Thursday, February 17, 2011

Biodiversity Assessment

This New Year came a change in the Incidentals Database. A new survey called the Biodiversity Assessment Survey, Bass for short, was born from the old Incidentals surveys that have been conducted throughout the previous year. This new survey is meant to be a development from Incidentals to a more structured and in depth surveying machine, aiming to provide our partners, the national parks with more long term data.

This phase (111) has been the pioneering group for the new Bass surveys. With four trails and another in the works, the volunteers have been eager to get out and observe everything the Tortuguero National Park has to offer us. Some of the groups have seen an unusual amount of sloths, both two and three toed, snakes and some amusing monkeys. Along with these things also comes our first new species of phase – the Brown-hooded Parrot (Pionopsitta haematotis), which was heard calling before the team could actually see it perched on top of a tree. Other interesting things we have seen include,

- Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni)
- Tayra (Eira Barbara)
- Kinkajou (Potos flavus)
- Fer-de-lance (Bothrops Asper)



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