Peruvian Amazon January 2013 Part 1, Amphibians
Posted: March 8th, 2013, 6:44 pm
Hello
In January, I was a trip leader for MT Amazon Expeditions (formerly Margarita Tours) herp photography trip to the Peruvian Amazon. Their website is here: http://www.amazon-ecotours.com and it’s in the process of being updated.
We took a great group down, meeting in Iquitos. Iquitos is a town of half a million people, but only way in or out is to fly, boat or walk. No roads going in. Spending a day or two in town is part of the experience. Here are some photos of around Iquitos.
There are herp activities that can be done around Iquitos. There are some preserves just out of town, and you can view wild herps at the Iquitos Zoo. Sometimes we rent a car and go road cruising on the one road that leads out of town to a nearby town. That can be productive.
On the trip, we found a total of 122 species of herps. Plus, lots of other stuff. Kayaking with the pink river dolphins is an incredible experience.
We spent 7 days at the Madre Selva preserve and and 4 at Santa Cruz. In route there and in between, we spent a lot of time on boats. Here is some transportation photos:
Photo by Doug Kranich
Photo by Doug Kranich
The first stop is Madre Selva. It takes all day by house boat or 3-4 hours by speedboat to get there from Iquitos. It is downstream on the Amazon, on the Rio Orosa. It is a beautiful preserve and there is some incredible wildlife viewing. There is a canopy level tower which gave daily opportunities for view birds and monkeys. I have been to Madre Selva many, many times, and each time I go, I have an incredible time. Here is some views from around the Madre Selva facilities.
The dining hall!
The classroom is now 2 stories!
This is the floating boathouse. Some years, when the water is low, the boathouse is a ways away from the facilities.
This is my 4th trip to Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is a newer preserve and some of the facilities are a bit more primitive. It is worth going there, as the herping is different than Madre Selva. Though closer to Iquitos, Santa Cruz is very wild. There are two places to stay, a house along the river and some tambos and a house up the hill a mile and a half away. Here is some of the photos around the facilities, including a new pond that is very near the top lodge area.
The dining area!
On to the herps. I’m going to start with the amphibians. We were in the height of the rainy season and the Amazon was very high. It was as high as I have seen it, though nowhere near where it crested in February of 2012. It rained most days and the small streams were all flowing and active with wildlife. These critters were found by participants, guides, or by locals that sometimes bring stuff in.
Typhlonectes compressicauda
Common Aquatic Caecilian
Salamanders are not commonly found in the Amazon Basin. Personally, I usually find 1 or 2 per trip on leaves at night. As a group of experienced herpers, we found 4 this trip.
Bolitoglossa altamazonica
Amazon Climbing Salamander
I have never found these to be very common. They are huge and quite impressive.
Rhaebo guttatus
Smooth Sided Toad
These toads are extremely variable in colors.
Rhinella dapsilis
Sharp Nosed Toad
One of my favorite toads. Some specimens are simply spectacular. They are also fairly common, though most do not have the full crests and ridge.
Rhinella margaritifera
Crested Forest Toad
And the ever common Cane Toad. Always nice to find them where they are supposed to be.
Rhinella marina
Cane Toad
These are one of the treats of going to the Amazon. There is still a stable population of these down there, if you know where to look.
Atelopus spumarius
Amazon Harlequin Toad
On to the treefrogs:
Dendropsophus haraldschultzi
Many Striped Treefrog
Dendropsophus marmoratus
Marbled Neotropical Treefrog
The always spectacular Clown Treefrogs
Dendropsophus leucophyllatus
Clown Treefrog
Finding these in abundance is always in incredible experience. We find normal phase, and all sorts of different phases. I spend hours looking at them!
Dendropsophus triangulum
Variable Clown Treefrog
Dendropsophus miyatai
Jeweled Treefrog
Incredibly large and loud!
Hypsiboas boans
Gladiator Treefrog
Hypsiboas calcaratus
Convict Treefrog
Hypsiboas cinerascens
Rough Skinned Green Treefrog
Hypsiboas geographica
Map Treefrog
Hypsiboas lanciformis
Rocket Treefrog
Hypsiboas nympha
Hypsiboas punctatus
Polkadot Treefrog
Osteocephalus cabrerai
Forest Bromeliad Treefrog
Osteocephalus planiceps
Flat Headed Bromeliad Treefrog
Osteocephalus taurinus
Giant Broad Headed Treefrog
Phrynohyas venulosa
Common Milk Frog
The Phyllomedusa species are simply OUTSTANDING. When I first started going to the Amazon, I would be lucky to find them. I usually came across and individual here or there of one or two or two species a trip. It was always a great find. Well, now, at Santa Cruz, the habitat must be very good for them. They show up all the time. Walking around near the facilities and a nearby pond at night will usually get you 3 species, and sometimes lots of each of them. We started naming them this year as we would see the same ones night after night.
I believe this to be Bob (Mike can you confirm?)
Phyllomedusa Bicolor
Giant Monkey Frog
Phyllomedusa tomopterna
Barred Monkey Frog
Phyllomedusa vaillanti
White Lined Monkey Frog
The always fun to find
Scinax garbei
Fringe Lipped Treefrog
Scinax ruber
Hatchet Faced Frogs can be easily found in the right habitat.
Sphaenorhynchus carneus
Pygmy Hatchet Faced Frog
Sphaenorhynchus dorisae
Spotted Hatched Faced Treefrog
A lifer for me!
Trachycephalus coriaceus
Here’s some of the the poison dart frogs from the area:
Allobates femoralis
Spotted Thighed Poison Frog
Ameerega hahneli
Pale Striped Poison Frog
Ranitomeya duellmani
Duellman's Poison Frog
Ranitomeya ventrimaculata
Amazon Poison Frog
This is a mimic!
Leptodactylus lineatus
Painted Antnest Frog
Leptodactylus andreae
Cocha Chirping Frog
Leptodactylus pentodactylus
Smoky Jungle Frog
Leptodatylus wagneri
Dwarf Jungle Frog
Hamptophryne boliviana
Amazon Sheep Frog
Oreobates quixensis
Common Big Headed Rain Frog
Pristimantis acuminatus
Green Rain Frog
Pristimantis altamazonicus
Amazon Rain Frog
Another lifer!
Pristimantis padiali
And a few more people shots
Marisa in action!
January 2013 group shot with crew! I bet everybody can find somebody they know
I’ll end with this one, a celebration time with Mike P.!
I’ll get to the reptiles and other critters in parts II and III.
In January, I was a trip leader for MT Amazon Expeditions (formerly Margarita Tours) herp photography trip to the Peruvian Amazon. Their website is here: http://www.amazon-ecotours.com and it’s in the process of being updated.
We took a great group down, meeting in Iquitos. Iquitos is a town of half a million people, but only way in or out is to fly, boat or walk. No roads going in. Spending a day or two in town is part of the experience. Here are some photos of around Iquitos.
There are herp activities that can be done around Iquitos. There are some preserves just out of town, and you can view wild herps at the Iquitos Zoo. Sometimes we rent a car and go road cruising on the one road that leads out of town to a nearby town. That can be productive.
On the trip, we found a total of 122 species of herps. Plus, lots of other stuff. Kayaking with the pink river dolphins is an incredible experience.
We spent 7 days at the Madre Selva preserve and and 4 at Santa Cruz. In route there and in between, we spent a lot of time on boats. Here is some transportation photos:
Photo by Doug Kranich
Photo by Doug Kranich
The first stop is Madre Selva. It takes all day by house boat or 3-4 hours by speedboat to get there from Iquitos. It is downstream on the Amazon, on the Rio Orosa. It is a beautiful preserve and there is some incredible wildlife viewing. There is a canopy level tower which gave daily opportunities for view birds and monkeys. I have been to Madre Selva many, many times, and each time I go, I have an incredible time. Here is some views from around the Madre Selva facilities.
The dining hall!
The classroom is now 2 stories!
This is the floating boathouse. Some years, when the water is low, the boathouse is a ways away from the facilities.
This is my 4th trip to Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is a newer preserve and some of the facilities are a bit more primitive. It is worth going there, as the herping is different than Madre Selva. Though closer to Iquitos, Santa Cruz is very wild. There are two places to stay, a house along the river and some tambos and a house up the hill a mile and a half away. Here is some of the photos around the facilities, including a new pond that is very near the top lodge area.
The dining area!
On to the herps. I’m going to start with the amphibians. We were in the height of the rainy season and the Amazon was very high. It was as high as I have seen it, though nowhere near where it crested in February of 2012. It rained most days and the small streams were all flowing and active with wildlife. These critters were found by participants, guides, or by locals that sometimes bring stuff in.
Typhlonectes compressicauda
Common Aquatic Caecilian
Salamanders are not commonly found in the Amazon Basin. Personally, I usually find 1 or 2 per trip on leaves at night. As a group of experienced herpers, we found 4 this trip.
Bolitoglossa altamazonica
Amazon Climbing Salamander
I have never found these to be very common. They are huge and quite impressive.
Rhaebo guttatus
Smooth Sided Toad
These toads are extremely variable in colors.
Rhinella dapsilis
Sharp Nosed Toad
One of my favorite toads. Some specimens are simply spectacular. They are also fairly common, though most do not have the full crests and ridge.
Rhinella margaritifera
Crested Forest Toad
And the ever common Cane Toad. Always nice to find them where they are supposed to be.
Rhinella marina
Cane Toad
These are one of the treats of going to the Amazon. There is still a stable population of these down there, if you know where to look.
Atelopus spumarius
Amazon Harlequin Toad
On to the treefrogs:
Dendropsophus haraldschultzi
Many Striped Treefrog
Dendropsophus marmoratus
Marbled Neotropical Treefrog
The always spectacular Clown Treefrogs
Dendropsophus leucophyllatus
Clown Treefrog
Finding these in abundance is always in incredible experience. We find normal phase, and all sorts of different phases. I spend hours looking at them!
Dendropsophus triangulum
Variable Clown Treefrog
Dendropsophus miyatai
Jeweled Treefrog
Incredibly large and loud!
Hypsiboas boans
Gladiator Treefrog
Hypsiboas calcaratus
Convict Treefrog
Hypsiboas cinerascens
Rough Skinned Green Treefrog
Hypsiboas geographica
Map Treefrog
Hypsiboas lanciformis
Rocket Treefrog
Hypsiboas nympha
Hypsiboas punctatus
Polkadot Treefrog
Osteocephalus cabrerai
Forest Bromeliad Treefrog
Osteocephalus planiceps
Flat Headed Bromeliad Treefrog
Osteocephalus taurinus
Giant Broad Headed Treefrog
Phrynohyas venulosa
Common Milk Frog
The Phyllomedusa species are simply OUTSTANDING. When I first started going to the Amazon, I would be lucky to find them. I usually came across and individual here or there of one or two or two species a trip. It was always a great find. Well, now, at Santa Cruz, the habitat must be very good for them. They show up all the time. Walking around near the facilities and a nearby pond at night will usually get you 3 species, and sometimes lots of each of them. We started naming them this year as we would see the same ones night after night.
I believe this to be Bob (Mike can you confirm?)
Phyllomedusa Bicolor
Giant Monkey Frog
Phyllomedusa tomopterna
Barred Monkey Frog
Phyllomedusa vaillanti
White Lined Monkey Frog
The always fun to find
Scinax garbei
Fringe Lipped Treefrog
Scinax ruber
Hatchet Faced Frogs can be easily found in the right habitat.
Sphaenorhynchus carneus
Pygmy Hatchet Faced Frog
Sphaenorhynchus dorisae
Spotted Hatched Faced Treefrog
A lifer for me!
Trachycephalus coriaceus
Here’s some of the the poison dart frogs from the area:
Allobates femoralis
Spotted Thighed Poison Frog
Ameerega hahneli
Pale Striped Poison Frog
Ranitomeya duellmani
Duellman's Poison Frog
Ranitomeya ventrimaculata
Amazon Poison Frog
This is a mimic!
Leptodactylus lineatus
Painted Antnest Frog
Leptodactylus andreae
Cocha Chirping Frog
Leptodactylus pentodactylus
Smoky Jungle Frog
Leptodatylus wagneri
Dwarf Jungle Frog
Hamptophryne boliviana
Amazon Sheep Frog
Oreobates quixensis
Common Big Headed Rain Frog
Pristimantis acuminatus
Green Rain Frog
Pristimantis altamazonicus
Amazon Rain Frog
Another lifer!
Pristimantis padiali
And a few more people shots
Marisa in action!
January 2013 group shot with crew! I bet everybody can find somebody they know
I’ll end with this one, a celebration time with Mike P.!
I’ll get to the reptiles and other critters in parts II and III.