In Laos, the one herp that I wanted to see most was Laotriton laoensis. Endemic, enigmatic, evolutionary unique and absolutely gorgeous - this salamander has been on my bucket list for a long time. I vividly remember my amazement when I saw the species description in 2002, as well as seeing Laotriton in captivity for the first time (illegal collection remains a threat to this species). Seeing them in the wild was fantastic. We saw about 40 individuals during the two days we spent camping in their habitat. Several were (partially) blind; perhaps due to territorial disputes or wrestling with crabs. Didn't seem to bother them much, though. These guys are highly aquatic stream salamanders, very clumsy on land, exhibiting behaviour that reminded me of Europe's Calotriton. With @herpinglaos .
#sonya7ivr #fieldherping #herpingtheglobe #herpsofinstagram #salamandersofinstagram #laotriton #laotritonlaoensis #xaisomboun
I'm a sucker for weird, evolutionary distinct salamander lineages, so Nyctanolis pernix is up there on my ultimate bucket list. In 2019, we found a baby Nyctanolis in Chiapas, which was already very cool... but of course, I wanted to see a larger one. Luckily, we found one of these 'night anoles' during our first night near Uspantán. They run, jump, actively follow your camera lens with their head, and are clearly adapted to life in extremely wet, old-growth cloud forest. These guys were first discovered at the same site as Bradytriton and Bolitoglossa jacksoni - imagine stumbling into that!
#sonya7ivr #fieldherping #herpingtheglobe #herpsofinstagram #salamandersofinstagram #nyctanolis #guatemala #cuchumatanes #uspantan
Now, it's about time for Oedipina carablanca. This was the highlight of the trip for me. I know that when it comes to Costa Rica, many herpers think of iconic species like the oropel, red-eyed tree frogs, poison dart frogs - but there is so much more to see there. I'm a sucker for the lesser known, secretive species, especially salamanders, and seeing Oedipina carablanca was a major goal this trip. Only a handful of these salamanders have ever been found. Interestingly, recent observations suggest that they tolerate and perhaps even benefit from disturbed, secondary habitats to a certain degree. Maybe that is also why herpetologist Edward H. Taylor didn't find any while searching extensively for Oedipina's in primary forest south of Guapiles during the late '40s, where he found many O. gracilis, and collected the type series of O. cyclocauda. In any case, it's a fascinating species, and was a privilege to see in the wild - I went nuts when I found it. Thanks @centromanu_cr and @kenneth_m_g for an amazing three days!
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#sonya7ii #macrophotography #naturelovers #naturelover #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #fieldherping #herpingtheglobe #herpsofinstagram #amphibiansofinstagram #amphibian #salamander #oedipina #oedipinacarablanca #tlaconete #salamandra #costarica #guapiles
Among Madagascar's Mantella, this Mantella baroni is one of the more common, wide-ranging species. It's absolutely gorgeous though. We found this guy in Ranomafana thanks to our guide Théophile.
#herpingtheglobe #ranomafana #mantella #mantellabaroni #madagascar
Different photo style for once - while walking through Madagascar's Ranomafana park, we spotted a group of lemurs jumping from tree to tree which turned out to be critically endangered golden bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur aureus). These guys are restricted to Ranomafana and Andringitra, and almost exclusively feed on grasses, especially bamboo. It was amazing to observe this individual for several minutes, chomping away on a piece of bamboo.
#ranomafana #bamboolemur #madagascar #Hapalemuraureus #lemur
What a gem this was. This is Platypelis tuberifera, a frog that spends most of its life hidden in Madagascar's Pandanus palms. You occasionally hear them call, but you rarely get to see them up close. I was quite amazed when we managed to get a proper look at this guy - the flat snout, orange to yellow colour gradient and black toes surely make for a very weird frog. Found in Ranomafana, thanks to our excellent guide Théophile.
#sonya7ivr #fieldherping #herpingtheglobe #platypelistuberifera #ranomafana
A Madagascar classic, but oh so cool to see in the wild - Uroplatus phantasticus. This 'satanic leaf-tailed gecko' (what a name) is not really rare, but somewhat difficult to spot - so you won't come across dozens every night. This individual had a particularly nice tail.
#sonya7ivr #fieldherping #ranomafana #herpsofinstagram #uroplatus
The start of our trip to Madagascar coincided with landfall of cyclone Gezani. We were off-grid in the highlands when it passed us, unaware of the damage it caused further north. A stormy night was followed by a rainy morning - which might have helped to locate our first major target, Mantella cowanii. These frogs have declined massively due to overexploitation and habitat destruction, nowadays only surviving in tiny, isolated populations. What a privilege to see this critically endangered frog in the wild.
#sonya7ivr #fieldherping #herpingtheglobe #herpsofinstagram #mantellacowanii
Madagascar 2026. What a trip. Few tourists travel to this country during the rainy/cyclone season in February - but rain brings the frogs out, of course! We visited a mix of well-known localities for iconic species, and did an expedition or two to locate seldom-seen taxa. Luck was definitely on our side, as managed to do everything as planned by Philip despite narrowly escaping cyclone Gezani at the start of our trip, and barely getting down the Andringitra mountains after another storm made a slippery mess of the dirt roads. This adventure was one for the books. More post coming up in the next weeks. With @vive.earth , @bobby_bok_herpsafari , and Laura.
1) Calumma parsonii 'yellow lip', Ranomafana
2) Twin waterfalls at Andringitra
3) Not a leaf, Ranomafana
4) Team Imarivolanitra
5) Sifaka, Zombitse
6) We did it! Isalo
7) Baobab (Adansonia za), Zombitse
8) Team Cyclone cowanii, Ambositra
#sonya7ivr #fieldherping #herpingtheglobe #herpsofinstagram #madagascar
Last Guatemala post for now, this is Bolitoglossa lincolni - these guys are stunners. They were pretty common in the last area we visited in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, where we saw close to thirty individuals in a single night. Bolitoglossa helmrichi and B. xibalba were active there as well, so the total number of neotropical salamanders that we observed in that night was exceptionally high. It was really cool to see a bunch of these lincolni's climbing through the vegetation at night.
#sonya7ivr #fieldherping #bolitoglossalincolni #guatemala #cuchumatanes
Bolitoglossa helmrichi just reaches the south-eastern limit of Guatemala's Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. This individual was photographed during the day, when they're somewhat drab-coloured - at night, they are much lighter, with their dorsum turning bright orange and flanks turning light grey.
#sonya7ivr #fieldherping #herpingtheglobe #herpsofinstagram #salamandersofinstagram #bolitoglossahelmrichi #guatemala #cuchumatanes #uspantan
These umbrellas in the forest canopy aren't palms - those are tree ferns. After visiting Yal Unin Yul Witz, we moved to another reserve in the vicinity of Uspantán, which was located at slightly higher elevation. The cloud forest there was amazing, with some of the largest tree ferns I've ever seen. We'd soon find out that there were also many, many salamanders hiding there…
#sonya7ivr #djimini2 #fieldherping #herpingtheglobe #guatemala #cuchumatanes #uspantan #fundaeco
