Tiny umbrella mushrooms (Marasmius sp.) dot the leaf litter. Their task of nutrient cycling is relentless and essential to a properly functioning ecosystem.
The cane toad (Rhinella marina) is avoided by most predators due to poisonous secretions from its enlarged parotoid glands. The tadpoles also harbour toxins, making these prolific breeders a common sight in the rainforest understory, especially in the more disturbed environments. That doesn't stop parasites like this tick however.
A brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria sp.), one of the few dangerous venomous spiders in the neotropics, hugs a bamboo pole with its prey. Bright red and orange markings on its forelegs, in addition to a pink hairs surrounding the fangs advertise its toxicity should the need for a defensive display arise. Several species of varying toxicity can be found throughout the neotropics, ranging from mildly toxic to potentially fatal.
A wasp blows bubbles. This behaviour is generally thought to be a means of cleaning the mouthparts:
A purple inflorescence (Aracea), stands out from the sea of forest green:
The common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) is generally thought of as cantankerous and irascible; however, they make for diligent parents and their omnivorous diet, opposable thumbs and a fearsomely outsized demeanour make them one of the most abundant mammalian rainforest inhabitants:
The dusky titi monkey (Callicebus moloch) mostly inhabits the midstory where it feeds preferentially on fruits though it'll resort to less nutritious leaves during scarce times.
The howler monkey is the largest of the new world primates. It's a folivore, deriving most of its nutrition from nutrient-poor leaves, which requires a significant portion of its time to be devoted to digestion. As such it spends much of its time in the canopy sleeping.
Thanks for looking and commenting,
Paul
Peruvian Amazon: From the bottom up Part IV
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Peruvian Amazon: From the bottom up Part IV
Last edited by pbertner on Mon Dec 17, 2018 6:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.