In a new camera trap survey in the world’s most biologically diverse landscape in Bolivia, researchers for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have identified more individual jaguars than ever before.

Using technology first adapted to identify tigers by stripe patterns, WCS conservationists have identified 19 individual jaguars by spot patterns in the rainforests of Bolivia, a record number for a single camera trap survey in the country. The animals were identified from a total of 975 photographs, a record number of images due to the use of digital cameras as opposed to camera traps that use film.

The images come from the Alto Madidi and Alto Heath, a region at the headwaters of the Madidi and Heath Rivers inside Bolivia’s outstanding Madidi National Park. The survey also included Ixiamas Municipal Reserve, created following a previous WCS survey in 2004 along the Madidi River, which revealed a high abundance of jaguars and other species such as white-lipped peccaries, spider monkeys, and giant otters.

“We’re excited about the prospect of using these images to find out more about this elusive cat and its ecological needs,” said WCS Conservationist Dr. Robert Wallace. “The data gleaned from these images provide insights into the lives of individual jaguars and will help us generate a density estimate for the area.”

The study is noteworthy in its use of digital camera traps replacing the traditional film units used in the past. The cameras are strategically placed along pathways in the forest and especially the beaches of rivers and streams for weeks at a time, snapping pictures of animals that cross an infrared beam. Now, researchers returning to the traps can download the images in seconds, rather than waiting days for film to develop. Before embarking on a second field trip to the even more remote Heath River, Bolivian jaguar field biologist Guido Ayala noted that “series of digital images also capture more data than traditional film.”

“The preliminary results of this new expedition underscore the importance of the Madidi landscape to jaguars and other charismatic rainforest species,” said Dr. Julie Kunen, Director of WCS’s Latin America and Caribbean Program. “Understanding the densities and ranging habits of jaguars is an important step in formulating effective management plans for what is arguably the most biodiverse landscape on the planet.”

Madidi National Park is one of the top tourist attractions in Bolivia and is the centrepiece of a continuous chain of six national protected areas in north-western Bolivia and south-eastern Peru, one of the largest such complexes in the world. WCS works to develop local capacity to conserve the landscape from a variety of threats, including the negative environmental impacts from poorly planned development such as road construction, hydroelectric projects, logging, and agricultural expansion. WCS also works to improve local livelihoods through community enterprises.

WCS has worked to protect jaguars for decades and launched the WCS Jaguar Conservation Program in 1999 to assess the needs of jaguars in the wild and to minimize potential conflicts with humans.

When a troop of Mono Titi pass through it is like a band of wild teenagers on a holiday bash. Even Hugh Hefner would be jealous of their sex lives. They’re fun, happy and cute – life is a celebration for them.

The Mono Titi is among the smallest of all primates. Weighing in at only one and a half pounds, not much bigger than a squirrel, they can fit onto the palm of a hand.

Also known as the Peaceful Primates, Mono Titi are endemic to the Manuel Antonio Park in Costa Rica: the birthplace of Eco Tourism. In Manuel Antonio, the monkeys are the stars of the show for the thousands of visitors that come each year.

What makes the Mono Titi unique among the various species of squirrel monkeys is their social behaviours: the primates live in entirely egalitarian troops. Both male and female enjoy equal status in the troop and intermingle freely.

One can draw many parallels between Costa Ricans and the majestic Mono Titi. Costa Ricans embrace the small: the country is among the most minute in Latin America and the people even call themselves Ticos – a Spanish derivative for something very, very small. Like Costa Ricans, the Mono Titi live life to the fullest and have no use for disagreement or anything else that gets in the way of a good time. In a country that abolished its military sixty years ago and that provides universal health care to citizens, could there be a better symbol of Costa Rican life than the Mono Titi?

Sadly, the parallels begin to wear thin with their Tico counterparts. Unfortunately, the fuzzy little creatures are highly endangered: only 1700 remain, despite the influx of eco-tourism.

This bizarre looking monkey is one of the New World monkeys and is found in the western Amazon of Peru and Brazil. It has a short tail and long golden fur, but its most amazing feature is its head, which is not only bald but bright red. The red colouring is not a pigment like that seen in baboons but is in fact a lack of pigment. The Uakari has so little fat under its skin and is so full of capillaries that the blood shows through to make it red-faced.

The colouring is also useful during mating season when it is a sign of health for those seeking partners. All the Uakaris travel in smallish family groups of between 5 to 50 members, but there have been groups as large as 100 in forested habitats close to water. Omnivorous, they will eat insects but prefer to stick to fruit, nuts and seeds.

Although Uakaris are listed as vulnerable, this is actually a better status than it had in 1994 when they were listed as endangered. Habitat destruction is a major problem due to logging as well as hunting. A number of conservation efforts have been made, most notably the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Amazone-Andes Conservation program, which protects seven landscapes in Central and South America.

The Hawksbill sea turtle mainly dines on sponges, and it is the only marine animal who focuses on them as a food source which means it plays an important role in coral ecosystems. However, mangroves are also home to corals, and according to a new report published in Biology Letters and provided by Conservation International, they’re also home to these rare turtles, a fact previously unknown.

“…[N]ew satellite tracking data on female hawksbills from several countries in the eastern Pacific revealed previously undocumented behaviour for adults of the species. In contrast to patterns of habitat use exhibited by their Caribbean and Indo-Pacific counterparts, eastern Pacific hawksbills generally occupied inshore estuaries, wherein they had strong associations with mangrove saltwater forests. The use of inshore habitats and affinities with mangrove saltwater forests presents a previously unknown life-history paradigm for adult hawksbill turtles and suggests a potentially unique evolutionary trajectory for the species.”

Not only does it shed light on important information about the species, but also brings to the forefront yet another vitally important role mangroves play for coastal ecosystems. Yet mangroves are under just as much threat as the sea turtles found living there.

Thanks to the satellite tracking system used on these turtles, as shown in the photo above (post-nesting hawksbill turtle equipped with a satellite tag returning to an estuary in Estero Padre Ramos, Nicaragua), the use of mangroves by sea turtles as places for foraging food has opened up all new possibilities for studying – and saving – these turtles.

“Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are critically endangered and the majority of hawksbill habitat use and movement research to date has been centred in the Wider Caribbean and Indo-Pacific regions…As recently as 2007, hawksbills were considered functionally extirpated in the eastern Pacific Ocean, based on scarce reports of their presence and the sparse coral reef distribution in the region…This study represents the first initiative to track individuals from this remnant hawksbill population and describes novel habitat use that will inform regional conservation efforts.”

Indeed, conservation efforts are required, and fast. Sea turtles are under enormous threat as they’re caught as bycatch in fisheries, and lose their habitats to overfishing, pollution, and other human encroachment – including poaching and rampant sea turtle egg collection. Now add to that the significant loss of mangroves not only in Hawksbill territory but around the world. Without immediate conservation efforts to preserve the mangrove and coral habitats and prevent loss from fishing and egg poaching, there isn’t much hope for this iconic marine animal.

Conservation International is hosting Sea Turtle September, where you can learn more about this and other studies, information about specific species, and help save sea turtles.

Ever since the 1993 BBC Natural History series ‘The Trails of Life’ aired footage of magnificent orcas launching themselves onto the beaches of Patagonia in an attempt to catch the young seal and sea lion pups; this wildlife spectacle has become one of the top destinations on most whale watchers and wildlife photographers wish lists.

Every year for a few short weeks the resident orca population of Punta Norte on the Peninsula Valdes take advantage of the young seal and sea lion pups as they rush into the shallows and attack the pups in the surf. The sight of hunting orcas beaching themselves in search of pups is a stunning spectacle and a must see for any wildlife watching enthusiast. This unique hunting style makes Punta Norte just about the most exciting whale watching destination in the world.

The BBC and National Geographic have beautiful footage of this natural phenomenon, but you’ve got to see it and photograph it for yourself. Be warned though, it is extremely difficult to do. You have to be there when the resident pod of orcas start to hunt the southern sea lion and southern elephant seal pups as they take the water for the first time. The exact time that this begins changes every year but without a shadow of a doubt the month of March is where the hunting reaches a peak. Plan you visit very carefully.

Even at night, some bees are still out there, watching you with their dark vision. Three genera of Central American bees – Megalopta, Megaloptidia, and Megommation – eschew the sunshine, colorful flora (and predatory birds), and prowl instead for the few flowers that bloom in the moonlight. Researchers in Panama caught thousands of these bees, trapping them on a bedsheet hung over a bright lamp, and collected their DNA. By comparing their genetic sequence to that of 15-million to 20-million-year-old bees encased in amber found in the Dominican Republic, they tracked how a gene for a protein in the eye called an opsin, which detects different wavelengths of light, has changed over the millennia. Just a few small spelling differences in the genetic code for that opsin made it better at detecting contrast than color, allowing these bees to morph from sunlit flower-flitters to buzz-by-night foragers 22 million years ago, the researchers report today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. But one genus of bees, a modern relative of Megalopta called Xenochlora, came back to the light 7.6 million years ago; maybe it was afraid of the dark.

Borne aloft on brightly coloured wings, the monarch butterfly completes a marvellous feat of endurance each year, migrating thousands of miles to spend the winter in California and Mexico.

The monarch butterfly is found throughout North and South America wherever the milkweed plant grows. The monarch larvae feed on various types of milkweed, which thrives in open spaces, as well as beside roads, along woodland edges, on empty lots, and in overgrazed pastures. Monarchs will thrive wherever milkweed grows.

Despite its paper-thin wings, the monarch butterfly is a powerful flyer with uncanny endurance. It is best known for its annual migration, sometimes as far as 3,000 miles, through North America to California and Mexico. Monarch butterflies that breed in temperate parts of North America migrate so that their eggs and caterpillars will not be killed by prolonged winter frost. For this reason, the autumn Monarch broods are more likely to migrate than those that are hatched during the warm spring weather. Millions of monarch butterflies from western North America head for a small number of sites scattered along the coast of California. Hundreds of millions of butterflies from the eastern part of the continent head south to Michoacán, in central Mexico.

If you want to see the crowded winter roosts of the monarch butterfly you should visit the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, which was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 2008. The Reserve protects eight areas of wintering habitat of the monarch butterfly in the oyamel fir forests of central Mexico. Visiting the monarch butterfly reserves offers the visitor a chance to witness a wonder of nature. Being surrounded by millions of fluttering butterflies and seeing them carpeting the forest floor and weighing down the branches of the trees is truly a remarkable experience.

The Monarch butterfly reserves of Michoacán are open daily from mid-November through March, from 9am to 6pm. January and February are popular months to visit, because the Monarch population is at a peak at this time. If you do go during that time period, it is best to avoid weekends, which can get crowded.

There is a yearly one-week long cultural festival, the Festival Cultural de la Mariposa Monarca, that takes place at the end of February / beginning of March, and this is a very popular time to visit. If you’re planning to visit on a weekend or during the week of the festival, be aware that hotels in Angangueo (130km west of Mexico City) may fill up – so make your hotel reservations in advance.

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the world’s largest rodent. According to Animal Planet, it’s South America’s “super-rodent,” not surprising as adult capybaras can weigh up to 65 kg (140 lb), and measure about four feet in length, about the same as a medium-sized dog. The scientific name, ‘Hydrochaeris,’ is a Greek word meaning ‘water pig.’ But its resemblance to a pig ends there. Its narrow face results from the placement of its eyes, ears and nostrils at the top of the head. This arrangement allows it to rest in the water with most of its body underwater – a useful adaptation to avoiding predators. Remaining in the water also helps the animal keep an even temperature, presumably preserving energy that would otherwise be needed to regulate body temperature. The capybara’s body resembles a giant guinea pig, lacking a tail, with raised, wide hindquarters and narrow shoulders. Capybaras have reddish-brown fur on the upper part of their body that turns yellowish-brown underneath. Like all rodents, the capybara sports a large pair of front teeth. These give it a rather goofy appearance when it opens its mouth.

Capybaras are semi-aquatic mammals and can survive completely underwater for up to five minutes. In addition to the eyes and ears being set high on the head, the adaptation to an aquatic lifestyle is continued by its feet, which are webbed between the toes. Capybaras are found wild in much of South America (including Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Uruguay, Peru, and Paraguay) in densely forested areas near bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, swamps, ponds and marshes, as well as flooded savannah and along rivers in tropical forest. They roam in home ranges of 25–50 acres (10–20 ha). Being relatively social, the capybara roams around in family groups of six or more, reaching herd sizes of several dozen in open grassland.

Capybaras are herbivores, grazing mainly on grasses and aquatic plants, as well as fruit and tree bark. An adult capybara will eat 6 to 8 pounds (2.7 to 3.6 kg) of grasses per day. Its sharp incisors (front teeth) are especially adept at cropping off grass at ground level. In areas where it has been hunted, the capybara feeds primarily at night, but its natural habit is to feed mostly during the day. This lifestyle occupies a similar niche to that of the African hippopotamus, although the capybara is much smaller.

Capybaras have a high reproductive rate. Males have a gland on the nose that provides a scent with which they mark territories to attract females and deter competing males. Mating takes place in the water and after a gestation period about 130–150 days, the female gives birth (on land) to one to eight young (average is four). Within a week the young can eat grass, but will continue to suckle from any female in the group until weaned at about 16 weeks. The rainy season from April to May marks the peak breeding season. Young are born ready to move, with their eyes open and fully covered with fur.

Capybaras can have a life span of 8-10 years in the wild but average a life less than four years as they are a favourite food of jaguar, puma, ocelot, eagle and caiman. The capybara is the preferred prey of the anaconda.

Capybara are not on the IUCN list and therefore not considered a threatened species through most of their South American ranges; however, habitat destruction comprising deforestation or draining their wetland habitats, and hunting for their meat and pelts has reduced their numbers in some areas. Capybaras are also killed by humans who see their grazing as competition for livestock. In some areas Capybaras are farmed, which has the effect of ensuring that the wetland habitats are protected. Their survival is aided by their ability to breed rapidly.

Margays are among the most beautiful and mysterious of the spotted cats. A largely arboreal species, they are midway in size between the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and the oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus). Their soft, plush coat is brownish yellow through tan, with black spots, stripes and blotches arranged in longitudinal rows, and is longer than that of the other spotted cats. The centre of each spot, or rosette, is slightly paler, but still darker than the ground colour of the fur. The belly, chest, throat, chin, and insides of the legs are a snowy white. On the margay, as on the ocelot, the fur turns forward in the nape region, and the hairs on the neck are directed towards the crown. They have two dark cheek stripes on each side of the face. Their tail, as in many arboreal mammals, is very long, as much as 70% of the body length, and marked with broad rings, and a black tip. The backs of the large, rounded ears are black with a white central spot. Their eyes are enormous and dark brown.

As a mainly tree dwelling animal, margays are restricted to forest habitat, and have been found in humid tropical evergreen and deciduous forests, montane and cloud forests, wet, swampy savannas and occasionally coffee and cocoa plantations with large trees. Mexico is the northernmost limit of their distribution, ranging down through Central and South America to northern Argentina. A field study carried out in Belize found daytime resting areas were in trees seven to ten metres above the ground, and the home range of the male was about 11 square km. A Brazilian radio telemetry study, maintained over 18 months, found home ranges to be 16 square km. Much of their range is shared with the ocelot, who take larger and more ground dwelling prey species.

Margays are the wizards of the tree tops, and are beautifully adapted to their arboreal habitat. One unique characteristic allows them to move and hunt more effectively in the trees. Their broad, soft feet and mobile toes allow them to hang from tree limbs by one hind foot, and flexible ankles can rotate the foot 180 degrees outward. They are exceedingly quick, and even during a fall they can grab hold of a branch with one hind paw and climb up again. Their exceptionally long, heavy tail aids in balancing while moving from tree to tree. In some areas, margays hunt, sleep, and even have their young in trees. When they do descend the trees, they walk slowly head first down the trunk, unlike most cats who rush down or descend hind feet first. Captive cats have been seen jumping nearly six metres straight in the air and nine metres horizontally.

They are primarily nocturnal, as indicated by their huge eyes, and their prey items consist of small, tree dwelling rodents, opossums, squirrels, sloths, monkeys, porcupines, birds, insects, and occasionally fruit. Very little is known of their social system in the wild.

After a gestation period of approximately 76 – 85 days, a single kitten, (rarely two), is born once a year. Birth weight is 84 – 170 grams, and their eyes open at about two weeks of age. The young are darker than the adults, and have uniformly dark spots and dark grey paws. Weaning takes place at around two months, and sexual maturity is reached at about two years. They have been known to live to 20 years of age in captivity.

The captive outlook for margays is bleak, as it is with all the small spotted cats. In addition to their low numbers in breeding programs, these shy, secretive cats do not breed well in zoos, and there is almost a 50% infant mortality rate.

Very little is known of the margay’s status and abundance across its range. Until trade restrictions in the late 1980′s, the margay was one of the four most heavily exploited cats for the fur trade. Illegal hunting for domestic markets or the underground fur trade continues to be a problem in some areas. In 1991, it was found that the margay was the most common pelt in the southern Mexico skin trade, despite its protected status. However, deforestation is now the primary threat to their reduced populations.

Another reason for the low numbers of this species is their specialist nature. Their density is greatest in the moist tropical forest. When these forests are destroyed, margays are unable to adjust to the newly disturbed habitat, as they are fairly intolerant of human disturbance. They are also unwilling to cross cleared areas, thus restricting them to small patches of forest, where inbreeding is likely.

The combination of over-hunting for fur, capture for the pet trade and massive deforestation has virtually decimated wild populations of this beautiful little cat. They have never been common, and are rarer in general than the ocelot, both in the wild and in captivity. In the north of its range it is now almost extinct and it is listed in CITES Appendix 1 as an endangered species.

Pygmy marmosets are one of the smallest primates, and the smallest true monkey, with its body length ranging from 11 to 15 centimetres not including the tail, which is 17-22cm in length. Males weigh around 140 grams, and females only 120 grams. They are native to the rainforest canopies of western Brazil, south-eastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia.

They are active and agile creatures, running, jumping, and occasionally leaping among trees and shrubs. These little monkeys move quadrupedally through the trees in an upright position. Their forelimbs are shorter than their hind limbs and they often feed while clinging upright to a trunk or branch with their sharp claws. They have claws on all digits except the big toe, which has a flat nail.

Their cryptic coloration and small size, along with movements that include squirrel-like dashes, sloth-like oozing over tree trunks and abrupt and frozen stillness can make them quite difficult for predators to see.

Pygmy marmosets are gumophores, which means that they gouge holes in trees and feed primarily on tree sap or gum. They also eat insects, small lizards, spiders, and some fruits. In fact, 67 percent of their feeding time is spent eating tree exudates or preparing new food sources by gnawing tree trunks or large branches, from which they will later collect sap.

Pygmy marmosets live in groups of about six members, which includes a monogamous male and female and the offspring of up to four litters. Sometimes there are two males, but one is dominant to the other and restricts access to the female. They are diurnal and arboreal, and are capable of jumping vertically up to 5m.

They communicate using scent markings and calling (high bird-like sounds). They also communicate with members of their groups through facial expressions and posture. In addition to the high-pitched whistles and twitters, pygmy marmosets also produce an ultrasonic cry expressing hostility that is inaudible to humans.

Pygmy marmosets are currently not endangered. However, they are listed as special concern or somewhat threatened. Because of their size, mobility and coloration, it is almost impossible to count the pygmy marmosets living in the South American forests. A real and constant threat to these small monkeys is the pet trade.