In May-July of 2009 I collected material
from vertebrates on the Luzon Island, Philippines, together with
a large team of researchers from the University of Kansas and several
research institutions in Philippines. This expedition was a part
of the NSF BS&I project awarded to researchers at the University
fo Kansas and the University of Utah. The trip was not easy and
after several days of torrent rain and high winds one wishes he
did not come, but 2 hours of sunshine and another great animal and
great parasites always quickly improved the spirit. The diversity
of life is amazing and the country is beautiful. Every zoologist
need to see that if hs/she had a chance. I do not use exact scientific
names of animals because many preliminary identification have been
changed after s thorough study upon return to the U.S. So just enjoy
the photos!
A grasshopper pretending to be a leaf.
This is how the ground was most of the time.
Camp kitchen. Our philipino friends were good at builfding
camp, collecting animals, making skins, everything, including
cooking.
Scott Snyder with a large Emydura macquarii at
the Yass River
Earthworms can be huge and brightly colored
Friendly army visiting the campus.
Emerald dove
Trogons have this curious look
A skink resting on a piece of wood
Agamid lizards can be very brightly colored
A flying dragon!
Walking stick diversity was astounding
Looks attractive, but I did not dare to try these berries
One of the arboreal frog species
This bull finsh made our ornithologists ecstatic. Apparently
it was found a a few dozen miles from its known distribution range
on Luzon island.
A milliped
Camp site at high elevation
I wish I had more time to observe spiders during the trip
Dissecting on my knees
Even cockroaches are cute when they are in the wild, not in
your kitchen
Protective coloration
Producing coconut oil
Fruit bats can bite!
Taking a ride on the open bed of a large truck
Removing fruit bats from the mist net
Guess what does Macroglossus mean...
Kingfishers are brighter in Philippines than in the U.S.
Sea urchin hiding under the rock
A pretty crab
Brittle stars are abundant on fringing reefs
Mantis shrimp
This beautiful fish ended up as a lunch for local people
Mites on flying lizard's wings
Mudskipper
Local students were interested in our research
Preparing banana flower (this is what it is) pancakes - yummy...
Using a minute to rest
Turbellarians can be terrestrial in humid environment
Grasshopper in a role of medieval knight
Hard at work
The sleeping quarters
Sunrise
Amazing complexity!
A brightly colored beetle
Crossing the river using a tiny canoe. I have not idea how it
did not sink
My tent
WInd took away our tarp roofing
One of several Boiga species (venomous) collected during
the trip
Strangely, but this frog is a Rana, not a "true"
tree frog.
The brightest colored bat I've ever seen
Coral snakes are deadly
This caterpillar look like a coral snake!
Rafflesia are parasitic plants.They have no stem or
leaves, but some of them are known to be among largest flowers
on earth.
A quick rest on the descent from the camp site
More frogs. They are all different and unusual looking
for someone who only saw frogs in temperate zones
Gorgeous colors
A (small) reticulated python
I wonder if anybody can explain the need for these decorations.
What a tail!
Putting up mist nets
Ears to be proud of!
Fresh papaya just from the tree
Rafe is sorting very important tadpoles
The visible result of the centiped bite (right hand). The pain
was extremely intense.
