French Guiana and Amapa (Brazil). Northeastern Amazon, Guianas.

[pato_chacoana]

I'll post some pics of my last field trip that I've made with a friend. The area was picked specifically to look up Theraphosa blondi, a species that I always wanted to see in the wild. Years of reading about FG made me have great expectations, which I must say most were fulfilled in this trip. FG is an amazing country and I've never seen anything like it. I look forward to my next visit there. The area of Brazil I went is also a very interesting area; unfortunately I had very few days to explore Brazil, which lead to explore less pristine areas. But it was also a great experience. The trip was for almost 1 month and went great. We met very good people, which made the trip better than expected in many aspects.

My intention is to write about the trip and publish it in a spider magazine. I also want to make a special writing about my Theraphosa blondi notes...which I think would be interesting for those that want to know about this sp. and breed them in captivity.

A special thanks goes to Martin Gamache (Tarcan), who helped me make this trip possible with his great advice.

I hope you enjoy the pics. I don't have much time to add info about the pics...but feel free to ask me and I'll answer what I can.


Some interesting amphibians...

The gorgeous Dendrobates tinctorius, one of the animals I wanted to get pictures the most. It was very hard thing to achieve!

some birds...(I have very few birds and mammals shots, they seem to be really hard to catch a pic of those in FG...)

butterflies...

ok....spiders!

nice Phoneutria...

Avicularia sp. from Amapá. Truly stunning tarantula.

Tapinauchenius sp. from Amapá

Lycosidae...

Salticidae

Ephebopus cyanognathus juvenile

Ephebopus rufescens

Theraphosa blondi (adult female)

Theraphosa blondi (adult female)

Theraphosa blondi (adult male)

Theraphosa blondi small juvenile

Another Mygalomorph, possibly Nemesid

T. blondi habitat

More landscape shots...

myself, happy in the FG forest.

Will post some more soon...

Pato-

 

[Protectyaaaneck]

Man, Pato, I'm soooooooo jealous, haha. That looks like an awesome trip you took. Very nice pics of the terrain and sp.

<<wants to go now. :/

Also, that avicularia looks a lot like what is being sold as A. geroldi.


Edit: By the way, where did you find the e. cyanognathus? Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't there reports of these guys being semi-arboreal in the wild?

 

[Anastasia]

Those frogs are so adorble, especially the one in the tree
Great pictures, Pato :drool:

 

[metallica]

nice finds! perhaps i should go visit South America too in a future trip!

Eddy

 

[Tarantula_Hawk]

Nice stuff there and interesting frogs. The one you called Lycosidae is actually a Ctenidae though.

 

[Terry D]

Pato, Woaah.... Awesome stuff!! Thanks for brightening the day.

Terry

 

[tarcan]

Pato, excellent shots! You make me dream of going back!

The Avicularia sp. is gorgeous and the posture on the picture is just perfect, great shot!

Also like your slower shutter speed shots of the water!

Can't wait to see more!

Martin

 

[MaartenSFS]

NICE.. I have always wanted to go to Suriname, as it's a former Dutch colony (and I'm Dutch). The Guianas, so to speak, all seem like pristine countries (Guyana not so sure, but maps of deforestation always show them as well-off).

 

[Philth]

Awesome photo's Pato, How long/hard of a trip was it for you to get there from where you live? I've heard its a agonizing 18 hour flight or so from up here by me in New York, because there are no direct flights and you spend a day Island hoping before reaching the mainland.

Later, Tom

 

[pato_chacoana]

Thank you all!

@Eddy, it's hard to get there, but def. worth it!! FG is amazing!

@Protectyaaaneck: E. cyanognathus I've found were living as terrestrial...sometimes in same forest as T. blondi, although they prefer the ''flat'' part of the forest as opposed to most TB I've found.

@Ana: thanks! the frogs were amazing and everyday I found different species. I wish I could have photographed more though!

@Terry: thank you, keep looking and I'll try to brighten it often!

@Martin: thanks!!! I hope we make it there together next time!!

@Maarten: yes, FG still has primary forest almost everywhere...I think mostly because they have very little agriculture and cattle, they import almost everything there. But deforestation is happening too...I have a coulple sad plane shots... but nothing like the rest of the Amazon, where are really big problems.

@Tom: thank you man, it's really hard for me to get there too!! I took 4 different flights (although 1 of them was by choice, 'cause I wanted to be a few days in Amapa)... and it was really a pain! Also, very expensive... in the end it was really worth it! But next time, I will see to do it via Miami I think...only two flights.

Ok, a few more pics...

Avicularia from FG, that was living right were I tied my hammock lol!

bothering just a little an adult female, for size comparison

collecting data:

and another old blondi in premolt, at burrow entrance:

same spider, picked up and quickly left alone to go back inside her burrow...

and the coolest finding of the trip, something you don't see everyday... new born TB's and mother. This eggsac just hatched few days ago before this photo. A follow up of their development was made during the following 2 weeks or so.

Pato-

 

[TomM]

These photos are amazing! I would die to see some tarantulas in their natural habitat. Keep the pics coming!

 

[metallica]

Thank you all!

@Eddy, it's hard to get there, but def. worth it!! FG is amazing!

Pato-

I think for me it is going to be Suriname as well... and for the same reason; it is a big part of our national history.

cheers

Eddy

 

[xhexdx]

Great pics, Pato. I'm glad to hear you had a great time.

I'm definitely with Jason - jealous beyond belief.

Can't wait to see more pics.

 

[Travis K]

Wow! Very nice quality on your photography. Thank you sharing this.

Cheers,

 

[MaartenSFS]

I think for me it is going to be Suriname as well... and for the same reason; it is a big part of our national history.

cheers

Eddy

Though our government doesn't seem to want a relationship with Suriname, even when they voted to be part of the NTU (Dutch Language Union) and our territories in the Carribean are only so in name. :wall: France seems to do it better. I suppose we never really wanted to colonise as much as trade with different peoples.

Ik zou heel graag naar Suriname gaan, maar het is gewoon te duur. Van hier in Amerika kost het maar een paar honderd $$ om naar Belize of Costa Rica te vliegen en minstens 1.500$ naar Suriname. Jammer.. Ik ga over een jaar of minder toch weer terug naar China..

 

[pato_chacoana]

Thank you TomM, it's really a great feeling to find them in the wild indeed

Thanks Joe, I waited several years for this trip to become real...and I can't believe finally happened! A trip I will never forget, feelings that I'll never forget either.

Yes Eddy, possible it's easier for you Suriname...as it's easier for me Brazil or Peru even cheaper. Also, FG is very expensive even to europeans sometimes. The problem with my country is that we have a really high inflation rate, one of the highest of the world along with Venezuela...

Thanks Travis, I try my best. Hopefully this year I will really learn photography taking a course and I can improve my pics.

Maarten, same as Eddy, it's best Suriname for you possibly...I got what you said about how expensive is to get there for you. The thing is, that there's no place like the Guianas...animals that are found only there, geography, plants, etc. That's why I wanted to go so badly. Before planning, I was thinking going to Guyana, since the transport was cheaper...I had to get to Manaos and then I could go by land to Guyana...possibly a next trip could be like that. But I was always gutted with FG anyway, so it was time to do that! ...and now I want to go back there!!! lol

I hope the tourism don't grow much in FG, I would hate to see lots of people going there and expensive luxury Hotels going on ......

After this trip, I'm seriously thinking about living in FG for a while after I graduate (many years from now lol)

Cheers,
Pato

 

[hooale]

Awesome pics, thanks for sharing.
you have been traveling a lot lately, is FG among your favorite destinations?

 

[Versi*JP*Color]

Whoa

Lucky, it's not every day you find baby T.blondis with their mother!:worship:

 

[tarcan]

the downside of Suriname compared to FG is that the nice unspoiled habitats are not as easy of access. In FG, from the airport, you are like 20 minutes away from the Kaw mountains! You can't beat that.

Although, culturally speaking, Suriname is way more fun than FG.

Also got to go to Guyana eventually!

Hey Pato, enough taking, where are your other pics!

Take care

Martin

 

[MaartenSFS]

Thank you TomM, it's really a great feeling to find them in the wild indeed

Thanks Joe, I waited several years for this trip to become real...and I can't believe finally happened! A trip I will never forget, feelings that I'll never forget either.

Yes Eddy, possible it's easier for you Suriname...as it's easier for me Brazil or Peru even cheaper. Also, FG is very expensive even to europeans sometimes. The problem with my country is that we have a really high inflation rate, one of the highest of the world along with Venezuela...

Thanks Travis, I try my best. Hopefully this year I will really learn photography taking a course and I can improve my pics.

Maarten, same as Eddy, it's best Suriname for you possibly...I got what you said about how expensive is to get there for you. The thing is, that there's no place like the Guianas...animals that are found only there, geography, plants, etc. That's why I wanted to go so badly. Before planning, I was thinking going to Guyana, since the transport was cheaper...I had to get to Manaos and then I could go by land to Guyana...possibly a next trip could be like that. But I was always gutted with FG anyway, so it was time to do that! ...and now I want to go back there!!! lol

I hope the tourism don't grow much in FG, I would hate to see lots of people going there and expensive luxury Hotels going on ......

After this trip, I'm seriously thinking about living in FG for a while after I graduate (many years from now lol)

Cheers,
Pato

Honestly, I'll probably never make it down there, as I'm heading back to China soon and having our first child (well, my wife..). I'd probably get to Vietnam and Laos sooner. Hell, China has Hainan island and Yunnan province (the most northern point to find tropical rainforest) and I've only scratched the surface in my own province, Guangxi.

I hear Guyana is the least pristine of the three. I thought that a considerable portion of Suriname was protected national parks and just the coast had any real population. I know you want it to stay like that forever in FG, but undeveloped places changed the quickest. You may not recognise the country the next to you go there. Or it may take longer, but when the change occurs it happens rapidly. :wall: