Peruvian Amazon: Manu Part I

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

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pbertner
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Peruvian Amazon: Manu Part I

Post by pbertner »

On location at Cocha Cashu Biological Station:

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Myco-heterotrophic fairy plant (Thismia panamensis). These plants grow underground stealing nutrients from its fungal hosts until it erupts from the soil.

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Camouflaged stink bug:

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A fingerprint ant (Ectatomma ruidum) moves a treehopper. Ants harvest honeydew (a sugary exudate produced as a concentrated form of plant sap as it passes through sap-suckers). This symbiotic relationship allows the treehoppers to benefit from the ants' protection, as the ants gain an easily harvestable sugar source. They will move the treehoppers from one location on the plant to another in order to maximize production.:

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A colourful treehopper (Anchirostrus sp.):

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Bee-mimicking robber fly (Laphria sp.):

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Measuring up - rivals. Rival males square off, using their stilt legs to jockey for position on a tree trunk:

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Black-spotted skink (Mabuya nigropunctata):
This was a difficult one to assess. Early in the morning this lizard was sunning itself. I got a few photos in and then as I removed my tripod it took off. I didn't think much of it until a scuffle ensued in the leaf litter. I saw that the immediate aftermath was that the lizard had fallen prey to a spider in the leaf litter. It's a testament to unintended consequences. Although this might have happened while simply walking in the rainforest, one is acutely aware of the potential harms resulting from photography. Hence the reflection in the Ethical Exif data (the watermark in the upper left corner).

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Thanks for looking and commenting,
Paul

Ramos Kenneth D
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Re: Peruvian Amazon: Manu Part I

Post by Ramos Kenneth D »

I found all this interesting until the last two frames. I'll have nightmares the rest of the week. What a horrible way to die, as if there were a good one. Well, in your sleep I suppose, but at the fangs of a spider almost if not as big as you would most definitely be terrifying. A journey through such a place as this has to be fascinating, each day a new adventure with untold and exciting experiences awaiting one around each turn . . . as long as the spiders are no bigger than the toe of your boot I suppose. A "fairy plant," never heard of one, how interesting and beautiful.

Marcepstein
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Re: Peruvian Amazon: Manu Part I

Post by Marcepstein »

Real interesting images and story :!:

pbertner
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Re: Peruvian Amazon: Manu Part I

Post by pbertner »

Thanks Marc and Ramos, much appreciated.

Indeed it was stunning to see just how quickly the venom took effect and the lizard was subdued. The crazy thing is that there are spiders 5X this size (Like Theraphosa blondii) which would absolutely dwarf this small skink.

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Ramos Kenneth D
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Re: Peruvian Amazon: Manu Part I

Post by Ramos Kenneth D »

I was in a store in Asheville NC that sold an assortment of items that would be used or come in handy for nature study and on one counter they had two shadow boxes of rather large size, though you could not see what was in them at first glance lying flat. As I approached the counter and was looking at some other items eventually I made eye contact with the shadow boxes and inside were Goliath Spiders, each labeled and nicely mounted. Those things were the size of a dinner plate if not larger. Now I am not one to throw and absolute fit over a spider, though one would think so to hear me talk about them but those two almost had me in a trot out the door. The display listed those things that they would and could prey upon being small monkeys, lizards, insects and some rather large birds and such, though nothing indicated just how large a bird.

pbertner
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Re: Peruvian Amazon: Manu Part I

Post by pbertner »

I had a similar experience only it was a mounted specimen belonging to the father of a childhood friend. It was also right around the time that the movie Arachnophobia came out so it made an impression.
Preying on primates is a bit of a stretch, but small birds isn't out of the question. They're not called bird-eating spiders for nothing.

Ramos Kenneth D
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Re: Peruvian Amazon: Manu Part I

Post by Ramos Kenneth D »

pbertner wrote:
Sun Jan 22, 2023 5:38 am
I had a similar experience only it was a mounted specimen belonging to the father of a childhood friend. It was also right around the time that the movie Arachnophobia came out so it made an impression.
Preying on primates is a bit of a stretch, but small birds isn't out of the question. They're not called bird-eating spiders for nothing.
Well, didn't bother to question the data with the lady behind the counter. Seeing the spiders was enough and for that moment you could have told me pretty much anything as I was leaving. :lol: Jumping spiders are more to my liking these days, as they are personable, cute, and seemingly intelligent.

MarkSturtevant
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Re: Peruvian Amazon: Manu Part I

Post by MarkSturtevant »

It does bother me seeing such magnificent spiders mounted as curios, though. As I understand it, they and many other slow reproducing arthropods from these wild areas are heavily hunted for this commercial use, and its getting harder and harder to even see them in the wild.

I had a similar experience like the spider and the skink. But mine was a frog that i disturbed while taking pictures, and a lurking water snake. I don't have the highly developed ethics as the OP, but I felt pretty bad about it.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

pbertner
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Re: Peruvian Amazon: Manu Part I

Post by pbertner »

Mark- Indeed you're quite right, some of these theraphosids have lives spanning 20+ years. It's hard to justify, especially given that I've seen some exceptionally well mounted exoskeleton moults from captive specimens which achieve 90% of the result, without the arachnocide.
My main philosophy is transparency, I feel like there should be a healthy give and take between the photographer and the viewer. The photog should be honest and upfront about what goes into making the photo and the viewer should recognize the consequentialism of photography, and that there are always felt impacts, and seek to understand the context in which the photo was taken and then they can decide what to do with that information.

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