Flora and Fauna

    A praying mantis at our doorstep. 

   A botanist we met called this a "monkey ladder vine". 

                  

    Two owl monkeys.

"To the bat cave!"... Ryan and I crawled through a giant hollow log full of bats.  We were ankle-deep in bat poop....and surrounded by bats.  One flew into Ryan's head.

Giant termite nest.

A type of strange cotton-like larvae. 

Our guide showing us how certain types of vines contain water - a jungle survival tip!  He found one that was "ripe" enough and Ryan and I both got a taste of the vine water.

   A sloth!

                    

This butterfly (or it might be a moth?) followed our canoe for quite a while.

Red poison dart frog.

    

Yellow poison dart frog.

    

A Heliconia Flower.

Impressive tree we did not get the name of. 

                            

Giant "fortress-like" ficus tree. 

  

Here are pictures of some of the animals we were able to see.  Because the Amazon jungle is so immense - almost as big as the continental United States - you have to trek quite far into the jungle to see animals, and once you are close, you are lucky to get a glimpse.  Some of the animals we saw but were not able to get pictures of include: macaws, toucans, squirrel monkeys, pygmy marmosets, a big brown-chested capuchin monkey, pink dolphins, an amazon boa and an anaconda!  

Our guide led us through the jungle, sometimes for hours, with nothing but his expertise and a machete.  It was fascinating to watch him spot monkeys, birds, frogs etc. by listening to his surroundings and looking for clues (like half-eaten fruits and rustling branches).  He is also skilled at making bird calls and monkey sounds.  He was born in the jungle and has lived there all his life - we were so lucky to have him as our guide.  He led us quite deep into the jungle and, at times, it was scary!