Day 6: Last Day on Projects

I ended my field work on the otter project. I was hoping to see some giant otters since I had not seen this species yet. In the morning myself and one other teacher went out on the motor boat in search of otters, but did not see any. We went to pick up the canoes and the rest of the teachers and were heading back to the port when we heard the giant otters!! This time they were close to the river and I was able to see four of them pretty clearly!! They were huge and very cute, but they were also very fast so I was unable to get a picture of them unfortunately. It was a great way to end my last day of work.

Day 5: Feb 25th

In the morning I went to check out the pitfalls (traps) that the reptile and amphibian team set up two days before. It was amazing to see all the wildlife we caught. There were tons of frogs, but before we could get to them we had to get all of the insects out that could possibly bite or sting us. We used tongs to remove all sorts of bugs including some pretty big tarantulas. Once those were out of the way we were able to catch the frogs and lizards. It was a really great experience despite my prior fears of snakes and bugs. It's amazing how much I actually enjoyed this work!!!

Day 4: Feb. 24th

My forth day in the Pantanal started with A LOT of rain. I was supposed to start my first day on the reptiles and amphibians project, but the morning duties were canceled due to the large amount of rain we were getting. So instead of going out in the field in the morning, we did some lab work which included transferring data into an excel spreadsheet and taking pictures of the frogs and snakes that were found the day before.

After lunch we did two transects, one at around 2:00 and one at night around 7:30. Transects are when the scientists and volunteers walk very quietly through the forest while looking for frogs, snakes, and lizards. If we spotted one, we were expected to catch it and place it in a bag. This proved to be very difficult with some of the frogs since they were so quick. I especially enjoyed the transect at night. It was very cool to be in the forest in the pitch dark with only flashlights. It was like an entirely different forest at night and I've never seen so many stars in my life! Gorgeous!

Day 3: Otters and Bees

Today I was assigned to the otter project once again. I started out the morning in the canoes. It was very serene paddling down the river while keeping an eye and ear out for otters. We actually heard a giant otter, but couldn't spot it so we decided to get out on the banks to look for its campsite. While on the bank I spotted an interesting fruit hanging down from a tree and got closer to take a picture of it. Shortly after taking the picture I heard and felt buzzing, and I have to admit that I was VERY scared. I was behind the scientist a ways, so I started screaming and running up towards him and the other volunteers. Luckily, the species of bees that attacked me did not sting. Instead they burrowed into my hair and I just got a couple of bites. It took a while to dig all of the bees out of my hair. The scientist said that he counted at least 20 bees in and around my head...very scary, but funny afterwards!

After my bee scare we decided to take a swim in the river. I needed a lot of coaxing from the scientist and other volunteers, but I finally agreed to venture into the river waters. Even though there were caimen, stingrays, piranna, and possibly anacondas sharing the same swimming pool, it was very refreshing and relaxing.

In the afternoon, I was assigned to shore duty. Although I didn't spot any otters, it was a great experience. Myself and another teacher sat on the river banks with only the sounds of wilderness and the river trickling downstream. Very relaxing!!!

I wish I had had more access to the internet and told you more about my experiences in the Pantanal daily. However, I hope that the brief descriptions and the pictures give you an idea of what I did for 8 days, and that it makes you want to know more. I have hundreds of pictures that I will show when I get back in the classroom. Have a wonderful weekend. See you Monday!

I went hunting for caiman eggs today. The project attempts to save the eggs found along the riverbanks from being lost to the constantly raising waters. As I mentioned, it is rain season right now. We found 3 nests and collected 89 eggs. At one site, we had to be on alert because the mother was watching us take her babiesL. She did not realize that we were actually saving themJ…

Otters

Today I went looking for otters. My team and I went canoeing down the River Correntoso in search of the famous river otter. There are two kinds of river otters, the Neo-tropical and the Giant Otter. The first one is obviously smaller and it is usually found swimming alone. The Giant otter can be as long as 8 feet! And it is a social animal, meaning it is always found in groups. We saw one today. Guess what kind it was?