4our Connect: October 2017

Friday, October 27, 2017

Rain, Exotic Frogs, and Termites by Zipline

Adventure of the week: Tree Frogs, Poison Dart Frogs, and Giant Toads.

I can't say that I have every really been "into" frogs, and it is unlikely that we will start a ranarium when we return home. But the rain forest of Costa Rica is a really good place to see neat frogs.

Truth is, we didn't see any frogs for the first two weeks, because it was hot and dry. But with the rains starting again as we approach November, we have seen a bunch in the last couple of days.

Rainy season for most of Costa Rica is May-November. But the Caribbean coast, (Puerto Viejo), where we are this month, has a slightly different pattern. It gets somewhat dry (or at least less wet in September/ October).

The Caribbean coast is distinctly more rainy than the rest of the country by total annual rainfall. Vancouver gets approx 45 inches of rainfall per year. Playa Coco, Tamarindo, and the Northern Pacific Beaches of Costa Rica usually receive 40-60 inches of rain /year. San Jose averages 100 inches per year, and the Carribbean Coast (rain forest) averages 160-240 inches per year. In other words, this particular region of Costa Rica receives about 4-6 times more rain than Vancouver or Tamarindo.

September and October are comparatively dry here in Puerto Viejo (while it is rainy elsewhere in the country). At the end of October there is typically a short transition time, and November is one of the rainiest months. The frogs seem to prefer the wet weather.

Last night, Meritt took a picture of this red-eyed tree frog which hopped onto our patio in the midst of a torrential down pour:

Today I spotted a black and green poison dart frog next to the compost bucket behind the garden shed. Seeing this little guy totally made my day.

Tonight, Twy took a picture of a tiny yellow frog. Because of the flash it's a bit hard to tell what species it is. It might be a yellow tree frog, or a golden poison dart frog, the latter being the most poisonous frog on the planet. Apparently the golden dart frogs are most frequently seen in Colombia, but if you can see strawberry dart frogs and black and green dart frogs here, it is likely not unreasonable that a golden dart frog could be hanging out in this part of the rain forest. And the 2 cm size seems to fit the description of a golden dart frog.

Compare that tiny frog to the size of this giant toad sitting on a 6 inch cement wall:

And finally just before sitting down to write this, I saw this little guy with his air bladder right full. Wow, he is noisy.

It really is like National Geographic here. You never know when you are going to see a sloth, monkeys, a tree frog, blue morpho butterflies, or a toucan on a short walk to the store or even in your backyard.

It's a bit of a quirky paradise though. Here are three of our
Misadventures in Costa Rica thus far:

- Meritt left his Nook (e-reader) on the bus. We disembarked (at dusk) quite suddenly about 6 km south of the main bus stop in Puerto Veijo town when we saw the sign for El Duende Gourmet grocery near Playa Chiquita beach.

- Public Utilities in Latin America...are somewhat unreliable. Apparently, due to the dry season, this area was under an extreme water restriction upon our arrival, and the property we are renting utilizes a cistern system to get through dry times (we were not informed of this) How extreme? Well, late October is one of the driest times in this region. Water was scheduled for delivery T, Th, and Sat for only 5 hours each morning. BUT, after the October long weekend, they didn't have enough water to send down the pipe on Tuesday, so they didn't send any until Thursday. So we were without water for 15 hours on Wednesday until the property manager convinced his buddy at the hotel to deliver 1500 liters with a truck. If this was my property, I would likely develop a rainwater collection system. Seems strange to run out of water in the rain forest.

- Meritt sat on a shelf made from 3/4 inch plywood. A terrifying crack ensued and he found himself sitting on the floor with his knees wedged up to his chin because his legs were still suspended by a (less rickety) 2x2 at the front of the shelf. I pulled him out of the tight position. The interior of the shelf had been completely devoured by termites. Crazy.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Opinion Writing Practice by Exotic Chicken

Read the following question and provide a short response.

Is necessity really the mother of invention? Why or why not? Without necessity do you think we would still invent things? Explain and give examples.

In our advanced Society we already have the things we need to live. Therefore we invent things to amuse ourselves, like the Bluetooth controlled toaster that makes art on your bread, next to the robot that makes you coffee, and the virtual reality goggles that let you see into a building you've never been in. Some things are just invented for fun.

Image result for toaster that makes art on your bread

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

English Language Summary Practice by Exotic Chicken

I read the boxcar children Dinosaur Mystery written by Gertrude Chandler Warner.

The Aldens are a group of siblings who went to live with their grandfather when their parents died.

While the Aldens were helping to create an exhibit at the Natural History Museum, some one stole two dinosaur bones from the tail of a T.Rex.

At first the Aldens suspected Pete because he was a clumsy security guard always running into the wrong rooms.

The Aldens continued to work at the Museum and discovered that Dr. Pettibone had hidden two of the tail bones and the jaw bone to bring popularity to the Dino World exhibit with a plan replace them on the day when it was opening.

In the end, Benny Alden found the missing bones and replaced them just before the grand opening of the Dino World Exhibit.

Monday, October 23, 2017

Sloths by Twy's Twavels - who knew?

We had a sloth biologist named Sarah from the UK leading our group of 12 people at the Jaguar Rescue Centre this morning. I was kind of reluctant to spend our time and money there...but I can say that it was definitely worth the time and money!!! We were in for a lot of learning!

This is what I learned....

There are two species of sloth that are completely distinct from each other. Two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths are as different as chickens and turkeys. They are both in the ant-eater family...but mostly only eat leaves which don't provide much nutrition (think about only eating lettuce all day, every day). Who knew?

All mammals have 7 cervical vertebrae (including giraffes and elephants, humans and blue whales)...get this - except sloths and manatees. The vertebrae of two-toed sloths range between 5-6 and the three-toed sloths have 8-9 vertebrae. Who knew?

Algae in their hair helps them camouflage, is anti-bacterial, anti-malarial, and may also possibly help with the fight against cancer as this type of algae is completely specific to the sloth. They also can have moths, cockroaches and arthropods hiding in there. Who knew?

They have a very low metabolism, less muscle mass than other mammals and have no way to regulate their body temperature. They have four stomachs which take up a large part of their abdomen. The leaves they eat take around 30 days to move through their digestive track - that's slow! They are great swimmers due in part to their large stomach 'airbag'. Who knew?

They come down from the trees once a week to defecate...and loose about 1/3 of their weight in that weekly trip (apparently, there are great youtube videos of the sloth poo dance...our guide said it was worthwhile to watch...I'll leave that up to you). This is also their most vulnerable time as they are mostly without predators up in the trees. Who knew?

The three-toed sloth will allow themselves to be picked up by humans if needed (which we watched being done when one was slowly making it's way across the road). The two-toed sloth will easily grab the arms of someone behind them and bite (even through leather!). Who knew?

Costa Rica (the green eco-friendly country) is one of the leading user of pesticides in the world. Who knew? Those bananas we eat...(Dole, Del Monte, Chiquita) are heavily crop dusted, grown in pesticide laden bags and dipped in pesticides before being shipped. These pesticides are being found in the hair, bones, teeth and nails of the sloths. Sloths are being born with many deformities...such as being only one-toed, eyes fused together, missing an arm or leg, failure to thrive or with internal organs that are incompatible with life. Many more sloths are dying than being born - making them move towards greater danger of extinction. However, no count has ever been made of the sloth populations worldwide - so, it's currently impossible to know what is happening 40 meters above us in their solitary existences. Who knew?

The life span of sloths has never been documented...maybe our children will know that answer in the years to come! (It is estimated to be well past 70 years based on one female in captivity of 49 years who is still going into heat every month.) Who knew?

Sloths give birth in the trees...the baby sloth clings to the Momma and doesn't let go. It is born ready to climb trees with only a thin covering over it's claws that is quickly removed upon delivery. A baby sloth may fall from the trees and the Momma Sloth will climb down to gather her young - however, if this happens too many times, eventually abandonment will take place as the Mom doesn't have the energy to keep climbing up and down. And baby sloths don't have a specific name...just baby sloth...maybe we should come up with a name - slothito, slothette? Who knew?

Sloths are survivors! They can fall to the ground from up to 90 feet in the air...and live to climb back up without a broken bone or internal injury. As a matter of fact, they bounce upon landing because of their large stomach. They are very hardy creatures when it comes to adapting to their tree top world and in the same way that lizards can regenerate a tail or leg...a sloth can regenerate a finger/claw/toe. Who knew?

I am amazed at the unique, fascinating, adaptive characteristics of the sloth...who knew?

5 baby 'slothettes' cuddling in a basket...staying warm together as they can get hypothermia without the body heat of their mothers here in the +30 climate of Costa Rica - who knew?

(Honestly, I can't imagine being hypothermic in this hot humid climate!!!)

Howler Monkeys by Spot(dot)It

We went to the Jaguar Rescue centre today...and I saw howler monkeys.

I learned a lot of things. I drew a picture of a jungle scene.

There are dangers for howler monkeys. Power lines that have bare places without covering can cause monkeys to be electrocuted. They use them as bridges when trees have been cute down for roads and developments for humans.

Can you spot the green ropes hung between trees near our apartment as a safe bridge for monkeys over the roads?

Many monkeys are caught and people keep them as pets - this is illegal in Costa Rica. If they are found, they can be brought back to the rescue centre and taught to live in the wild again.

Can you spot the baby monkey that lost her mother recently and was brought to the rescue centre?

Baby howler monkeys are fed and taught how to climb in the trees.

Can you spot the howler monkey eating?

Howler monkeys make the loudest noises of all land mammals. We hear them all the time.

Can you spot the howler monkey jumping from the branches in our backyard?

Toucan facts by Zipline

There are over forty species of toucans found in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America.
Their bright colorful markings provide them with excellent camouflage in the rainforest.
Toucans have larger bills, in comparison to the size of their body, than any other bird in the world.
Their large bill helps them keep cool in the hot environment in which they live. This adaptation is one of the best heat regulating systems in the entire animal kingdom. Arteries in their bills expand when the bird gets hot; and release heat.
Their bill is big and may look heavy but it is actually extremely light. It is made of a spongy substance called keratin. Nails and hair of many mammals (including humans) is made of keratin.

Cool facts about Margay Jungle Cats by Exotic Chicken

Margay Jungle Cats Puerto Viejo

We visited the Janguar Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo today.

I thought the margay cat was cute because it looked like a mini leopard.

Cool facts about margays

1. They are the only cat that can rotate their hind feet 180 degrees. This allows them to go up and down the trees head first.

2. It is arboreal. It lives its whole life in the jungle canopy, hunting and sleeping.

3. It’s so agile it can catch a howler monkey in the trees.

4. At 40 - 80 cm a Margay is bigger than a regular house cat but smaller than its cousin the Ocelot.

5. Margay cats are difficult to release into the wild because they need to be scared of humans and able to hunt with ease.

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Sauna...by Twy's Twavels

As we walked to the beach this morning, Maelle stated, "We're in a sauna each and every day here that we can't open the door and get out of". Yes...rainforest and ocean near the equator create an effect similar to our home sauna. So...how are we making each day work?

The sun comes up at 5:30 each morning and sets around 5:45 each evening. We are living by the sunshine - up around 6 with breakfast on the patio. Breakfast is dry oatmeal with drinkable mora yogurt, granola and milk mixed together - delightfully cool and filling along with a freshly sliced fruit of either pina or papaya - yum!!!!!

We rented bikes for the month that we are here - and thankfully they had a tag-a-long that worked for Maelle so we could all zip along together. We usually take a morning bike trip before the day warms up too much - to Puerto Viejo (a larger town about 6 kms away with grocery stores and farmer's market on Saturday with cheaper prices) or Manzanillo (the other direction but 8 kms and two large hills to climb where there is a nature preserve). Slather on the sunblock and away we roll - and then slather it on again before biking back from the adventure!

The past few days, howler monkeys have been coming to our backyard in the mornings to eat the small red fruits on the trees. We watch them jump, quarrel and once in a while the alpha male lets out a howl - which our kids say sounds like an old man hick-up-ing or blowing big bubbles.

We've watches sloths climb trees most days on our bike adventures...and even were part of seeing a rescue for a sloth that was trying to make it's way across the road.

Coming back to our apartment - we shower to cool off and then make a simple lunch. School comes next most days...yep, we then do some learning. We've got good days and hard days - but it's good to look back and see that learning is happening as we work each day. Fans, hammocks, e-readers, times table charts and chocolates as a reward keep us going.

Swimming...that comes after 3pm and a bit less heat from the sun. Sunscreen again. We've explored several different places so far...some have been calm and others have been crashing waves and rip currents. We've concluded that little Playa Chiquita has a small safe bay that is the best for us along with a few fish to enjoy with snorkel masks.

Supper comes around 6 after showering the salt off - rice and beans, simple chicken or pasta. Then, another fruit for dessert. Passion fruit, watermelon or orange batido...it just tastes amazing!

Bedtime comes next...with 6 fans blowing, a single sheet covering each of us and not much else. By the end of the day, we're ready for rest and it's a comfortable temperature.