Costa Rica part 2
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Posted by EJ on April 05, 2003 at 23:03:03:
Now, back at the house there were a variety of critters that could not be believed and you didn’t even have to leave the house. There was a resident gecko, Thecadactylus rapicauda, that I really wanted to take home but my buddy wouldn’t let me.
That beam is 6 inches total across. Along with the turnip tail gecko there were various house geckos that would dance about every night in their territorial bouts with each other that was quite entertaining to watch. In addition to the geckos the next most common lizards were the anoles such as this Norops lemurinus.
The insects were phenomenal also (except for the cicadas which made this god awful racket). One night I saw this moth hanging out.(4 inch wingspan)
I thought it was kinda cool in itself but when I tried to reposition it, it flashed me.
and it was the coolest feeling because there was this primal feeling of surprise when I first saw it that you could be sure it would freak out a predator.
The next morning we headed out for a hike on a ridge that was supposedly used in the opening scene of the first Jurrasic Park. (you know the opening scene where the helicopter flies down this ridge). We park in this locals back yard (the woman was really cool) and head up the ridge. This is the first thing we found.
Rana warszewitschii. Don’t hold me to the ID. It was a stunning frog (if you like amphibs). Continuing up the ridge we encounter all sorts of bromiliads and god knows what else. In the background we hear the sound of howler monkeys raising a ruckus at our approach. It would have been a trip to see them but we never did and they were close. Along this path
the wildlife was again overwhelming with the different butterflies, insects and plants. There was this little guy which I can’t imagine what it is and especially that it appears to be a juvenile.
but it was cool none the less. Again, the bugs were unreal... like this armored centipede.
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