Animals of the Forrest

THE FER DE LANCE

This was a very relaxed Fer-de-lance awaiting was hanging out under an overhanging rock.
I had placed my heavy foot six inches from its head which tested its cool and quickly brought my daydreaming to an abrupt halt.

The juveniles eat small lizards, frogs, mice whilst the adults can take larger prey such as Opossums,  rodents, birds and small mammals. The female gives birth to live young snakes (as Opposed to eggs) of up to 35 cm long and in litters of up to 80 live snakes. They live up to twenty years.

During the day they coil up in the undergrowth, and leave to hunt during the night, especially at dawn and dusk.                                            Their venom is very potent, and causes more deaths than any other snake in Central America, it begins the destruction of tissue before the snake ingests the bitten prey, making for easier digestion. For this reason many limb amputations have been necessary to save the lives of victims.

Being of the pit viper group these snakes use thermal receptors to hunt allowing them to observe their prey even in the dead of night, for this they have two pits or sensors ahead of their eyes and  about midway to their nostrils, for this reason it is not smart to get too close to these reptiles.                                                                                                 This is one of the main reasons to move slowly when pushing through brush and walking under the canopy, use a stick to beat ahead in thick undergrowth.

THE SLOTH

The three toed brown throated sloth is a tree dwelling mammal which has descended from much larger ground dwelling dinosaurs of up to Sixty million years ago.

Native to Central and South America its diet consists of leaves, buds and shoots, having tongues which protrude up to ten to twelve inches from their mouths helps them feed in the tree tops.

Strangely their hair sometimes grows toward their heads due to spending so much of their time upside down. Slow metabolisms help them survive on the low nutrient of their diet.

One of natures enduring and lovable animals, along with the Koala I cannot think of more gentle creatures.

THE CAPUCHIN

The white faced Capuchin monkey seen at the top of the canopy.

The local campesinos said they like to come in and raid their corn from the fields.

Living on fruit, nuts and plant material, they help to disperse of plant seeds and pollen through the forest. Troops can be twenty or more in number and individuals can live to up to fifty years.