Tag Archives: 2019

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Anna Is My Hero

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May 23, 2019

I am currently writing this blog with a small but distinct yellow dot in my vision. This is because I’ve been staring at the light in our cabin for a while, out of necessity of course.

About thirty minutes ago, Kelsey pointed at our light and asked what all the little bugs around it were (there were a lot). We suspected they were sandflies, so Anna, the bravest of us, stepped on a table and used Kaela’s notebook to swat as many as she could. It was confirmed that they were sandflies when Kaela’s notebook revealed about a hundred small smears of blood. I followed Anna’s swatting with lots of clapping around the light to attempt to get the sandflies that weren’t collected on the ceiling. What a day.

Earlier today, we did an experiment involving seagrass and algae competition. It soon became clear that any reef experiment requires strong communication between researchers, so Liz (my buddy) and I developed an underwater language in which the letter “a” in sign language meant algae and using both hands to form the written letter “s” meant seagrass.

No hydrozoa, schyphozoa, cubozoa, or ctenophores spotted today because much of our time in the water was spent collecting data in the seagrass. Hopefully, I’ll spot some tomorrow.

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I Am Utterly Exhausted

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May 22, 2019

Today was a doozy. We had a three hour boat ride to Glover’s Reef this morning. It was a small motor boat speeding across three hours worth of ocean, so it was more like a three hour rollercoaster.

Once we made it to Glover’s, we immediately had a tour of the island, then lunch, and then our first snorkel. We couldn’t stay out for long because the current was strong, but Liz and I made it out to the patch reef, which was beautiful. I’m so excited to go out there again.

Closer to shore, we spotted many upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopeia xamachana) – a scyphozoan from my taxon ID card!!! These jellyfish are particularly interesting because they often rest on the ocean floor upside down with their tentacles in the air such that they look like harmless plants.

We went out again later to a different area of the reef. This area was much more shallow, which made it harder to navigate. This wasn’t ideal because there were many fire coral. I noticed both branching fire coral (Millipore alcicornis) and blade fire coral (Millipore complanate). These hydrozoans are actually not coral at all and can cause a nasty sting with their nematocysts.

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The Experience of A Lifetime

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May 21, 2019

Today, we went caving! I’m not talking just walking through a teeny cave with the convenience of manmade steps and installed lights. At points, we were swimming neck deep in water or trapped between two narrow cave walls not more than a few feet apart. We even had to slide down a small narrow waterfall going sideways to avoid collisions with rocks. The natural formations were incredible, but we also got to stand feet, or sometimes even inches, away from authentic Mayan artifacts and skeletal remains. I have no words for this experience except awesome, epic, and earth-shattering.

After caving, we made our way to the Tropical Education Center where we will be staying the night. Nearby, we got a night tour of the Belize Zoo. This meant we got to see many incredible animals that we wouldn’t otherwise see up close. Each of us got to feed a tapir and hold a boa constrictor, which are actually particularly docile snakes in case you didn’t know. My personal favorite was the puma. It was undoubtedly the most gorgeous animal I have ever seen. Its huge eyes and narrow tapering facial structure seemed unreal.

The stars here are gorgeous, and as I was looking up at them, I noticed a moving one. It was not a shooting star but a firefly (a beetle!). Unfortunately, the firefly was too far away for identification, and I don’t have any fireflies on my taxon ID card.

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Last Day at Las Cuevas

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May 20, 2019

Today, we retrieved our camera traps and finished up some rainforest experiments. The morning hike to retrieve the traps was utterly exhausting, and everybody’s legs were sore afterward, but it was worth it for some amazing sightings. During the hike, we came upon a group of spider monkeys high up in the trees (likely the same group we have seen before in this area). They tried to intimidate us by shaking some branches but then became more curious and just stared at us. It was amazing to be in the presence of these animals that are so very human. And as Scott said the other day, we are very much apes ourselves.

To reach the last camera trap, we had to cross a fallen tree trunk full of aggressive ants that we knew all too well. On Thursday, all of us jumping onto the log to cross caused the ants to swarm the trunk such that on the way back, there was no way to cross without getting a handful of speedy biting ants. But this time, we all crossed quickly and efficiently enough to avoid this. The ticks were a little less avoidable unfortunately…

The beetle highlight from today was actually a species from my taxon ID card. I believe we spotted an Enema Endymion on the deck of the research station. This is a horned scarab beetle, and true to its name, it has a large horn at the front of its head.

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Banana Smoothies and A Gorgeous View

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May 19, 2019

Today was incredibly busy. We spent the entire morning and afternoon collecting and analyzing data for two different experiments. Lunch included some delicious banana smoothies with the perfect consistency (hopefully I can replicate it when I’m back home).

In the evening, we hiked up to the bird tower. The bird tower doesn’t really have anything to do with spotting birds. This is because the bird tower is so high up, you have a view of the vastness of the Chiquibul Forest, and any bird in view would likely be too tiny to make out.

Beetle highlights from today included a rove beetle (unknown species) and the elusive headlight elater (Pyrophorus noctilucus). In my research before this trip I learned that rove beetles lift their rear ends up in an exaggerated scorpion-like manner when threatened. Sure enough, when I brushed against a rove beetle’s leaf today, the beetle lifted its rear end high into the air so that its tail was literally perpendicular to the rest of its body (pretty wild).

After our night hike back from the bird tower, Kaela described seeing a beetle with two bright lights on its body. Even though I didn’t see it myself, this was pretty exciting to hear because this was undoubtedly a headlight elater. These beetles have two bioluminescent spots on their thorax that are meant to startle predators. Some say the headlight elater is bright enough to read by.

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Our First Completed Experiment

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May 18, 2019

This morning we collected our pitfall traps, which we filled with either urine or water yesterday to answer some research questions. We wanted to know if there was greater arthropod diversity on the forest floor or in the canopy and if the forest floor or the canopy was more nitrogen-limited (urine is a great source of nitrogen in case you were wondering).

Once we got back to the research station, we did inventory on the beetles, ants, ticks, etc. that fell into our traps. The unknown species of large black beetle with the red outline around its thorax and abdomen was in several of our samples. This beetle seems to be a reoccurring theme in these posts, or perhaps he’s the beetle mascot of Las Cuevas. Either way, I’ll have to do some research to identify him once we have internet access.

During our hike to collect these traps, I came across my first net-winged beetle (from the genus Calopteron). The species I have on my taxon ID card is Calopteron discrepans. I think this beetle was a different species that I came across in my research, but I can’t remember the species name at the moment. Calopteron discrepans has multiple thick black bands on orange wings, while this species only had one faint black band.

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Fight of the Century

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May 17, 2019

Today’s morning hike to set up urine traps (long story) was interrupted when we came upon a large black beetle with a metallic red outline – the same species from my last post that has yet to be identified. This time, however, it was in the middle of a ferocious battle with a millipede. We cheered and enjoyed the drama for almost ten minutes until the beetle finally gave up his meal. This millipede was determined the survive another day.

After lunch, we visited the cave near the research station. It has an incredibly vast opening and was actually the location of many Mayan religious ceremonies. The different chambers of the cave likely represented the layers of the Mayan underworld. Sources of water can be found in caves, so it makes sense that Chaac, god of rain, was thought to reside in the underworld.

Our day ended with a fascinating night hike – I finally managed to spot a darkling beetle (from the Hegemona genus)! These beetles secrete smelly chemical compounds from their rear end, and I definitely witnessed this today.

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Day 15: Not goodbye, see you later

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As the dock grew smaller and smaller as we made our way toward Belize city, I took in the view one last time and said my goodbyes to the sand flies. I took a picture of the amazing view for memories and wow I will miss waking up to this. WOW, my mother’s reaction to my legs were just jaw dropping. Literally. She looked, jaw dropped, and she just laughed.

Before heading out to the airport, I got a last quick taste of Belize with a soup sop juice I ordered at the hotel. We had so much down time at the airport that I just like looked around for stuff and mainly hung out with the gang for the last time. I slept most of the ride, and as soon as we landed, we all said bye to Brendan, Pierce, and Anna, which then lead to all goodbyes at Rice *cries*.

Nothing like getting back and going on a quick target run for ointment for the many bug bites accumulated during this trip to only have many people stare at you as you walk down the aisle. When I asked an employee for which ointment, he looked at me as if I had some virus and told me I should go see a doctor. Thriving right now guys.

Wow, it is really over. Goodbyes were said and now, all I can think about is the food, Brendan and Keegan lying to me all the time, and all the great stories Kaela shared with the group. Memories like this I will always remember and just keep with me. I hope you enjoyed my journey through Belize, and hey, I came out alive!

Left pic: View of morning sky from Glover’s. Right: Last taste of Belize from the soup sop juice.

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Day 14: Thank you Glover’s

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As a thank you to Glover’s for hosting us, our last and final project looked into the composition of marine debris on middle caye of Glover’s Reef Atoll. I collected trash from the dock, and as I was collecting, I definitely felt like I was overheating. I am glad that most of the day we spent under the shade, where I got to cool down and “rest”. As the day went on, I felt much better, and got to enjoy the last glimpse of Belize until I don’t know when.

After lunch, I got to dissect a lionfish and we looked into the stomachs to see if fish were present. Unfortunately all the lionfish had nothing except of Liz’s group. I gave the last taxa presentation on Annelids, and after Herbe gave us a warm presentation on the history of Belize. After, we had our lionfish snack and OH MY GOD it was so good, like I could eat these invasive species everyday with some tortilla chips.

Aunt Annette and Jamelle, I will miss your cooking. I have enjoyed all the meals I have had here at Glover’s and if I had to choose a favorite meal, I do not think I could. Just the sheer power that the two of you have, making buns for our hotdogs and hamburgers, to meeting all of our needs, words cannot express my gratitude. You guys are one of the reasons that made all the bug bites worth it.

After dinner, we all met up at the dock to just wind down before our early morning back home. I am not looking forward to the three-hour boat ride. Anyways, we all just looked at stars, saw a couple of rays, and just enjoyed each other’s company. Also, I have been ruled the “quietest” of the 11 TFB’s so I guess that makes me cool? I wouldn’t say I’m like quiet, but compared to the group, I do agree with the status. I will miss all of the funny stories that the class has shared, but more importantly, I will miss all the days where we had slap each other on the back/head to kill sand flies. That is true friendship. Thank you Glover’s.

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Day 13: Having a bad day

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Today, I really just had one of those days where I did not feel good. In the morning, I felt fine and excited to catch sea urchins, but as we were on the boat observing our caught sea urchins, I think that is where I started to feel “sick”. As the day progressed, I just did not feel up to par and, unfortunately, I missed night dive with the class. One of the things I can say I did not do is that night dive which I low key regret, but I needed to heal. It is sad to say it is almost time to leave, and we only have one full day left.

Food here in Belize will never stop to amaze me. Aunt Annette and Jamelle, you guys are seriously the bomb. Breakfast, I had John cakes and ham and just wow, like those cakes were the bomb. Like I could eat the cakes plain for days. Lunch I had honey mustard chicken with a nice cabbage salad, and that salad was so so good. I’m not a salad eater, but the food here has definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zones. I don’t like mustard, yet I had the chicken. Dinner I had BBBQ chicken with rice and beans, and again, mind blown away by how good the food is. You have to come to Belize to try the food. You will not regret.

I feel like I got more bites in my sleep. When I woke up today, I could not stop scratching my arms and legs. Yes yes yes, I know you are not supposed to scratch them, but I could not help myself. I saw five new little bumps on my right arm and said to myself, “wow these sand flies really trying to get me in my sleep”.

Went out to do our second to last experiment and we wanted to know if there was a difference in urchin community structure in and out of the MPA. Got to touch/collect of sea urchins in the MPA and did not touch any from the non-MPA since these urchins were huge and dangerous. Did not see any annelids since I could not see half the time and the other half I was just not feeling well.

Picture: Urchin that was caught at our first site (MPA).