Tag Archives: Mayans

2019

21/05/19 Close Encounters of the Animal kind

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Bye Las Cuevas Research Station! Thank you for your hospitality—I will miss you and the food dearly!

Class imitating our favorite animals—mine is a butterfly, not an owl.

We took the morning and afternoon to explore the ATM (Another Tourist Missing) cave, where we were able to see the remains of human Mayan sacrifices, Mayan pottery, and stunning rock formations while swimming with fish in the caves. To reach the cave, we crossed three rivers/streams in gear. The entrance to the cave was a pool which we also had to swim through. Water within the cave was cool and refreshing in contrast to the heat outside. The cave constricted at certain points, and we were forced to crouch or turn sideways. We also climbed rock formations to reach certain chambers. Throughout the tour, the guide told us about the history of the caves and the Mayan culture associated with the caves. Mayans sacrificed blood (from the Mayan king) and—in times of desperation—human males of all ages in a bid to ensure rain and good harvest. I participated in the blood-letting ritual when I scraped my shin on a rock. If it rains tomorrow, that means that the Mayan gods must enjoy my blood. The tour of the cave took in total about 4 hours, and, by the time we were out, I was famished.

We drove another hour and a half to the Tropical Education Center (where we are staying the night), then had a nighttime tour of the Belize Zoo.

Some cool things that I observed/experienced during the tour:

-was ‘hugged’ by a boa constrictor

-fed and pet a tapir

-stood less than two feet away from a jaguar and a puma

– pet a kinkajou

 

Me holding a boa constrictor

Today was full of amazing experiences and I am excited for tomorrow—the reef!

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Day 4: Pee in Vials; Not in Caves!

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Blog Post #4

Day 4: Pee in Vials, Not in Caves!

Written on May 19that 7:13 am

 

DISCLAIMER: Las Cuevas was supposed to have internet—right now, it isn’t working. All LCRS posts from the rainforest will be posted after the fact!

I didn’t write this blog post last night because I was just so, so tired! I fell asleep with the lights on (3rdnight in a row) with lots of people chattering around me.

Anyways, we started the day with birding—we tracked the beautiful scarlet macaw mated pair as they chattered away. During this time, Scott handed us 2 50 mL vials and told us to fill each with 25 mL of urine. It was a very odd way to start the day, but turns out, our second project had to do with nitrogen scarcity and insect diversity in the canopy vs the forest floor.

Once we developed our question, hypotheses, null hypotheses, and methods, we set out to bury and hang out samples along with water vial controls. We picked two different sections of the same trail and placed them roughly 100 ft apart. We’ll collect them after two days to analyze what kinds of bugs fell into our pitfall traps! During our hike, Sam did spot a red-banded coral snake under a log and we got to watch it slither away.

In the afternoon, we had the special opportunity to spelunk into the Las Cuevas Cave, just a mere 100 yards away from our clearing. It was beautiful!! The stalactites and stalagmites glistened, glittered, and shined with all kinds of minerals. Since the cave has technically been closed for archaeological excavation research, it was relatively untouched and purely natural. Biologically speaking, we saw a bunch (literally) of baby bats (see pic), adult bats, crabs, isopods, mites, and an amblypygid (a glorified spider), and a peccary skeleton. Mayan wise, there was a nearly intact bowl, a metate (grinding stone), faces carved into the rock (rudimentary, but very noticeable), bone fragments from human sacrifices, and lots of shattered pieces of pottery. It was really incredible to walk the same walk and see the same sights as the kings or high priests of the Maya culture did when they worshipped in this cave to their rain god Chaac.

In the evening, we had our lectures, and a somewhat rare amphibian sighting! There was a frog in the window, and I caught/held it (see pic). I’m unsure of what kind of frog this was, but when we reach internet, I’ll for sure look it up! (UPDATE: It was a Mexican Tree Frog without its coloring since it was night time)

(Hey Mom and Dad, do I look happy? :D)

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A Visit to the Maya (by Maya)

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Though we’ve finally settled in the heart of the Chiquibul Forest, I may have been too hasty in my previous assessment of our luck on this trip.

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Silky anole (Anolis sericeus).

The morning began with little sleep, some unidentifiable (but delicious) fried bread, a blue-crowned motmot sighting, and our departure from the Crystal Paradise and San Ignacio. Just as we set off, I caught this silky anole (Anolis sericeus).

Our first stop was a step 2000 years back in history, to the ancient Mayan city of Ozhuitza at the Caracol Archaeological Site. The great city now stands in ruins, with only the largest structures of the ancient city center excavated today. I became a momentary archaeologist, traipsing through the remains of a metropolis that once housed 150,000 people. We climbed 43 meters with many, many steps to the top of Caracol’s “Sky Palace,” the tallest structure in Belize.

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Caracol Archaeological Site.

The day’s reptile sightings remained sparse compared to yesterday’s excitement; Caracol only yielded a few stray skinks, darting among the ruins. The morning’s greatest surprise was the sight of the odd hanging nests characteristic of the Montezuma’s oropendola. As we entered what can best be described as the suburbs of Ozhuitza, I caught a glimpse of the birds’ bright yellow tails. We watched the intricately woven nests swing like pendulums in the breeze to the tune of the oropendula’s strange mating call.

However, as soon as we left Caracol, the Mayan gods appear to have left our side. Our journey to the Chiquibul was cut short by an unanticipated lack of oil. In true field biologist fashion, we halted our journey outside a military checkpoint and seated ourselves on the dirt road for a lecture on the termite species of Belize. But in just a few short hours, two pickup trucks with a bed full of TFBs finally found their way to Las Cuevas Research Station. For the next five days, we’ll make our home here in the forest—hopefully, with a little more luck this time.