More jungle exploring! There's so much to see and learn. You begin to realize what biodiversity actually means.
Early morning bird watching and sketching.
Cesar shows us a young tree's defense mechanism. The tree loses these thorns once it gets tall enough and the seeds are more protected from predators.
This is a walking palm. Some roots will begin to rot on one side, and new roots will grow on the opposite, which means over time, the palm moves. This might be a myth though. There are no good time lapse videos that I can find. It's probably just the JRR Tolkien in all of us that wishes things like treeherders exist :(
This plant, the strangler fig, is very real and has become one of my favorites. It starts growing around a host tree until the host is strangled from the sheer weight of the fig or dies from the lack of sunlight. By the time the host tree dies, the strangler fig has grown enough support to stand on its own, essentially with a hollow base! Look at that beautiful bright green!
I think this is called a tangarana tree. It's very easy to spot when you're walking through the jungle because nothing else grows around it. You wonder why this is, and once you get closer you notice the entire plant is actually covered in ants. The ants and the tanagarana tree form a mutualistic relationship where the tree provides ants with a home, and the ants provide the tree with protection from predators. Apparently, the ants have a "aerial fleet" that they release from taller leaves if there is a disturbance on a lower part of the tree. Zac, Sarah, and Ross are poking the leaves with their pencils to try and provoke said fleet.
That's the tallest those tiny palm trees get!
The scratch 'n' sniff tree that smells like garlic.
This log was very much rotten. Watch your step.
Made it to the beach!
In the wet season, this entire beach is underwater.
KENT! or is it Camp?
