Nighttime in the Amazon
Last night
we went on our first VES (Visual Encounter Survey) at GVI Amazon in the Yachana
Reserve. Most of the reptiles and amphibians that we see are nocturnal, so a VES
always takes place after dark. We left just after 19:30 and walked to the start
point. The surveys involve walking along transects perpendicular to the road
and recording the measurements of the animals we see and their distance from
the road. The research will be used to analyse the impact on species diversity of
building a road through a tropical rainforest.
During the
survey we saw two Ameerega bilinguis
(Poison Dart Frog), Enyalioides laticeps (Amazon Forest Dragon) and an Imantodes cenchoa
(Blunt Headed Tree Snake). While we were in the rainforest it began to rain
very heavily and we had to turn back for our own safety, as tree falls are
common in storms. Making our way up the muddy slopes in the rain was
challenging and involved a lot of slipping and sliding, but we all made it back
to the road safely!
The walk
along the road was amazing as flashes of lightening illuminated the sky as we
walked. The weather in the Amazon is defiantly unpredictable but it makes the
experiences so much more unique!
Charlotte Stewart-Jones, GVI Amazon volunteer,
April 2012
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