Back to snailing...

Though I had no particular desire to work with snails, it seems that they are the most feasible system for my project. I am interested in parasite-induced behavioral changes in hosts. Particularly, I plan on tracking host movement and comparing that of infected to uninfected individuals. While this could be studied in monkeys, birds, crocs, fish, crabs, and many other organisms, snails seemed the most feasible for several reasons. First of all, there is a site nearby where the snails have a high prevalence of parasites. I spent my morning there collecting snails. I only found 25 live ones (and lots of empty shells), but it's a start. In addition, the snails are small, making it easy to video (or take timed interval pictures of) several at once. Also, I know something about the parasites in snails already since we've been talking about them in class.

While I was snail-collecting this morning I noticed several lesser kiskedee (Pitangus lictor) flitting about, including one with a nest.

On the walk back to the schoolhouse I saw three large ships in one small section of the canal at the same time. It was quite impressive for two reasons. First, the maneuvering of such massive ships was masterful. Second, it was a powerful visualization of the truly global nature of shipping, with each of the ships coming from an entirely different region: Singapore, London, and the United Arab Emirates. 

All three ships. Also a black vulture in the foreground.

Chaperoned by their tugboats.