Like a gecko!The blog posting for today has been delayed due to high pollen levels. My body seems to think the trees are more interested in attacking me than reproducing and thus has begun strapping on its battle gear. I am attempting to talk it down with high levels of capsaicin and hot tea.
Keep sticking to that tree you gecko, You.
I enjoyed one of the most beautiful scenes of a jungle on my trip to Costa Rica. We were high in the mountains above the Pacific Coast rain forests surrounded by beautifully maintained gardens.
Every morning I would watch the clouds rise from the valleys into the sky.
And every evening settle down into the valleys for a long rest.
Many of the mountains were very high. These ones rise above palm plantations.
The trees were amazing. I tried to hug a few, but they were too big.
Many of the trees have enormous buttress roots. They help hold up the massive trees. People used this strategy when building huge buildings before they were built with metal and concrete.
Is this where chocolate comes from?
Not only can the canopy be delicious, but also fun. The animals climb along the massive branches in the dark canopy. We prefer to fly, zzzzzzzzzzip!
Down from the emergent layer in the sun into the dark unknown.
Under the canopy in the understory and forest floor, it sure is dark! No wonder baby trees take so long to grow big.
Down here there is plenty of water. Just not enough sun for many plants to grow on the forest floor.
Speaking of the sun, I think it is time it went to bed. All of this exploring has worn me out.
Good night!
They may be the smallest of the animals you may see in the tropical rain forest, but the variety and beauty of invertebrates is staggering.
When I say insect, do you think of ugly creeping monsters attempting to crawl into your clothes? Do you say, “Gross!” The first insect I captured on film was this creature.
Before this gorgeous creature gained his spots, what did he look like?
That’s right, a caterpillar!
Not all butterflies have brilliant scales. What was that? You thought only reptiles and fish had scales? The “skin” on a butterfly wing is made up of what entomologists call, scales too. This one took the camouflage route. (Although I think he is going to have a hard time blending in with that flower.
Butterflies are not the only creature that loves the sweet nectar of flowers. Check out the bee flying in for a landing on this lovely flower.
The tropical rain forest is crawling with interesting invertebrates. I began to see them wherever I looked.
On a leaf.
On the water.
On my camera bag. (That tiny white fuzzball on the right the picture had six legs!)
In the sink.
This scorpion, an arachnid not an insect, was only the size of a quarter. The grey ring to the right is the drain to the sink.
In my hand.
Across my path.
Leaf cutter ants are busy at work. They use the leaves to grow an edible fungus that the ants eat. Farmer ants, how cool!
These tasty tiny termites build huge nests in trees. If you are ever stuck in the jungle without a sandwich, pop a few thousand of these in your mouth for a healthy snack.
Speaking of eating bugs, anyone hungry for a giant roach the size of your hand?
This beautiful tree gem scared the daylights out of me. I nearly walked straight into her neon yellow sticky web.
A Golden Orb Weaver Spider with a tiny red male spider above her.
I wonder what these guys are talking about.
A beauitful bunch of ripe banana!
(daylight come and me wanna go home)
hide the deadly black tarantula!
Well, Mr. Belafonte I certainly did not want to go home yet. Especially after finding THIS fantastic black tarantula. She was nearly as large as my hand!
Stay tuned here for my further adventures in Costa Rica in the weeks to come!
Pura Vida
~RattlerJen
Posting by Caroline Seitz
Located nine miles east of Sarasota FL, Myakka River State Park is one of the oldest and largest Florida state parks and protects one of the state´s most diverse natural areas. On April 19, my Dad and I headed out for a day of hiking and picnicking with the hope of seeing a few cool Florida herp species.
We were in luck! Wildlife was everywhere at this beautiful park. At the picnic grounds, however, it was obvious that a few people had broken the rules against feeding wildlife because we were mobbed by cunning gray squirrels and even vultures as we enjoyed our delicious chips and sammies.
Squirrels and vultures were not the only non-herps we saw that day however. A Florida invader made his presence known as Dad and I hiked through the jungle.
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Next, we found an animal that is native to both Florida and Virginia.
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Florida’s most famous herp was abundant in the lakes and ponds in the park.
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We also saw tons of anoles – mostly Cuban anoles which are an introduced species that has been displacing the naive Carolina anole from Florida.
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After spending time hiking around the forest floor, it was time to head up, up, up into the canopy. We took a walk through the treetops and then climbed a 74-foot tower for an eagle’s-eye view of natural Floridian hammocks and wetlands.
Whew, after all the hiking and climbing, we were both pretty tired. So we headed back to the house for some relaxing. And I found one more animal.
For more information on visiting Myakka Lake State Park, visit http://www.floridastateparks.org/myakkariver/default.cfm
Today is feeding day for the snakes. What, they only get fed on Mondays?!
the menu
That’s right. Put your hand on your neck. Does it feel warm? Oh good, that means you are still alive. Humans are endothermic that means that we have a heater inside our body to keep us a nice warm 98.6 degrees F. What powers that heater is the food you must eat every day.
Reptiles are ectothermic or exothermic meaning “outside temperature.” They are the same temperature inside their body as the temperature outside their body. That means they don’t burn much food to make heat energy. That is why we must eat much more than reptiles do.
Some of the snakes don’t even eat every week! One snake, the Kenya Sand Boa, often goes nine months in the wild without eating!
fresh ratcicles
Since snakes aren’t to excited about the culinary delights of dog food or hot dogs, we have to resort to a more wholesome approach to their diet; ratcicles! These are humanely killed rats from a zoo food supply company are shipped frozen. We defrost them in warm water and its lunch time!
The baby alligator sure looks excited about his lunch.
Check out the video of the alligator and snapping turtle eating on the Reptiles Alive Facebook Page and become our fan!
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