Monkey River, Belize
The tropical regions of the world have a much greater biodiversity than the cooler temperate regions. The diversity of plants leads to a larger number of species of animals. Among them are the mammals. Today we had the fortune of seeing two different species of bats along Monkey River. As we slowly wound our way upstream in our Zodiacs, we admired a great variety of trees and vines, many of which were in bloom, and identified many birds, such as the ringed kingfisher, Montezuma’s oropendola and bare-throated tiger-heron. We came upon a series of logs in the river, some leaning at a 45 degree angle, and with great difficulty we discovered cryptically-coloured bats hanging from the underside of a log. Six perfectly camouflaged two-lined bats formed the group, with the male in the higher or superior position, and five females in a line below him. Each hung from its feet and arms, very attentively watching our approach. We moved slowly, and all of us had the opportunity to see and photograph these secretive creatures very well. The photographs would help to confirm their identity later. Further upstream another harem group was found, but this time they were long-nosed bats, pictured above. Both of these species of chiropterids feed at dusk and through the night on small insects. Also encountered along the tree-lined river banks were huge, male green iguanas.
Back on our ship, we sailed off for our afternoon destination – a tiny coral islet off the warm coast of Belize. Our snorkelers and divers enjoyed the crystal-clear Caribbean waters, seeing a good number of marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, as well as many lovely tropical fish, including queen angelfish, wrasses, parrotfish and puffer fish.
The tropical regions of the world have a much greater biodiversity than the cooler temperate regions. The diversity of plants leads to a larger number of species of animals. Among them are the mammals. Today we had the fortune of seeing two different species of bats along Monkey River. As we slowly wound our way upstream in our Zodiacs, we admired a great variety of trees and vines, many of which were in bloom, and identified many birds, such as the ringed kingfisher, Montezuma’s oropendola and bare-throated tiger-heron. We came upon a series of logs in the river, some leaning at a 45 degree angle, and with great difficulty we discovered cryptically-coloured bats hanging from the underside of a log. Six perfectly camouflaged two-lined bats formed the group, with the male in the higher or superior position, and five females in a line below him. Each hung from its feet and arms, very attentively watching our approach. We moved slowly, and all of us had the opportunity to see and photograph these secretive creatures very well. The photographs would help to confirm their identity later. Further upstream another harem group was found, but this time they were long-nosed bats, pictured above. Both of these species of chiropterids feed at dusk and through the night on small insects. Also encountered along the tree-lined river banks were huge, male green iguanas.
Back on our ship, we sailed off for our afternoon destination – a tiny coral islet off the warm coast of Belize. Our snorkelers and divers enjoyed the crystal-clear Caribbean waters, seeing a good number of marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, as well as many lovely tropical fish, including queen angelfish, wrasses, parrotfish and puffer fish.
