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 Ian's Reports from Costa Rica
La Historia Natural en la Peninsula de Osa!
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chirvala

 There are all sorts of lizards here in Costa Rica. This is one of the first to greet us. We have seen these every day.
This anole put on a display for us! (Actually it was for another reason. Why do you think? !Email answers to Blackberry's Mail!

La Gartija
I couldn't get the anole displaying, so Philippe held him to show his orange throat.
This bascilicus is the largest lizard we have seen yet. This one was over a meter long with its tail. Small ones can run across water with no problem. They are called the "Jesus Christ" lizard by some Ticos. Do you know why? Email answers to Blackberry's Mail!

El Cherepo

La Lora

We were lucky to see this green vine snake. They are easy to miss because they look just like a green stem!

There are lots of reptiles in Costa Rica. Many live here than in Maine. I would like to know why. Email answers to Blackberry's Mail!
This is a view of an acacia tree from above. Who would think this big tree started its life with some help from ants!

Las Hormigas en la acacia.

It turns out, when I bumped this small acacia tree, I lived to regret it! It turns out, they live inside the hollow stem. The acacia makes a little sugar which it leaves at the base of each leaf (the brown area to the left of the ants door). When I knocked the plant, they all ran out looking for the invader. These little ants know how to bite!

These ants have a mutualistic relationship with the acacia, because both the plant and the ants benefit.

This is the home of some other ants. The pile of sand is a meter tall and probably 5 square meters in area. They have also killed all the vegetation in a 10 meter diameter circle around this home!

They are the famous leaf cutter ants! Do you see the trail leading to the nest? Who do you think made it? Email answers to Blackberry's Mail!

There are various types of leafcutter ants. When Steve's foot broke into the nest, we discovered the guard ants, which are big and have jaws to prove it!

Leafcutter ants don't actually eat the leaves they cut. They eat the fungus they grow underground. The fungus can't survive without the ants and the ants can't survive without the fungus. What type of relationship is this, commensulism, parasitism, or mutualism?

Here is another interesting bug. I don't know what it is or why it is on the acacia plant. I have a guess why it is red. Do you?
With all of these insects, there certainly must be some predators! This golden orb spider is very common and beautiful. It's web is very strong. I have walked into a few of them.

Do you know what the small red bump near the end of its abdomen is for? Send me the answer at Iandinosaur!

This picture doesn't do the web justice, but it shows a little bit how the web has a golden color in the light. Can you see the golde color lines in this picture?
We met this animal climbing up a tree on our walk to Corcovado.

He tried all sorts of positions to get into this termite nest. He would scratch the nest with his sharp claws and then use his tongue to catch the termites.

His tongue is very long and thing, sort of like a string. The tongue is covered with small barbs which face back toward his mouth. When he sticks the tongue in a hole, it hooks the termites and he can pull them back into his mouth.

So now I have two questions for you.

First, what is this animal?

Second, how will the termites affect this tree that they live on? Do you think their relationship with the tree is parasitism, commensulism, or mutualism?

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Of course, all animals depend on plants to survive. How can this be true?

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Here are a few of the plants.

This baby tree is called a walking palm. Big trees have no trunk that touches the ground, just a lot of roots.

These seeds come from a tree that you might know of. It grows in the rainforest when another tree falls so it can get a lot of light. Then it grows very quickly. This tree is famous for its very light wood. It is easy to carve. Do you know what it is?

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This plant isn't growing wild. It is in an old plantation. It produces one of Ian's favorite foods. The seed pods are the important part, and you can see them growing out of the side of the tree.

Do you know what it is? Email answers to Blackberry's Mail!
This is a wild nutmeg tree.
Lucia is a wonderful guide. She lives in Drake, about a 3 hour walk from us. She spent 3 days here teaching us about the rainforest. Her job has two parts. She teaches people about the forest and she does research to find out more about it. She works hard to help protect the rainforest.
Proyecto Campanario is a rainforest preserve. Most of it is covered with ancient forest. This monkey ladder vine gives a clue to how old the forest must be. The fine was at least 20 cm wide at its base. It grows only 1 mm wider each year. How old does that make it?
This is an ancient zapatero tree. This means "shoemaker". The wood in it is very hard, but the middle of most of these giants is hollow. It makes a great home for bats and other animals.
This seed comes from the Baca tree. This means "cow tree" and it is called this because of its white sap. People like to drink the sweet sap. Monkeys and other animals like to eat the fruit!
Reseachers believe that the way this palm tree catches leaves like a funnel helps the tree get the nutrients it needs. The leaves are collected near the middle of the tree. As they rot, they slowly release nutrients into the soil. The trees roots are right where the rain washes the nutrients into the soil!
This tree is called la gatillo. Can you guess why? It has to do with the strong spines on it. They are quite sharp when they are young and will keep most mammals from climbing the tree.
It is impossible to keep birds out of trees! These scarlet macaws live on Playa San Josecito, about a 40 minute walk from us. Many macaws fly by Campanario each day.
These macaws are in a kapok tree. They don't eat these seeds, but wild almonds are a favorite of theirs. By taking these seeds they help spread the seeds to new places. There are several almond trees on the beach where we live.
This slate-tailed trogan is another fruit and seed eater. Not only do animals depend on plants to survive, but plants often depend on animals, too. Many trees here depend on hummingbirds to pollinate their flowers and other birds and mammals to spread their seeds.
After a long hike through the hot, humid rainforest, waterfalls are a welcome site!
Can you find Mr. Light in this picture?
Click on the soccer fans to find out more about the people of the Osa.

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