It was everything I had imagined but also so so much more. I was beyond excited when my Land Vertebrates of Costa Rica professor said we were going to a rain forest to hike and see all the vertebrates possible as part of a field trip for the class. We stayed at a biological reserve in Veragua Rainforest, basically in the middle of no where; no phone service, no wifi, and the electricity was powered by solar power so at night, no power. But that was the best part, being cut off from the rest of the world pushes you to focus on living in the moment and appreciating all that is around you. And boy, did I really appreciate exploring that rainforest.
Two days, one night, and multiple hikes during the day, night and dawn. It was important that we go during many different times of the day because so many animals are active and different times throughout the day and night. The reserve was located at the top of a mountain in the rainforest so we got an incredibly good view of the entire forest and our hikes were a bit strenuous climbing up and down the mountain.
Two days, one night, and multiple hikes during the day, night and dawn. It was important that we go during many different times of the day because so many animals are active and different times throughout the day and night. The reserve was located at the top of a mountain in the rainforest so we got an incredibly good view of the entire forest and our hikes were a bit strenuous climbing up and down the mountain.
This frog to the left was my favorite part of the the trip, the Agalychis callidryas, otherwise known as the red-eyed tree frog. We found this guy originally on the bathroom wall and after observing his vertebrate features we moved him to a leaf outside where he remained for the rest of the day. These frogs have the brightest colored bodies that they can camouflage pretty well as you can see in the picture. I was beyond excited we found this species!
But this frog was just the top of the icing on the entire diverse, crazy awesome vertebrate cake. 10 species of amphibians, 12 species of birds, 3 mammals and 9 different species of reptiles; including the most dangerous snake in Costa Rica! It was amazing how my professor could name the species of a bird and what it looked like just by listening to its calls.
In addition to the many different invertebrates we identified we saw a numerous amount of invertebrates. The biggest hairiest spiders, giant moths, and even scorpions. It was a very successful trip and probably my favorite trip so far. If you don't already know this about me, I am obsessed with animals and ever since I was little I would pick up every single animal I saw and bring it home to show my mom. So imagine how perfect this trip was for me; I was able to bring out my inner child but also my inner biology student and put what I've learned to work. Needless to say, I am very excited for the rest of my biology class field trips!
But this frog was just the top of the icing on the entire diverse, crazy awesome vertebrate cake. 10 species of amphibians, 12 species of birds, 3 mammals and 9 different species of reptiles; including the most dangerous snake in Costa Rica! It was amazing how my professor could name the species of a bird and what it looked like just by listening to its calls.
In addition to the many different invertebrates we identified we saw a numerous amount of invertebrates. The biggest hairiest spiders, giant moths, and even scorpions. It was a very successful trip and probably my favorite trip so far. If you don't already know this about me, I am obsessed with animals and ever since I was little I would pick up every single animal I saw and bring it home to show my mom. So imagine how perfect this trip was for me; I was able to bring out my inner child but also my inner biology student and put what I've learned to work. Needless to say, I am very excited for the rest of my biology class field trips!