It’s strange to think that our first half of the class is already over. We’ve wrapped our camera trap project by seeing some spectacular mammals of the Belize forest like the strange tapir. I think as a team, we’ve come out of these projects as something like buddies, always watching out for each other and informing anyone if an interesting species was ever encountered.

In terms of cockroaches, not many were encountered, due to the fast paced nature of the final wrap up day. However, I must say that being in Belize for this past week and photographing, witnessing, and teaching on the cockroaches of Belize has taught me the importance of studying these misunderstood insects. Belizean roaches are very understudied, and studying these guys has given me novel information on the variety of roach species in the area as well as some insights into their behavior, from nymph behaviors to escape/defense mechanisms. While I doubt that I will be able to contribute something significant to the scientific roach community with my pictures and notes, I do hope that through these posts pique the interests of the readers into realizing the unappreciated beauty of roaches.

It’s certainly been an unforgettable experience, from doing night hikes, walking 13.275 miles, collecting roaches, doing experiments, giving lectures, and just being aspiring TFBs (tropical field biologists). I wonder if things will change as we transition to the ocean portion of this course! Stay tuned for more to come!