COSTA RICA	July 2003
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View of Golfo Dulce from the Osa Peninsula

The following morning we hit the trails for a hike through the jungle down to Golfo Dulce, the beautiful gulf that lies to the east of the Osa Peninsula. High above us in the forest canopy we were shadowed by monkeys who occasionally dropped things in our direction as they discarded pits from the fruits they were eating. While some of us were looking up and watching for falling objects, Quetzal was looking down and watching for crawling objects. Suddenly he dives, he sprawls, he rises victorious, clenching a twisty brown Racer that he managed to out-race.

Capuchin Monkey	Salmon-bellied Racer Mastigodryas melanolomus

You can’t walk in the rain forest without encountering frogs, and in Costa Rica they will most likely belong to the genus Eleutherodactylus. This incredible group is notable in two respects. First, they have no tadpoles. Instead of leaving an egg mass in the water like most frogs, members of this genus lay their eggs in moist, covered places on the ground. Their young develop directly in the clear capsule and hatch out fully formed as little froglets. Second, there are more species of Eleutherodactylus (over 600!) than in any other single genus of vertebrate animals. Consequently, they exhibit tremendous diversity in appearance and adaptation to specialized habitats. Some of these frogs closely resemble toads, warts and all, such as this juvenile Broad-headed Frog we found that morning.

Broad-headed Frog Eleutherodactylus rugosus

Tiny lizards kept darting away as we walked the path, heard more often then seen as they disappeared into leaf litter before we could confirm an ID. At first I thought they were the same little Skinks we had found the day before, but Quetzal pointed out they were Microteiids, diminutive cousins of the huge Tegus, Caiman Lizards, and Whiptails of the Teiid family. Eventually got one in hand for a close-up look and noticed how much they did resemble some of their larger relatives (“Honey, I shrunk the teiids”).

Northern Spectacled Lizard Leposoma southi

Made it down to the water and wandered among the mangroves and fiddler crabs, watching the jittery Whiptails as they foraged among fallen palms in the sand.

The beach at Playa Rincon on Golfo Dulce

After a beach break we climbed back up into the jungle. Once again, Monica the Lizard Queen demonstrates her sharp eye by making the improbable sighting of a Casque-headed Lizard during the day. In addition to the camouflage of their coloration and irregular outline, these lizards enter a cataleptic state to freeze any minor body movements in order to conceal their vertical presence on tree trunks. They remain completely motionless until some unsuspecting insect crawls by, then down they go to grab their dinner. They’re almost always found only at night by shining them in the trees, and a daytime discovery is considered unusual. Then again, so is Monica.

A few more lizards, then it was time for a siesta before returning to the trails after dinner for a night hike.

Slender Anole ? Norops cupreus	Brown Basilisk (female) Basiliscus basiliscus

Marched back out after dark in search of nocturnal herps and whatever else was crawling about. First up was a giant male tarantula, no doubt hunting for a meal. We thought of that later when Ron found this oh-so-cute hummingbird in its oh-so-tiny nest. You know you’re in a rainforest when the spiders are bigger than the birds.

There were also herps about, both up in the trees and down on the ground. Arboreal snakes are usually found among the leaves by shining the branches and looking for the pale reflection of a white underbelly, while large frogs can be spotted through the vegetation by their red eye-shine.

Note the common name of these two species. Pretty cool, huh?

Slender Snail Sucker Sibon dimidiata	Smokey Jungle Frog Leptodactylus pentadactylus

Also came across another Broad-headed Frog, this time an adult.

And for those of you who prefer soft and cuddly over wet and warty, here’s an adorable Mouse Opossum (yeah, even I admit it’s way cute).

After the night hike we decided to try our luck on the roads. Started cruising in some heavy rain which we hoped would bring out the snakes. Visibility was poor, then cleared up as the showers passed by, just in time for us to come around a curve . . . and freeze.

There it was, stretched out full length, commanding the road --- I felt like we were facing a weapon. Confronting one this large (nearly six feet long), I understood for the first time that the name “Fer-de-Lance” recalls not only the spear shape of the head, it also refers to the snake’s lethal potential.

Fer-de-Lance

Bothrops asper

We grabbed our hooks and moved slowly from the car, trying not to spook the snake. Ron took pictures while Quetzal and I positioned ourselves to prevent her escape (only females get this large). She turned and headed off the road, so I slipped my hook underneath while Quetzal distracted her from the front.

I moved the snake back towards the center of the road, but Fer-de-Lance don’t like to ride a hook, so she slipped off and continued towards the side. She was about to get away when Quetzal very carefully grabbed the tip of her tail, and maneuvering with his hook, held her at a distance. With steady, unhurried movements Quetzal kept the big viper calm and under control as we watched in admiration of his superb handling skills.

I’ll also point out that no one but an expert should attempt this dangerous technique. Quetzal is a professional with many years experience handling venomous snakes, which fortunately gave us the opportunity to observe this impressive animal a little longer. He wisely decided to release her before she became agitated, and she quietly slid off the road into the weeds and was gone.

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Herp Trips