Chien C. Lee

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  • Venezuela’s fabled tabletop mountains may have once inspired Arthur Conan Doyle’s science fiction novel “The Lost World”, where he imagined the summits to be home to a plethora of gigantic prehistoric creatures that had been separated from the evolution of life on the rest of the planet for eons of time. Disappointingly, dinosaurs were never found on these mountains and, despite being home to many endemics and indeed a fair share of “living fossils”, recent genetic studies have shown that many species in fact have likely arrived well after the tepuis had been fully formed. This reveals that the imposing rocky cliffs, which seemingly isolate the summits from the jungles below, may not be as significant a physical barrier for dispersal as once believed. This young Boddaert's Tropical Racer (Mastigodryas boddaerti), encountered on the plateau of Auyán Tepui, is a widespread species in northern South America, and although prey is scarce on these mountaintops, it presumably hunts for endemic frogs.  Canaima National Park, Venezuela.
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  • Cloud forest is a widespread biome in mountains of Central and South America, where hot humid equatorial air rises into the cool mountains.  Here the humidity and precipitation are so high that the trees frequently become covered with epiphytic bromeliads and orchids. Henri Pittier National Park, Venezuela.
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  • Illuminated by a stray beam of sunlight, a Hognosed Viper (Porthidium nasutum) lies in wait on the forest floor, providing a reminder of why hikers are advised to wear high boots when walking in the Chocó rainforest off trails. These habitats are some of the richest in all South America, with a high number of endemic reptiles that are separated from their Amazonian relatives by the Andes mountain range. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Few warning signals in nature are as blatant as the colors of the Aquatic Coral Snake (Micrurus surinamensis), and for good reason: it possesses a highly potent neurotoxic venom. Unique among South American elapid snakes, its venom appears to be specialized for its favored prey of fish and eels, although can undoubtedly be fatal for mammals as well. They are, however, very non-aggressive and bite only when attacked or accidentally stepped on – the latter of which is rare thanks to their gaudy coloration. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • In contrast with its rather unremarkable appearance, the Sapayoa (Sapayoa aenigma) is one of South America's most enigmatic birds because it has no known relatives in the neotropics. Genetic studies have placed it close to the Asian broadbills (Eurylaimidae). Utría National Natural Park, Choco, Colombia.
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  • Hidden in the dense leaf litter of the rainforest floor, an Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) lies in wait for its next meal. With a mouth wider than the length of its body, and a voracious appetite to boot, these frogs can consume prey as large as small reptiles and rodents. This species is widely distributed in the Amazon Basin, but nowhere particularly abundant. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • The Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata), a big reason why hikers in the Amazonian rainforest always proceed with trepidation when stepping off the trail into thick vegetation. One of the largest ants in the world, this species is infamous for its ferocious sting which some (unfortunate) individuals consider equivalent in pain to being shot. The ant's sting contains a neurotoxic venom and has been rated by biologists as the only perfect "4+" on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, making it the most painful of all insect stings. Coca, Ecuador.
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  • Slug moth caterpiller (Parasa sp.). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Gold-banded Rain Frog (Pristimantis aureolineatus), pair in amplexus. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Katydid (Eurymetopa obesa). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Marañón White-fronted Capuchin (Cebus yuracus). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Cushion plant (Plantago rigida) among alpine Páramo vegetation. Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii), male. Mindo, Ecuador.
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  • Painted Antnest Frog (Lithodytes lineatus), a mimic of toxic dendrobatid frogs. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • White-bellied Woodstar (Chaetocercus mulsant). Papallacta, Ecuador.
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  • Ecuadorian Hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo), female feeding juvenile female. Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Pleasing fungus beetle (Erotylus incomparabilis). Orellana, Ecuador.
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  • Napo Saki (Pithecia napensis). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • A lone Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) ventures down to the rainforest floor to take a sip of mineral mud at a clay lick. This is a common phenomenon with the larger parrots of the region and was often believed to be due to the fact that the birds ingest the clay to help neutralize toxins in the fruits that they consume. More recent observations suggest that they may simply be obtaining salt – a mineral that is in particularly scarce supply in the western Amazon Basin. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Spiny orbweaver (Micrathena kirbyi), female putting the final touches of silk on her egg sac. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • With its unique patterns and remarkably long front legs, the Harlequin Beetle (Acrocinus longimanus) is one of the most impressive and distinctive insects of the Neotropics. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Amazon Tree Boa (Corallus hortulanus). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Looking like a cross between a dragonfly and a butterfly, owlflies (family Ascalaphidae) are in fact more closely related to ant lions and lacewings. These nocturnal predators feed on small insects that they catch on the wing. By day, they sleep concealed on twigs, or in this unusual case (Cordulecerus sp.), as a group together on a root hanging above a stream. Sleeping in an aggregation with their antennae held outstretched in a perimeter may help to better detect the approach of predators, keeping the group safer than sleeping alone. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Pale-striped Poison-Frog (Ameerega hahneli). Coca, Orellana, Ecuador.
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  • Emerald Glassfrog (Espadarana prosoblepon), male showing humeral spines for intraspecific combat. Mindo, Ecuador.
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  • Masked Trogon (Trogon personatus), male. Mindo, Ecuador.
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  • Tarantula (Pamphobeteus sp.), male. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Giant Cockroach (Blaberus giganteus). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Perez's Snouted Frog (Edalorhina perezi). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Tarantula (Pamphobeteus sp.). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • A female pompilid wasp (Eragenia congrua) hauls a paralyzed spider (Corinna sp.) towards her nest, after having neatly amputated its legs to make the transport of her victim easier. This will not be food for her, but for her offspring. Her nest consists of a hole in the soft bark of a tree, and once depositing the spider inside she will lay a single egg, which upon hatching into a larva will consume the still-living host. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • With a full palette of colorful wing scales at their disposal, butterflies are capable of pulling off some of the most convincing and complex mimicries in the insect world. At first glance this is a common clear-winged Ithomiid butterfly, which are known for their toxicity and unpalatability. However, it is actually a Clearwinged Mimic-white (Dismorphia theucharila), a non-toxic species of the family Pieridae. It can be distinguished from its toxic models (Oleria spp.) by counting the number of legs: Dismorphia has six, whereas Oleria stands on only four. Insectivorous birds don’t have time to stop and count the legs on every butterfly in the forest, so this mimicry is a highly successful one. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Shag-carpet Caterpillar (Prothysana), one of two species that, aside from their curious appearance, exhibit a remarkable form of mimicry. Tiny parasitoid wasps are known for extracting a heavy toll on caterpillars: their larvae devour a caterpillar from inside out, emerging once they are ready to turn into adult wasps and leaving their distinctive white cocoons in the process. At a glance, the white dorsal hairs of Prothsyana look exactly like these wasp cocoons, so much so that the wasps themselves likely avoid laying their eggs in this caterpillar, believing that it has already been eaten. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Assassin bug (Zelurus sp.) which mimics a spider wasp. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • The dreaded Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata), in possession of the most painful sting on the planet, here has fallen prey to an even more sinister organism: a parasitoid fungus (Ophiocordycipitaceae). The ‘zombification’ of insects in tropical rainforests has been well documented, but the incredibly precise way that these fungi control the behavior of their hosts prior to consuming them is not yet fully understood. Recent research indicates that, rather than invading the brain which might kill the insect prematurely, the fungus may directly control the muscles of its host like a puppet. In this way it can lead the ant to a location where it is more likely to infect others. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • At the onset of dusk, a pair of Many-banded Aracari (Pteroglossus pluricinctus) arrive at their roosting tree hole where they will be joined by the rest of their family group to spend the night. These birds are unusual among toucans for their gregarious behavior with as many as half a dozen sleeping together. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • It’s hard at first glance not to be fooled by the appearance of this wasp-mimicking katydid (Aganacris nitida), which is modeled after a stinging thread-waisted wasp (Eremnophila spp.). To enhance the effectiveness of this masquerade, the katydid also copies the wasp’s quick erratic movements, as most other katydids (especially camouflaged ones) move rather slowly. Katydids possess no chemical or otherwise painful defenses, and make for particularly good meals for predators, which is the driving force behind their remarkable disguises. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas). Cosanga, Ecuador.
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  • Smallest of all the anteaters, the Silky Anteater (Cyclopes didactylus) is seldom seen because it spends much of its life high in the rainforest canopy, often curled up as an indistinguishable ball of fluff. They have no teeth and can only defend themselves by means of their razor sharp sickle-like fore-claws, which are usually used for tearing open ant nests. Females bear a single youngster at a time, which is carried on their back until large enough to feed on its own. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Looking like a bunch of trilobite sarcophagi, a cluster of tortoise beetle pupae remain huddled together as they wait to pupate into adults. Although blind, immobile and otherwise defenseless in this stage, each pupa is capable of flexing its body up and down when disturbed, and the combined motion of the entire group may serve to befuddle a potential predator or parasite. Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Napo, Ecuador.
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  • Leaf katydid (Typophyllum mortuifolium), female. Napo, Ecuador.
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  • Endemic to the Amazon Basin, the Reticulated Poison Frog (Ranitomeya ventrimaculata) is a small species, reaching only 2cm in length. Adults live on the forest floor but venture up to 40m in the canopy to deposit their eggs in the water-filled bromeliads. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • A labyrinth of wind-carved rock formations covers the tabletop plateau of Mount Roraima, one of Venezuela's most famous tepuis. Canaima National Park, Venezuela.
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  • Lowland Paca (Cuniculus paca). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Weevil (Cholus ellipsifer) on palm inflorescence. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Ecuadorian Hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo), juvenile male. Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Swamp forest dominated by Moriche Palm (Mauritia flexuosa) covers vast areas of the Amazon Basin. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Although the ‘zombie ants’ are undoubtedly the most infamous, entomopathogenic fungi come in a great diversity of species, many of which specialize in a particular type of prey. Here, a weevil has been killed by Ophiocordyceps curculionum, and is now a host to three fruiting bodies that have been releasing new spores. Like the mind-controlling fungi in ants, this pathogen similarly manipulates the weevil like a puppeteer to position itself in the ideal spot before it dies. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Many-banded Aracari (Pteroglossus pluricinctus). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • “Parasitoids” are defined as different from “parasites” in that they ultimately kill their host, and among the most nefarious of these are those that are able to manipulate the behavior of their host, keeping them alive only until they no longer need them. This unfortunate katydid is in the process of having a horsehair worm (Nematomorpha) vacate its body. Although the katydid is still alive, the worm has slowly devoured most of its internal organs while growing inside to many times the length of its host’s body. Even when fully developed, the worm keeps from killing the insect because it uses it for transport – somehow compelling the katydid to seek out a source of water where the worm can finally complete its life cycle. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Walker's moth (Sosxetra grata). Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Ecuador.
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  • While the majority of katydids masquerade as leaves, this species (Anaphidna sp.) takes on a different strategy: it rests with its wings raised in the air to mimic a lichen-covered twig. The long filamentous antennae of many insects, which can sometimes betray their camouflage to a predator and are thus often kept tucked away for concealment, are in this species deceptively disguised with bends and kinks. Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Stick grasshopper (Paraproscopia aberrans). Looking much like a typical walking stick (Phasmida), these grasshoppers exploit a similar defense strategy but with the added bonus that they can jump away from a predator if needed. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Ecuador Poison Frog (Ameerega bilinguis), male. Orellana, Ecuador.
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  • A fly-mimicking weevil (Hoplocopturus sp.) from the Ecuadorian rainforest. Most cases of insect mimicry involve the imitation of a toxic or distasteful species as a model, so the reason for this beetle to appear like an entirely edible fly is not immediately apparent. However, entomologists studying these insects suggest that because flies are so agile and quick, most visually-oriented predators (particularly birds) probably learn to avoid wasting their time pursuing them, hence the incentive for this “evasive mimicry”. Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Napo, Ecuador.
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  • This large royal moth (Bathyphlebia eminens), a member of the giant silkmoth family (Saturniidae) is endemic to the cloud forests of Ecuador.
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  • Spanning nearly 7 million square kilometers, it is difficult to conceptualize just how vast the Amazon rainforest is. Here, the Tiputini River winds its way through a tiny corner of the Amazon Basin in eastern Ecuador, eventually emptying its waters into Peru, Brazil, and then the Atlantic Ocean nearly 3 thousand kilometers away. Having lost nearly 20% of its forest cover in recent decades, the Basin is still under siege today from threats such as mining, oil drilling, and clearing for farming. Despite these losses, much still remains intact and just as imperative as ever to continue protective efforts for these invaluable forests. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • A jewel of Ecuador’s high-elevation cloud forests is the spectacular Plate-billed Mountain Toucan (Andigena laminirostris). Unlike the more familiar toucans of lowland rainforests, these birds inhabit the coldest and wettest mountains of the Andes. Despite their predilection for these remote habitats, they are threatened by both habitat loss and capture for the pet trade. Mindo, Ecuador.
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  • The incredible camouflage of the Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) becomes even more apparent when viewed from above. It is no wonder that these frogs are not strong jumpers; they prefer to remain motionless even upon the approach of a potential predator. Being sit-and-wait predators, they can sometimes spend several days staked out in the same spot, moving only nights of heavy rainfall. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Cloud forest. Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Camouflaged fulgorid planthopper (Episcius sp.). Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Pitcher plant (Heliamphora uncinata). Canaima National Park, Bolivar, Venezuela.
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  • Darkling beetle (Cuphotes erichsoni), mimic of unpalatable fungus beetles (Gibbifer spp., Erotylidae). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Although most people are familiar with the Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) in the scrublands and prairies of the southern US, it is originally an animal from tropical rainforests, including the Amazon Basin. This individual uses a fallen log to cross a stream during its nocturnal foray for insects and other tiny tasty morsels. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • With its fearsome appearance, the Spiny Devil (Panacanthus cuspidatus) surely ranks as one of the most impressive of all katydids. Endemic to the upper Amazon Basin, this large insect uses its prickly front legs in self-defense and also to capture prey – it feeds both on vegetation and other insects. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Ecuador Poison Frog (Ameerega bilinguis). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Vieira's Snail-eating Snake (Sibon vieirai). Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Warning colorations, such as those exhibited by these tiny fungus beetles (Corynomalus marginatus), which exude a foul chemical when disturbed, doesn’t always guarantee immunity from predators. To enhance their defense, many such insects often cluster in aggregations; not only is there greater safety in numbers but the combined colorations of all the individuals together results in an amplified warning signal that encourages even naive predators to get the message. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Although cryptically disguised as a dead leaf when at rest, the Peacock Katydid (Pterochroza ocellata) packs a big surprise for its secondary defense. When disturbed, it raises its wings to expose strikingly colored eyespots, which can be enough to startle a potential predator away. This large katydid exhibits a great deal of intraspecific variation such that the wing patterns and camouflage of no two individuals are ever the same, and entomologists at one time had described over a dozen species that are now attributed to P. ocellata. These variations in coloration help to prevent any predator from learning a search pattern to recognize this species and its defense. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Sundew (Drosera roraimae). Amuri Tepui, Canaima National Park, Bolivar, Venezuela.
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  • Summit vegetation on Mount Roraima, one of Venezuela's most famous tepuis. The isolated plateaus  on tepui summits host their own biota of endemic species of plants and animals. Canaima National Park, Venezuela.
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  • Jasper Falls. Canaima National Park, Venezuela.
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  • Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maximus). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Purple Anole (Anolis purpurescens). Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Emerald Cicada (Zammara smaragdula). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • A juvenile Lowland Paca (Cuniculus paca) photographed by camera trap. These large rodents are solitary and live in burrows, emerging only at night to forage on vegetation of the forest floor, including fallen fruits, and are important dispersers of many rainforest seeds. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Army Ants (Eciton burchellii). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Glasswing Butterfly (Cithaerias cliftoni), male. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Wax-tailed Planthopper (Pterodictya reticularis). The waxy filaments may serve to mimic an insect that has been keeled by parasitoid fungi, and thus dispel a predator's interest. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata) killed by parasitoid fungi (Ophiocordyceps ponerinarum). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Sun Glass Frog (Hyalinobatrachium aureoguttatum), male. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Flowers of a giant carnivorous bladderwort (Utricularia humboldtii) emerging from swampy grassland at the base of Mount Roraima. Canaima National Park, Venezuela.
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  • An unusually hairy pitcher plant (Heliamphora minor var. pilosa), endemic to Auyan Tepui. Canaima National Park, Bolivar, Venezuela.
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  • Ptari Tepui, one of a large number of sandstone tabletop mountains in Venezuela. The isolated summit plateaus host their own biota of endemic species of plants and animals. Canaima National Park, Venezuela.
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  • Buthid scorpion (Tityus sp.) preying on a smaller scorpion. Yasuní National Park, Orellana, Ecuador.
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  • As pretty as a bouquet of flowers, but with a sinister intent: a clump of Sun Pitchers (Heliamphora sarracenioides) advertises its lethal traps with bright colors and the offer of sweet nectar, amid the stunted vegetation of a tepui summit. Unwary insects that venture onto the inner surface of the pitcher easily lose their foothold and tumble into the water below where they are quickly drowned and digested by the plant. With annual rainfall sometimes exceeding four meters and virtually no mineral-rich soil available, nutrients are in scarce supply on Venezuela’s tepui mountains. This has fueled the diversification of many carnivorous plant species here, chief among them being the near-endemic genus Heliamphora with over 20 species. This species (H. sarracenioides) grows on the summit of only a single isolated tabletop mountain, accessible only by helicopter. Canaima National Park, Venezuela.
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  • Katydid (Panoploscelis specularis). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Striped Sharpnose Snake (Philodryas argentea). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Click beetles (Semiotus regalis). Bogota, Colombia.
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  • Dead-leaf moth (Oxytenis albilunulata). Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Pristimantis bogotensis. Bogota, Colombia.
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  • Broad-headed Woodlizard (Enyalioides laticeps). Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Stick Grasshopper (family Proscopiidae). Looking much like a typical walking stick (Phasmida), these grasshoppers exploit a similar defense strategy but with the added bonus that they can jump away from a predator if needed. Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Gold-Nugget Treefrog (Boana picturata), an endemic to the chocó pacific rainforests of Ecuador and Colombia. Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Babbling Torrenteer (Hyloscirtus alytolylax), young froglet metamorph. Mindo, Ecuador.
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  • Gold-Nugget Treefrog (Boana picturata), an endemic to the chocó pacific rainforests of Ecuador and Colombia. Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador.
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  • Blunthead Tree Snake (Imantodes cenchoa), a lizard hunting specialist that due to its extremely slender body is able to seek out sleeping lizards on even the most delicate of branches. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • The shady understory of the Ecuadorian rainforest hosts a great diversity of butterflies that are adapted specifically for this dimly lit ecosystem. Although we often rank butterflies on how gaudy and beautiful their wings patterns are, among the most remarkable of the understory are those that bear transparent wings, such as this Glasswing Butterfly (Dulcedo polita). When perched under the right conditions they can appear almost invisible. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Similar to the Dendrobatid poison frogs, harlequin toads (Atelopus spp.) are also brightly colored, day-active, and highly toxic. They also comprise one of the most endangered groups of amphibians in the neotropics, with many species listed as Critically Endangered and others presumed extinct in the wild. Aside from habitat loss and threats from introduced species, they appear particularly susceptible to the amphibian-killing chytrid fungus, which has completely wiped out many wild populations. This Atelopus spurrelli is endemic to the Chocóan rainforest of coastal Colombia.
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