Tag Archives: Claire C

Final Blog

BIOS 319 was such a fascinating class. I have been to coral reefs before, but this was my first time in a tropical rainforest. In the first half of the course, I had such an incredible time exploring tropical rainforests with all of the tiny insect life and the large animals we caught on the camera traps.

The amount of similarities between the rainforest and the reef was truly astounding. I had never thought of ants or coral as being similar, but now I can appreciate them as magnificent colonial creatures. The similarities between fungal gardens of leaf cutter ant colonies and symbiotic zooxanthellae algae in coral colonies were so cool to compare. Both animals are quite different but have incredible similarities. They are colonies that the rainforest and the reef rely heavily on to keep biodiversity as high as it is. I had no clue ants were as important as they are prior to this class, and I have a newfound appreciation for the architects of the rainforest.

I thought the nutritional paradoxes of the rainforest and the reef were fascinating. How come both are so nutrient limited but so biodiverse? The nitrogen lab was fascinating to visualize increased nutrient limitation in the canopy. While reefs are very different from rainforests, there is still a nutrient stratification with nutrients being densest near the seafloor and forest floor. Larger animals were much more prevalent on or close to the seafloor where they could find the most food.

I observed similarities between the two ecosystems while on the reef. First, animals love to live under rocks and logs. Anytime I wanted to find a cool animal quickly, I was able to turn a rock or log over and find something. Whether it was large beetles, brittle stars, or sea urchins, turning things that provide cover for small organisms over is a great place for observation in both ecosystems. Going along with this, in such biodiverse ecosystems, animals have many predators, so they must use their surroundings as protection. Whether that was a wrasse hiding from me in an empty conch shell, cecropia ants in cecropia trees, trumpetfish camouflaging into coral, or basilisk lizards running on water, animals in both ecosystems need to get incredibly creative with their defense adaptations. I loved seeing how animals used their environments to their advantage.

(brittle star found under a rock)

I had high expectations for this course, and it exceeded all of my expectations. I expected to learn field research techniques, but the amount of technical scientific research skills I gained was incredible. While we had minimal technology and could not use fancy techniques, I gained a lot of knowledge from doing studies with limited resources. We were forced to be creative to make our studies as productive as we could. We also got to learn from each other when setting up a project and designing a poster to show our results. I loved watching us grow together as a group with our poster and presentation skills.

I also expected to be in the field a lot which we sure were. We spent hours upon hours immersed in the rainforest and under the surface of the water which is exactly where I wanted to be. I loved seeing rugged nature and learning as much as I could from it.

My favorite part of the course was how much we talked about biology. Whether it was in the field hiking somewhere, over coffee while birding, on the dock observing glass eels, or at mealtimes, we were ALWAYS talking biology. I loved being in such a nerdy environment with people who care about biology as much as I do and know worlds more about it than I do. Dr. Evans and Dr. Solomon had so many fascinating facts to share, and my classmates and I asked so many questions that we were constantly talking bio. The people, the questions, and the conversations about science in such gorgeous places were my favorite parts of the trip.

I have almost no complaints about this class. Aside from the trip only being 2 weeks long (I wish it had been much longer), my least favorite part of the class was the fact that the trip took place entirely in the peak dry season. I wish we had been able to see the rainforest as a RAINforest. I would love to see how the ecosystem changes when it gets more water. At points in time, it felt like the rainforest was asleep, and I wish we had been there to see it wake up.

I learned a TON through this class; there were definitely some things that I learned that will stick with me forever. 1. Ants are so much cooler than I could have ever imagined. Learning about the differences between leaf cutter ants, cecropia ants, bullshorn acacia ants, and army ants was so cool, and I am so glad we spent so much time focusing on them. Cutting into the cecropia tree was the coolest thing I saw in the rainforest. The chambers were so complex. 2.  Cryptobenthic fish are so incredibly vital to reef ecosystems. They are not just funny looking little fish that sit on the sand, but they make up the diets of so many fish that are crucial to the oceanic food web. I had no clue how big of a role they played in nutritional cycling.  3. Catching small lizards is so much fun and can be so easy. Sometimes they are easier to catch than others (sometimes they just jump onto my hand), but with the right technique (pouncing on them), it can be quite simple. I look forward to catching many more small lizards in my future. After this trip, I have a newfound appreciation for lizards (not including iguanas). The blue-tailed skinks are not going to see me coming this summer.

I’ll always be a TFB, but the first chapter of my TFB life has come to a close. Come along to see what the next one is!

Claire C

Day 15: See Everyone in August

Today started bright and early since we had to catch a boat back to the mainland at 6 am. We had peanut butter and jelly rolls for breakfast and then got on the boat. I did not see any sharks or rays on this last day unfortunately. The ride was gorgeous but I was not able to stay awake for the majority of it. I took seasickness meds and they wiped me out; I was snoozing through rough, open ocean swells. But hey! I didn’t get seasick!

(Final interview on Middle Caye)

When we got back to the marina, I used my first flushing toilet in a week (its the little things in life). Then we loaded in the van and drove to the airport. At the airport I got my first cold coffee in two weeks. It was amazing. The flight was easy from Belize to Houston, customs was fast, and then I had a 3 hour layover with Ian before we flew back to Raleigh-Durham.

(Waiting to go through customs)

It was so nice to be in air conditioning all day, but I am already missing the rustic, nature lifestyle we lived for the past two weeks. I am looking forward to seeing everyone back on campus in a few months! I hope everyone has a great summer!!!

Claire C

Day 14: Soaking in the Last Full Day

Today was the last full day in Belize! If I had it my way, I would never leave Glover’s Reef. This place has been magical. This morning started with a trash cleanup project where we surveyed trash buildup as it had washed ashore from the ocean on various points of the island. We filled six large trash bags to the brim, and had we had more trash bags to store the trash in, we could’ve kept going. 

This afternoon we dissected the invasive lionfish Dr. Solomon and Dr. Evans had been catching this week. Sam and my lionfish had 7 fish inside its stomach! Then we ate the lionfish as ceviche (yummmm). 

Before dinner, I went for one last snorkel. I saw a nurse shark right off the dock, so naturally I jumped in the water and tried to find it. We went a ways into the water where I found another large nurse shark resting next to the reef. The shark was about 6 ft long and just sleeping on the sand. Right as I turned to leave the nurse shark and swim somewhere else, a southern stingray swam right underneath me! It was a medium sized stingray, but it got super close to me! What a great 15 mins for observing my taxon!

After snorkeling a while longer, I found a trumpetfish, a porcupine fish, a tiny pufferfish, and some grunts doing a face off. The rest of the evening was spent swimming off the dock, packing, doing final presentations, and socializing on the dock one last time. 

I am sad to be leaving tomorrow but am glad that everyone will be on campus together again in August!

Claire C

Day 13: MPAAAA(yeeeee)

Today was a chill but fun day. Our morning started by snorkeling 4 locations, 2 in the marine protected area and 2 outside of the marine protected area. It was interesting to see the change in biodiversity levels despite them being pretty similar ecosystems. After we got out from snorkeling the 4th site there was one solitary dolphin SO close to our boat. It was just casually eating fish from the seafloor and coming up to breathe. 

After lunch we made a poster about our findings from the MPA and non MPA. I had a good time helping create the poster; we all worked together to display our findings in a semiformal but fun way.

After making the poster we had free time. I watched fish swim under the dock then I napped on the dock. Right before dinner, I saw the shadow of a southern stingray swimming away from the dock. I did not get a great at look at it however. 

I am not looking forward to leaving this gorgeous place, but I am looking forward to more time on the ocean tomorrow!

Claire C

Day 12: Exploring Shallow Waters

Today was such a fun day despite it being more land based than the previous few have been. This morning we waded into the mangroves and sea grasses right I off the island. We were told we should collect anything that was not nailed down, and while most things swam far too fast for us to catch with small nets and buckets, we still found a cool assortment of animals. We found multiple hermit crabs of varying sizes, a large purple crab, some tiny fish, a tiny crab, and a box jellyfish amongst other things (no one got stung by the box jelly). After bringing them into the wet lab and observing them, we released them back into the sea grasses and mangroves. 

I also saw a small lemon shark around us the whole time we were in the mangroves and seagrasses. It was trailing bonefish (of the same size as itself) but didn’t seem to be hunting very aggressively. 

Right before lunch I saw a nurse shark (probably the same one we’ve been seeing) under the dock resting. It didn’t move very much. 

After lunch we walked around the island where w got to see a coral graveyard. Since the island is on an atoll, half of the island is incredibly protected waters and half of the island has large wave break from the open ocean. We hadn’t spent much time on that side of the island before today, so it was interesting to see it. Since atolls are made of a ring of coral and this reef has been bashed by waves for thousands of years, the entire coast was made up of fossilized corals. It also created an interesting intertidal zone where I found some large conchs and a ton of brittle stars (in the picture below). 

By night we were planning on doing a night snorkel but the wind was too strong so we just dropped a light below the dock to see what came by. There were some small fish and shrimps as well as glad seals (super cool and minimally studied translucent larval stages of certain fish and eels). After waiting a while, a squid came by! Claire D caught this squid in one attempt and we watched it ink in a bucket. 

All in all, today was so interesting since we saw so many different animals across the shallow ecosystems surrounding Middle Kay.

Claire C

Day 11: Red light… Green light! Finding Stoplight Parrotfish

Today was such a great day. Our project of the day was trying to determine what common parrotfish species eat on or outside of the reef. We first snorkeled off the dock where Sam and I (snorkel buddies) looked for stoplight parrotfish. We found a few small female parrotfish and one large male, but they were very hard to watch eating since they kept darting between coral. I did however see a large nurse shark though! It was on the outskirts of the reef hanging on the sea floor beneath some coral. 

After lunch I was hanging around the dock when I saw another nurse shark! Like the first day at Glover’s Reef, this shark was swimming under and beside the dock. It was relatively large and very majestic. After watching for a few minutes I also saw a small lemon shark swim by! This shark was seeming just wandering around the sea grasses. 

 

(lemon shark)

Our second snorkel of the day took us further into the lagoon. We snorkeled two sites in search of stoplight parrotfish and we got some great footage of them eating. Tomorrow we will compare our findings with people analyzing other parrotfish! On these reefs I also found multiple anemones, saw many wrasses, and found gorgeous conchs. 

(Analyzing parrotfish data)

I’m looking forward to getting back on the water soon! 

Claire C

Day 10: Manta Ray Ahead!

Today started with a gorgeous morning in the ocean. We jumped off the dock and swam straight to the reefs nearby. There I saw a southern stingray resting on the sand beside some coral. I saw many sea fans, large brain corals, and many wrasses too. 

After about an hour of snorkeling we came back to the dock and were given an 1.5 hr of free time. Obviously I got back in the water. Elise and I snorkeled around the reef for another 30 minutes and then hung out beside the dock afterwords. 

Right as I as about to step onto the ladder to get out however there was a LARGE animal swimming next to me. This water was about 4 ft deep and while we had been seeing a nurse shark around here, this clearly was not a nurse shark. It was a ray flapping its wings as if it were flying. The only other time I’ve seen an animal do this was when I have seen manta rays before. I was positive this ray was not a spotted eagle ray because it had no markings on its back, but what threw me off was the fact that the back was grey and not black. After trying and failing to ID this ray all afternoon, when I pulled up the video I got of it, I realized it was clearly a manta ray! Though it was small for its species, it was such a majestic creature and I loved watching it swim off into the distance. 

Later today we snorkeled another nearby reef where I saw a medium sized nurse shark hiding in a crevice between to large coral structures. In all of the time I  watched it, the shark never moved but it was still incredible to see. 

All in all, today was a phenomenal day of snorkeling. Today has also given me my highlight of the trip thus far: seeing the manta ray. 

I can’t wait to get back out in the water tomorrow!

Claire C

Day 9: Traveling to Glover’s Reef

This morning we slept in! (until 7:30 am). Then we left the ecolodge to drive to Belize city. We got to go to a fun lunch boardwalk/beachy area. After I had my delicious smoothie, we boarded the boat and drove to Glovers Reef. 

The boat ride was about 2.5 hours mostly along the barrier reef. The water was a gorgeous shade of turquoise prior to crossing into open ocean, and when we crossed into the open ocean, the sea immediately got so choppy and dark blue. At one point we could not see any land around us in any direction. 

 

When we got to Glover’s and got off the boat, the FIRST thing I saw was a nurse shark!!! Prepare to be blasted with shark/ray information as that is now my taxonomic group of interest. Loved the reptiles, but it’s time for some marine creatures! After dropping our stuff off on land and coming back to the dock, I also saw a small lemon shark!!!!

I can’t wait for the adventures w are about to have here. It’s going to be a movie

Claire C

Day 8: Indiana Jones style adventures

Today was an absolutely insane day. It started by leaving Las Cuevas (still sad about that part). We drove for about 2 hours until we got to Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave (or ATM Cave). I had been previously warned that this would be an adventure like no other, but even with all the hype surrounding today, the cave caught me by surprise.

(ATM entrance)

We swam into the cave’s wide open mouth and walked/swam through the cave for about an hour. In the water section of the cave, we saw incredible stalactites and stalagmites, bats roosting together, cave catfish, cave crickets, and cave spiders.

After about an hour of trekking through the watery cave system, we climbed up into a dry chamber. This cave system was used by the Mayas as a sacred ground for praying to gods of rain, corn, and the underworld. This specific cave was used as a location of often human sacrifice during the draught that wiped out their agriculture between 800 and 1000 AD. We saw calcified skeletons, broken and not broken pots and dishes, and fire pits used to light the cavern.

After we trekked back out of the cave and walked back to the van, I saw yet another basilisk lizard!!!!!! It was much larger but the same species as the one I caught yesterday (striped basilisk). I also saw two 7 ish inch long rose bellied lizards on the side of the trail which were incredibly fast after sitting in the sunlight. I did not get a great look at any of these lizards, but they were still cool.

Tonight, we went on a night tour of the Belize Zoo. We saw their rescued jaguars, ocelots, puma, margays, tapirs, paca, and crocodile. The jaguars were majestic so were super cool to watch.

(Jaguar!)

We did have one incident with an iguana however. It was a wild iguana that was resting too close to one of the electric fences, so our guide poked it to make it move. Instead of making it move a little however, this iguana SPRINTED away from us and then SPRINTED back right at us. My life flashed before my eyes. I do not know what this iguana could have done to me, but this iguana was so intense with its run. The iguana ran right into my leg and over my feet as well as right into two of my peers feet.

(demonic iguana)

Today was incredible and I want to do it again as soon as possible. But… TOMORROW IS TIME FOR REEF BIOLOGY! See you then!

Claire C

Day 7: Another Basilisk Lizard !!!

Today was such an exciting day because I found and caught my first basilisk lizard!!! As I mentioned in my previous blog, basilisk lizards are nicknamed the Jesus Christ lizard because they can run on water. I have been wanting to see one all trip (it’s my favorite reptile), and while the one Dr. Solomon caught on day 6 was so cool, I did not get to see it in it thriving outside on its own. This one however I did see, and I caught it! 

(baby striped basilisk)

When I first saw this lizard I thought it was anole because it was about 4 inches long and brown, but I quickly realized it was the wrong shape. It had long hind toes and a crazy long tail compared to its body size. After picking it up and getting a closer look at it, I became confident it was a young basilisk lizard. Despite it having a vastly different coloration and size from the one Dr. Solomon caught and brought us yesterday, I was able to see the morphological similarities. I looked up specific basilisk species and identified it as a striped basilisk lizard. (I named it Tom in honor of Harry Potter if you know you know)

(Me and my lizard)

(Tom)

Today we also analyzed our camera trap footage, and we saw THREE pumas. The pumas (or singular puma since they are territorial) all took the trails as opposed to off the trail where our camera traps were. The excitement in the room when we sifted through the pictures and all of a sudden a puma was on the screen was infectious. 

(Puma!)

My camera trap was off the trail and it took 4 total pictures (the second lowest count of anyone; some ppl had upwards of 100 pics). I assumed it would all be pictures of me putting up and taking down the camera, and three of them were. However, one picture was not! My camera trap got a picture of a tayra! They are medium sized, weasel like mammals.

Overall day 7 was such an exciting day, and while I am so sad to be leaving Las Cuevas tomorrow, I can’t wait to be on the reef shortly!

Claire C