Our recent Amazon Herping Trips were once again a big success with plenty of herps, friends and fun.  Now it’s time to start planning the 5th Annual Amazon Herping Trip, set for November 2 - 9, 2019, hosted by our intrepid trio of Tom Crutchfield, Danté Fenolio and Bill Lamar.  Join us, have some fun. No experience necessary, just a desire to see the magnificent Peruvian Amazon: home to lots of interesting reptiles and amphibians and other creatures of the rainforest as well as connecting with old friends and making new friends.

    Read more here...

https://www.greentracks.com/Amazon-Herping.html

 

   From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Henry Cohen
I just want to give a shout out to Bill Lamar, Tom Crutchfield, Dante Fenolio and guide Willy Flores Lanza for leading a fabulous herping trip in the Amazon. You sure know how to show a fella a good time. Also special thanks to Bill, Dante, and Philipp Wagner for showing me how to use the camera I've owned for 7 years. And a special thanks to George Ledvina and Scott Humfeld of Greentracks for rescuing us from our travel snafus.

https://www.greentracks.com/Amazon-Herping.html

 

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

From Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.258: Trap-jaw ants (genus Odontomachus) carry their jaws locked back and cocked while hunting. They snap together with an audible sound, holding either prey or predator to be stung. Nests are usually constructed in leaf litter and the ants are diurnal. With a worldwide tropical distribution, there are over two dozen species found in the Neotropics.

https://www.greentracks.com/Amazon-Herping.html

 

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.254: The Blue-crowned Manakin (Lepidothrix coronata) is widespread throughout the Amazon Basin with a disjunct population in Panama and northwestern South America. Not surprisingly, there are geographic differences within this species so it may be a complex. Like many manakins, the males are colorful while the females tend to be unicolored, in this case an attractive shade of green. Manakins are denizens of the understory in rainforest and many species have notable lek displays that include mechanical sound production. These birds were photographed on night hikes through primary rainforest in Loreto, Peru - October 2018. After the birds have settled in for the night, they can be photographed with relative ease.

https://www.greentracks.com/Amazon-Herping.html

 

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.252: From time to time, we get to see small mammals in the lower canopy when we are on night hikes. This was a great encounter with a mouse opossum in a tract of forest off of the Amazon River, Loreto, Peru - October 2018. Emilia's Gracile Opossum (Gracilinanus emiliae) is native to South America's Amazon Basin. It is a diminutive marsupial with a prehensile tail. Mouse opossums are active nocturnal foragers in vine tangles and understory brush by night. The feed on insects, geckos, frogs and fruit. We need to do more to protect species like this. As the rainforests of the world evaporate into palm groves and gold mining fields, these are the species that will vanish with them. Thank you Robert Voss for the ID!


https://www.greentracks.com/Amazon-Herping.html

 

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.251: This Amazonian Spotted Anole (Anolis {Dactyloa} punctatus) was observed during a night hike in a tract of forest off of the Amazon River, Loreto, Peru - October 2018.

https://www.greentracks.com/Amazon-Herping.html

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

Pam Po-Chedley Obersheimer

I had such a great time on my trip to the Peruvian Amazon Rain Forest. I cannot say enough about what a wonderful job Green Tracks did in making this trip such an enjoyable adventure. My thanks go out to George Ledvina, Bill Lamar, Tom Crutchfield, Dante Fenolio and Scott Humfeld. As well to our local guides Willy Flores Lanza and Jonathan. They all really know how to take care of everything with kindness and caring. If any problems come up along the way, they are on it and there for you immediately to make sure all goes well.
I highly recommend Green Tracks to one and all.

https://www.greentracks.com/Amazon-Herping.html

 

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No246: Life, death and reproduction around an Amazonian rainforest pool. These species of "hatchet-faced treefrogs" are all singing about sex - trying to attract a mate and pass on their genes. But all is not well around the pond; lots of snakes love to eat small frogs. There is a real balance between being showy to attract a mate and avoiding predators.

https://www.greentracks.com/Amazon-Herping.html

 

  

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No244: The Amazon Puffer (Colomesus asellus) has a wide distribution in the Amazon and its tributary rivers. The species can tolerate some salt in the water; inasmuch, it and can be found in coastal brackish waterways. It is a fish common to the aquarium hobby. Like other pufferfishes, these fish are poisonous to predators that try to consume them. One of the prominent skin toxins in this species is saxitoxin. The toxin that pufferfishes are so infamous for defending themselves with, tetrodotoxin, appears to be in very low concentration in this species, if present at all. Interestingly for those familiar with tetrodotoxin, the species of pufferfishes that wield the poison for defense do not appear to produce the toxic substance; rather, symbiotic bacteria produce the compound and live on the bodies of the fishes. This individual was photographed in Iquitos, Loreto, Peru, October 2018. I know I have said this before, and that to someone not familiar with the severity of the situation I sound like a broken record, but we need to do more to save the amazing biodiversity of the Amazon Basin. Please support any conservation organization with which you connect. Funding is what makes the difference.

https://www.greentracks.com/Amazon-Herping.html

 

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No245: It was a "salamanderesque" kind of night several days back. We encountered four mushroom tongue salamanders in a short span of trail. One of them (depicted here) had an outstanding pattern in its eyes. The most commonly observed salamander around Iquitos is the “Nauta Mushroom Tongue Salamander” (Bolitoglossa altamazonica). It was described by Cope in 1874 (Oedipus altamazonicus). There are many salamanders masquerading as this species as it is undoubtedly a species complex across the greater region. These salamanders tend to have a patchy distribution and when you find a good spot for them, it is reliably a good spot year after year; however, we usually do not see more than several in a given night.

https://www.greentracks.com/Amazon-Herping.html

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

A happy encounter on our Herp Trip as Sarah makes a new friend, a baby sloth!

https://www.greentracks.com/Amazon-Herping.html

 

  

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No243: A "Mountain Crystal Tetra" (Protocheirodon pi). The mostly transparent nature of this species is phenomenal.

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From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No242: Another rainforest trail, another cluster of crazy caterpillars. I sure have seen some great moth and butterfly larvae across the last few weeks in Amazonian Peru. The biodiversity of these forests is unreal.

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From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No241: For me, the most spiritual moments of my life have come about on forest trails. The energy of these places, and the amazing things to see, have captivated me for years. I can't envision life without wild places.

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From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No238: Have had a lot of fun photographing more of the freshwater fish biodiversity here in the upper Amazon Basin. This beautiful fish is the Black-top Mouse Catfish (Hassar orestis).

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From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No234: Electric Eels (Electrophorus electricus) aren’t actually eels at all - they belong to the order Gymnotiformes and are a species of knifefish. They use their strong electrical discharges for stunning prey and in defense. The charge that these fish can generate is not trivial – one source indicated that it can be as strong as 600 volts. These animals generate their charge by way of specialized disk-shaped cells called electrocytes. Thousands of electrocytes form three electric organs within the fish. The electrocytes store power like a battery. When the electric eel needs to shock something (like a potential predator or a prey item) each electrocyte can discharge its electrical charge at the same time. A quote from an article covering a researcher studying the electrical discharge of these fish (link in comments), “'It’s impressive that a little eel could deliver that much electricity,' Catania said in a statement. These shocks were nearly ten times as powerful as a taser, and electric eels can get much larger in size with even more powerful shocks that can be lethal to animals.” Like other knifefishes, electric eels can produce much more mild currents and can generate an electric field to navigate and locate prey items. These fishes also grow to considerable size. Large individuals exceed 2 meters (over 6 feet) and can weigh in at nearly 50 pounds. This is a juvenile photographed in Amazonian Peru, October 2018.

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From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No235: The Long-net Stinkhorn (Phallus indusiatus) has a massive range including parts of Africa, South and Central America, Mexico, China, Japan and Australia. Among many interesting cultural uses and beliefs tied to this fungus, it is used to make harmful charms in the belief systems of several indigenous groups of Nigeria. Many biologically active compounds are present in these mushrooms. They contain chemicals that are antibacterial as well as antioxidants (polyphenols). This specimen photographed in Amazonian Peru - October 2018.

https://www.greentracks.com

 

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Tom Crutchfield
Well we are spending our last night in Peru. We have been here almost 3 weeks now mostly in the Amazon. The trip back began at Ceiba Tops as we headed down the mighty Amazon River on a big boat called the Amazon Queen. A storm chased us as the rainy season has begun. Stacey began pole dancing on the way then talked me into doing it. Well I made a dollar sooo. Lol. We are spending the night in Inquitos headed to Lima tomorrow. Tonight we had dinner at a floating restaurant sitting in the mighty Amazon River.We should be back home on Sunday morning. Stacey Crutchfield & I have had an incredible adventure once again. Good by to the jungle & all the jungle spirits that live within me won’t forget you. So until next time. Peace to you all. Live life like there is no tomorrow. We are!!

https://www.greentracks.com

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No131: My roommate for the last several days. This Tropical Screech Owl (Megascops choliba) lives in the rafters above the room at the forest lodge I stay in. Love the late night vocalizations but could do without him taking a dump on the floor.

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From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
 Notes from the Amazon No133: The amazing eyes of an Owlfly (Ascalaphidae): observed in a forest tract along the Amazon River, Loreto, Peru, October 2018.

https://www.greentracks.com

 

Another nice response from a participant on the GreenTracks Amazon Herping trip September 29 - October 6, 2018

Dear Green Tracks...just had to write and tell you how much I enjoyed my herping adventure! I've never done anything like this and didn't know what to expect but I'm so glad I went! The lodges were clean and comfortable and the food was good ....the activities were well organized without being overly structured... Bill along with the guides from Explorama were the icing on the cake....extemely knowledgeable, personable, and just fun to talk to...i would highly recommend Green Tracks to anyone looking for a trip slightly out of the ordinary...well done!

Heather Krane

https://www.greentracks.com

 

  

Inca Trail permits do not usually go on sale until January 2 each year, but due to increasing numbers of hikers every year, they just now went on sale for 2019. They will sell out rapidly, so if you are thinking of hiking the Inca Trail next year now is the time to book.
Permits are limited to 500 per day and that includes hikers, guides and porters.

To follow the Inca's footsteps on the royal highway to Machu Picchu is an unforgettable experience. Few other hikes in the world can offer the variety of breathtaking scenery: from high sierra to tropical jungle. No other will take you through so many well preserved archeological sites.

GreenTracks offers several Inca Trail programs of varying length as well as other treks that don’t require a permit.  We know the Inca Trail well as we have hiked it numerous times.


Read more here:
https://www.greentracks.com/Inca-Trail.html

 

It is always nice to hear from satisfied clients.  Here is an email we received from two of them. We strive to provide the best services possible and we appreciate feedback like this.

Hi George,

Patricia and I just returned from our two week vacation on Saturday morning.

 We want to thank you and your team for providing us with the best experience of our lives. The information and detailed itinerary you provided prior to our trip prepared us completely.

 The 7 day Amazon cruise on La Perla was first class on a budget. Our room was very nice, clean and the air conditioning was fantastic. The crew provided top notch service and Patricia (cruise director) made sure everything was perfect. The food was outstanding and the boat was comfortable The land and boat excursions were informative and exciting and our guides (Juanito, Edgard and Victor) were great, friendly and knowledgeable.

 After our Amazon trip we flew to Cusco where we were picked up at the airport and taken to our hotel. The next day a private guide and driver drove us to the Sacred Valley. Then we took the train to  Aguas Calientes with our guide where we had an amazing experience ending with two days at Machu Picchu. Back at Cusco we had a great guided tour as well.

 Scott and the rest of your team made sure we had our plane boarding passes, checked in on us and simply rounded out a perfect vacation.

 We really didn’t have to plan anything. You and your team did it all. All your hotel selections were great, especially the Inka Terra in Aguas Calientes which was spectacular!

Thank you again.
Barry and Patricia Weiss

https://www.greentracks.com

 

      

 












From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.229: The eyes of an Amazonian Giant Land Snail (Megalobulimus sp.): observed in a forest tract along the Rio Amazonas, Loreto, Peru - October 2018.

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From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No224: Amazonian mustache

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From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No222: Parental care is something that most people associate with mammals - particularly humans. But in all truth, parental care can be found across a broad spectrum of wildlife including amphibians. Among the amphibians, poison frogs are notorious for their parental care. In many species, eggs are deposited on the forest floor until they hatch. Depending on the species, either the male or the female allows the tadpoles to squirm onto their backs. The tadpoles literally glue themselves to the back of the adult using glue glands in their lips. The adult frog then carries the tadpoles to some remote water source - often plant held waters (phytotelmata) such as bromeliad axils or water filled tree holes. The adult crawls into the water and the water soluble glue dissolves. The tadpoles then move into the private pool where they will develop. In some species, the female returns to feed infertile food eggs - providing nourishment to the developing tadpoles throughout their larval period. This is a Red-backed Poison Frog (Ranitomeya reticulata) photographed sleeping at night in the low foliage with two tadpoles glued to its back, Amazon River, Loreto, Peru - October 2018.

https://www.greentracks.com

 

   

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No223: I love to bring black lights or UV lights into the forest. This scorpion reflected the black light as it sat on a low leaf above the rainforest floor. Photographed in a tract of forest along the Amazon River, Loreto, Peru - October 2018.

https://www.greentracks.com

 

     

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.219: Mating Iridescent Tigers (Hypocrita plagifera - moths) on a night hike through a tract of forest on the Rio Mazan, Loreto, Peru - September 2018. Thank you Britt O'Leary for the ID!

https://www.greentracks.com

 

    

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No221: A Speckled Worm Lizard (Amphisbaenia fuliginosa) that was observed within the city of Iquitos, Peru. These fossorial reptiles are squamates and are closely related to lizards and snakes. They have no arms or legs. In a setting like Iquitos, they are probably feeding on earthworms. The potential for herpetological finds within a city is huge for a place like Iquitos... even though the city is growing fast.


https://www.greentracks.com

 

        

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 10/06 - 10/13, 2018

from Stacey Crutchfield
Today I FINALLY caught a piranha!!!! We also saw a bunch of pink river dolphins while out on the river. And saw a rainbow on the way back to the lodge!!! My day is complete...night y’all

https://www.greentracks.com

 

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

from Stacey Crutchfield
Tomorrow we head back into the jungle with group #2. Had a great time and was wonderful meeting everyone in group #1. I couldn’t tag everyone, so feel free to tag those in the group shot. Hope to see you all again soon in the near future.

https://www.greentracks.com

 

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.217: An ambush awaits in the leaf litter... The Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) lives in the leaf litter and functions as a sit-and-wait predator, consuming small frogs, lizards, and insects that come too close. They have enormous jaws and virtually the entire front end of the frog opens into a cavernous mouth. They also possess a considerable bite force, dispatching their targets with efficiency. The species can be found in a host of colors and patterns - all of them blend into the leaf litter seamlessly - keeping the frog out of sight to potential predators and prey items. This individual was photographed along a tract of forest on the Rio Sucusari, Loreto, Peru - October 2018.

https://www.greentracks.com

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.218: We have observed several "dead leaf" mantids in the past couple of weeks. These insects look like pieces of dead foliage and typically hang upside down as they wait for small insects to come within striking distance. These were photographed in various forest tracts along the Napo, Sucusari, and Mazan Rivers, September/October 2018.

https://www.greentracks.com

 

                                                                                     
  From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.216: I've been inspired to pay more attention to tree snails after watching Kristiina Ovaska's dedication to them. Kristiina and Brian Lee have been producing amazing images on this trip of a variety of invertebrates in their "white box." Its been fun to watch with spectacular photographic results from both of them. Watch both of their pages of FB for stunning images. I photographed this nocturnal treesnail in a tract of rainforest along the Sucusari River, Loreto, Peru - October 2018.

https://www.greentracks.com

 

                                                                                               

                         


















 From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

from Tom Crutchfield
 Bill Lamar & myself with a fair size “Shushupe” Bushmaster (Lachesis muta) we field collected. This was a male. Old school herping at it’s finest.


https://www.greentracks.com
                                                                                                                                                                                              

 

                                                                                                                                                                           

 From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

from Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.213: The Two-striped Forest Pitviper (Bothriopsis bilineata smaragdina) is a nocturnal denizen of western Amazonia. The preferred habitat is both upland and flood forests, especially in vine tangles along stream borders. Primarily an understory inhabitant, this beautiful snake occasionally ascends to considerable heights. We found this one coiled at 12 meters (~ 40 feet) above the forest floor. The diet includes frogs, lizards, and perhaps the occasional small bird or mammal. Known locally in Amazonian Peru as “Loro Machaco,” it is much feared and talked about. However, most locals have never actually seen one and instead brand every green snake they see with this name. This natural light shot was taken with a Sony a77 body and a 10-20mm Sigma lens.


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From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

From Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.214: Yet another spectacular caterpillar from the rainforests of NE Peru. Photographed on the Rio Mazan, Loreto, Peru, September 2018

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From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

From Stacey Crutchfield
Here are the highlights from lodge #2....
Got some great pics and had a blast!!!

https://www.greentracks.com

New Year’s Eve on the Amazon River

Enjoy dinner, a floor show and champagne at Heliconia Amazon Lodge on the banks of the Amazon River and ring in the new year!

During the days there will be excursions by boat and jungle walks to see wildlife such as monkeys, Macaws, Parrots and many other colorful birds and night excursions to see frogs and caiman. And then relax by the pool with a tropical drink.

SPECIAL RATES !

3 Days / 2 Nights @ $320 per person
4 Days / 3 Nights @ $413 per person

One Child up to 12 years old FREE with both parents!

Price is per person in DOUBLE, TRIPLE or QUAD
Children under 5 at: 80% discount OFF adult prices.
Children 5 - 12 - 30% discount OFF adult prices.

https://www.GreenTracks.com

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

From Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.211: When Army Ants are on the march, pretty much everything flees. A raiding mass of them had Bullet Ants (Paraponera clavata) frantically climbing the bushes while carrying their eggs and larvae, all likely to no avail. Despite their massive mandibles and formidable sting, Bullet Ants simply are no match for Army Ants.

https://www.GreenTracks.com

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

From Dante Fenolio
Notes from the Amazon No.210: A big "walking stick" with a cryptic pattern.

https://www.GreenTracks.com

 

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

Stacey Crutchfield post
Day #2 in the jungle is about to come to an end. Quite a successful day...found a 7ft Bushmaster, a Slender Caecilian (Oscaecilia bassleri), an Aquatic Coral Snake, got to feed Squirrel Monkeys, and the list goes on. We also went fishing for piranhas this afternoon. No piranhas around, but caught many catfish. I caught a stick and 2 plants!!!! Tomorrow on to lodge #2.

https://www.GreenTracks.com

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

From Dante Fenolio:
Notes from the Amazon No.207: Some folks just have the touch. Bill Lamar has been finding bushmasters longer than most of us have been alive, and he was at it again today. Check this big beauty out... over 2 meters.

https://www.GreenTracks.com

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

Tom Crutchfield post:
Katie Harness caught a beautiful Peruvian Redtail Boa last night. Nice female.

https://www.GreenTracks.com

From the GreenTracks Amazon Herping Tour 9/29 - 10/6, 2018

From Dante Fenolio:
Notes from the Amazon No.208: As if a Bushmaster isn’t enough to make the day (or the trip), we also turned up a caecilian. Slender Caecilians (genus Oscaecilia) occur in lower Central- and Amazonian South America. In the Iquitos region there are two species known: the enormously elongated Oscaecilia koepckeorum and the similar but smaller Oscaecilia bassleri (with which the former has been confused in some popular articles). This specimen of O. bassleri was flushed from its underground lair by a night of rainfall. Locals confuse these interesting amphibians with a large species of nightcrawler earthworm that also often appears after rains.

https://www.GreenTracks.com