Category Archives: 2017

2017, Uncategorized

Day 3: Transformation (05/18/2017)

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“Preservation of wildlife populations depends on changing human behavior.” Alex Tewfik, an expert benthic biologist, had this quote on one of his final slides during a presentation he gave our class.

A change in human behavior can mean many different things. I made an active choice to disrupt my busy summer work routine to engage in an explorative field biology trip, something that strongly deviates from my status quo.

This change has been engrossing. Through today’s endeavors – exploring a nearby seagrass bed and a patch reef accessible by boat – I immersed myself in the rich aquatic diversity only tropical marine ecosystems can offer.

I encountered a variety of species, including a beaded sea cucumber (Euapta lappa), about six inches in length, concealed by seagrass and a large West Indian sea egg (Tripneustes ventricosus) resting on a seagrass bed. Neither were in motion nor interacting with other animals. At the further patch reef, I came across a small chocolate brittle star (Ophioderma cinereum), a large-polyp coral (Eugmilia fastigata), and a donkey dung sea cucumber (Holothuria Mexicana), just under a foot long. The brittle star was found under rubble, and the donkey dung was found in deeper water on the seafloor. Today’s most noteworthy site was a school of surgeonfish (Genus Acanthus) swimming in a school of about one hundred fish.

My class also collected urchins from the reef. Urchins often hide under ridges or rocky overhangs, making them difficult to spot. After scouring for an urchin, I noticed an odd juxtaposition of hues – tiny white rings encircling fiery orange spines projecting from a dark fleshy body. This was the first of three (Echinometra viridis) I collected from the reef. Tomorrow, my class will be recording each urchin’s dimensions and returning them to the sea.

Echinometra viridis

I realize my participation on this trip will not accelerate the “preservation of wildlife populations.” However, for my own personal commitment to preservation causes and my proactivity to advocate for them, this trip has been transformative.

2017

Hunting all creatures great and small…

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After breakfast this morning, we went crap hunting. We began to learn how to use a quadrant and transect tape on land. Quickly after completing our intro experiment, we leveled up and performed a similar experiment on the patch reef. During this experiment, I saw my first upside down jellyfish. There were hundreds of them in a sandy region near the grass bed. Occasionally, the jellyfish would float up like little aliens blooping around until they drifted back down to the bottom.

After lunch, we got to go on a boat ride to visit a patch reef near the back reef. Woo! We performed a very similar transect experiment over the patch reef. Then, we went urchin hunting! This was my favorite part of the trip so far. I felt like I was on a treasure hunt peering into the coral crevices. I also spotted a few light grey and blue brittle stars in my hunt for urchins.

Today, was another good day for herbivorous fish! For the first time, I spotted Pomacanthus arcuatus (the grey angle fish) in the deeper reef. I also identified Chrysiptera parasema (the yellow tail damsel fish) and Stegastes paritus, the Bi-color damsel fish. I continued to see Stegastes variables (the Cocoa damsel fish in the adult and juvenile phases), Chaetodon capistratus (the four eye butterfly fish), Scarus Croicensi (the striped parrot fish, initial and terminal phases), and finally Sparisoma Viridi (the stoplight parrot fish, juvenile and initial phase). I saw all of these fish swimming around clumps of coral. Each species was usually swimming in pairs except for Stegastes paritus and Chrysiptera parasema which were typically alone. For the majority of the time, the fish were picking bits of algae off the coral or out of the sand.

Mosquito bite count: 85! (this means I am winning right )

2017, Uncategorized

Day 2: First Time Snorkeler (05/17/2017)

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I’m up at 5:00 am. My bags are packed. I eat a PB&J, and we are on the road. The drive from the Tropical Education Center to the pier in Belize City isn’t too long – around 45 minutes. Our team transitions to the boat, and we are off on the two-and-a-half hour boat ride to Glover’s Atoll, our home for the next seven days.

Glover’s Island

Soon after our arrival to Glover’s, we went snorkeling – my first time ever. The colors of the reef seemed like they were from a centuries-old oil painting. I was anticipating a full color pallet of hues, but the corals’ tones were warm-colored and muted.

Snorkeling in the water seemed out of body – like I was an avatar in a video game. Still not fully used to the controls of this unfamiliar type of movement, I felt awkward in the water, despite swimming competitively in high school. Every movement was calculated, taking into full consideration each dimension of my unfamiliar setting – Who is behind me? Will I bump into any coral nearby? Is my snorkel still vertical?

The reef was teeming with busy creatures. During my brief hour-long escapade, I encountered many types of fish, including baby barracuda (Genus Sphyraena), a baby nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), and a large southern stingray (Dasyatis americana). The only echinoderm I found was the bleached skeleton of a large red heart urchin (Meoma ventricosa) on the seafloor. The skeleton was about 6 inches in diameter and partially covered in algae. I also held a conch shell with a fleshy body inside. His eyes stuck out of his head like the eyes of Mr. Krabs from Spongebob Squarepants. My superstar sighting was a porcupinefish (Family Diodontidae) hiding under a rocky ridge. The fish was difficult to photograph, but with its massive size and bright colors, it was easy to remember.

After the swim, we explored a coral graveyard, studying the skeletons of centuries-old corals. It was interesting to witness how corals vary in formational shape, as well as polyp size and arrangement pattern. After dinner, we closed the day with two taxon briefings (including my own on echinoderms).

My first time in the water was surreal. I am eager for the next wave of adventures tomorrow will bring.

2017

Fish on Fish on Fish

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Today was a busy day! We woke up at 5 am to get on the bus to go to Glovers Atoll. After a short drive, we arrived at the dock and met our marine safety officers, Javier and Adalfo. We then took a three-hour boat ride to Glovers. The boat ride was a lot of fun! Once we got outside the Great Barrier Reef of Belize, there were huge swells on the boat. A very large sea (approximately 6 feet wide) turtle popped up near the boat to see us. We also spotted lots of brown algae, a few pelicans, and possibly a flying fish.

We arrived at paradise, aka Middle Cay island at approximately 10:40am. We toured the field station and ate lunch. After lunch, we got ready for our first snorkel adventure. We snorkeled directly off the pier of middle cay on a patch reef. There were so many different organisms. I saw one of the largest lobsters I have ever seen peeking out of a hole in the coral. I also saw a yellow stingray swimming above the reef.

On the reef, I saw so many herbivorous fish!!! The first fish I saw was, Acanthurus bahianus, commonly known as the ocean surgeon fish. I also saw the adult form of Acanthurus Coeruleus, the Blue tang surgeon fish with the characteristic yellow caudal spine. The next herbivorous fish I spotted was Chaetodon Capistratus, the four eye butterfly fish swimming above the reef. I also saw Stegastes variables, the cocoa damsel fish, which is primarily yellow with a blue dorsal region. I identified Scarus croicensis, the striped parrot fish, in the initial and terminal phases. The last herbivorous fish I saw was, Sparisoma Viride, the stoplight parrot fish, in the Initial and Juvenile phases. I feel like I notice so many more herbivorous fish now!

After our snorkel trip. We hiked to the coral graveyard and learned how to identify different coral species from their calcium carbonate exoskeletons. I now see coral in a whole new light. I can’t wait to try to identify some of the corals tomorrow.To end the day, we ate dinner and listened to two presentations on Echinoderms and Hard Corals. We also learned how to make a quadrant!

2017, Uncategorized

Day 1: Movement (05/16/2017)

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Today was about movement. In the morning, I moved out of my apartment, and, in the afternoon, I moved into a new country – Belize!

Before my eyes even caught a glimpse of the wildlife, I became fixated on the sheer differences between the U.S. and our neighbor just a two-hour flight south. Everything seemed less commercialized, less polished, and less reliant on technology. The infrastructural and cultural differences between the U.S. and Belize was something I never thought about before stepping foot on Belizean soil.

The inside of a Belizean connivence store

Witnessing these differences adds an anthropological element to this trip, something unexpected but enriching.

About an hour after exiting the area surrounding the Belize Airport, we arrived at the Tropical Education Center. Rainforest surrounds the Center on all sides, providing us with an excellent first look into tropical rainforest life.

My most memorable tree sighting was a bullhorn acacia tree (Acacia cornigera) on the trail. The tree was about 15-feet tall, covered in paired black thorns and housed many small dark ants.

We took a tour of the Center’s campus. I felt like I was at camp again, except with a much higher humidity rate.

A tour of the Tropical Education Center

The Center had its own diverse array of wildlife. While I am unsure of their exact names, I noticed epiphytes with roots hanging down, a big black beetle, and a dark green frog with black spots. My superstar sighting was a green iguana (Iguana iguana) lounging on a tree branch, snacking of some leaves.

The first day has been extremely transitionary, but I feel energized for the adventures that lay ahead.

2017

Day 1 – Iguanas are pretty cool

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Hi friends,

FINALLY HERE IN BELIZE WOOHOO!!! I wish I had pictures to show off the place but my camera is experiencing some issues now hmm. So I only have my first selfie to share with y’all.

But anyway, I have landed safely and soundly and can’t wait to start my journey as a budding tropical field biologist. The first thing we did after getting off the plane was to go to a general goods store to stock up on supplies and to pick up things that people forgot to bring. And now we’re all ready!

We reached out accommodations after a short bus ride. We’ll be staying at the Tropical Education Center (TEC) for a night before leaving 5.30am the next day for a long trip to Glover’s Reef. So the theme of the day is lots of travelling and then resting for more travelling. Nice.

I did not manage to see any animals that are part of my assigned taxon groups. But we definitely saw some animals even just in the TEC. Officially, the first organism that I saw in Belize in a really fat green iguana perched on a thin tree branch feeding on the leafs and looking very satisfied with its meal. As a mechanical engineering major, I was amazed just by the fact that the branch could support all its weight.

Besides the precariously perched iguana, we saw a trail of leaf cutter ants, as well as some frogs and insects.  Oh we saw a bunch of interesting looking plants as well. More to come when we go out into the actual undisturbed habitats!

Damien

2017

Excited like howler monkeys during sunrise

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Hi friends!

Well, I finally am able to sit down and write this blog post. The past few days have been a hectic mess of finishing up the assignments for this class (should’ve heed Scott’s advice on starting the assignments early in the semester…), moving off campus, and packing for Belize. Only now can I say that I am done and ready to go!

I am so looking forward to going to Belize, and the taxon assignments have definitely enhanced this excitement. Having been researching on the mammals, annelids and molluscs of Belize and seeing pictures and videos of them, I’m eager to finally see them live in their natural habitat. Having been fortunate enough to live in the same suite with an alumnus of this course (Randy with the man bun), I’ve had the opportunity to discuss my taxon research with him and apparently we will get to see a lot of the annelids and molluscs while snorkeling. Very pumped for that!!

My research into tropical diseases, on the other hand… let’s just say it has made me more paranoid about my chances of survival in the two weeks.

Having talked to Randy a lot about the course, I gathered that my time at Belize will be physically intensive but at the same time a very memorable learning journey. I hope to learn as much as I can about the rainforest and the coral reef, as this will probably be the best opportunity I will ever have to do so. When will I ever get to stay a week in a research station and another week in one of the world’s most well-preserved reef and learn from experts in the field again?

That said, I’m slightly worried that my lack of knowledge in biology might hinder my experience there. Being a mechanical engineering major, I took this class because this is my last summer in college and I wanted to use this last chance to explore outside of my field of expertise. I hope that I am able to keep up with the rest of the class in terms of understanding biology-related concepts. We’ll see how that goes.

Lastly, having lived in Singapore all my life, I would say that I’m used to the tropics. But I’ve lived in a concrete jungle and not the actual tropical rainforest so maybe not. Living in the tropics have certainly helped me during my tropical disease research though, because I have already been aware of most of the diseases that I was supposed to do research on.

Now, I shall get a good night’s sleep, and immerse myself in a whole new world starting tomorrow!

Good night y’all,

Damien

P.S. Had Whataburger for my last dinner before Belize cuz it’s awesome.

2017, Uncategorized

Pre-Trip: The Countdown

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I’ve been to Canada twice. Those are the only times I have ever left the United States. Tomorrow, my list will be longer. I will leave the U.S. for Belize.

Belize will provide me with an unique opportunity to learn about new living things in new settings. As a lover of nature, viewing the coral reefs and rainforest Belize offers will be a fulfilling experience. I have never seen coral outside of a fish tank or on a piece of jewelry. Likewise, it has been a long, long time since I have seen a tree taller than 50 feet. I am excited to immerse myself in the unique land- and seascapes and gain perceptive of the natural wonders that lie outside of an American cityscape.

I am most excited to see Belize’s natural colors – the lush green of the rainforest canopy, the crisp blue of the Caribbean sea, and the plethora of new colors I have not yet anticipated.

My concerns? Just the uncertainty. There are a lot of unknowns. However, the uncertainty does not deter me. I am determined to grasp every opportunity, see every site, and learn as much as I can about each living thing I encounter.

I’ve had my passport printed and ordered boots and fins and a snorkel and special adventurer pants. I’ve read hundreds of pages of facts. I have, for the most part, packed. I am ready.

Nature is calling, and I am calling back.

Here’s to Belize!