Basilisks, a mystery bird, and an anteater in action.

The pond with the caiman...

Another picture of the caiman, just for fun.

and the turtles...

(In case you didn't believe that there were lots of turtles...some were out
sunning themselves today.)

also has lizards. I didn't get to see them yesterday because they had gotten scared off (for a reason...just wait), but I saw them today. Here's one in the middle of the pond.

Lizard in the middle of the pond.

How did it get there? You might think it swam, but no, it ran there. Across the water. Young basilisks can apparently capable of running over 10 meters across the water, while adults can only run a few meters as they are larger and heavier. Still, it's pretty impressive, and they're water-running abilities have earned them the name "Jesus Christ Lizard." If you startle them from just the right direction you can get them to skitter across the water out of reach.

The Basilisk Lizard (Basiliscus basiliscus), also known as the
"Jesus Christ Lizard."

At the same pond there was a cool waterbird with iridescent blue feathers and large feet. Ioana and I tried to identify it but it didn't look like anything in her book of Panamanian birds. It looks a little like a Gallinule, but its beak is yellow, not red. It might be a non-native bird passing through on a migration. If anyone has any suggestions as to what it might be, they'd be appreciated!

Our mystery bird.

The big excitement of the day happened just as I was finished up my last observation site. A fellow student, Max--who had just walked by and asked if I had seen anything interesting on the trial--came over and said "Want to see an anteater?" It was a Northern Tamandua, or lesser anteater (Tamandua mexicana). Apparently he had watched it climb a liana (a woody vine) into a tree and start eating an ant nest. It was still feasting when I arrived.

Anteater high up in a tree and feasting on ants.

Examining the situation.

Finishing the meal.