AMAZON
May 2005
5 of 11
AMAZON
May 2005
5 of 11
All text copyright © Eitan Grunwald. All photographs copyright © Eitan or Ron Grunwald
except photographs by others are copyright per photo credits. All rights reserved. Terms
At night we would crowd into the skiff and cruise the river by flashlight, shining the branches for tree boas, but
no such luck. Instead, we found birds and bats.
We had better luck in the water. Eyeshine meant Caimans or frogs, and our crew was adept at catching both.
Some of the specimens were brought back to the station for daylight photography, then returned to the river on our
next outing.
This was a remarkable catch. It’s dark and we’re motoring slowly up a small channel when Ron’s light catches
sight of a snake bright against the black surface. It’s being swept downstream by the current, desperately struggling to
reach the side, but the snake is too small and weak, and the water carries it away.
The engine throws a fit as our boat driver Segundo rams it into reverse. We’re enveloped by a cloud of smoke
and fumes, racing backwards to save the snake. The tossed-about creature catches momentarily on a snag, then slips
off, but it’s just the moment we need to overtake the snake. The skiff is thrust forward, and steering by flashlight
between flooded trees and submerged logs, Segundo angles the boat to intercept the swimming serpent. Perfectly
positioned for rescue, the exhausted snake drifts right into our hands. Try that while roadcruising.
Our emergency rescue:
Smoky Jungle Frog
Leptodactylus pentadactylus
Spotted Hatchet-Faced Treefrog
Sphaenorhynchus dorisae
Spectacled Caiman
Caiman crocodilus
Black Caiman
Caiman niger
Ornate Snail-Eating Snake
Dipsas catesbyi
