Hi Blog!
Today was Day 2 of Belize. Our morning started at 6:30 AM for breakfast, then we left around 7:30 AM from Crystal Eco Lodge. It was such a cozy and pretty place to stay at, and I hope I can return and stay for a longer duration in the future. Our bus rides were filled with unexpected surprises!
First, on our way to Caracol, we saw not only saw a dead green snake on the side of the road but a cashew nut tree. Before this, I did not know that cashew nuts had fruits attached to them, and that the skin of the fruit contained the same chemical as a poison ivy.
Then, on our way from Caracol to Las Cuevas Research Station, we saw first a Toucan, then once we looked closer, we also saw several Black Howler Monkeys on the trees! There were like 4~5 howler monkeys resting on different branches of the same tree, with even a baby monkey that was hanging off the branch with its tail! It was really cool to see the prehensile tails of these howler monkeys in action! While the baby was playfully hanging off the branch, the other howler monkeys looked like they were enjoying a peaceful nap, as they were draped over the branches and were still for the most part.
This was especially exciting, since my taxon of primary focus is rainforest mammals, and I had read up all about them! They, like their name, howl to communicate. And their howling abilities are due to the hollow bone in their neck that allows them to produce physical howling sounds!
Our actual Caracol tour was amazing as well. It was so eye opening to see the remnants of the Maya civilization, such as their dwelling and temples. Climibing the many flights of stairs to reach the top of the temple was pretty exhausting, but the view was so worth it at the end! We saw a baby fox in the bricks of the temple, and witnessed it proudly carrying a leaf back to its den. Also, we saw Montezuma Oropendola — the dark colored bird with a bright yellow tail. It was really intriguing to see that their nests were shaped liked baskets hanging from a tree — and there were so many of the nests nearby (in the same tree) to each other.
Tomorrow, we are going to have our first “big project” which I am intrigued to learn about in the morning.
