Bigal River Reserve: Ecuador Part II

Images of undisturbed subjects in their natural environment. All subject types.

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pbertner
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Bigal River Reserve: Ecuador Part II

Post by pbertner »

Into the green void - a cicadellid nymph advertises its unpalatability with vibrant colours:

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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:

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A translucent predaceous katydid (Phlugis sp.), the raptorial forelegs adorned with spines are a hallmark of a predatory diet:

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A katydid moults, its incredibly long and delicate antennae dangling:

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A spiny orbweaver (Micrathena sp.) with long abdominal horns:

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A huntsman spider catches a damselfly which skims the surface of a pond, itself looking for prey, like gnats or newly emerging mosquitoes:

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A spectacled forest viper (Bothriopsis taeniata) glistens gold:

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A jaguar (Panthera onca), shrouded in myth and mystery recedes into the shadows of the night, an emblem of the rainforest:

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Thanks for looking and commenting,
Paul

Lou Jost
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Post by Lou Jost »

Wow, great stuff again. The B. taeniata is gorgeous. Never seen one with such brigjht gold speckling. Does Sumaco have a unique race of this species? And the jaguar! I assume a camera trap? So nice to see these.

mawyatt
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Post by mawyatt »

Paul,

Great images, thanks for posting.

How close were you to the Viper, and Jaguar?

Best,
Research is like a treasure hunt, you don't know where to look or what you'll find!
~Mike

Saul
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Post by Saul »

Incredible set, #3 is my favorite - beautiful light & specimen

pbertner
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Post by pbertner »

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

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Lou Jost
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Post by Lou Jost »

Wow, bushmasters + night photography don't mix well....What elevations do bushmasters reach there? We don't have them above 1200m, and I am glad for that.

pbertner
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Post by pbertner »

Not sure that any studies have been done to assess their elevational range. The park itself extends from a low of 600m up to 3600m at the peak of Sumaco volcano. Hard to say what the boundaries are, though I imagine they are probably in the same neighbourhood as what you mentioned.

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