First impressions of Laguna del Tigre National Park

My first evening at the tranquil Estación Biológica las Guacamayas got off to a great start! No more than 10 minutes into my first night walk and we find a coral snake disappearing into a pile of sticks at the side of the trail.

The behaviour of coral snakes can be unpredictable at best and as I could not see where the head was, I took the decision to let the snake be, a bite from one of these diminutive snakes can be life threatening.

I would not attempt to catch one of these for no reason, but no-one has surveyed reptiles and amphibians here before and this snake could be one of two very similar species that can only be told apart by looking closely at the markings. Still, it is not worth risking a bite, best to let it go.

A little later we come across another great reptile, seen above in the photograph. This time a gecko endemic to the region known as the Yucatán banded gecko (Coleonyx elegans). Not bad for an hour’s walk!

Indigo Archives: First Published on 26 August 2012