On location at the Tambopata Research station; the rainy season marks a turbulent period, punctuated with frequent, violent thunderstorms. An abundance of flowering and fruiting trees, and raised water levels also means it can mean increased breeding activity. Scarlet macaws are in full breeding mode during these months, and essential to the successful raising of their clutch is access to minerals, like the Colorado Salt lick or Colpa, located on the banks of this river:
A firefly larva's bioluminescent posterior. As a larva the light could be a means of confusing or advertising unpalatability to predators. As adults, it is a means of communicating with the opposite sex:
A scorpion with cockroach prey fluoresces under ultraviolet light:
A spider web catches the light:
A stingless bee collects sap from a pock-marked tree, perhaps as a building material for its nest:
A hunting centipede (Scolopendra sp.) would never normally be seen during the day, exposed on a bright leaf like this. However, the leaf litter was teaming with swarming army ants, which forced it out of its comfort zone, and onto its exposed perch:
A moss-mimicking stick insect fades into a mossy tree trunk:
The swamp snake (Liophis sp.) can sometimes inhabit the nests of leafcutter ants, deriving shelter from the rains and protection from predators like birds and some mammals:
Thanks for looking and commenting,
Happy Holidays,
Paul Bertner
