purposes etc., and anybody
interested can download them all or his/her part/excerpt of interest here ... I will add more to that repository as
these studies evolve ... Enjoy ...

One last question, Ainia, in one of your photos in the Payiferen desert I discovered a person lying there
next to a hill. He or she seems to 'be gone' already though he/she's still smiling ... I wonder if you've seen
this person and if so, if you've been able to make out any indications of his or her origin or any signs for
his/her passing ...


Thanks again, esp. Ainia and larryf58, for all your efforts and dedication while sharing your profound knowledge,
acquired insights and enormous achievements with the whole community and our precious D'ni Zoological Society ...

_________________
janaba MOULa KI #154268, Minkata KI #4525 , Gehn KI # 16392, TOC KI # 86963
MO:ULa is

Hello janaba1!

Thank-you so much for your very kind words! I am indeed gratified that others are enjoying the zoological adventures being documented here. I had been thinking of turning all of this into a journal at some point, and your efforts at capturing everything written up thus far has got me to thinking once again about doing so. If I do get around to it, then it will only be after I finish my documentation effort (and there are still a number of journeys left to post here).

I was intrigued by your questions regarding a person lying in the Payiferen desert and so made a quick trip back to examine the shady area of the hill in question. As it turned out, I found the Payiferen desert to be at nearly the exact same time of day as my earlier visit, so finding the hill in question was fairly easy. But I would like to make a return trip at a different time of the Payiferen day (or night) to see if my photographs at a different time reveal anything more.

I took numerous pictures of the body, from several different angles, but in the end was unable to tell much about the phenomenon. I found myself wondering if it was a mere trick of the light against the rocks, then changing my mind and thinking that the body had become so decayed that there were only surface marks left from it. All I can say for sure is that the body itself seemed to have become fused with the rock face in some way, that it had become nearly as flat as the rock itself. I am including multiple photos so you can judge for yourself.

Facing the hill directly, with the body's arm pointing downward:

From an angle near the body's chest:

From the body's head looking toward the feet:

From the body's feet looking toward the head (this one is particularly difficult to make out):

A different angle, looking from the body's feet toward the head:

The full body again, with the arm pointing downward:

Truthfully, I have no idea what this might be; whether it is D'ni, human, Bahro or something else entirely. The D'ni mysteries are becoming countless!

_________________

Perhaps it could be an impression fossil of something that lived in this region long before the D'ni existed? It's certainly a possibility.

This is indeed a possibility, DLordofTime, and I already thought this could also be something like a mirage ...

It is great, Ainia, that you visited this place again to examine that case further and your pictures are awesome,
but I believe you might be right in assuming the person's decay being already quite advanced making a thourough
investigation extremely difficult if not impossible ...

I wonder where he/she might be pointing to ... maybe some place underground or in the distance or an object
hidden or as yet unseen ... Heaven knows ...

Besides that, I like you're idea of creating a journal upon completion of this documentation ... Until then I'm
looking forward to following more of your or anybody else's expeditions and the astounding results presented here ...

_________________
janaba MOULa KI #154268, Minkata KI #4525 , Gehn KI # 16392, TOC KI # 86963
MO:ULa is

I returned to my Relto from the Kadish vault and found myself wandering about restlessly, then sitting on the bench gazing out into the misty distance while lost in aimless thought. Even though I had visited all the D'ni ages, something didn't feel quite right. I realized it felt incomplete somehow; as if I had missed something...

I puzzled over what I might have neglected and could think of nothing. I wandered back into the hut and gazed at the bookshelf with its collection of linking books. My eyes paused on the Myst linking book and then it struck me; I hadn't even considered visiting Atrus' early ages, the only ones which had survived the ravages of his two sons. I picked up the Myst linking book and gazed at its studded cover. So carefully protected... and where everything had begun for me, for all of us. I opened the book and linked through.

There was a ferocious storm at the island when I arrived. I headed into the library, hoping to find shelter and a place to rest until the storm subsided. As before, there wasn't much in terms of comfortable accommodations. I wondered for the hundredth time where in the world Atrus and his family had made their home here; I'd never found living quarters anywhere, yet according to everything I'd read, he and Katran had raised their two sons here.

I searched the rest of the island in the rain and then remembered the star room's reclining chair, the closest thing to a cot or bed I'd ever seen here; as I recalled, it had been quite comfortable. Ducking through the doorway, I saw that the viewing screen had fallen into disrepair and now lay upon the reclining chair's seat. I heaved it onto the floor and shoved it up against the door to hold it closed, which worked to keep most of the rain and wind out. I then settled into the chair and found myself drifting off to sleep quickly.

I became cold and wet immediately upon arriving, though the light show was most impressive:

Happily, the chair was in otherwise good shape and made for a comfortable cot:

I awoke some time later to daylight and warm sunshine. This was the Myst Island I remembered from my early days as a neophyte explorer. I felt excited and eager to revisit this island and Atrus' other early ages, Channelwood, Stoneship, Mechanical, Selenitic and Rime. I found myself wandering the island all over again, as I had at the beginning of things so many years ago. The water was calm and lapped gently against the rocks; the trees swayed in the breeze and I could hear the cries of soaring gulls. Down by the clock tower, I saw the island butterflies and smiled. I'd been so enchanted by them back in the early times; it was like seeing old half-forgotten friends again. And I was pleased that there indeed were zoological studies to be accomplished here.

The outside of the star room was cheerful in the bright day:

There was a seagull cruising by above the trees:

A pair of butterflies fluttered about the water near the clock tower:

They appeared to be Tiger Swallowtails:

Apparently either the storm had been raging during the middle of the day, or I had slept longer than I realized, for I saw that the day was waning and the sky was beginning to show the colors of the gentle Myst sunset. I sat and gazed at the changing sky, breathing deeply of the clear air and savoring the moments. Once the stars had come out for the night, I got up, set the clock tower, then walked to the giant gears to find the Mechanical linking book.

A group of seagulls flew overhead as the sky began to turn:

I had forgotten how beautiful the evening sky is on Myst Island:

Night has fallen and the sky has turned a deep purple:


Next: Mechanical revisited

_________________

Last edited by Ainia on Sat Jan 07, 2012 4:45 am; edited 1 time in total

Mechanical had never particularly appealed to me when I'd first explored it, being so barren and harsh, so lacking in flora and fauna. Yet in visiting it again after so long, I felt a thrill and happiness. I'd never noticed any animals here, but also had never really thought to look for them so long ago. I'd been too enraptured with the thrill of the books and their ages.

I walked throughout the building and visited each of the small islands but found no sign of animal or plant life. There were no birds in the sky or fish in the ocean; not even barnacles on the rocks. There was no sound beyond the lapping water and the wind. I wondered if the oceans here were hostile to sea life, or whether Atrus had written something into this age to keep his structures pristine and protected from the decay that can come with time and the presence of other forms of life.

It was early dawn when I arrived and daylight was just beginning to glow:

I looked carefully amongst the rocks at water's edge but could find no sign of sea life:

There was nothing to be seen amongst the submerged gears either:

The pirate flag could still be viewed on the horizon, so I assumed the age was not yet completely abandoned. As the days are relatively short here, I decided to stay and watch the sunset before linking back to Myst Island.

Sunset was beginning by the time I checked the smallest island:

The sky turned a magenta:

And then a deep purple:

The stars in Mechanical are scattered relatively widely; they are quite colorful but do not twinkle:

The turning of the day here was surprisingly similar to Myst Island. Nevertheless, the other ages were calling…

Up next: Selenetic

_________________

I linked back to Myst Island and headed toward the rocket. I'd always been intrigued by Selenitic, such a collection of paradoxes within such a small geographic area. I'd always regretted that there were no pictorial records of it before the meteor impacts and the subsequent instability; it had always sounded quite lovely.

Heading toward the rocket and its Selenitic linking book:

Upon arriving, I went first to the fountain, hoping to find birds or insects there, but it was barren of animal life. No faint humming of insect wings, no rushing whisper of birds in flight. I was disappointed as this had been the likeliest place for animals here. But I continued onward.

The garden area had always been a favorite of mine:

The volcanic fissure was far too hot to hope for any animals; and the clock tower still sat on barren ground. There wasn't even any grass along the path surrounding the bay created by the largest crater.

I couldn't lean over the railing more than a moment, the lava was so near and hot:

The clock tower was a familiar sight, reminding me of the one on Myst Island:

I'd always loved the crystal formations; their gentle song from the slightest breeze was soothing yet magical. Visiting the crystals felt like greeting old friends. But there was no sea life there, only the haunting melodies of the crystal towers.

Although they seem grey from a distance, the crystals can shine with countless subtle colors:

I headed out to the end of the path and the underground passage leading to the very last tiny island. At the bottom of the ladder, I reached for the light switch, hoping that it still worked and that I wouldn't have to stumble my way through in the dark. As soon as the lamps awakened, I found myself surrounded by dozens of panicking bats! Perhaps I was becoming adept and quick with my camera reflexes by now, for I was fortunate enough to get several pictures of them before they dispersed. However, several stayed inside the tunnel, flying about (and probably waiting for me to leave and turn the lights back off). I stayed for quite some time photographing these remaining bats, hoping to capture them in better light.

A rush of bats meets me head-on when I turn on the lamps:

I managed to get a fairly good shot of one of the stragglers:

I was intrigued to see that their natural color is brown; their wings seem so delicate:

After scrolling through the pictures on my digital camera, I could see that these bats were quite different from the ones in the Cavern. This was exciting news indeed! I annotated my field journal to plan a future excursion here to study them more fully.

When I returned to the surface from the tunnel, the Selenitic sunset was in full bloom. My camera simply couldn't do justice to the intense oranges that seemed to permeate even the air itself.

I could see the clock tower across the way, the perpetual mist seeming even more intense in the colorful light:

My two favorite places here are even more mysterious now:

The garden seems afire in the light:

I'd never much cared for the mining shuttle and the confusing pathway through to the Myst linking book, so returned to my Relto and then back to Myst Island from there. After encountering the bats, I was getting even more excited about visiting the remaining ages.

Next stop: Channelwood

_________________

I hadn't realized how fond I was of the frog and birdsong of this place. The constant singing of the native animals brought back so many lovely memories…

Walking along the wooden path toward the windmill, I came upon a Wood Toad sunning himself. However, he was extremely shy, jumping into the water at the first sight of my movement. I realized he probably was responding to the vibrations of my footsteps on the wooden path and spent several hours sitting quietly at a discreet distance and then hurrying back to his sunning area, hoping to capture him on film. He was the most difficult and elusive animal yet, far more challenging than Shroomie had been. I was glad for the practice I had gotten in Teledahn and eventually was rewarded with an excellent photo; in fact, I nearly stepped on him.

The Wood Toad is up ahead toward the right; he blends in with the wooden walkway very well:

As I try to approach carefully, he begins hopping away, feeling the wood vibrations from my footsteps:

As I turn the path toward him, he's over the side and into the water:

I try again, this time hurrying carefully; I am very close before he begins to hop away:

I barely avoid stepping on him; but in the process, I get a marvelous photo of him:

And he's off into the water:

After several hours of Wood Toad photography, it was time to ascend the stairway and go birdwatching. So I headed upward into the walkways and structures on the next level, hoping to find a good vantage point. However, the forest canopy was far too dense and the light too dim to see anything. Nevertheless, I savored walking amongst the creaking trees and gazing out over the water below. The settlement still remained abandoned and felt just as melancholy yet peaceful as it had been the first day I wandered through so long ago now.

Approaching the stairway to the settlement above:

I could see some of the settlement homes, abandoned long ago:

Walking the wooden pathways at the top of the stairs, looking for birds:

Upon ascending to the top level, I looked into the canopy once again hoping to sight the birds I could hear everywhere. However, my luck didn't change and so I gazed out over the view instead. I took a deep breath of the damp air and closed my eyes, leaning over the rope railing, absorbing the sounds and feel of Channelwood, letting it settle into my heart and my bones.

Looking down from the upper level hoping to see birds in the trees; no birds, but I could see one of the old dwellings below:

A view of the windmill far below:

As pleasant as the day was here, it was time to move on. There were two ages still to visit.

Next age: Stoneship

_________________

It was raining steadily when I linked in to Stoneship. I'd always thought of this place as an object lesson for the perils of trying to write human-made structures into an age. The split and bent ship still was intact even after all this time. I started by walking about and refamiliarizing myself with the few structures here, taking some nice photos of the shifting storm as the light dimmed for the brief Stoneship night.

The lighthouse was the first structure I saw after linking in:

I climbed the stairway to the rocky pinnacle and gazed down on the ship:

Night fell quickly and the rain turned stormy:

When revisiting the sleeping quarters of Sirrus and Achenar, I wandered through the hidden tunnel to the power room, turning on the underwater lamps. There were numerous fish swimming about outside the windows, startled at first by the unexpected change in light. I was able to get a few nice photos and thought eagerly about descending the steps down to the heart of the ship. I remembered that the lamps had illuminated the underwater flora and fauna long ago and hoped that everything still worked sufficiently for me to enjoy those views once more.

The water outside remained very dark in spite of the lanterns; but they illuminated several schools of fish:

I was able to photograph some Shimmerfish up close to the window:

I was very excited to find an undocumented fish here, resembling a Terran Tang:

Hurrying down the stairs into the lower level of the ship, I was not disappointed; I spent the next several hours walking up and down the ship's stairs, back and forth across the lower level, gazing out the windows and photographing fish to my heart's content. There was such diverse life down here--I'd completely forgotten how lush it was.

A Lantern Jelly and some Shimmerfish hanging about one of the lanterns:

Nearby, a Rock Lionfish is hovering; they stay relatively still and do not swim about, most probably as a means to attack unsuspecting prey when they swim by:

A magnificent Sea Turtle swam by; they have an elongated tail which can be used as a rudder:

Spiny Eels are quite large and don't seem to have any natural enemies; he and the Sea Turtle mutually ignored each other:

I was very excited to see a Skate swimming about; I'd now seen a second undocumented animal here:

Finally, I sat down, rested my chin on my hands and just gazed outward. I mused at how life is so persistent, so resilient; how I had found signs of life throughout the ages, sometimes even in the most unexpected places. The Myst multiverse was teeming with life, even if I couldn't always see it and capture it with my camera. There was something deep and settling to me in that thought.

Final stop: Rime

_________________

I shivered involuntarily at the thought of visiting another cold age. But I was in the home stretch of my journeys and Rime was calling quietly but urgently. The D'ni Zoological Society reports two known animals for this age, the Rime Whale and an unknown wolf-like animal. I would need to keep warm and be cautious. I returned to my Relto to bundle up and grab a thermos of coffee, then linked back to Myst Island, opening the Rime book and linking through.

The Rime linking book in the Myst Island library:

The light in Rime never changes, always being in the dark of night, with faint Northern Lights illuminating the water and icebergs from a distance. The drifting snowflakes were beautiful and I found myself wandering to the two observation landings and gazing out at the floating generator towers. They glowed underwater, their power units still spinning slowly and creating a ghostly light from the deep. But it was frigid and I needed to find shelter in spite of the thankfully still air. I opened up the gas tap and headed inside the research station to warm up by the stove.

A generator tower creates an eerie underwater glow as it spins slowly:

The research station from one of the observation landings:

Thankfully, the stove still worked and soon took the edge off the intense cold:

I'd half forgotten the inner passageways and Atrus' work areas. The elevator still worked and I found myself exploring the inner rooms, flooded with nostalgia. Atrus too was a dedicated scientist and this was one of his most important laboratories, the only location where he could effectively research and tune the crystals that powered his remote viewing machine, which in turn allowed him to maintain contact with his banished sons as well as to monitor the myriad ages he was writing and researching. Perhaps some day my fellow explorers would be able to recreate this technology and apply it to the ages we could not yet explore…

Atrus' old study, midway up the tower:

A sleeping cot in the upper laboratory area:

The work table:

The crystal testing device and viewer:

I fiddled with the controls out on the balcony and saw that they still worked, creating a huge power surge between the generator towers across the water. What a fearful technology! As the lights faded and the quiet settled back in, I heard a faint call in the distance. Could it be? The D'ni Zoological Society noted that the Rime Whale could occasionally be spotted here; the calling was growing louder and sounded very much like whale song. I wondered idly how the fearful power surges from the generator towers affected the underwater life here...

The generator towers begin their power cycle:

There is a huge power burst as the currents connect between towers:

The power flows between the towers for only a minute or two before dissipating:

I hurried down the elevator and out onto the observation landings, fumbling in the cold to get my camera at the ready. The sound was coming from the right, so I stared off into the dim distance there, straining to see into the dark waters. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me; but as I continued to stare, I saw a faint shadow beneath the waves; then two more. Good heavens, it was a mother and twin calves, slowly swimming through the small bay! The Rime Whale was alive and well. I began snapping photos furiously, hoping to capture something viewable in the dim light, racing between platforms to get a better view. The mother breached the surface and I felt the thrill of distant contact with such an enormous and noble creature. I took hundreds of photos in what must have been only a few minutes, following the three ghostly shadows until they faded from sight. I'd never been on a whale watching excursion before but now could understand the thrill described by friends who had visited with the Terran whales.

A ghostly shadow below the water approaches from the right:

She breaches the surface:

Zooming in, I can see there are two smaller shadows on her left and right:

All three continue drifting slowly across the bay:

They approach the outlying ocean:

And then they are gone:

It was the perfect ending to my zoological adventures. Not only had I found the Rime Whale, I had been fortunate enough to witness a family of them. I puzzled over the report of wolf-like animals for I had seen no sign of them and had heard nothing beyond whale song and the wind.

Now, to write up my field notes...

_________________

Hi janaba1 and DLordofTime,

Now that I've finally finished writing up my holiday zoological travels, I was able to spend some time back in Payiferen to take additional photos of the body there. The mystery is deepening somewhat, not only in regard to the body itself, but also in regard to some other phenomena there. I've been wondering if all these things are related somehow...

So here are the latest photos of the body, taken at various times throughout the Payiferen day. Since the photos from my earlier post were from the Payiferen morning, I'm only including ones from later times of day below.

This was taken just after mid-day, when the sun was shining full on the body (the earlier photos were taken when it was still in the shadow of the hillside):

As you can see, it's much harder to make out the body in the full light; this was taken from the feet looking toward the head:

And this was taken from the head looking toward the feet:

The same view as before but later in the afternoon when the sun is starting to set:

Same time of day, looking directly toward the hillside:

The sun has just set; the body is much easier to see again:

Dark has settled in; the photo is dim but the body still is easy to see:

Based on the newest photos, it's looking like the body is much more viewable when it's in shadow. Perhaps because it's so decayed that it's nearly flat? So one would need to be able to see the subtle shadowing that direct sunlight would render invisible? But I also noticed that there is a distinct change in coloring for certain areas of the body when it's in full sunlight, which then makes it much harder to see. The whole chest area and forearm appear to change color and thus fade away.

To see what I mean, compare this photo from early morning:

with this one from mid-day:

While I was waiting for the day to pass in Payiferen, I wound up exploring the surrounding area more closely and noticed something really interesting about the scattered rocks: some of them glow with red, green or yellow.

Here's what they look like as you approach them:

A closer look (the yellow is harder to see as it's fairly pale in comparison):

The really interesting thing is that even though not all of these rocks glow red, yellow, or green, they all glow at night!

The red, green and yellow still shows in the middle of the night:

Oddly, the hills which appear to be of the same color and material in daylight, do not show any of these characteristics at night and don't display the glowing red, yellow or green at any time. So I have to assume that even though they look similar, they are in fact different. But since there are Payiferen rocks that have such unexpected characteristics in changing light, I am wondering if this is somehow related to how the body appears to change visually during the light cycles.

What do you guys think??

_________________