Into the green void - a cicadellid nymph advertises its unpalatability with vibrant colours:
A colourful land planarian slides along the forest floor on a bed of slime, its eversible stomach ready to engulf any soft-bodied prey it might come across:
A translucent predaceous katydid (Phlugis sp.), the raptorial forelegs adorned with spines are a hallmark of a predatory diet:
A katydid moults, its incredibly long and delicate antennae dangling:
A spiny orbweaver (Micrathena sp.) with long abdominal horns:
A huntsman spider catches a damselfly which skims the surface of a pond, itself looking for prey, like gnats or newly emerging mosquitoes:
A spectacled forest viper (Bothriopsis taeniata) glistens gold:
A jaguar (Panthera onca), shrouded in myth and mystery recedes into the shadows of the night, an emblem of the rainforest:
Thanks for looking and commenting,
Paul
Bigal River Reserve: Ecuador Part II
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Thanks Saul and Lou and Mawyatt, much appreciated!
Lou - I think it must have just sloughed its skin, because it was so vibrant I was somewhat taken aback. I'm not sure if there is a sub-species here in Sumaco, but the owner of the reserve tells me they are relatively rare (there are actually more bushmasters then there are Bothriopsis!). Indeed, a camera trap.
Mawyatt - I was about a foot away from the viper, though I had a small reflector which I used as a barrier, and the species isn't known to be aggressive and I used a DSLR camera trap for the Jaguar pic. It's just too bad I didn't get a clear frontal shot, the one I do have isn't fully in the frame. Actually the video I took is better than the photos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsm7nQVTxCg
Lou - I think it must have just sloughed its skin, because it was so vibrant I was somewhat taken aback. I'm not sure if there is a sub-species here in Sumaco, but the owner of the reserve tells me they are relatively rare (there are actually more bushmasters then there are Bothriopsis!). Indeed, a camera trap.
Mawyatt - I was about a foot away from the viper, though I had a small reflector which I used as a barrier, and the species isn't known to be aggressive and I used a DSLR camera trap for the Jaguar pic. It's just too bad I didn't get a clear frontal shot, the one I do have isn't fully in the frame. Actually the video I took is better than the photos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsm7nQVTxCg