Day 22 - The Day Carsen Pet the Poisonous Viper

After a late night of Guil beating everyone at ping-pong, XJ claiming to be the best at pool, and Sam celebrating the last minutes of his birthday in the ball pit, the group was ready (with dry shoes) for round two of Ilha do Cardoso. Forty minutes and some dolphins later we deboarded our boat and landed on the island. Malu led our group, along with our trusted guides, quickly through the sandy and lowland forests that we explored yesterday, into the sub-mountain forest to do some ecology.



A few kilometers into the hike, our guide whispered us to stop. The language barrier had us confused and so we waited patiently for our instructors to translate what we predicted to be a huge snake ahead (we were wrong). Slowly we started walking and came across some recently cut palmito trees, a protected species in Brazil. We learned that the illegal harvesting of these trees was still being done, despite the cultivation of its commercial variety (a species similar to the palmito). While our first instinct was to blame the local poachers, we soon realized that they were not completely at fault. The real blame lies on the people who create a market for the product - the people who demand the product and the middlemen and retailers who sell the products. As we made our way through the trail passing by some cut up stumps, our expert guide with super human vision had spotted and diverted us from not just one, but two poisonous snakes (Don't worry Carsen's parents, she didn't actually pet the snake). Finally, after what seemed like kilometers in the order of at least 10, we stopped by the river to eat lunch and do some activities.

First up was geology. We examined the rocks in and around the river bed to decipher its composition. We decided that there were 2 types of rocks, the dominant one being granite and the other one basalt. We observed that all the big boulders in the river were made of granite, which after a short debate, we concluded were feltspar rich, giving it its opaque quality, compared to quartz, which would have made it more transparent. Ali discovered a large quartz crystal which indicated the presence of quartz veins in the rocks. The piece of basalt that we found probably came from a basalt dike, from the same basalt eruptions 135 mya that we have previously talked about. Undeterred by our growling stomachs, Guil continued to talk about what he loves the most, rocks. But as Jen and the tour guides were sneaking bites of food in the back, Malu suggested that we all stop to eat. Some lucky members of the group brought their own PB&J sandwiches, thanks to a rare find at a grocery store the night before. And the others were saved from their regular ham and cheese (or only cheese) sandwiches by the hot sauce that Grant smuggled into the forest.

After lunch, we got into pairs to do an ecology activity and had our plots inspected for snakes before we started. Having conducted diversity plots and transects over the past few days, our group of pro-ecologists collected the data quickly. Once Malu tabulated everyone’s data, we learned that the sub-mountain forest was younger than the lowland forest as it had a higher frequency of trees less than 5 cm in diameter. On contemplating the geomorphological profile, we noted that the shallower soil in the slopey sub-mountain forest prevented trees from growing too big too fast, compared to the deep and nutrient-rich soils in the lowland forests. The transects we did in the sub-mountain forest had one additional measure - the cut down palmito trees, which ranged in diameter from 10 to 20 cm, just the right size for the heart of palmito to be profitable. We also found that the density of palmito seedlings in the sub-mountain and lowland forest was similar, providing some hope for palmito regeneration despite its illegal harvesting.

With the excitement of seeing some of the much talked about white lipped peccaries, we wrapped up the activity and followed Malu to the peccary traps. While some described the traps as surprisingly primitive, others disagreed. The large fenced traps were baited with corn to attract the peccaries. The traps have been shown to be effective at catching peccaries safely and effectively – with a record high of 8 individuals being caught with the same trap at a different site. Peccaries can grow up to 90 pounds, which means the trap would have to be sturdy enough to stop the individuals from breaking out. To prevent the animals from digging their way out, the poles are dug deep into the soil. We also learned about the importance of the soil around the trap to its success, as the muddy clay soil serves as a perfect wallowing grounds for the peccaries who love to roll in it.

Though the highest point of our hike was at a mere 160 m above sea level, though we crossed only maybe 3 rivers (the first taking Avarna’s left foot, the second taking Carsen’s right foot, and the third taking both of Sam’s feet), and passed only 2 poisonous snakes, the total distance we walked was 13 km!!! With sore feet we got to the beach to find 2 dolphins waiting for us 20 m away from the shore. It was a mother teaching her child how to catch fish, as the guide explained to us. It was the perfect end to a long day.

Avarnito and Benjinia