Boxtixoraus

First Sighted: Standing, looking smug near Iguazú water falls (see photo below).

Distinguishable Features: Camera round neck, guide book in hand, urgent need to rush off somewhere.

Approachability: If you can find one stationary for long enough they are considered harmless, but don't expect much of a response if you attmept to engage one in any manner.

Apparently one of the most active of the Gringosaurs; darting from pillar to post, landmark to ancient landfill, with alarming velocity and great enthusiasm, but perversely seems to do so with limited enjoyment. A definite air of necessity is detected within the movement of the Boxtixoraus up and down the gringo-trail; there appears a definite desire to ‘have done’ rather than ‘to do’.

During daylight hours the boxtixoraus rarely communicate, either with one another, other Gringosaurs, or, Dino-God forbid, local species. Instead they scuttle around towns, cities and other sites, stopping only to glance at what they see, giving things an affirming, almost arrogant nod. Rather than said ‘sights’ producing enjoyment, the boxtixoraus merely display an air of apparent inevitability, as if in seeing such ‘sights’ they are just confirming something they already knew, (perhaps the mere existence of the view in question?). However these ‘sights’, or places as locals know them, are almost always ‘discovered’ by the boxtixoraus in what is considered to be some sort of mini bible-like book. Despite this, in a re-writing of History akin to the time some bloke named Chris ‘discovered’ a land already inhabited by thousands of different creatures, the Boxtixoraus have been seen to behave as though they themselves were the first to visit many of these world famous places.

Observe the following over-heard, joy-less examples: 

•     “Yep, Iguazú Falls, there they are. Knew it.”

•        “Haha, what did I say?* Macha Pi Chu. Right here, in the Andes.” 
•      “Yep, Salt flats. Salty, and flat.”

Along with the aforementioned, ever present ‘bible’, the boxtixoraus also tend to carry Japanese made electrical devices (it is as yet unclear how any Gringosaur are able to get hold of, and furthermore wield such advanced machinery, or even the bible-like books for that matter). Some observers have noted a tendency of the boxtixoraus to view the world almost exclusively through the electrical devices. Others have argued the ‘bible’ is of greater importance to the way the creatures see and interpret the world around them. However whichever of the accessories is considered most significant, most scientists and observers were, for many weeks, convinced of one sole reason for this behaviour. They hypothesized that perhaps the boxtixoraus did not posses adequate vision to see beyond a few centimeters from its nose, leaving them able to form only limited opinions of their own, of any place it had visited. These devices therefore, it was assumed, facilitated the forming of opinion by allowing the Boxtixoraus to either; bury its nose inside the bible and digest the words and photos within, or to take photos in order to have others describe the image later on.

More recent research has though, begun to dispel this myth as it seems the boxtixoraus are actually incapable of listening to the ideas or opinions of others in the normal manner. That is to say that whilst they can clearly hear, they appear in almost all cases to fail to properly take-on-board and respond appropriately to the words of others. Similarities have been drawn with the Cocawhoraus (and the questionable Cocavuloraus) in this respect. This trait is most commonly observed as the Boxtixoraus gather at the watering holes in the evenings to tell others precisely what they have ‘done’, over the last day or two (NB ‘done’ is believed to be a synonym for paying a fleeting visit to a place of touristic interest). Observe the following conversation between two Boxtixoraus, note the lack of appropriate response, suggesting a deficiency in vital listening skills;

Boxitixoraus A - I did Bolivia a few years back. I wouldn’t bother again though, already done everything there.

Boxtixoraus B - I’m did Buenos Aires last week in a few days. Probably gonna go South and do the Glacier next. Might do the Great Lakes whilst I’m down there.

A - I did Lake Titicaka in a few hours, got some great panoramic shots. Did Isle of Sol whilst I was there too, but it got too cloudy for any decent snaps.

B - I did Chile two years ago, so no point doing that again. Probably do Bolivia this time around instead, death road and Lake Titicaka. Not met anyone who’s done them yet.

A – For great pictures I recommend Buenos Aires, you can do it all in a few days. Maybe Chilie too.

B - OK I’m off. Up early to get a taxi to the bus station, I don’t get the hostel shuttle bus me, oh no, waste of money. Anyway give me you’re facebook and I’ll let you know how Bolivia was.

A – Sure, here you go. Enjoy Buenos Aires, and Chilie, you should really think about going there.

The two creatures appear to be in competition with one other over who has ‘done’ the most places, and as to who can recommend something the other hasn’t yet ‘done’. However it seems neither can possibly lose. The apparent inability to listen and understand what the other is saying means both can leave with an air of smug self-satisfaction, believing they have the superior number of boxes checked in terms of places ‘done’, and have the best, or at least, most, photos to prove it.

The Boxtixoraus then: Whilst apparently criminal bores and rather anti-social, they are at least harmless to other Gringosaurs and are merely a passing nuisance to local cultures. Their fleetingly short visits to various areas of South America mean they have little time to produce an overly negative impact on their surroundings. They merely crane their long necks** and nod their heads in a knowing, almost arrogant manner, take a quick snap shot and place a ‘tick’ in their guide books before silently shuttling off to the next listed site of interest.

*NB as far as is known, this isn’t referring to any conversation actually engaged in with any other Gringosaur. For this reason, some Scientists are discussing the possibility of some Boxtixoraus suffering from schizophrenia or other personality disorders.

** Evolved, presumably to allow them to get the best look at various tourist attractions over the heads of any other Gringosaurs