I didn’t wake up early enough for bird watching, so I slept in and had breakfast at 7 am. Then we all peed in vials to use for our research project. Because pee is a source of ammonium, it can be used in an experiment to determine if the rainforest floor or canopy is more nitrogen deficient. My pee is currently on a tree and underground under the tree, and hopefully it brings good results.

In the afternoon, we went to a cave opening which was huge. The cave was thought to be a Mayan Pilgrimage site where they perform ceremonies. I got to give my Orthoptera presentation inside the cave and we also saw one cave cricket which are in the Rhaphidophoridae family!

Overall, I saw a lot of Orthoptera today including the first katydid I’ve seen. This katydid was green with white spots on the body and had red eyes. Even the antennae have white dots along them.

I saw a lot of little gray grasshopper nymphs on a leaf again today and several crickets from the Gryllidae family.

Today we set up our camera traps, cameras that are activated by movement, on two different trails. We were planning on using three trails, but because 4 of the camera traps were not working we had to change our plan. It was the first time we got to hike in the Chiquibul rain forest, so there was a lot of new things to see.

While walking along the Monkey Tail Trail and 50-hectare trail, I saw many Orthoptera including crickets and grasshoppers. The most exciting sighting was a Horse Lubber Grasshopper nymph (Taeniopoda eques) which was found in the leaf litter. These grasshoppers have a shiny black body with bright yellow markings. There were also a lot of small grasshopper nymphs on the tops of leaves.

In the afternoon, I saw a grasshopper that might be in the Tetrigidae family because of its pronotum that covers its entire abdomen. It was black with white and yellow speckles on the hind wings.

We left the Crystal Paradise Eco lodge this morning. Our first stop was Rio on Pools where I swam, slipped on rocks, and sat under a small waterfall. I think everyone nearly slipped and wiped out on the rocks a few times which is always fun.

Then we went to the Caracol Archaeological Preserve where we climbed on Mayan structures and learned about their culture. It was interesting to hear about how they built structures on top of other structures when the existing one became to sacred to live in. We also saw which are birds that have weaved nests that hang from trees.

After the ruins, we finally made it to Las Cuevas Research Station where we will be staying for the next five days. After the rained stopped, we could see birds all around us in the canopy.

I personally did not see any Orthoptera today, but someone else saw one on the bathroom door and showed me a picture. I believe it is a cricket in the Gryllidae family based on its long antennae and long cerci. Cerci are paired appendages on the abdomen.