Belize
This morning saw us leaving Guatemala behind, to enter the spectacular country of Belize, where we started the first of our three days visiting in an area called the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. This comprises an area of about 400 km on the eastern slope of the Maya mountains in Southern Belize, and derives its name from a distinctive series of peaks within this range, that include the highest peak in Belize, Victoria Peak.
Belize lies well within the belt of the tropics, so one can expect an average 270 cm of rain a year, of which we saw a fair portion today. This particular basin, with its rugged terrain protected by mountain ranges on all sides, was found to have a fairly sizeable population of an endangered great cat, the jaguar. This research was undertaken by Dr Alan Rabinowitz during a two-year study of this fascinating animal from 1983 to 1984. Using the results of these studies, Dr Rabinowitz and the Belize Audubon Society persuaded the government of Belize that this site was unique and should be set aside to preserve habitat for these animals.
Although the jaguars are practically impossible to see, this spectacular preserve offers us plenty of other treats, including many bird species, the occasional monkey spotting, and wonderful trails through secondary rainforest. Much of the ecology of these forest can be learned by studying the complex vegetation of the site, and one of the things that never ceases to amaze me in rainforests is the fact that every tree is in itself a whole ecosystem – the biodiversity in this area is truly staggering.
Most of the trees are densely covered in epiphytes, literally meaning “on-plants”, as in an effort to beat the canopy trees in the race for water and light, these have adapted to grow along the upper branches.
The most interesting of these are a member of the Bromeliaceae, or pineapple family, of which there are over 2000 species in the neotropics, many of which are epiphytic. These plants have leaves that are arranged in an overlapping rosette to form a cistern that holds water and detrital material. Some species have a dense covering of hair-like trichomes on the leaves that help to absorb water and minerals rapidly. These provide a source of moisture for many canopy dwellers – tree frogs, mosquitoes, flat worms, snails, salamanders and crabs. This large variety of animals all complete their life cycles in the tiny aquatic habitats provided by the cuplike interiors of the bromeliads, in fact over 250 species have been found to exist in close associations with these plants! These fascinating plants really do constitute an ecosystem of their own! The pretty flowers of these plants grow on central spikes and are usually bright red, their main pollinators being the hummingbirds.
The afternoon was spent kayaking, swimming and sunning ourselves at the pretty coralline cay of Coco Plum, where our activities included beachcombing and hermit crab racing.
This morning saw us leaving Guatemala behind, to enter the spectacular country of Belize, where we started the first of our three days visiting in an area called the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. This comprises an area of about 400 km on the eastern slope of the Maya mountains in Southern Belize, and derives its name from a distinctive series of peaks within this range, that include the highest peak in Belize, Victoria Peak.
Belize lies well within the belt of the tropics, so one can expect an average 270 cm of rain a year, of which we saw a fair portion today. This particular basin, with its rugged terrain protected by mountain ranges on all sides, was found to have a fairly sizeable population of an endangered great cat, the jaguar. This research was undertaken by Dr Alan Rabinowitz during a two-year study of this fascinating animal from 1983 to 1984. Using the results of these studies, Dr Rabinowitz and the Belize Audubon Society persuaded the government of Belize that this site was unique and should be set aside to preserve habitat for these animals.
Although the jaguars are practically impossible to see, this spectacular preserve offers us plenty of other treats, including many bird species, the occasional monkey spotting, and wonderful trails through secondary rainforest. Much of the ecology of these forest can be learned by studying the complex vegetation of the site, and one of the things that never ceases to amaze me in rainforests is the fact that every tree is in itself a whole ecosystem – the biodiversity in this area is truly staggering.
Most of the trees are densely covered in epiphytes, literally meaning “on-plants”, as in an effort to beat the canopy trees in the race for water and light, these have adapted to grow along the upper branches.
The most interesting of these are a member of the Bromeliaceae, or pineapple family, of which there are over 2000 species in the neotropics, many of which are epiphytic. These plants have leaves that are arranged in an overlapping rosette to form a cistern that holds water and detrital material. Some species have a dense covering of hair-like trichomes on the leaves that help to absorb water and minerals rapidly. These provide a source of moisture for many canopy dwellers – tree frogs, mosquitoes, flat worms, snails, salamanders and crabs. This large variety of animals all complete their life cycles in the tiny aquatic habitats provided by the cuplike interiors of the bromeliads, in fact over 250 species have been found to exist in close associations with these plants! These fascinating plants really do constitute an ecosystem of their own! The pretty flowers of these plants grow on central spikes and are usually bright red, their main pollinators being the hummingbirds.
The afternoon was spent kayaking, swimming and sunning ourselves at the pretty coralline cay of Coco Plum, where our activities included beachcombing and hermit crab racing.
