The past couple of days have been busy and exciting. Saturday it was back to the trap lines to collect the frogs and lizards that had fallen in. Not only do frogs and lizards fall into the trap but many insects make their way in as well. It is necessary to take out certain insects that might sting such as scorpions and tarantulas. I took out two tarantuals (with long tweezers of course!) Ants are also found in the trap and they can do much damage to the other critters in there. If you look at the picture below, you will see a frog who was injured by ants. Look closely at his back to find the patch of skin that is missing. Sometimes the ants can actually kill small rodents like mice! We collected a huge amount of frogs so in the afternoon it was back to the lab to weigh and measure them.

Sunday we made our way to the river in search of otters. It rained all morning but it was a welcomed relief from the heat. Our goal was to search the oxbows of the river for otters. An oxbow is a flooded arm of a river and otters seem to love these areas because of the large concentration of fish. It was fantastic because we took canoes and canoed around the oxbows in pairs of two. It was so peaceful and tranquil! We had a scare when a cayman swam close to our boat. We were not sure what to do since the scientist was in another canoe so we stayed very still and quite (and shaky!!) After all that worry the sceintist told us that they will cause no harm. Part of our team saw an otter today but I am sorry to say that I did not! I was sitting quitely waiting for the cayman to pass when the others saw it swimming in the oxbow. Needless to say I was disappointed.

The second half of the day was amazing! We spent it wading in the selenas hunting for turtles. It was a bit awkward because we had to wear our socks and long work pants but once we got focused on the turtles it was hard to think of anything else! We had to stay very still and scan for turtles. I am happy to say that I caught one! After catching our turtles we went for a nice swim in the selena. Even though there were caymans all around us, we swam with confidence!

Today was our last day in the field with the scientists. Tommorow we will work on presentations in the morning and then the afternoon is free! We have planned horseback riding through the Pantanal. Talk to you all soon.

This frog was attacked by ants in the trap

This morning we went out to the traps we worked on earlier in the week to see what critters we caught. We were surprised to find many frogs and lizards. Two of the lizards were quite large but the others were tiny. In order to collect the animals from the traps you must first clear the trap of any potentially dangerous insects such as scorpions. Scorpions can not severely hurt you, but their sting is quite painful. To remove these insects we use large tweezers. I removed two large tarantulas today! Collecting the frogs is tricky because they are quick. Scooping them with your hands is the best way to get them. It takes a couple of tries but once you get it in you hand you must close your palm to secure it. Lizards are more tricky because they can bite. To prevent being bitten by a lizard you must hold it behind the head so it can not turn and bite. Again, this is not too dangerous but the bite is painful. I am proud to say that I picked up a lizard today!

After our long and restful lunch it was straight to the lab to weight and measure the animals. The scientists goal is to figure out what types of reptiles are common to this part of the Pantanal. We also consider if the animal was caught near a fresh water lake or a salt water lake to determine its preferred habitat. Measuring the frogs is a bit difficult because you have to hold their legs straight so they do not jump away. I became quite adept at measuring frogs but I was not as good at measuring the lizards! After we measure and weigh them everything is recorded on spreadsheets for data collection. I was so surprised to see how colorful and unique each frog can be. The same is true for lizards. Some have a beautiful blue color with black dots.

This is how we measure frogs using the spring scale.
Someone asked about plants in the Pantanal being used for medicine. Apparently some local plants are used as remedies for stomach and throat problems but they are only used locally. The Amazon in far north from where we are. We are in the southwest on the Bolivia Paraguay border.

I hope everone has a great vacation! I will see you all when I return.

Ms. Masella

Hi guys! I'm glad to see your questions! Lizzie-the otters eat mostly fish. Sometimes they can eat small snakes, but fish is the main source of their diet. We learn what they eat by examining their waste! (not too much fun). I will be here until next Wednesday and I arrive home on Thursday.

By the way, we saw an otter today. Well, the scientist did but we took his word for it. It popped its head out of the water and then dove dowm to catch some fish. Talk to you all soon!

Ms. Masella

Lizard found in trap

Hi all! I am happy to report that the frogs did not croak at all last night and I had a great night's sleep! Before we went to sleep we worked in the lab measuring and weighing animals that we found in the traps we worked on yesterday. To weigh the animals we used a spring scale. We found two lizards and one small snake. I was able to hold the snake while the scientist measured it! (Don't worry, it did not bite!) It is hard to measure a snake, so the best way to do it is to hold a string against its body and then measure the string. I tried my best to hold the lizard but it was much too quick for my hands. Apparently holding lizards is not my specialty, which is fine with me! Check out the "photo gallery" section of this site to see pictures of the different animals we've been seeing.

I had my first experience on the river this morning searching for otters. I also got to wear my stylish boots (which worked very well by the way!) What we do on the river is search for spots on the bank that might look like dens, or resting areas for otters. Once we find those areas we get out and explore. We look for things like footprints and spraints (otter waste). This morning we saw many footprints from the neotropical otter, not many from the giant otter. Do you remember from the video which one is considered endangered? We also saw a small den for the neotropical. While we were on the banks we had to be very quiet. For one thing, if we are too loud we might scare away animals and not get a chance to see some amazing wildlife. We also need to be quiet because of the bees. These bees are not like the ones you know at home. They are much more dangerous and if you startle them they will attack!! Don't worry about me-I kept VERY quiet!

Otter's Den

Unfortunately we did not see any otters. We learned that during the rainy season (which is now) they tend to go to higher ground so we have less of a chance of seeing them. Can you guess why they go to higher ground during the rainy season? It is not impossible, however, so I will keep high hopes. We got a taste of the rainy season on our way back to the farm when it began to pour. Since it is so hot here the rain was actually a nice relief. We were soaked, but we felt cool and refreshed. Out boat driver tried to play a joke on us by driving full speed into the riverbank and then turning at the last minute. We all screamed and ducked so we would not bang into hanging branches. Perhaps this is why we are not seeing any otters!

When we returned from our morning's ride on the river we got to see the animals that were captured through the traps we had set yesterday. There were mostly frogs but also some lizards. It was cool to see that so many animals were caught in one night from the work we had done. Apparently there was a tarantula in one of the traps and Ms. Chambers held it. I passed on that. I think I'll stick to frogs and lizards. We also talked to the scientists about some of the threats to the Pantanal and how those threats are affecting the animals here. Do you remember some of the threats? Cattle ranching is one of them and apparently not only does the cutting down of forests effect the animals but the cattle themselves change the landscape just by grazing. I also found out that cows can swim! (I never knew that.)

We eat lunch at 12:00 and then we get to rest until 3:00 before we return to work. Could you imagine having a three hour lunch every day? I think it will be hard to readjust to our 1/2 hour lunches when I return. There are hammocks here that we can lounge on and enjoy the beautiful scenery. It is completely quiet and peaceful. There is no TV or radio so I have no idea what is happening in the world right now! You are my only outside contact so please keep your questions and comments coming. If you look at the blog from Tuesday you will see the questions and comments that others have posted.

Tomorrow at 11:00 I will talk to some of you so try to think of some good questions to ask me! Talk to all of you soon.

Ms. Masella

I actually held a lizard!

I heard about your snow day! I hope you all had a great day off from school. Here the weather has been very hot, but I am enjoying it. Last night was our first night on the farm and clearly we are not used to living with animals. There are two frogs that share a room with my roommates and I. We screamed the first time we saw one frog jump across the wall, but we quickly got used to having them around. In the middle of the night they decided to croak all night. Needless to say I did not get a lot of sleep!

We woke up early this morning to begin our first day of work. Today I worked on the reptile/amphibian project where I did some important work maintaining reptile traps. If you look at the pictures you will notice us tying large plastic bags to sticks in the ground. These bags run along the ground and there are several buckets buried at various points. The animals can not cross the bags, so they move their way alongside until they fall into the buckets. Later in the week we will collect samples of animals which have been trapped and bring them back to the laboratory here at the farm to have them weighed and measured. Today we found a lizard in one of the buckets and we brought it back to be examined.

Setting up reptile traps

To get to the traps we drove through the somewhat flooded grass to a selina (salt water lake). Ellen told us that scientists have no idea why these lakes exist in the Pantanal, as the Pantanal is landliocked (you should remember this word from Social Studies!). On the way we saw jariboo storks and a tucan.

Our work with the traps was not too hard, but we were definatley busy and dirty. I was happy to come back and have a nice meal of rice and beans with sausage. For dessert we have been eating this wonderful combonation of condensed milk and sugar. It tastes just like caramel. Maybe some of you from Brazil know this! Tomorrow I will be on the river searching for otters. I will let you know if I spot one!

Ms.Masella

Today marked our first day in the Pantanal. After our bus ride we took a short flight on a five-seat plane to the Fazenda Rio Negro. This is the farmhouse in which we will be staying during our trip. From the plane we could clearly see the flooding Ellen had talked about. The pictures you saw last week show exactly what the Pantanal looks like, just visualize more water.

View from the airplane

Many of you have been asking about food and animals. As for food it is fantastic! We have had a lot of rice and beans with slowly cooked meat. The slow cooking provides extra taste! The coffee is also very strong and sweet and I have been drinking a lot of it! As for animals we were greeted by capybaras, the largest rodent in the world, and rheas (check out the pictures on the daily events section of this website).

We took an introduction trip on the river. We were able to get out and explore the river banks with our guides. The vegetation was so lush and we felt like we were on a Disney ride! There were hanging trees, intertwined vines and lots of birds. We learned that we will also study reptiles and amphibians, including snakes!

On our way back we saw caimens wading in the river. We tried not to get too close because these creatures are a close relative to the crocodile. It is amazing how still they are in the water.

Tomorrow I begin the reptile project. I will not get to wear my fancy boots until Thursday! I'm glad to hear you are all doing your work and passing tests! Keep up the good work! Talk to you soon.

Ms.Masella

Bom dia! After a long flight, Chinloo, Heather and I arrived in Sao Paulo at 8:15 this morning where we had to dash to catch our connecting flight to Campo Grande. Our flight was just about to leave when an airport attendant held the flight for us while he personally drove us to the plane in his small van. We barely made it!
We were starving when we arrived so we went to a Churrascaria where they serve a traditional Brazilian barbecue. This was truly an excellent introduction to Brazilian food. We stuffed ourselves until we had to wobble out of the restaurant. Meat is clearly an important part of the Brazilian diet. We ate smoked lamb, beef, sausage and even smoked pineapple that was topped with sugar and cinnamon. The pineapple was by far our favorite! After eating we met up with Vanda and Mary, the last members of our team.
When we got back to the hotel, we learned that the Pantanal is completely flooded. Ellen Wang, one of the scientists, informed us that we all had to go out and buy large rubber boots to cover our legs in the knee deep water. This was quite an ordeal! We walked around town for over two hours scouting out various shops with no luck. Fortunately, we met a shop keeper named Anilom (Andy) who took us around the entire town to find these boots. After all that time, we ended up right back at his shop where we finally bought the boots! See for yourself how fashionable they are!
Tomorrow morning we board a bus at 7:00 a.m. (5:00 a.m. your time) for Aquidauana where we catch a small plane to the Pantanal. I can’t wait to get there. Everyone has been so warm and helpful in Campo Grande and I’m sure we will find more of the same in the Pantanal. Be sure to ask me lots of questions by clicking on the “comments” button. I hope to hear from you soon!

Ms. Masella