6/28/2013

It's confession time.


I should first say that I'm unbelievable grateful to be here, I couldn't ask for a more beautiful environment to work in.

That being said...

I want more.

I'm getting bored with the limits of my project and I spent a good portion of my day doing research into some relatively low-tech/low-cost methods of expanding into some immunology work.

I know what you're thinking, because Steven is probably thinking the same thing.

"What is wrong with you? Calm down and focus on what you set out to do."

I've collected, sampled and experimented on 82/120 animals already and I know I'll be done by this Monday.

Why not try diving into something I've never done!?

 I want a real challenge.

I want to try something I've never done before.

Okay, no more rant, I promise... for now.




Rule 1- You and I can no longer have a bad day. Monkey's, especially cute little baby monkey's clinging to their mothers back, will not allow a bad day!

On my way to the swamp to release some of my lizards I leaned up against a tree to catch my breath and drink some water. It's amazing how much life there is in the jungle.

That being said...

Always look where you put your hand in the jungle!!!

 I don't even know what type of insect this thing was. In this photo it looks like a moth, but up close it had a weird rhino horn on its head and a huge stinger on its backside.

 You can bet I got out of there quick.



I finally remembered to take a photo of the swamp in the daytime. It really is an inviting place. I feel like walking around this place in the dark with an oil-lantern attached to a shovel while wearing overalls. I think I was a prospector in another life.

I ran into this preying mantis which looked amazing but did not enjoy anything getting close. Mean little thing. 

And then, the Pièce de résistance of my day.

Pseustes poecilonotus (Tropical Bird-eating Snake) I was so excited to hold this beauty, I picked him real quick. It wasn't until I looked at the photo that I realized what a massive head he had. I am sure glad he didn't get nippy. It might be hard to tell from the photo, but the total length of this beastie had to be close to 2m. Little is known about these snakes, so some fellow researchers attached a radio-transmitter to it and they're going to track it for a few weeks to figure out what they do all day. Pretty cool stuff.

Tomorrow, Steven comes back to the station.

I hope he's ready for barrage of questions.

It's time to crank it up a notch.





Oh, and I almost forgot.

Funny story.

Sort of.

I learned another rule of the jungle this morning/last night.

Rule #4 - In a jungle full of researchers, you never know who is watching.

I'm not sure who should be more embarrassed.

But let me start from the beginning...

After learning a previous jungle lesson (mosquitoes will bite any exposed skin) I figured out a way to go pee in the jungle without having bites in unfortunate places. Without being too crude let's just say they don't bite what's always moving, so as long as there is movement, sensitive skin is bite free.

Now, onto the morning.

I had a grad student who is doing research on bats come up to me at breakfast. "Yes, um hello. I was wondering if next time you're near the SM swamp, [this is the swamp I go to every night] you keep your voice down and don't use flashlights, I have cameras up there monitoring bat behavior". At this point I didn't think anything of it.

Then her face got a little red...

"And also, please don't use the bathroom near my experiments."

Uh oh.

 Oh no!

The reality of the situation quickly sunk in.

I could only imagine what kind of pervert this lady thought I was! Here I was, pissing all over her experiment plot. And what's worse, it probably looked like I was shaking it for the camera, just to be extra lewd...

Like I said, I don't know who should be more embarrassed. 

Next step, get my hands on that footage and make sure it never sees the light of day again!