Peruvian Amazon: From the bottom up Part IV

Images of undisturbed subjects in their natural environment. All subject types.

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pbertner
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Peruvian Amazon: From the bottom up Part IV

Post by pbertner »

Tiny umbrella mushrooms (Marasmius sp.) dot the leaf litter. Their task of nutrient cycling is relentless and essential to a properly functioning ecosystem.

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The cane toad (Rhinella marina) is avoided by most predators due to poisonous secretions from its enlarged parotoid glands. The tadpoles also harbour toxins, making these prolific breeders a common sight in the rainforest understory, especially in the more disturbed environments. That doesn't stop parasites like this tick however.

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A brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria sp.), one of the few dangerous venomous spiders in the neotropics, hugs a bamboo pole with its prey. Bright red and orange markings on its forelegs, in addition to a pink hairs surrounding the fangs advertise its toxicity should the need for a defensive display arise. Several species of varying toxicity can be found throughout the neotropics, ranging from mildly toxic to potentially fatal.

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A wasp blows bubbles. This behaviour is generally thought to be a means of cleaning the mouthparts:

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A purple inflorescence (Aracea), stands out from the sea of forest green:

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The common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) is generally thought of as cantankerous and irascible; however, they make for diligent parents and their omnivorous diet, opposable thumbs and a fearsomely outsized demeanour make them one of the most abundant mammalian rainforest inhabitants:

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The dusky titi monkey (Callicebus moloch) mostly inhabits the midstory where it feeds preferentially on fruits though it'll resort to less nutritious leaves during scarce times.

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The howler monkey is the largest of the new world primates. It's a folivore, deriving most of its nutrition from nutrient-poor leaves, which requires a significant portion of its time to be devoted to digestion. As such it spends much of its time in the canopy sleeping.

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Thanks for looking and commenting,
Paul
Last edited by pbertner on Mon Dec 17, 2018 6:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Lou Jost
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Post by Lou Jost »

Lovely photos. I hate those wandering spiders, they can be huge and they can be everywhere!!!! In the Ecuadorian Amazon I have seen twenty or thirty on some night walks, including some giants. Hard to get a good night's sleep after one of those night walks.

santiago
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Post by santiago »

Great documentary pictures! I've never seen a tick parasiting on a toad. The umbrella mushrooms look like parachuters.
Santiago
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