Changeover week & a new mystery species!
The weekend saw
the departure of the GVI Amazon four week volunteers (they will be missed) and the exciting
arrival of eight new volunteers, so the week has been busy for everyone with a
lots of training and studying. It has also been an interesting week for animal
sightings with two huge snakes being spotted on base in two days. A
fer-de-lance (Bothrops atrox) and a
Tiger Rat Snake (Spilotes pullatus
pullatus). Both snakes caused a lot of excitement for most and
disappointment for one – “I thought you yelled CAKE” said one sugar deprived
volunteer.
Some of the weeks
other highlights have seen the addition of a few species to the species list. A
Cocta Whiptail Lizard (Kentropyx
altamazonica), Luscumbe’s Rainfrog (Pristimantis
luscombei) and a so far unidentifiable frog found at the roadside swamp.
The little fella has now been preserved and will go to our partner museum in
Quito for genetic identification.
 |
| new unidentified species -- what's your guess? |
The swamp is a
very interesting habitat here as it holds several frog species that are found
nowhere else on the reserve including Dendropsophus
bifurcus. Unfortunately, work being undertaken for the installation of
electricity lines and tarmac on the road threatens this unique habitat. We are
currently surveying the area to figure out what is there and see how these
works affect the frog populations over time. If we can get some interesting
data now then hopefully we can use it as a bargaining tool to minimise the
impact of any future works. The discovery of this mysterious frog on our first
swamp survey is a great start for emphasizing the importance of this area.
Let’s hope it continues!
 |
| Dendrosopsophus bifurcus |
Bianca Op den Brouw, GVI Amazon Long-Term Intern, January - June 2012
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