The snook kept struggling and the croc wasn't about to give up either. He would rapidly tilt his head back open his mouth and snap his jaws shut before the snook could fall out to rapidly reposition it into the best position for swallowing. I don't know how the snook survived this treatment but it kept fighting for its life. So far I have only talked about the crocodile but let me tell you a little bit about the fish. I think this is a black snook (Centropomus nigrescens). These fish get pretty large up to 5 feet and 50+ lbs or so. This species has a wide range and it is limited by water temperature as they cannot tolerate water below 60 deg F. Snook are often found near shorelines (like this one), inlets, and estuaries and they can even be found in freshwater rivers. They are considered a game fish and known for their strength and speed. They make good eating, as this crocodile could tell you. American Crocodiles have a varied diet. When they are young they will often take insects and frogs, crocodiles have even been recorded eating snails. As they grow larger fewer and fewer animals can prey on them and they in turn can prey on more and more. An adult crocodile has no natural enemies and is pretty much capable of taking practically any animal near the waters edge or in it. However fish makes up most of its diet throughout its life. Humans are the main threat for the american croc due to their hunting it for its hide and habitat loss, the crocodile is endangered in parts of it range and has overall been classified as vulnerable.
On to Part 6
Back to part 4
Tags: Crocodile American Crocodile Costa Rica herp reptile predation eating fish snook corcovado National Park wild nature wildlife Osa Peninsula Central America ImpressedBeauty Sirena SpecAnimal vulnerable IUCN redlist IUCN
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Yellow headed calico snake (Oxyrhopus formosus) - Yasuni National Park, Ecuador
How can you not love reptiles and amphibians? They can be among the most brightly colored animals inhabiting an area, contenders with the brightest butterflies and most exotic birds. This here is a stunning serpent specimen from the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. The yellow headed calico snake (Oxyrhopus formosus), one of the most vividly colored species in the area. Many species in the genus are vividly colored and some are clearly coral snake mimics, that doesn't necessarily seem to be the case here as it's missing any banding but the bright colors may still give a predator some concern.
Tags: yellow headed calico snake Oxyrhopus formosus yasuni ecuador amazon rainforest herpetology reptile herp herping snake
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Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger) - Los Amigos Research Station, Peru
A bit of a pretentious title to this one, but this little caiman could very well grow into the largest predator in the Amazon basin sitting comfortably at the top of the food chain with just about every other jungle animal on the menu. The black caiman is the 4th largest crocodilian species in the world and the largest one in the Americas, topping out at a size even larger than the other heavyweights; the american crocodile and american alligator. The odds are against this one ever making it that large or even surviving to adulthood as at this size its on the menu for a wide variety of other animals including larger caiman. I'm rooting for it though. For many years it will feed on smaller prey such as insects, frogs, lots of fish, and according to one study as a youngling a surprising amount of snails.
Tags: crocodilian wildlife nature reptile herp herping field herping herpetology caiman oxbow lake Black Caiman Melanosuchus niger Los Amigos Research Station Peru
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Annellated coral snake (Micrurus annellatus) - Madre de Dios, Peru
I was incredibly happy to come across this small coral snake one night when I was deep in the jungle. Coral snakes are notoriously secretive and can be a challenge to find, and when they are found they often make a hasty escape. The bright colors serve as a warning about its potent venom and help break up its shape. When threatened, they have a spastic way of moving that makes it difficult to tell their heads from their tails and would make any potential predator think twice before grabbing one as grabbing the wrong end could have deadly consequences.
Tags: annellated coral snake Micrurus annellatus elapid elapidae nature snake wildlife reptile herp herpetology herping macro colorful aposematic wild animal
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Atelopus pulcher - Peru
It is world frog day so I thought I would post one of my all time favorite finds from a few years ago. This is the critically endangered Atelopus pulcher, like almost all the other members of its genus, this species has been hit hard by the chytrid epidemic. It has vanished from much of its former range and is found in no more than a few relict populations. It's listed as critically endangered as it continues to decrease and we are in serious danger of losing this species forever. It is still better off than many other Atelopus species which have already gone extinct. The good news is that this species still appears to have a relatively healthy population at atleast one site. However that can quickly change.
Tags: Atelopus pulcher Critically endangered rare threatened nature wildlife animal amphibian conservation herp herping herpetology colorful IUCN redlist Peru toad frog South America tropical tropics neotropical neotropics nikon macro World frog day
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