Amazonia- Part 3

Amazonia was incredibly frustrating in terms of photography. None of the animals were just sitting around waiting to strike a pose. I wasn't able to get many good pictures of the things I saw but here I'm going to share a few that I think are worthy of being shared (even though they don't represent the most beautiful, spectacular or breathtaking things you can find in the Amazon).

The flowering structures in Amazonia tend to be red or orange and are an amazing color contrast with the contiguous green from floor to canopy, making it easier for pollinators and seed dispersers to find them!

The insects were by far the easiest things to get pictures of. I found it remarkable that every single one I found was different from the last. These are a few of my favorites :)

A smiling wood-eating beetle. Ironically, I found this little guy in a pile of construction materials.

One of the many glass-wing butterflies.

 A sap-sucking katydid hanging upside down from a branch.

During my time at Tiputini I spent a ton of time above the forest floor. During the first few days at camp my reasoning for this was undoubtedly to escape the oppressive heat. But, as time went on, I realized that from the canopy you could see Amazonia's diversity in a whole different context. The birds, monkeys, amphibians and insects that reveal themselves 50 meters above the floor are entirely different than those one would encounter while walking the trails. Plus the views were incredible!

Looking down from the "eagle's perch" on the canopy bridges. 

Dangling over the continuous canopy. 

The reptiles and amphibians I stumbled upon were few and far between but every single one was fantastic.

An adorable tree frog.

Rainbow anole- very much out of place in the lower canopy.

Another rainbow anole. Incredible coloring.

Throughout the semester myself and several other students decided to help one of our professors, Jaime Guerra, in his work recording Ecuadorian bat species diversity and population sizes. In the beginning of the semester we learned how to set and check nets and watched while Jaime processed the bats to include the data in his research. By the time we got to Tiputini we were pros at processing the bats ourselves. Getting the opportunity to handle bats, not to mention some of the world's most rare species, was undoubtedly a highlight of this trip. I had no previous experience with these incredible flying mammals and I probably won't have an opportunity like this ever again but I am leaving Ecuador with a new found appreciation for murciélagos.

Lophostoma silviculum

Sturnira Magna, a pregnant female.

Myotis nigricans, a tiny individual weighing only 8 grams!

Artibeus lituratus

Our time at Tiputini flew by and even now it's hard to believe I spent an entire month in such an unbelievable place. And right now I'm finding it hard to conclude this series of blogs about my adventures in the Amazonian Rainforest. While I'm upset that my time there is over, I've seen and done some things that many scientists only dream of.

Amazonia- Part 2

Twice while we were at Tiputini we had the opportunity to float down the Tiputini River toward Brazil.With the canoe trailing us at a distance, all we could hear was the wildlife all around us. The water was the perfect temperature, the sun was shining and the 360 degree view was out of this world. Floating down the river, carried by the current, I realized how immense Amazonia is. I didn't get to see more than a small fraction of what this amazing place has to offer but the view from the river really made me realize how irreplaceable this place, and its biodiversity, is.

A tree straight out of Dr. Seuss along the river.

Looking downriver towards Brazil.

Though the river float was easily my favorite part of our month in the rainforest I saw quite a few other things worth mentioning. The first of which was this guy, a Tamandua. He (or she) is a tree-climbing anteater relative that eats more termites than ants. While walking on the Parahuaco trail with the exceptional guide Don Meyer, we scared it higher up into the trees. In an attempt to lose our attention this adorable creature stayed perfectly still in a tree about 6 feet above our heads. I'm sure the animal was pretty terrified being surrounded by 6 humans with flashing cameras but it was incredible to be so close to something that wasn't trying to run away.

That's the thing about (most) of the mammals we saw. If we saw them at all, it was only their hind ends as they ran deeper into the forest to hide. The tamandua and the monkeys were surely the most remarkable exceptions.

Howler Monkey

Ten species of monkeys live at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station. One of these, the Golden-mantled Tamarin is endemic, meaning that it is unique to this small area of Amazonia. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any good pictures of these guys. They were tiny, weighed at most 2 pounds and did a great job hiding in the foliage. On an almost daily basis we saw the tamarin, squirrel, howler, spider, capuchin, pygmy marmoset, dusky titi and wooly monkeys. The squirrels were usually lower in the canopy and travel in larger groups so they were much easier to observe for long periods of time. Though small, it is plain to see that we're very closely related to these animals and their relatives. The howler and spider monkeys had especially expressive faces and human-like actions. Watching any of these monkeys for even a small portion of time was a precious opportunity.

Another highlight of the trip for me were the night hikes. Unlike most visitors to the research station, our prolonged stay granted us the ability to travel at any time of day (or night) without a guide making night hikes available and hard to resist. Our first night hike was terrifying. We didn't know the trails well at that point, got incredibly lost, stumbled upon a flooded zone, and almost lost one of our fellow adventurers. Over the course of the next few weeks however, the trails became more familiar and night hikes became a relaxed, and much cooler, way to see the rainforest's diversity. I found it amazing how many different spiders, insects and small critters came out when the sun went down.

It's incredible how many creatures live in the rainforest and never show themselves. Though we were at Tiputini for an entire month I know I only saw a tiny fraction of all of its wildlife. Check out my next post for more about the fauna of Amazonia!

Another tree along the Tiputini River.