If you stop to think about it, purple is one of the least common colors in all of nature, even here in the Tambopata rainforests.

Thus, when I come across anything purple, from a leaf to a beetle, I always take the time to try and get a good shot.

One of the more pleasing-to-the-eye beetles around the Tambopata rainforests is this here Gibbifer sp., a pleasing fungus beetle. I’ve seen them range from light sky blue, to dark blue, to this purple, and I’m unsure if they make up one species or several.

A purple pleasing fungus beetle,Gibbifersp. – Phil Torres

Pleasing Fungus Beetles are beetles in the family Erotylidae and feed exclusively on basidiomycete fungus (aka shelf-mushroom-looking fungus) as both larvae and adult, with specific host species they feed on. If you find a dry fallen tree with some fungus growing on it, you almost always will find one of these beetles shuffling around. Their bright colors make them quite conspicuous so they likely have some form of chemical defense.

So why are the colors purple and blue so rare in animals?

Scientists actually aren’t exactly sure. It likely has to do with the complexity and rarity of molecules that create the color blue/purple color, as well as the fact that those pigments that form blue/purple are found more in high saline-alkaline environments. These alkaline environments are difficult for most organisms to thrive in, thus the low numbers of animals that actually can be blue/purple.

This could be why we see a lot of blue/purple color formed from a structural scattering of light (much like a blue morpho) rather than an actual pigment, because scattering is a bit «easier» to evolve.

As for the beetles, I have no idea why they are called pleasing fungus beetles, perhaps because they really are pleasing to look at or their notably docile ‘personality.’ There is also another family, the Endomychidae, which are commonly called the ‘handsome fungus beetles.’ I think someone was fond of fungus beetles.

And for the final test, say “purple pleasing fungus beetle” five times fast.

To see more posts by biologist Phil Torres, check out TheRevScience.com

One of Rainforest Expeditions’ partner groups is Pandemonium Aviaries, 501(c)3 non-profit bird sanctuary where exotic endangered birds are being kept and bred until they can be reintroduced to their native communities. Based in Silicon Valley and founded in 1996, Pandemonium Aviaries has helped upwards of 350 birds and continues to grow through both local and worldwide support. Among the numerous aviaries, there is a small population of macaws that dance, sing and play.

For those of us that started our relationships with birds tentatively and with the slightest tinge of fear accompanying the awe, noticing the beaks on macaws is an automatic first instinct. And why wouldn’t we? They’re something amazing. The most conservative estimate would have macaw beaks exerting a pressure of over 500 pounds per square inch, and they easily crush Brazil nuts. If that doesn’t intrinsically reinforce being over cautious, nothing will.

There are a lot of uses for beaks that come quickly to mind, in addition to crushing Brazil nuts or lunging at an overeager acquaintance to assert their boundaries. Fighting, foraging, killing prey, feeding their young, using objects, luring potential mates– things we have come to expect. But perhaps, we are missing a more delicate feature of beaks.

When comparing the native sparrows, finches, and Jays that visit Pandemonium Aviaries to the enormous-beaked birds that enamor visitors through Peru Nature, the idea is that birds from warmer climates have larger beaks than those from colder climates is obvious. But why? What accounts for the huge beaks of the toucans, for example, that one can see when taking a trip with Peru Nature?

One reason for these beak sizes may be that toucans have shown the ability to regulate their temperatures with their beaks. Considering that birds already operate at a higher metabolic rate than mammals, keeping cool is a very important process and these thermal windows are critical. Luckily enough, toucan beaks are richly lined with blood vessels. By being able to modify the blood flow to their beaks, they can control how they will radiate body heat. When the toucans overheat, blood rushes to their beaks; when the weather is colder, they restrict the flow.

 

In infrared pictures, you can see the toucan’s beak light up like an incandescent bulb when they get warmer than their liking. In fact, regulating blood flow in their beaks can account for 30% to 60% of their body’s total heat loss, and it is estimated that toucans can lose as much as four times their resting heat through their beaks.

While the beaks of tropical birds may register with us first and foremost for their power and strength, we must also recognize that they are even more complicated than we may have anticipated. And while the thermoregulation studies haven’t quite panned through with macaws to the same extent as they have with toucans, I can’t help but admire the macaw smiles at Pandemonium Aviaries when they take a break from dancing.

 

By Iva Petrovchich, Pandemonium Aviaries intern

While walking around the rainforests of Tambopata you will see some leaves that don’t seem to belong amongst their green brethren — some of these leaves can be blue, purple, red, pink, or even white.

Leaves in different color

Leaves are green because they absorb most other colors in their chlorophyll and harvest that light for energy; the unabsorbed green bounces away and is detected by our eyes. So, for a leaf to be of another color, it’s usually sacrificing energy absorption for something else.

Why the color sacrifice?

Find out in this video:

FALTA INCRUSTAR VIDEO

This video represents two of the leading theories on why some leaves are of different colors in the rainforest. While these reasons can apply to many leaves, they don’t apply to all, and we’re continually finding out more about interesting plant adaptations in this realm. (Leaves in different color)

To discover these fascinating leaves, along with dozens of other incredible species, book your dream trip to the Amazon today! 

Check out www.TheRevScience.com for more posts from biologist Phil Torres

How can you help us solve this question? 

Post your jaguar photos from your visit to Rainforest Expeditions Lodges at www.facebook.com/Rainforest.Expeditions. Be sure to include the date, who your guide was, and where along the river or lodge you recall seeing it. Also, try to make sure the head/face is as clear as possible.

The more jaguar pictures we get, the more individual jaguars we can potentially identify by looking at their unique markings (aka spots on their face or side). So keep that in mind when you post photos- if we can’t see the face markings clearly, we won’t be able to identify the individual!

Why is this important?

By accumulating the photos, we can identify and monitor jaguars that we encounter while out in the field. Any newcomer jaguars to our area will be cordially welcomed by us (from afar!) and will provide insight into what numbers of jaguars are present in our region, and how that number changes.

If you haven’t yet taken a trip with us and would like to photograph a jaguar yourself, you have the best chance of seeing one by visiting the Tambopata Research Center.

Check out www.TheRevScience.com for more posts from biologist Phil Torres

This caterpillar was found at Posada Amazonas Lodge in Tambopata, Peru. As far as I can tell, is the larva of a moth in the family Megalopygidae. This family is known for having hairy caterpillars with extremely painful stings. So despite its fluffiness, I do not recommend touching it! One of the guides here accidentally stepped on one as a child and said he had an entire leg swollen and a fever for two days. (Donald Trump Caterpillar)

The venom is a chemical of unknown origins, much research is to be done with these guys.

Donald Trump Caterpillar

I found Donald Trumps Wig in Tambopata Peru  http://www.cafepress.com/perunature

 

• Spider is a Master of Subterfuge (neatorama.com)
• Spider That Builds Larger-Than-Life Decoy «Spiders» Discovered in Amazon (medicaldaily.com)
• Newly Discovered Spider Creates Dummy Version Of Itself (Complete With Eight Legs!)

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By Phil Torres

A common sight in Tambopata: Clearwing butterflies, known as the Ithomiini, are beautiful, deadly, and a bit confusing to scientists. 

Why are they clear?

• Most butterflies have scales on their wings which result in their color. If you rubbed off those scales, the wings would look clear.
• Clearwing butterflies mostly have scales along their wing veins, and lightly throughout the rest.
• If you can imagine a clear butterfly flying in the shadowy understory of the Amazon, it makes quite a difficult target to follow, protecting them from predators like birds.

Why are clearing butterflies deadly?

• Unlike most butterflies that are poisonous, clearwings do not eat a poisonous plant as a caterpillar to incorporate it into the adult stage.
• Instead, these butterflies actually seek out poisonous flowers with pyrrolizidine alkaloids in them as an adult to obtain this toxin (see above image).
• Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are known to cause damage to livers and can cause death in some cases.

What is an Ithomiine Pocket?

• One of the most interesting things about these butterflies is that they form ‘pockets’ in the forest in which dozens of clearwings of different species all roost for the night in one distinct area.
• This can be observed around 4 pm, in which clearwings are slowly all flying around each other getting ready to roost, and at night, when the butterflies have all settled on low-hanging branches or vines.
• It is still unknown why they do this, but one theory says it serves as a sort of dry-season ‘jail’ when climatic conditions aren’t favorable.
• However, I have observed very large ithomiine pockets in rainforests without dry seasons and with consistent rain, so they are likely another underlying cause as well.

Where can you see clearing butterflies?

• Walk with an expert guide through the Amazonian forest, especially among floodplain forests.
• They feed on special plants, so your guide might be recognized them along the way.
• Join the world of butterflies activities at Tambopata Research Center
• And if you want to see more nocturnal butterflies or moths, join the Discovering New Species activity, where who knows, you might be able to «discover a new species» and name it!

 

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Photo by Paul Bertner

In the 10 short minutes, it takes you to step off the canoe and walk up to the lodges, you’ll likely have passed over 300 species of plants and insects and heard the calls of dozens of varieties of birds.

Welcome to the Amazon.

There are more species of butterflies here in Tambopata than all of North America and Europe combined. One tree may contain over a thousand species of insects, many of which are new species to science. And it just takes one look at the “Birds of Peru” book to realize we are in an area with more species of birds than anywhere else in the world. This is one of the most biodiverse places on earth- but scientists are still trying to figure exactly out why.

Several of the 1200+ species of butterflies in Tambopata.

There is a multitude of effects that have interacted for millions of years to create the Amazon as it is today and we are just beginning to understand them. One of these that you’ll be quick to notice: the weather. It is hot, and it is humid. Warmth and ample access to water allow organisms to spend less time acquiring resources (i.e. looking for water or warmth), and more time reproducing and interacting with each other. These complex interactions are part of what can cause new species to specialize and form over time.

Additionally, studies have shown that the higher average temperature here causes a slightly higher rate of genetic mutations. These mutations are fundamental to creating variety within a species, which, over time and with a little help from geology or natural selection, can result in one species having two forms that are so unalike that they have become two. In one study, tropical plants were found to evolve twice as fast as colder weather plants, meaning they had twice the opportunities for evolving into new species.

Recent studies have also shown that fungi and plants in the Amazon actually contribute to creating more rainfall via a nighttime release of certain salts into the air. Meaning, the diversity of organisms that benefit from rainfall are actually causing more rainfall. This rain helps not only a supply of one of life’s essential ingredients but also helps erode the fertile, volcanic Andes Mountains, sending a steady supply of fertilizing minerals into the Amazon basin by way of rivers.

Another concept that scientists think plays a role in high biodiversity is that rainforests are known to be ‘harborers,’ not just creators, of biodiversity: they have remained relatively unchanged as hot, humid incubators of diversity for millions of years. Other environments that could go through large historical changes in climate may wipe out species that can’t adapt well, but rainforests tend to keep many species around for the long haul.

Within this blanket of forests lie differences in the soil composition, the altitude, the seasonal flooding, and other factors that allow one area of the Amazon to be quite different from another, increasing diversity again. But if you take a closer look, you’ll see that within these broad-scale habitats there are seemingly endless microhabitats. From a pool of water in a bromeliad to the hole in the side of a palm tree, to even the fur on the back of a sloth, high rates of evolution have allowed species to become extremely specialized in where, and how, they live. This again is a major factor in the high biodiversity: where one tree in North America may have dozens of species living on it, high rates of evolution and specialization allow a tree in the tropics to potentially have thousands.

 

This specialization of species is one of the major factors that makes the Amazon so impressive on one hand, and vulnerable on the other. Wiping out a unique area of forest may potentially cause several entire species to go extinct. Human-created changes in the forest may cause specialized species to be exposed to conditions that are starkly different from what they have experienced over the last several million years, leaving them in a non-ideal environment that would give them a lower likelihood of survival.

So, while we enjoy the biodiversity that surrounds us, a better understanding of the causes that have interacted over millions of years will allow us to respect it, and hopefully protect it, too.

See more posts by biologist Phil Torres here.

 

A tortoise (Geochelone denticulata) comes across a jaguar. The tortoise collapses into its shell.

The jaguar asks the tortoise: “Can I see your head?”

The tortoise responds: “Only if you let me see your tongue.”

The suspicious jaguar insists: “Nooooo…first I want to see your head”.

And so forth.

Finally, a weary jaguar opens its mouth and sticks out its tongue. “After all, what can I lose?” the jaguar thinks.

The tortoise urges the jaguar: “I can’t see it very well, open it wider.” The jaguar obliges until its mouth is wide open, and its eyes are closed shut.

At that point, the tortoise nimbly walks into the mouth, down the throat, and into the belly (“ la tripa” in Spanish, literally, the innards).

The jaguar, choking, tries to spit the tortoise out. The tortoise safely installed in the “la tripa” patiently begins biting his way out. The jaguar rolls and roars in pain. He claws at his own belly, to no avail.

After long and tortuous agony, the little tortoise calmly walks out of the jaguar´s bloody carcass.

Come listen to the story from Bey in person: a wise, quiet hunter of almost sixty. Visit www.huaorani.com. For a 5-10% chance of spotting a jaguar visit our lodges in Tambopata.

We’ve had the pleasure of working with Destin from the educational (and incredibly entertaining) YouTube channel Smarter Every Day here at Rainforest Expeditions. He spent a week with Jeff Cremer (photo tour guide) and me (Phil Torres) filming all the best animals the Amazon has to offer. His youtube channel has over 25 million views and has short educational videos that are typically physical science-based. We were happy to show him the wonders of the plant and animal world that surround the Rainforest Expeditions lodges to see how his experience with engineering science translates into the natural world.

Destin was equipped with a portable, not yet on the market Phantom Miro high-speed camera that can film at thousands of frames per second. Thus, we were able to get some incredible footage of birds, butterflies, and bugs in ways that have never been captured before. This includes footage of a ‘flash’ of macaws from the Tambopata Research Center clay lick as well as butterfly flight patterns that, with the ultra-slow motion footage captured, were about as incredible as any wildlife footage we’ve ever seen.

Using Jeff’s knack for photography and finding good lighting, our guide Gerson’s incredible ability to find animals, the sound producer Gordon’s innovative recording techniques, my science input, and Destin’s curiosity and high-speed video recording magic; we managed to capture some incredible video and gain detailed insights into some of the Amazon’s most impressive creatures.

Needless to say, we’re looking forward to sharing those videos with you once they are fully edited in the coming weeks. For now, check out Destin’s youtube channel and learn something new: www.youtube.com/SmarterEveryDay

Butterflies, one of my favorite groups of organisms to work with, are equally as complex and interesting as they are beautiful. Here are a few answers to common questions I get about them as I walk around the lodges with a jar full of stinky rotten banana butterfly bait:

Hey Phil, what are you doing with that jar full of stinky rotten bananas?

The white hairs visible here smell great. These are the pheromone-emitting androconial hairs, which in this case smell like fruit loops. Image by Phil Torres

 

Rotten fruit is a staple food source for a lot of butterflies (more info below), and making a rotten fruit bait to place in a trap is a great way to sample butterflies without harming them.

My recipe: 6 mashed, rotten bananas (3 with peel, 3 without), 1/4 cup of sugar, half cup of beer, and a half cup of water. Put in a jar in the sun for 3-5 days, shake and release the gas build up every morning and night. It doesn’t smell great, but butterflies love it. And it smells much better than my rotten fish bait I use as well.

Cithaerias pireta, often seen along trails in the Amazon. Image by Phil Torres

 

What do butterflies eat?

Just like in the rest of the world, many butterflies in the tropics feed on nectar. Nectar provides a great source of energy essential for active flying and reproduction. However, butterflies here also feed on a variety of other sources, for a variety of reasons, including mud, wet stones, feces, tree sap, rotten fallen fruit, urine, carrion, bird droppings, fungi, animal secretions, and pollen. Many of those food items provide male butterflies with the minerals and organic compounds necessary to create a pheromone, or chemical scent, to attract a female.

Additionally, the neotropics (New World tropics like Peru) are home to the only group of butterflies that have adapted the feed on protein-rich pollen, the Heliconius butterflies, giving them an advantage over many butterflies in being able to live for 2-3 months, rather than 2-3 weeks like most butterflies. Butterfly feeding is one of the many areas of their biology that hasn’t been studied thoroughly. Scientists don’t know, for example, why some butterflies prefer to feed on rotten fruit over nectar when they have similar sugar compounds.

Why do butterflies have bright colors?

In general, bright colors are used to deliver a message. That message may be for a conspecific (butterfly of the same species), showing that they are either suitable/non-suitable to mate or to let a male know they are in another male’s territory (you can wave a blue handkerchief at a male blue morpho and get a quick aggressive response).

The colors are also used as a message to predators like birds or monkeys, stating clearly: don’t eat me, I’m poisonous.

 

Many butterflies have evolved to tolerate poisonous plants as a caterpillar and use those toxins against predators. Birds tend to learn pretty quickly, and if a bright orange and black butterfly causes it to get sick once, it likely won’t try to eat one again. This does get complicated when butterflies that taste delicious to birds mimic the poisonous butterflies, only pretending to be toxic (called Batesian mimicry), but we’ll save that discussion for another time.

Many butterflies gather on the muddy river shore to feed on minerals in the sand. Image by Phil Torres

 

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