Post by Drew Keam

An absolutely amazing trip to Costa Rica La selva biological research station! Thank you so much to everyone at the station, our lecturers and my colleagues for making this an absolutely amazing trip. This experience allowed us to develop our skills and knowledge, and come face to face with some of the worlds rarest and most elusive species. La selva is a non profit organization founded in 1965. It was formed by a consortium of around 50 institutions from Latin America, USA and South Africa. The land was acquired in 1954 by Dr. Leslie Holdrige who dedicated the property to experimenting with mixed plantations. By 1968 the land was designated as a biological station and private reserve. Within the reserve there are: - 2,077 plant species - 3,000 moth species - 500 ants - 47 fish species - 87 reptile species - 57 snakes - 7 venomous snakes - 483 bird species - 125 mammals - 72 bats - 5 wild cats During our time at the station we carried out a number of skills and activities to develop our knowledge. Including: - Health and safety in the rainforest - Species identification - Camera traps and important notes - Plant ID and taxonomy - Bat ID and taxonomy - Tree height measuring - Group research on poison dart frogs - Night walks - Insect orders - Guided walks - Eptimilogy and mammal taxidermy talk Thank you again to everyone who made this trip possible!

Video Content