A Very Special Log

It all happened in my last night walk to a very exciting location, Laguna.

As we were walking from the lookout point into the dark forest, we saw two glowing orange-red spots in the water. We quickly realized they were the eyes of a smooth-fronted caiman that was resting by the stream bank. I tried to get a good look through my binoculars, but it was too dark; so I decided to adventure further to get a closer look and I started to walk on a log that had fallen into the waters. Two meters down the log I still couldn’t see but the water was reaching my ankles already. I kept walking a bit more only to realize that I could cross the whole stream just by walking on that very fallen tree. Victor and Berglind followed. This very special bridge was giving us a sense of security whilst helping us getting closer to the caiman, which we were so enthusiastically willing to study. As we got to the other end, the caiman slowly started going into the water, so we could only had a few seconds look, but it was a forever-in-our-memories moment, full of curiosity, adventure and respect for the night in the forest and the life that begins when the sun goes down.

Smooth fronted caimans (Paleosuchus trigonatus) can be found in the Yachaca reserve. This species feeds on small mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish during the night.

Isabel Varela Garrido - GVI Amazon Field Staff

*Photo from GVI Amazon base camp files -- there was not enough time for Isabel to get a photo this time!

A Very Special Log