Zombie Fungus?
During a recent Hemlock Woolly Adelgid survey, one of our volunteers found a little yellow blob attached to a hemlock twig. The mass was clearly not HWA, but curiosity prompted me to bring it back to the office for examination. A closer look under the microscope revealed that the blob actually consisted of a powdery fungus encapsulating a dead spider! After a bit of research, I came to suspect that it might be some sort of Cordyceps; a genus of parasitic fungi capable of taking control of an arthropod, thus directing it to navigate to a favorable position for the fungi’s spores to...
Read MoreCocobolo Nature Reserve Monitoring
I’m leaving Saturday for another round of research and monitoring on the endangered Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) monitoring with Alex Shepack, Michael Roy, and Abel Batista in the wonderful Cocobolo Nature Reserve in Eastern Panama. We’re looking for more clues on the enigmatic behavior of the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus in the area and the mechanisms that allow some local frogs to survive. In addition we’ll be setting up opportunities for student research on the project through the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History and Yale...
Read MoreLimosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosa)
This is what it is all about – being able to see healthy Limosa Harlequin Frogs (Atelopus limosus) in their natural environment and trying to unlock the secrets of this population through our research in Cocobolo Nature Reserve, Panama. Hopefully we can we help to expand the size of this population through careful habitat management and apply the lessons learned elsewhere to allow other populations of this, and some of the many other endangered amphibians in the world to return where they belong: in a healthy environment. Twan Leenders RTPI President
Read MoreAmazon Gladiator Tree Frog (Hypsiboas boans)
An Amazon Gladiator Tree Frog (Hypsiboas boans) returns to its tree top home after being released. I caught it the night before in Cocobolo Nature Reserve in Panama where we are carrying out a research project on the frog-killing chytrid fungus and its effect on local amphibians, including several endangered species. More to come on that soon! Twan Leenders RTPI President
Read MoreZombie Ant
This is a real life zombie, a tropical ant species infected by a cordycep fungus. The fungus infects the ant, who then walks around like a zombie until it finds the perfect perch to die on. The ant usually bites the base of a leaf and dies, the fungus then sprouting out a storma, eventually casting a spray of spores in that area to infect the next line of victims. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser in Costa Rica while on assignment for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.
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