Spanish school, Research Station, Sustainable tourism, Ecotourism, Fish studies, Bird and other nature studies, Reforestation and Conservation Activities and Hostel in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua. Birdwatching, SCUBA diving, swimming, hiking, nature and wildlife watching. Hostel, great meals, great friends. Saving the planet and enjoying every minute of it!
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In most of Nicaragua, the most abundant and visible of the three primate species is the golden-mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata palliata). Howler monkeys have always been found in the Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, but their populations have increased dramatically in recent years. Years ago, howler monkeys were heard from Estación Biológica Laguna de Apoyo, at distances of up to a kilometer to the south. Today, they are within sight at least half the days of the year.
This baby howler monkey seems to be holding on to its mother as if on a roller coaster. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
We think this special population of howler monkeys in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve merits a lot of attention. The species is protected by local law from hunting and capture for purposes such as the pet trade, and the populations are very sensitive to habitat destruction. They may never touch ground during their lifetimes, making arboreal connectivity vital to their habitat. In areas where the forest is used for fuelwood, pasture, or other purposes, entire areas may be blocked from access by them.
Howler monkey. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
The howler monkeys of Laguna de Apoyo, are doubly protected, as species occupying a protected area where fauna, flora and other aspects of natural habitat and landscape receive some measure of protection. Beyond these justifications for lending special attention to the howler monkeys of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, exists yet another important reason to focus on this population. The visible success of this species as a population during the past years, in a context of diminishing populations in most species and locations in the country,
Howler monkeys often are easily seen from the patio of Estación Biológica. Photo Andras Dorgai.
The dramatic increases in the howler monkey population in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve has meant that monkeys are found in places and circumstances that present new challenges for coexistence between humans and nature. Most of the homes along the shore now find howler monkeys in their yards many days of the year. The electric wires running through the populated areas present yet another challenge to them. Several electrocutions of monkeys have been documented over the years.
What can we do to make monkeys a priority in natural areas? Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
Howler monkeys are classified as folivores, that is, they tend to eat leaves as their sustenance. During the dry season, when leaves are scarce, or old and dry, they may consume larger amounts of fruits. There have been notable occurrences of monkey mortality in other parts of Nicaragua, where the dry season can be quite marked, so monitoring of the monkey populations is quite important.
There are lots of reasons to be studying the monkey populations. One is to ensure that the populations remain abundant and healthy, with adequate numbers of juveniles that reflect a population in constant reproduction. The quality of a healthy environment for monkeys is also important to know and understand. One aspect of a healthy monkey habitat is a selection of trees that provides year-round food in adequate amounts. The species of trees preferred as food items by howler monkeys can provide indications for reforestation activities in the area.
Howler monkeys eat leaves of Bursera simaruba, a locally abundant tree species. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
Anyone visiting Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve may want to spend some time finding and watching howler monkeys. If one exercises common sense regarding the respect that monkeys deserve, it can be easy to enjoy watching them without causing them any distress. One should remember always that the monkeys deserve to live in peace without any distress caused by humans.
The howler monkeys of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve are easy to find and admire. Watch them with respect. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
When the howler monkeys decide to come to our patio, we are always happy, and we are careful to give them the as much private space as is necessary. They are not here for our entertainment only; they exist for their own reasons, and they should be permitted to come and go as they deem appropriate, without feeling bothered by humans.
Baby rides while mother searches for food. In the dry season, monkeys tend to eat more fruits than leaves. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
Our concern for wildlife and the habitats they use and require is not shared by everyone, but many people agree that wildlife should receive a greater priority than people in areas designated as wild space such as the Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. There is a growing number of hotels and other spaces where the environment is completely incompatible with wildlife such as howler monkeys. At Estación Biológica Laguna de Apoyo, we stand for wildlife.
This baby howler monkey is still breastfeeding. She observes as her mother eats a mango. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
GAIA has conducted surveys and studies of the monkeys and other wildlife in the forests surrounding Laguna de Apoyo. If you are interested in helping to protect monkeys, study them, or just watch them, Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve is among the most ideal of locations.
A baby monkey watches us as her mother is relaxing. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
Volunteers and interns can arrange stays to help with our conservation projects and to study the relationships between wildlife and the environment in our area. We gladly receive guests and visitors any time, as well. Please come to meet us, discuss what is the latest happening in conservation in the area, and stay as long as you like.
An adult female golden-mantled howler monkey scales a tree. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
If you are interested in getting involved in the protection or study of these magnificent animals, please contact us.
Nicaragua is self-described for decades as the country "where lead floats and cork sinks". The country has steadfastly defied the conventional wisdom generated, promoted and supported by the rest of the world. Whether on the national, political level, or in the barrio, Nicaraguan thought has tended to take turns that did not always come from the playbook provided.
Recent world events have once again brought the country into the forefront of the news. Nicaragua shares the dubious honor of accompanying two other nations that are not united in the recent Paris accords regarding climate change. The accords were uncharacteristically broad and bland that virtually every nation signed on, even the stubborn government of North Korea. Syria, distracted by a bloodbath within its borders, did not sign, nor did it protest. The nation which aspires and daily claims to be the greatest nation on the planet, the United States of America, signed, but its new leader, Donald Trump, declared the agreement to be inequitable toward the USA. His opposition to the agreement and intention to depart from it was declared recently.
It has been said that politics makes strange bedfellows. With the dismaying declarations of the President of the United States, Nicaragua is strangely united into a unique club of those outside the Paris accord, this space with a failed nation and a tragically misguided empire.
All this is important to note, because of the gravity of climate change on human life and wild nature globally. Paleontologists have declared the current times a new geological epoch, in which the human influence on the climate becomes indelible. The effect of modern society, in these terms, on temperatures, atmospheric composition, and weather processes, has become paramount. Among the few decision-makers who dare to question that humans are provoking long-term impacts on the climate which threaten even the survivability of our own species on this planet, are only those who are in position to benefit directly from its negation, such as the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
An anthropological analysis of the government of the USA and the sides of the debate regarding climate change belies the self-interest of individuals who gain from pretending that the obvious is happening. In contrast, the government of Nicaragua has taken a posture which can be criticized and discussed, but its relevance to history is indisputable. Climate change is real, it affects the quality of life of humans, and the distribution of impacts among humans is unequal. Poor people, worldwide, bear the brunt of the negative effects of climate change. Unlike the USA, the government of Nicaragua has not sought to negate the relation between human activities and the environment, but rather to accentuate that poor nations are victims of a kind of climate-imperialism imposed by the richer nations, especially those set in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere.
As Gaia director Jeffrey McCrary, states in a recent essay published in El Nuevo Diario, the posture of Nicaragua regarding the accords sets the country far apart from that of the USA. The government of Nicaragua has made deep commitments toward the environment, particularly regarding greenhouse gas emissions, whereas the government of the USA is backpedaling. We need urgently to establish what climate change will mean to Nicaragua, in terms of shorelines, ecosystems, habitats for fauna in both the land and in the waters of the country, the impacts on populations regarding agriculture, vulnerability to storms and drought, livability regarding temperatures.... so many things!
Monkey die-offs, water wells going dry, lake levels dropping, crop failures, floods, hurricanes that flatten areas. The rapid advance of the agricultural frontier. Median temperature rise. What more evidence do we need?
There is something dark inside us humans, that makes us want to possess what pleases us. This dark urge to possess sometimes focuses on some poor, wild animal who deserves to live and die in its natural habitat, not in a cage or on a chain. This week, the Gaia staff gave back to the world, to nature and to one White-faced capuchin monkey, who had been cruelly imprisoned by humans who thought a monkey should be an object for humans to own.
This monkey certainly was assertive! Photo Pablo Somarriba.
Of course, the humans who bought and sold this poor monkey as if she were a commodity never considered that she had never wanted to be on a chain. Perhaps they realized that she was unwilling, because they kept her on a metal chain, not just any cord, because she would have chewed through anything else. But even though their consciences were dulled to the point that they could abuse an animal in this way, their threshold of physical pain could still be reached. This monkey, as most White-faced capuchins do, tends to bite, unpredictably.
After a few bites, the owners who once thought having a monkey on a chain would make them popular among their friends, and perhaps bring them happiness to fill that void that is formed when one is in an endless cycle of abuse, decided that a monkey was no longer as interesting as before. She was brought to us by volunteers from Fundacion ADAN, in Managua, and we monitored the monkey several days before releasing her into the wild, in an area where she would quickly encounter others of her species.
White-faced capuchin monkeys are clever and cute. This monkey wanted and attracted attention very well. She made friends fast. Her mischief was generally benign, and she kept people laughing.
The monkey made a special bond with Elmer, who has a special way with animals. Photo Pablo Somarriba.
This White-faced capuchin monkey was very active, while at Estacion Biologica! Today, she lives wild and free, in the forests of Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Photo Pablo Somarriba.
Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve is a natural habitat for this species, and for the Golden-mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata). There has recently been a great resurgence in the latter species, thanks to better conservation practices in the reserve, especially regarding poaching of wild animals. The White-faced capuchin monkeys, however, have yet to occupy large areas of the reserve. Their populations were almost completely eliminated by unscrupulous hunters and pet traders, which have affected the Golden-mantled howler monkeys less, because they are not attractive as pets, and possibly because their diet is much less dependent on fruit, since they can digest leaves in enormous quantities.
Once on their way to the spot she will find as her new, wild home, the monkey continued to play. She had already developed a bond with Elmer, and she went without making any problems. She had no idea of the big adventure ahead of her.
Once they were in an area with White-faced capuchin monkeys, they entered on a path into the forest. It was important to leave the monkey as close as possible to others with whom she will bond and associate.
Once she was released from her cruel collar, she slowly tested her new limits. First, she only sat and observed her human friends, glancing at the abundant forest without moving. Then, she was taken by bravery. She tested a small tree, and found it to her liking. Her memories of the wild had not left her. Within seconds, she jumped from one small tree to another, then scaled to several meters height. Within a few minutes, she was gone, not to return. What an emotional start to a new, free life!
Wistful but satisfied that one more sentient being in this universe will live and die according to her biological mandates, and not in captivity, the crew of volunteers and GAIA staff went back to Estacion Biologica to contemplate it all. After all, White-faced capuchin monkeys have many human qualities. It seems so natural that someone would see a monkey act cute and adorable and think, "I want one". Yet, when we see how this monkey acted, once free, the answer was clear. She tolerated us but she knew where she belonged. She scaled the trees and never returned. We hope someday to see her again, but from afar, and hopefully, in the company of her new simian friends. She, and all wild animals, deserve to live and die in their natural habitat, not in a cage or on a chain.
This monkey is now in the forest, where she wants to be, but there are still many things to do in Nicaragua, to combat the illegal traffic in animals. Would you like to help us protect the wild nature of Nicaragua? You can work with us in many ways. One is to adopt a rescue animal. We have animals that need food and care, and their costs average fifteen dollars per month each. You can help us expand our capacity to care for wild animal rescues by helping to finance new enclosures and transportation costs. And, most importantly, you can help by volunteering with us.
GAIA eco-warrior volunteers help care for our rescued animals, as well as conduct other environmental activism such as planting native trees in deforested areas inside the reserve. We also monitor bird and monkey populations, and our volunteers help us make the surveys in combination with GAIA experts. Our volunteers have plenty to do in rewarding, if tiring, labor.
It makes us emotional to think that we can bring happiness into the life of a small animal that looks so much like us, so easily. It seems like so little, but at the same time, so much to bring a monkey back to her life that she abandoned unwillingly, by the cruel acts of other humans. When we saw her go away and not look back, we knew we had done something good.
We want to know what you think. We need your participation and support, to work together to save wild nature in Nicaragua. Please contact us and tell us what is on your mind.
Wildlife in Nicaragua are facing two very critical issues. The first is that forests are disappearing rapidly, as the country prospers and develops more. Enforcement of the protection of natural areas is a big challenge to the government, which does not grow at the same pace as the economic forces behind deforestation and habitat destruction of all kinds.
But for many wild animals in Nicaragua, the greatest challenge to their continued existence in the wild is the pet trade. It is simply illegal to buy or sell many animals, or to exhibit them publicly, yet they are found daily in public places on display in restaurants and hotels, or along the road for sale. Again, authorities have little capacity to respond to this type of crime.
One of the most egregious groups of violators of the rights of protected wild animals is found along the Panamerican Highway at Moyua. Here are some images of animals for sale, openly on display.
This young man is holding a Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) for sale along the Panamerican Highway at Moyua. Photo Maggie Folkesson.
All day long, people drive by these folks with animals for sale, offering Nicaragua's natural heritage on a stick as if the macaw were fast food. Although people may be offended by the spectacle of these animals for sale, few do anything, because people may not feel capable of doing anything about such crimes.
This view shows even more clearly the Scarlet Macaw for sale along the Panamerican Highway in Nicaragua. Photo Maggie Folkesson.
Among the animals which has suffered the most from the pet trade in Nicaragua is the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao). This majestic animal once filled the skies with color and sound, flying in groups above the treeline and even in cities. Managua had Scarlet Macaws visit daily until they were all captured from their roosts in the Chiltepe Peninsula in 1983. A handful of these birds fly freely in the Cosiguina Peninsula, in the northwest corner of the country, their nests most likely protected from nest raiders by the steep slopes of the crater interior of the Volcano Cosiguina.
There were two Scarlet Macaws on display this day at this site. Photo Maggie Folkesson.
FUNDECI/GAIA postdoctoral scientist Maggie Folkesson documented the wildlife on sale illegally in this location recently. Not only were there Scarlet Macaws, there were also several other species, most notably Yellow-naped Parrots (Amazona auropalliata), and White-faced Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus capuchinus). The woman in the photo below is holding one of each on display.
White-faced Capuchin Monkey and Yellow-naped Parrot for sale. Photo Maggie Folkesson.
Monkeys and macaws present many problems as pets, so it is typical that people who purchase them regret their actions later. Furthermore, their promotion of the illegal traffic in wild animals helps to empty the forests of wild animals, which is the principal reason Scarlet Macaws are no longer seen throughout most of Nicaragua.
The Yellow-naped Amazon is a common bird in the pet trade, but its status on the CITES list was recently adjusted to Appendix II, which means that it is not permitted for international commerce except within the context of an approved, successful captive breeding program, which does not exist in Nicaragua. Its range in Nicaragua is throughout the tropical dry forests of the Pacific side and some of the humid tropical forests on the Caribbean side of the country.
A new initiative is needed to stop the pet trade. What do you suggest?
Here is a clear photo of a Yellow-naped Amazon parrot and a White-faced Capuchin Monkey for sale in Moyua. Their sale is illegal in Nicaragua. Photo Maggie Folkesson..
All of these animals are prohibited from sale in Nicaragua, although as anyone an see, the law is little respected. We share these photos in the hope that people will react. Do you want to see wild animals in the forests of Nicaragua? Then do something to stop the illegal traffic in wild animals.
Even in fairy tales, not all endings are happy. This week, we were witnesses to a tragic story with a silver lining. Along the northern shore of Lake Apoyo, howler monkeys have proliferated, so much so, that Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve is now among the best locations in Nicaragua for monkey watching. Golden-mantled howler monkeys regularly enter the areas where housing was constructed in the 1960's and 1970's, between the access road and the lake. (White-faced capuchin monkeys also inhabit our area, but are fewer and occupy very limited ranges.) This means they are entering yards of homes and coming into contact with electric transmission wires. As a group of monkeys moved through the forest and into a neighboring yard, one female monkey managed to cross wires and was electrocuted. When we learned of the event, we were mobilized to do what we could. When we arrived on the scene, the lifeless body of the monkey was still attached to the electric wires, which had shorted out and no longer carrying current. Clinging to her waist was a terrified baby, still very alive.
This baby golden-mantled howler monkey clings to her lifeless mother. Photo by Susana de Winne.
We asked ourselves whether the infant monkey had survived. Mother and baby were about five meters above the ground, the mothers tail and paw locked around the wire and the baby clinging to her mother's lifeless body. After several minutes, the baby monkey raised her head and blinked. We didn't know what to do next, but we were happy to know that one life may not be lost.
Tense moments when a baby monkey's life was at risk. Photo by Susana de Winne.
We were concerned the baby would fall with or without her mother, and suffer a bad injury or death. Additionally, the monkeys had now attracted the attention of several neighbors, and we were also concerned that the wrong neighbors would capture and keep the monkey as a pet. The baby howler monkey was disoriented and anything was possible. We quickly installed a sheet beneath the wires to catch the animals in case the grip of the dead mother would release. And we watched and waited.
The baby monkey continues to cling to her mother. Photo by Susana de Winne.
After another half-hour, the infant monkey
After another half-hour, the infant monkey climbed off her mother and into the nearby trees. We contemplated whether we should capture the baby, while the baby continued to move. Soon, she was in a tall tree, and we sighed from relief. There are folks who would not hesitate to capture her if they could, to enslave her to the pet trade, a fate nearly as bad as death. We only hoped the infant would quickly reintegrate with her troop, which had departed after the horrible death of the poor mother monkey.
Electrocution by electric utility wires is perhaps the greatest factor in mortality of howler monkeys and other animals in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Photo by Susana de Winne.
While we watched the infant monkey, the unscrupulous people who had gathered knocked down the dead mother monkey from the electric cable. We returned to recover her body and prevent others from selling her or using her body for any other purpose. We lingered while watching her body lying on the sheet where she had fallen. Her tail and two limbs were locked in their contracted positions, an adaptation among these animals to allow them to sleep in trees without falling. There were small burns on her hands and tail, otherwise, she looked a perfect specimen in the prime of her life. No fleas or mites were jumping from her body, no injuries or scars were evident. Her half-opened eyes betrayed her final moments when death stole her away. Her breast was full, vainly awaiting her offspring.
We recovered her body, from which we will conserve her skin and skull for scientific and educational purposes. It is our hope to make Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve safe and prosperous for the wild animals which need its forests and water. Part of what we do, at times, is no more than give witness to what we see.
Life is hard for humans, and even harder for wildlife. Mortality among monkeys is very high, from our casual observations, sometimes from falling from trees, other times from the cruelty of people, and sometimes, electric wires. Our electrical connections in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve need protectors to save wildlife from the risks of electrocution. Too often, arboreal animals are killed by the wires. FUNDECI/GAIA has discussed the issue of electric transmission wires with MARENA and will be seeking solutions to the risks to wildlife by this modern convenience of man. It is the least we owe our wild neighbors. After all, we live in their yard, not vice versa!
Most folks who read this blog don't have monkeys in their yard very often. We didn't, either, until just a couple of years ago. This is sign that the forest habitat in our vicinity has improved dramatically. Howler monkey ranges have expanded, and so have monkey populations. During the year 2012, howler monkeys have been in our property more days than not. Here are some excellent photos taken by students of Apoyo Spanish School recently.
He's looking at you! A male howler monkey watches over the folks at Estacion Biologica. Photo by Summer Bush.
This monkey can make a lot of noise. Photo by Summer Bush.
Ripe fruits such as mangoes attract the howler monkeys to come near to people, but not too near. Photo by Summer Bush.
Sometimes, the monkeys come quite close. Photo by David Rusling.
Until about four years ago, howler monkeys did not come into the trees overhead at Estacion Biologica often. But something happened-the trees on each side of the access roads in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve grew until they linked the land on each side of the road. Howler monkeys never come down from the trees to touch ground, so their movement is limited by the connectivity among trees. The monkeys today enjoy the vastly increased accessible habitat, thanks to the increased connectivity in the reserve.
And we enjoy watching them. Howler monkeys are not particularly fast or agile, but they do swing, hang by their tails, and occasionally, leap from one branch to another. Not only do we watch them: they watch us, too, often with suspicion. The howler monkeys don't like humans much.
Hanging by the tail! Photo by David Rusing.
Howler monkeys eat fruit, when it is ripe, and lots and lots of leaves, especially the finer, newer leaves. They don't need to move fast for any of their diet, but they might need to react against a potential predator such as a cat. It seems that they don't care much for the White-faced capuchin monkeys, either, for we see them in proximity very rarely. Squirrels and most birds, however, do not have any issues with the monkeys.
FUNDECI/GAIA conducts research and conservation actions in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, with the intention to protect the howler monkeys and other wildlife found here. Please consider working with us as a volunteer, researcher, or donor. You can help in many ways.
Among the many environmental threats facing Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, crowding by humans is more than ever the most important. The cities of Granada, Masaya, San Juan de Oriente, Catarina, Diria and Diriomo are all located on its edge. Developers daily push our weak government to get permits to build houses inside the reserve. Cars, electric lines, lights, piers, houses, yards, and people themselves continue to elbow away animal habitat. The thin strip of land ringing around Laguna de Apoyo which protects the lake, also connects forest habitats from Masaya Volcano National Park to Volcano Mombacho Nature Reserve, serves as a key piece of wild nature in southwestern Nicaragua, and is at terrible risk of destruction.
Nonetheless, there are still many wild animals in the reserve. Just this week, Pablo Somarriba and Elmer Nicaragua, staff members of Estacion Biologica, observed a white-tailed deer nearby while performing bird monitoring work just a week ago. The Pale-billed Woodpecker, a glorious bird, close relative of the possibly extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker, More than 220 species of birds are found in the reserve. Nicaragua's wildlife is easily observed here.
Although the most well-conserved forest is found in the southern section of the reserve, the immediate environment of Estacion Biologica contains plenty of wildlife. For instance, a rather large Boa constrictor was found by Spanish students taking an evening nature walk, only 3 meters from the edge of our property! Although one may be terrified of such a large animal, they are not poisonous nor are they aggressive, unless you happen to be a mouse or perhaps a chicken. We got snakes!
Yael observes the Boa constrictor which does not visibly object to handling by Ran, making for a great wildlife photography moment. Boas are common in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, although locals kill them and any other snake on sight. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
This White-tailed Magpie-Jay (Calocitta formosa) chick was rescued and raised at Estacion Biologica. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
Army ants (Eciton sp.) are regular visitors to Estacion Biologica, and they help us keep the house free of pests. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
Howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) come into the yard often, especially to eat mangos! Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
This vesper rat (Nyctomys sumichrasti) skeleton was prepared by Pablo Somarriba and our volunteer Wyatt Reed. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
The vesper rat (Nyctomys sumichrasti) has never before been documented to the west of the Nicaraguan Great Lakes. Staff member Elmer Nicaragua spotted two eating the achiote (Bixa orellana) fruit in his yard, and he handily collected them for us. Their skins were saved for DNA study while the skeleton of one of them was mounted. This finding is very important because no knowledge of the animal in this region exists to date.
Spotted skunks are common and very cute-but don't get too close! Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
The spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis) is not the only skunk found in the area. It is rather easily seen at night, particularly because it can usually be tracked by smell. One can get quite close, however, without risk of being sprayed. They are often found in rocky crevices such as the one found in the above photograph, which was taken on the property of Estacion Biologica.
Yet another fantastic beetle found in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, Nicaragua. Photo Belen Camino.
The Chestnut-capped Warbler is resident in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.
Most warblers found in Nicaragua are migratory, and they reproduce somewhere northward of the country. Several species of the genus Basileuterus, however, are resident, and in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, the Chestnut-capped Warbler (Basileuterus rufifrons) is common. A pair nests almost every year on the edge of our garden at Estacion Biologica, and during the dry season, these birds drink from our wash stand. They are easily found in midlevel forest, moving through thick foliage and on vines. The species is thought to be a species complex, with variations localized throughout its ample range.
These and more fauna are why we appreciate Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, and why we work to keep it wild. We invite your help and good will! You can help by: 1) Studying Spanish with us at Laguna de Apoyo Spanish School. Proceeds from your classes go directly to saving wildlife and their habitats in Nicaragua; 2) volunteering to participate in our wildlife and reforestation projects; 3) donating to us-even small sums are welcome! Just US$25 dollars will fund a day of field work. We accept donations through paypal.
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