Pacaya River
Our expedition in the mighty Amazon continued today with a full day around the Pacaya River. The Pacaya River basin is an important component of the Pacaya–Samiria National Reserve. The Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in Peru with an area of more than 2000 km² (approximately 5 million acres). In fact it is the largest reserve in the country and the second largest in South America. It is also known as the most extensive and important area of protected floodable forest (varzea) in the Amazon Rain Forest.
There are an incredible number of lagoons, lakes, gorges, canals and oxbows. Typical of rain forests, the reserve has yearly temperatures that range between 20°C (68°F) and 33°C (91°F) with an annual rainfall of 2000 to 3000 millimeters, which produces a huge biodiversity.
Today we experienced firsthand this extraordinary biodiversity. In the morning we observed many bird species like Orioles, Troupials, a Rufescent Tiger Heron, a Jabirú, and a huge flock of cormorants and egrets. The most interesting sighting of the morning was an extraordinary one. We spotted a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium brasileanum) with a Common Surinam toad (Pipa pipa) in its talons. The latter toad is very bizarre and is considered to be one of the world’s most unusual frogs. By chance, just yesterday we spotted one of these unusual amphibians from one of the skiffs. It has a very flat body that can be better described as if the animal has been in battle with a car tire. They lack tongues and have tiny lidless eyes, pointed nose, huge mouth and powerful webbed muscular rear feet that use to move just like a blub of mud on the surface of the water.
In the afternoon we had plenty of time to explore far and beyond the Pacaya River. We observed several monkey species including the large Monk Saki Monkeys and red Howler Monkeys. The latter are species are hard to find and we had extraordinary views of these new world primates. We even had time to swim in the middle of nowhere with the company of the sounds of the forest. On the way back as the night was coming down we had the chance to spot a snake in the grassy areas. A beautiful Black-skinned parrot snake (Leptophis ahaetulla nigromarginatus). This slender snake blends so well in the grass that is easily overlooked. It is approximately 3.5 to 4 feet in length. It has diurnal habits spending most of its life hunting frogs and lizards. It is considered a nonvenomous reptile but its saliva contains a cocktail of strong anticoagulants, enzymes and peptides that in fact are a sort of poison that will help them to predigest their prey.
Late in the evening at around 7:00pm we finally arrived back on board with the wonderful feeling that we spent a great day in one of the most indomitable places on Earth, the mighty Amazon.
