Fauna of Puerto Rico: Part 7

Red-Legged Thrush, Turdus plumbeus, Turdidae, Passeriformes

This thrush is a common visitor around the field station, sitting in the parking lot and in the trees. They feed largely on fruit and insects. In many ways, they are comparable to the American Robin (Turdus migartorius) in their demeanor and their habits, as well as their preference for open areas.

Termites, Isoptera

Termites are very abundant in this forest, and seemingly all over the island. A large reason for most of the structures on the island being built of concrete is due to wood-craving termites. Unlike floorboard-dwelling denizens of temperate climes, these termites build their own mounds, often nearby to a rotting tree or stump. They create dirt highways up and down tree trunks and over rocks spreading out from the mound. These mounds can get pretty large (I’ve even seen some I could probably fit inside of) and they are built both on the ground and up in trees. After a few months here, it is possible to sense termites just by smell. A mound smells of methane (natural gas) due to the digestive process used by termites. They themselves cannot digest the tough cellulose in wood, so they have microorganisms in their gut help break it down. This process occurs without and oxygen, and as a result produces methane.

Tarantulas, Theraphosidae, Araneae

There are numerous species of tarantula here on the island. Many live underground or in the leaf litter, but some here in this forest inhabit the trees. One day, while measuring trees, I stumbled upon what seemed like an odd bulge on the trunk of a palm. After poking it, a relatively large, brown tarantula dropped out and scampered off. I came back a few weeks later, to find a small blue baby tarantula in the same spot. I brought it back in my lunch container and later released it, but not after taking pictures. It’s certainly neat that they go through such a great color change from first hatching to being full-grown.