Category Archives: 2019

2019, Uncategorized

May 15th – Waterfalls, Mayan Ruins, and Scarlet Macaws

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Today we had another early start as we had a lot planned and far to travel. We ate breakfast at the lodge we stayed and I got to try a Belizean specialty called Fried Jacks, which are kind of like a less sweet beignet, along with others staples like refried black beans, watermelon juice, and some sort of cheese. We all loaded back into the van and headed further along the gravel road until we reached a waterfall with pools formed in the granite rocks called Rio en Pools. While there we got to swim and play in the waterfalls, as well as observe the mountain pine region close up. While walking to the falls, our group found a super tiny toad which I identified as a Gulf Coast Toad, a pretty common species in the area. We also found a basilisk lizard, which is noteworthy for the funny way it runs and the fact that it can run across water (though sadly, we did not witness this feat). 

After our swim, we drove about an hour to the Caracol Mayan ruins. I was amazed by the huge size of the buildings, as well as the fact that you are allowed to climb up the stairs of the exposed buildings and the fact that ancient pottery was just littered about. Also, we climbed the tallest ruin which is actually the tallest building in Belize and was built in 650 AD! We could even see the border of Guatemala from up there because of the deforestation line. My favorite parts of our tour included seeing Montezuma’s Oropendola birds (which make these interesting hanging sack-like nests to protect their eggs from snakes) and getting to see a whole bunch of black howler monkeys above us in the rainforest (including a baby!). 

After we finished at Caracol, we rode to our final destination- Las Cuevas Research Station and arrived right as it started to pour. Perhaps the dry season won’t be as dry as we thought. After the rain stopped, we got to see a Scarlet Macaw up in the canopy (except Keegan who didn’t believe us until it was too late). I didn’t see any amphibians after the rain, but I’m excited to see some tomorrow when we head out into the Chiquibul for the first time since it is (hopefully) an early start to the wet season!

Caracol
2019, Uncategorized

May 18th – Morelet’s Tree Frog!

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It was a great day to be a herpetologist today! This morning while we were out collecting the pit traps we set to collect arthropods, we spotted a green tree frog asleep on a fishtail palm. When he opened his eyes he revealed his orange underside and large black eyes- it was a Morelet’s Tree Frog! The holy grail of frog hunting because it’s a critically endangered species. He remained very zen as we all took his pictures and even went back to sleep. I was surprised how big and flat he was and how sort of fleshy his legs were. I’d only seen pictures, which really don’t do them justice. What great luck! 

When we got back to the lab we spent the afternoon sorting our specimens and analyzing arthropod diversity on the ground and canopy as well as looking at species attraction to nitrogen in our urine. We found a huge amount of diversity on the forest floor, but not quite as much in the canopy. We also found out that canopy species were more attracted to the urine, showing that the canopy is more nitrogen bare, which makes sense given the relative lack of decaying matter in the branches of trees. After presenting our findings and eating dinner, I gave my taxon ID talk about amphibians. 

The darkness brought another opportunity for tarantula hunting, but this time not only did I find a bunch of big fuzzy spiders, but also some whistling birds with eyes that reflect purple in the light of my headlamp. Under the dorms I also found a fairly large sized toad with gold around its eyes. At first I thought it was a cane toad because of the eyes, but upon further inspection, it’s back markings proved it to be a Campbell’s Rainforest Toad. 

2019

26/05/19 Urchin Searchin’

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We began the morning with a survey of sea urchins in patch reefs (in and out of marine-protected areas). We collected urchins in a bucket, then identified them by species and determined the diameters of their tests (in centimeters). We found long-spined urchins (Diadema antillarum) (don’t touch!), slate-pencil urchins (Eucidaris tribuloides), reef urchins (Echinometra viridis), and a few West Indian sea eggs (Tripneustes ventricosus). Although I was hesitant to jam my hand into small crevices in the coral to retrieve these spiny creatures, I had fun catching the urchins while simultaneously discovering how stubborn they can be. Some of those sea urchins were really wedged into their crevices and would not budge.

Bucket o’ urchins!

We collated our data into a poster, then transitioned into lectures on  crustaceans, hydrozoa, cubozoa, scyphozoa, ctenophores, and climate change and its effect on coral reefs.

We ended the night with a night snorkeling session from the dock to a patch reef nearby (which we got lost on the way to). It was a surreal experience. In the brief time that we were out in the water, I did not get to see much, but the creatures that I saw —including some tasty-looking lobsters—were vastly different from the ones that I normally see during the day. Our limited field of vision under water made for an invigorating experience, like when sting rays appeared and disappeared from darkness.

2019

25/05/19 The Chummiest of Friends

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This morning we completed (you guessed it) more transects! Again, we went out to two patch reefs, one in an MPA, one not. The first patch reef (within an MPA, nicknamed ‘the Aquarium’) contained lots of fire coral hidden in the coral we were attempting to survey. Weaving the transect tape and manipulating the quadrad was especially hard with the stinging fire coral around, especially since the water was so shallow—there was a limited amount of space above the reef through which we could float. At one point, I was floating directly on top of fire coral—a precarious situation. At (what was intended to be) the second site, there were moon jellies floating around, so we decided not to complete our transects there and opted to move to a different non-MPA site for our final transects. The final area that we decided on to be our non-MPA site was full of lionfish (yum! that’s my taxon!) and squid! After completing my transects, I watched Herby spear a lionfish that was hiding deep within the coral. I am excited to eat these lionfish at a later time.

In the afternoon, the class took the boat out to the fore reef, where we saw the reef drop off, sponges, and bigger animals in general, however, many of us (myself included) fell ill and could not properly appreciate the majesty of the reef in our conditions.

Seasickness

We ended the night with lectures on Anthozoa (non-reef building zoanthids, corallimorphs, and anemones), marine mollusks, and threats to coral reefs (of which there are a lot).

2019

24/05/19 Piscivorous fish are more metal than herbivorous fish. Periodt.

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We took the boat out for the first time to survey two patch reefs. The first one, Marisol, was within a marine-protected area (MPA). The second was not within a marine-protected area (non-MPA). There were some grey clouds in the sky as we drove out to the first patch reef, but I did not feel the sprinkling as I was snorkeling in the cold water. I saw snappers as usual, and what I thought to be a foot-long grouper that quickly swam away before I could fully process its presence.

In the afternoon, the class geared up to wade into sea-grass off of the island. We were looking for creatures to capture and keep in a ‘touch tank’ briefly for our observation. As a class, we caught many queen conchs (and one conch shell occupied by a crab), two donkey-dung sea cucumbers, a sea egg urchin, a pencil slate urchin, a red heart urchin, an octopus!, two fire worms, a damselfish, several brittle stars, two sun anemones, several types of coral and algae, and many hermit crabs—no piscivorous fish though! The water is too shallow for these big boys. It was interesting to feel and observe the organisms from other taxons though. The donkey dung sea cucumber was particularly interesting as it molded into your hand as you squeezed it.

Me touching a West Indian Sea Egg (Tripneustes ventricosus), a type of urchin

We ended the night with lectures on herbivorous fish, piscivorous fish (given by yours truly), and how competition, predation, and environment shape coral reefs.

2019

23/05/19 Urine the Sea Now

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(Never thought I’d say this but…) it was nice to sleep in today now that breakfast is at 7:00am! Today is our first day working on the reef!  The class went out to the coral graveyard to practice the point-intercept and quadrad methods of conducting surveys, then examined coral skeletons taken from the coral graveyard. We attempted to identify the coral skeletons species or at least genus; we identified a range of corals including Pseudodiploria, Colpophyllia nattans, Agaricia, Pendrogyra cylindris, Acropora palmata, Gorgonia ventalina, Siderastrea, and Fabullata. There is so much variety in corals and coral structure on the macro and micro levels, yet corals are deceptively hard to tell apart, especially when it comes down to specific species. 

Later in the day, we utilized the quadrad method on sea-grass and algae. Cassia and I developed a set of hand-signals to communicate data under water that enabled us to complete the transects relatively quickly. Using tools under water was a surreal experience! First, we had to swim over to the sand bar within the sea-grass/algae area carrying our bulky PVC quadrads, transect tapes, and clipboards for recording data. Writing under the water with water-proof paper and pencil was a novel experience for me, and its a technique that we will be utilizing a lot in the coming days. At the patch reef, I saw several yellowtail snappers, and a nurse shark (the couch potato of the ocean)! Hopefully, we will see more piscivorous fish in the coming days.

We ended the night with lectures on echinoderms (go sea cucumbers!), green and red algae, and mangroves and seagrass beds (their relevance and importance to coral reefs).

2019

TFB’s: A Reef Story- Day 9

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Guess who has twenty-six thumbs and is on an island three hours off of the coast of Belize- all of us. Today we arrived at Glover’s Reef! It is 20 miles long, 6 miles wide, and absolutely gorgeous. Some patches of water are a turquoise color, which I learned means that the ocean floor is sandy and probably fairly shallow. The boat ride in was three hours and I may have gotten a little bit more sun than I needed for a tan, but we made it and we saw some Spotted Eagle Rays along the way (that’s good luck)!

The boat we took to Glover’s

 

Soon after we arrived, we went for our first snorkel off of the island’s dock. It was cut a little short due to some of us having equipment issues, but during our time in the water, I was able to see a large school of fish, an upside-down jellyfish, and a conch. We then exited the water, regrouped, reequipped, and then headed out into the water once more. This time, however, we went to the shallows on the leeward (opposite of windward) side of the island, and in order to do so we had to pass through the “mangroves of death”. They earned this name because the area is full of sand flies and mosquitoes and we practically sprinted through it to avoid them.

A conch we found on our first snorkel

 

The shallows had a decent amount of coral, and we were able to see some interesting organisms, such as brain coral, a Christmas tree worm, and some butterfly fish. While we were out there, the wind and current were very strong and it was hard to stay in one spot for long.

I haven’t seen any echinoderms yet, but I’ve been on the lookout and I’m sure they’ll turn up soon! We should be able to see them in shallow water, so hopefully, we’ll be able to see some tomorrow.

2019

Mom! I found a snake!- Day 8

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We started the day off by saying goodbye to Las Cuevas and its amazing staff. They were incredibly kind the entire time we were there and I’ll definitely miss it. After that, a day of amazing adventure and sightseeing ensued and it all began at the A.T.M. Cave.

My group was led by a guide named Edward, and he explained to us not only the cave’s cultural importance to the Maya but the background and scientific findings behind each Mayan artifact we encountered inside the cave as well. A river runs out of the cave’s entrance, so the only way in is to swim through fairly deep water until coming upon a shallower area. From there and while still knee deep in water, we made our way over slippery rocks, through narrow corridors, and over rock walls in order to venture further into the cave. We saw incredible rock formations as well as Mayan pots, altars, and even a full skeleton! (ooooooh..awwwwwwh)

 

A poster at the TEC

After we left the cave we made our way to the Tropical Education Center where we’ll spend the night, and in comparison to Las Cuevas, it feels like a 5-star hotel. It even has 24/7 electricity! Tonight, we were able to take a tour of the Belize Zoo, which houses rescued animals native to Belize. The tour started off strong as we got to hold a Boa Constrictor, and we then went on to see some of the rainforest’s most iconic animals. These included a Tapir (which honestly is one of the weirdest animals I’ve ever seen) and even a Jaguar which could do somersaults (who knew)! We were also able to see a variety of owls (most of the other birds were asleep) such as the Mottled, Pygymy, Spectacled, and Barn owls! The Spectacled Owl was especially regal looking and its call sounded fantastic. We also saw a chachalaca on our drive to the A.T.M. Cave and it resembled a tinamou or a curassow. I will not be forgetting today for quite a long time.

Me and the Tapir

 

 

The Spectacled Owl

Tomorrow we are taking a boat to Glover’s Reef where we’ll spend the remainder of our trip. Although we won’t be having anymore Scarlet Macaw sightings, I can’t wait to finally hit the ocean and start looking for some echinoderms. Glover’s here we come!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019

Chiquibye Las Cuevas!- Day 7

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Today was our last full day at Las Cuevas, and because of that, we spent the morning collecting the camera traps we placed during our first day here. We waited until tonight to view the images so that it would be a kind of sendoff and it was a great way to end our time here. A couple of the cameras didn’t capture any animals, and we didn’t see a jaguar (so sad), but we did see a TAPIR. It was walking right down one of the trails and the picture was at a fantastic angle. We all yelled when we saw it and it was a really cool moment. We also think we might’ve seen a puma, but we couldn’t tell.

The Tapir

 

Earlier in the day, Scott showed us some really interesting things about leaf-cutter ants. We looked at a smaller young colony and then a MASSIVE mature one. He wanted to show us the differences between colonies of different ages, as well as their fungal gardens. The large colony was super cool and we found fungus right away. Also, a soldier ant which was protecting the colony bit through Amanda’s pants! (crazy right)

 

The mature Leaf Cutter Ant Nest

We saw a new bird today- a curassow. It was in one of the pictures from the camera traps and it was tall, black, and had thin legs. I was also able to get really close to some social flycatchers because they were perched on a wire running from the deck of the station. I can see where they get the “social” in their name from as they seemed to be playing around with each other and had no problem with me being close by.

 

Tomorrow we will leave Las Cuevas, but I will certainly remember my time here forever. Everything from the long difficult hikes to staring out over the Chiquibul forest from the bird tower was memorable and I’ve learned a ton in the mere week we’ve been here. I can wait to head to the reef and gain a whole new set of experiences. Goodbye Rainforest, you will be missed.

2019

And Off to Work We Go!- Day 6

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Today we were able to complete an entire research project in the span of a morning. We were trying to see whether plant diversity was higher in disturbed or undisturbed areas of the forest, and this, in turn, helped us to understand how hurricanes can potentially lead to diversity changes. After lunch, we began work on another project but we haven’t quite finished yet.

One of the Cecropia Trees we measured for our research project

 

While we were out in the jungle, we were able to see four Scarlet Macaws perched on the same tree! They were close enough to where we could see their brightly colored feathers. Also, Kaela and Cassia told me that they saw a bird (probably a kite by their description) fly over the canopy holding a rodent almost as large as the bird itself. I really wish I would’ve been able to see that because it sounds pretty wild.

In the late afternoon, we hiked an increasingly steep trail up to a place called the Bird Tower. It’s a tower on a large hill which overlooks the jungle and although it does the views we saw from the top were absolutely incredible. There were no signs of civilization and the forest seemed to go on forever. I could’ve sat up there all day. Unfortunately, all things come to an end and we had to walk back to the station, but on our way, we saw a jumping pit viper, one of the venomous snakes in the region!

A view from the Bird Tower

Tomorrow our main goal is to retrieve all of the camera traps we placed during our first full day at Las Cuevas. Hopefully, we were able to get pictures of some cool animals! We aren’t really supposed to get our hopes up too high, but I for one hope to see a Jaguar! It’s crazy to think that we only have one more full day at Las Cuevas, but I’m looking forward to heading to Glover’s Reef!