Thursday, September 15, 2011

Army Ant Horror Show at Cristalino

A quick update from Cristalino Jungle Lodge, where I'm a local resident guide for just three more weeks. I have tons of great photos, but I'll just share a few. I've had only about 3 hours of internet access every 7-12 days, so I have to rush this out.
 
Just yesterday morning, on my next-to-last day off, I found an army ant swarm. This was a small one, and there were no birds in attendance. But it still had some army ant skippers. So I stood my ground and watched the advancing front. Then a horrific drama unfolded as I first heard some scampering in the leaf litter. Here's a series of shots, needing little explanation. (Note: the last photo is about 5 hours later).






To end on a happier note, here are a couple nice leps on the walk. The first is the skipper Heronia labriaris and was attending the army ant swarm. It is a species probably rarely seen away from them.

This second one is a satyr, Splendeuptychia purusana, probably a specialist on bamboo.

1 comment:

  1. Fascinating - now I have to find out about those obligatory companions!

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