Hi! It’s day 4 in the rainforest and what a day it has been so far. We started off this morning by monkeying around…literally. We met the local family of howler monkeys and had a great discussion with the manager of Las Cuevas, Jane, about their behaviors and family structure. The family consisted of five monkeys of various ages and included a small baby that was incredibly cute! 

After breakfast (eggs, beans, and fruit), we met the Karst Team and went on a tour of the nearby cave system. I really enjoyed learning about the history of the cave and the species that reside within it. I also appreciated the cool cave air. We then headed to the field to collect our pitfall traps.

After lunch (rice and beans, chicken, and plantains), we listened to a few presentations, processed the results from our pitfall trap project, and worked on our poster. Dr. Solomon caught a basilisk near the cave and brought it back for us to take a look!

We ended the day with a hike to the bird tower, which overlooks the Chibiqual forest. It was truly one of the most incredible views I’ve ever seen. I look forward to hiking there again tomorrow morning to see the sunrise and for my topic lecture on tropical parasites, disease, and medicinal plants. That’s all for now! – Elise