Moments from the Field

When you walk through the forest in Amazonia one of the things that is strikes many people is the realization that anything can happen. Though rainforests are packed with wildlife, many species have spent millions of years evolving to be camouflaged, silent, and virtual invisible to the senses - which of course helps them to remain undetected by predators. Yet in the jungle, you never know when one of these hidden creatures will reveal itself.

Not long ago several volunteers and an expedition leader were on one of our trails and stopped to listen for a while. They were standing quietly when they heard rustling. The noise grew louder until a giant anteater crossed the trail only twenty feet in front of them. They watched in amazement as the giant trotted off into the jungle.

Giant anteaters are often killed by locals who feel that they are dangerous. Folklore casts them as an aggressive giant that can stand on its hind legs to slash and kill a man, or dogs (which is not untrue, they will defend themselves if provoked). But these are gentle animals.

We have found the population of giant anteaters within our reserve to be healthy and this year we are going to be taking an in depth look at their numbers, habits, and secrets.  The below photo is not from Tamandua Expeditions, it was found on the internet, but shows the size and beauty of one of the most unusual creatures we work with! Can you believe how big that is?

Tamandua Event in NYC

On tuesday August 2nd Tamandua will be at the REI in Soho. Few places on the planet are as mysterious and awe-inspiring as the Amazon jungle. Join naturalist and explorer, and Tamandua founder, Paul Rosolie for an interactive report from the field – rare wildlife, new-to-science ecosystems, uncontacted tribes, and how you can go where few ever have. Paul will discuss his past experiences leading groups, his solo treks deep into the jungle, and give ground level perspective of the conservation effort in the Amazon Rainforest. Learn what is needed to protect our planet’s most important biome.

You can register for the event here: http://www.rei.com/event/41258/session/52648. But sign up now because space is limited.

REI Outdoor Store: 303 Lafayette Street  New York, NY 10012, (212) 680-1938

www.tamanduajungle.com

Expedition Anaconda - Volunteers Needed!

       This June we are putting together an expedition aimed specifically at studying one of the most unique and mysterious ecosystems on Earth - the Floating Forest. In four years of study we still know very little about this strange habitat other than the fact that there seems to be no others like it, and that it is dominated by an abnormally high concentration of anacondas.
       Anacondas are endangered in the surrounding areas - killed by people out of fear and also because of habitat destruction. On the expedition this June we will be focusing exclusively on understanding how these giant snakes make use of the floating forest ecosystem. This will involve long hours of observation, tracking, as well as capturing and measuring any individual anacondas found. In particular there is a massive female well over 20ft in length which lives there. We will be attempting to locate her because she may be a record breaker and will help us not only to understand the ecosystem, but also to bring attention to our mission of protecting her home.
       Joining this expedition you will be up to your neck in Amazon-adventure, and amidst the coils of one of our planet's most fascinating species. But we need more volunteers so tell your friends and contact us to sign up! 

The Floating Dwarf Forest, Satellite View

While searching over satellite images of the area of our new project I noticed something I had never even thought to look for: a long swamp which ended in a patchy lake - the floating forest! These Google Earth images are of the dense jungle we will be exploring in both May and June and the unique floating forest ecosystem within it. We now know that the swamp-area is far larger than we had previously estimated. Both the great swamp and the dense jungle around it is all area which we have yet to explore.


Left: A view of the vast jungle we will be exploring and mapping, the floating forest is visible in the corner - click for a larger image.


Above: A close-up view of the patchy floating forest that rests on top of the massive lake.

For the people not looking foreward to anaconda infested swamp exploration I am happy to report that in the past week Infierno construction workers have spotted squirrel monkeys, howler monkeys, blue and yellow macaws, toucan, sloth, peccary, and a tapir (tracks). Both our transects and our colpa shifts should be rewarding - it looks like a surprising amount of wildlife is existing in this particular stretch of jungle. And although it seems like a healthy ecosystem, it is threatened by hunting, logging, and human encroachment. For this reason during research shifts you will be looking for evidence of indicator species. Bird species such as spix's guan, pale winged trumpeter, and razer pilled curasaow are indicators of primary forest because they are the first species hunted by humans, so their presence will always be valuable to record. Also on our list of indicators are mammals. Jaguar being the most important, we will also be searching for evidence of tapir, peccary, and other species.

Tamandua Expedition Featured on Mongabay.com

Mongabay.com is THE rainforest conservation news site. They are responsible for educating millions on the current issues facing tropical consevation, climate change, and deforestation today. This month, Mongabay.com interviewed Tamandua Expedition Leader Paul Rosolie about the mission of our conservation expeditions:

To read the interview visit:
http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0310-hance_rosolie.html