Spiny Devil!

Left for Ecuador in the early hours of the morning after only two hours sleep and feeling slightly apprehensive after reading about all the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of the tropics. Once I arrived and caught up on some sleep the feeling of apprehension began to lift and be replaced by a real sense of adventure and excitement.

I’ve been on the Yachana Reserve now for a couple of weeks and have really been enjoying my time here. It has been a fantastic learning experience. The staff have something knowledgeable to say about everything we come across along the trails. Their enthusiasm while out on surveys and walks is catching. The night walk was great craic once the fear of the unknown dissipated. We spotted lots of weird and wonderful creatures. My most feared was the wandering spider, he had to have been the size of a grown man’s hand!

My favourite however was the Spiny Devil Katydid (Panacanthus cuspidatus). This crazy lookinhttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4728131049387138635g creature belongs to the subfamily of coneheads (Copipharinae) which are identified by a spike coming from the top of their head. In this species, the Spiny Devil has a huge three-pointed red horn that sticks straight up. The face and body is covered with spines. It has a powerful jaw and therefore can penetrate the skin of humans. I thought best not to provoke it!

There is so much to see and learn here; each trail walk or survey is like a mini adventure. Roll on the next 3 weeks!

Rachel Boyle – GVI Amazon volunteer, Aug-Sept 2010

Spiny Devil!