12 Interesting Facts about Sea Stars

1.  Sea Stars Are Not Fish - Although sea stars live underwater and are commonly called "starfish," they are not true fish. They do not have gills, scales, or fins like fish do. Sea stars also move quite differently from fish. While fish propel themselves with their tails, sea stars have tiny tube feet to help them move along.  Because they are not classified as fish, scientists prefer to call starfish "sea stars."

2.  There Are Thousands of Sea Star Species - There are about 2,000 species of sea stars. Some live in the intertidal zone, while others live in the deep water of the ocean. While many species live in tropical areas, sea stars can also be found in cold areas—even the polar regions.

3.  Sea Stars Are Echinoderms  - Sea stars belong to the phylum Echinodermata. That means they are related to sand dollars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sea lilies. Many sea stars have five-point radial symmetry because their body has five sections. This means that they do not have an obvious left and right half, only a top side and a bottom side. Echinoderms also usually have spines, which are less pronounced in sea stars than they are in other organisms, such as sea urchins.

4.  Sea Stars Can Regenerate Arms - Amazingly, sea stars can regenerate lost arms, which is useful if the sea star is injured by a predator. It can lose an arm, escape, and grow a new arm later. Sea stars house most of their vital organs in their arms. This means that some species can even regenerate an entirely new sea star from just one arm and a portion of the star's central disc.  It won't happen too quickly, though. It takes about a year for an arm to grow back.

5.  Not All Sea Stars Have Five Arms - While many people are most familiar with the five-armed species of sea stars, not all sea stars have just five arms. Some species have many more, such as the sun star, which can have up to 40 arms. 

6.  Sea Stars Do Not Have Blood - Instead of blood, sea stars have a circulatory system made up primarily of sea water. Seawater is pumped into the animal's water vascular system through its sieve plate. This is a sort of trap door called a madreporite, which is often visible as a light-colored spot on the top of the starfish.
From the madreporite, the sea water moves into the sea star's tube feet, causing the arm to extend. Muscles within the tube feet are used to retract the limb.

7.  Sea Stars Are Protected by Armor - Depending on the species, a sea star's skin may feel leathery or slightly prickly. Sea stars have a tough covering on their upper side, which is made up of plates of calcium carbonate with tiny spines on their surface. A sea star's spines are used for protection from predators, which include birds, fish, and sea otters. One very spiny sea star is the aptly named crown-of-thorns starfish.

8.  Sea Stars Have Eyes - Many people are surprised to learn that starfish have eyes.  It's true. The eyes are there—just not in the place you would expect. Sea stars have an eye spot at the end of each arm. This means that a five-armed sea star has five eyes, while the 40-armed sun star has 40 eyes.  Each sea star eye is very simple and looks like a red spot. It doesn't see much detail but it can sense light and dark, which is just enough for the environments the animals live in.

9.  Sea Stars Move Using - Their Tube Feet Sea stars move using hundreds of tube feet, which are located on their underside. The tube feet are filled with sea water, which the sea star brings in through the madreporite on its top side. Sea stars can move quicker than you might expect. If you get a chance, visit a tide pool or aquarium and take a moment to watch a sea star moving around. It is one of the most amazing sights in the ocean.  Tube feet also help the sea star hold its prey, including clams and mussels.

10.  All True Starfish Are in the Class Asteroidea - Starfish belong to the animal class Asteroidea.  These echinoderms all have several arms arranged around a central disk. Asteroidea is the classification for "true stars." These animals are in a separate class from brittle stars and basket stars, which have a more defined separation between their arms and their central disk.

11.  Sea Stars Have Two Ways to Reproduce - Male and female sea stars are hard to tell apart because they look identical. While many animal species reproduce using only one method, sea stars are a little different. Sea stars can reproduce sexually. They do this by releasing sperm and eggs (called gametes) into the water. The sperm fertilizes the gametes and produces swimming larvae, which eventually settle on the ocean floor, growing into adult sea stars. Sea stars can also reproduce asexually through regeneration, which is what happens when the animals lose an arm.

12.  Sea Stars Eat With Their Stomachs - Inside-Out Sea stars prey on bivalves like mussels and clams, as well as small fish, snails, and barnacles. If you've ever tried to pry the shell of a clam or mussel open, you know how difficult it is. However, sea stars have a unique way of eating these creatures. A sea star's mouth is on its underside. When it catches its food, the sea star will wrap its arms around the animal's shell and pull it open just slightly. Then it does something amazing. The sea star pushes its stomach through its mouth and into the bivalve's shell. It then digests the animal and slides its stomach back into its own body.  This unique feeding mechanism allows the sea star to eat larger prey than it would otherwise be able to fit into its tiny mouth.

Here's an Interesting Fact about Starfish or Sea Stars - They ave hundreds of tiny projections known as tube feet on the underside of their body. The starfish actually has two stomachs. The cardiac stomach eats the food outside the starfish's body. When the cardiac stomach comes back into the body, the food in it is transferred to the pyloric stomach.

25 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CROCODILES

1.  Crocodiles can reach (5) feet (1.5 meters) in length in just one year.

2.  During mating season, crocodiles display increased aggression. 

3.  An adult crocodile has 64 teeth that are meant to grasp and crush, not chew. They swallow stones that grind food inside their stomachs, and also act as ballast.

4.  Their infant mortality rate is very high.  95% of crocodile offspring are eaten in the first year after birth, by other predators.

5.  Crocodile skin is considered one of the finest and is treasured for its durability and softness.  It's a sign of status in tribal societies.

6.  Some tribes worship the crocodile.  This is true of the tribe in New Guinea (where they cut themselves to look like the skin of a crocodile), and it's true of the ancient Mayan people of Belize. 

7.  They are the biggest reptiles on earth.  Saltwater crocodiles are the biggest reptiles in the world.  They can grow up to 20 feet in length and can weigh more than a ton.

8.  There is also a species called "Dwarf Crocodiles".  The smallest crocodile is the dwarf crocodile (measuring 4.9 to 6.2 feet) in length. 

9.  Crocodiles live all over the globe, except for Europe.

10. Crocodiles are closely related to dinosaurs and birds.  

11.  Crocodiles really do produce tears.  This is because, while they are eating, they swallow too much air, which gets in touch with their lachrymal glands (the glands that produce tears) and forces tears to flow.  But it's not actually crying, and crocodiles do not weep when they eat their prey. 

12.  Crocodiles can keep their jaw open under water.  This because there is a valve at the back of their throats, allowing them to open their jaw underwater.

13.  They have an average lifespan of 30-40 years, but in the case of large species, they can live on an average of 60-70 years.

14.  Their ancestors were much bigger.  While this is true, crocodiles are very closely related to dinosaurs.   The prehistoric crocodiles were much bigger than today's counterpart.

15. Saltwater crocodiles have the strongest bite.  A saltwater crocodile can slam his jaw shut using 3,700 pounds per square inch of pressure.  To give you a comparison, a lion can bite with the force of 1,314.7 pounds per square inch of pressure.  Despite this enormous bite force, their muscles to open the jaw are extremely small and weak, that is why a human can use their hands to keep a crocodile's mouth closed. 

16.  Crocodiles have good night vision.  Their night vision is very good and they are mostly nocturnal hunters. 

17.  The crocodile heart is very sophisticated.  Of all animals in the animal kingdom, the crocodiles has the most sophisticated heart.  It can actively change the destination of blood that flows through it depending on requirements.

18.  Crocodiles carry their hatchlings in their mouth.  Crocodiles carry their babies to the water in their mouth.  Baby crocodiles can make noises from inside their eggs before they hatch.  The mother can hear their voices, then digs up the eggs from the sand, and takes the hatchings to the water.

19.  They can find their home from long distances.  Crocodiles may possess a homing instinct.  Crocodiles when tracked in Australia, were relocated, but returned to their original locations within three weeks (information obtained from tracking devices attached to each one).

20.  They are good swimmers.   Their top speed swimming is 15 mph.

21. Their feet are webbed.  Crocodiles have webbed feet which, which they do not use for swimming.  They tuck their feet to the side while swimming and use the power of their tails, which allows them to make fast turns and sudden moves in the water.

22. They are cold-blooded.  Like other reptiles, crocodiles are cold-blooded.  So, they have a very slow metabolism, which allows them to survive long periods without food.  They can survive many months on a single large meal.

23.  They cannot sweat.   Crocodiles do not have sweat glands and release heat through their mouths.  They often sleep with their mouths open.

24.  Crocodiles don’t chew their food. Many large crocodilians swallow stones, which may act as ballast to balance their bodies or assist in crushing food, similar to grit ingested by birds.

25. Crocodiles are amphibious.  They are amphibious reptiles, spending part of their time in water and part of their time on land.  Although the saltwater crocodile and the American crocodile are able to swim out to sea, no living species of crocodilian can be considered truly marine.

Common misconceptions about crocodiles - Here are some misconceptions about crocodiles:

• Contrary to the common myth, crocodile skin is not bulletproof.
• You can not outrun a crocodile.  They can run as fast as a racehorse.  This is not true.  A racehorse can run faster than 40 mph with a record top speed of 43.97 mph.  Crocs cannot get anywhere near that fast on land. Their maximum speed is 12 mph (19 km/h) on land, and for a very short distance.
• Egyptian plover, also known as the “crocodile bird” does not clean crocodile’s teeth. No bird clean crocodile teeth. This is a pure myth. The photos showing Egyptian plover cleaning crocodile teeth are fake.
• Neither crocodiles nor alligators eat their babies (no crocodilian does that).  If you see a crocodile with hatchlings in its mouth, it's because they are taking their babies to the water. 
• Crocodiles are not dumb. While the brain of a crocodilian is fairly small, it is capable of greater learning, more than most reptiles.  They have the ability to remember details and facts about their surroundings.

If you enjoy reading about Belize history, then at some point you'll be reading about Blackbeard the pirate. 
His name was actually Edward Thatch, Jr. (or Edward Teach), an Englishman born in Gloucestershire, England on or about 1680.  He died on November 22, 1718 in battle.  He was known for being one of the most notorious & famous pirates of all time.  He controlled the Caribbean (to include Belize) during the years of 1716-1718.

Little is known about his early years.  It is very possible, as a young man, he was a passenger (a sailor) working on a slave ship with Captain Benjamin Hornigold  (who also later became a pirate).  The two of them joined forces and Hornigold, placed Edward Thatch in command.  The two of them engaged in numerous acts of piracy together.  Pirates (in those days) habitually used fictitious surnames while engaging in piracy, so as not to tarnish the family name back home.  This is why we will most likely never know his real name.  After Hornigold retired, it is most likely that Thatch took his place. 

In time, he became a renowned pirate, with the nickname "Blackbeard".  This nickname was given him due to his thick black beard and fearsome appearance.  He usually wore (6 to 8) guns strapped to his chest.  He wore his beard in braids (or pigtails) twisting each braid with a ribbon at the end.  He was accustomed to putting fuses (slow burning matches) in his braids and lighting them on fire.  They would give off a lingering smoke, that gave the pirate a fearsome appearance, meant to terrify his enemies.  In battle, this intimidation was very successful, as his enemies were terrified of him. 

Blackbeard was not a particularly successful pirate in terms of treasure plundered, nor was he the fierce rouge he is made out to be.  During his short time in history (less than two years), he rarely used violence.  His motto was, a damaged ship is a useless vessel.  An undamaged ship, is a useful vessel.  So to minimize the lost due to fighting and gunfire, the pirates sought to overwhelm their victims (not with violence), but by building fear.  He allowed some of his captives to escape, to further the stories of terror. 

In March of 1718, while taking on water at Turneffe Island (off the eastern coast of Belize), he spotted a Jamaican logwood cutting ship named, "The Adventurer".  The ship was captured and the captain (David Heriott), was invited to join their piracy (which he accepted). 

By the autumn of 1717, Blackbeard had established himself as the head of a small fleet.  On November 28 of that same year, two of pirates came across the La Concorde (a 200 ton French slave ship with 16 cannons).  After claiming the ship as his own, he equipped the ship with 40 cannons (20 on each side), becoming the most feared pirate at sea.  The French vessel (La Concorde), was on its third slave trading expedition across the Atlantic with hundreds of Africans on board when it was captured by Blackbeard.  Thatch seized the La Concorde, and renamed it "Queen Anne's Revenge".   It remained Blackbeard's primary ship until June of 1718, when it was ship wrecked on a sandbar near Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. 

Later during the fall of 1717, Blackbeard and his crew claimed many other ships.  In fact fifteen (15) ships alone were captured off the coast of New York (USA) in the fall of 1717.  Blackbeard died in battle on November 22, 1718. It is believed that he was between 35 to 40 years old at the time of death.

Blackbeard was not the most successful pirate ever to sail the seven seas, several other pirates were far more successful than Blackbeard.  It is his reputation, which made him notorious and famous.  Despite his fearsome reputation, there is no account of him ever murdering or harming anyone he held captive.  In fact, most of his captives later  became loyal pirates under his command.  

Researchers have recently discovered (in 1996) what seems to be the wrecked remains of Blackbeard's mighty "Queen Anne's Revenge" off the coast of North Carolina (USA).  The discovery has lead to yielding many treasures from that ship, such as:  cannons, anchors, musket, barrels, pipe stems, navigational instruments, gold flakes and nuggets, pewter dishware, a broken drinking glass and part of a sword. 

Today movie producers and fictional script writers, tend to glamorize the life of pirates.  But the reality is, life as a pirate was very hard.  You were a fugitive, constantly on the run (having to look over your shoulder), and watch your own back.  Pirates often lived without some of the basic necessities (running water, hot meals, proper shelter).  There were often fights and misunderstandings among them.  Many died of sickness, scurvy and dysentery, because they could not get proper medical attention.  Pirates were criminals, who stole from the rich to pad their pockets, for selfish gain.  Yes, piracy is part of our history, but pirates are hardly role models we want to imitate.

Fact #1:  Rainforests only cover about 2 percent the total surface area of the Earth, but really about 50 percent of the plants and animals on the earth live in the rainforest.

Fact #2:  Rainforests are the forests which receive high amount of rainfall.

Fact #3: Rainforests can be found in many countries, not just in Central & South America.

Fact #4:  Rainforests are found on all of the different continents, except for Antarctica because it is far too cold there for the environment to be conducive.

Fact #5:  Rainforests can be separated into two different types of rainforests (temperate & tropical). Tropical rainforests are the ones that are most commonly found around the world.

Fact #6:  Rainforests help to regulate the temperatures & weather patterns around the world. 

Fact #7:  Rainforests help to provide us with fresh water.  About a fifth of our fresh water can be found in the Amazon Rainforest Basin to be exact.

Fact #8:  Rainforests help to maintain our supply of drinking water and fresh water, so they are critical in the sustainability of the earth.

Fact #9:  Rainforests provide about 1/4 of the natural medicines we as humans use.

Fact #10: Rainforests provide a diversity of plant and animal life.  In fact, within just four square miles of tropical rainforest, you will find 1,500 flowering plant species, 750 types of trees, and many of these plants can be helpful in combating cancer.

Fact #11:  Rainforests provide about 70% of the plants used for treating cancer.  Plants that can only be found in rainforests.

Fact #12:  Rainforests provide over 2,000 types of plants, used to help aide in cancer treatment because they have anti cancer properties.

Fact #13: The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the world.

Fact #14:  Less than one percent of the species of plants in the tropical rainforests have actually been analyzed to determine their value in the world of medicine.

Fact #15: Rainforests are threatened each and every day, by practices agriculture, ranching, logging and mining.

Fact #16:  Rainforests make up about 6 million square miles on earth's surface, now due to deforestation, there is less than of this still found in the world.

Fact #17:  If the rainforests continue to decline in the way that they have been, then about 5-10 percent of the species living inside them, will go extinct every ten years.

Fact #18:  Rainforests are found in about 90% of the worlds underdeveloped countries around the world.

Fact #19:  Rainforests are cut down somewhere in the world every second. In fact, we will probably lose over 80,000 football fields worth of rainforest each and every day.

Fact #20: Rainforests are home to many different types of animals.  Most of them cannot live anywhere else, because they depend on the environment of the rainforest in order to survive.

Fact #21: Rainforests help about 90% (or 1.2 billion) people living in poverty worldwide, to meet their basic daily needs.

Fact #22:  Most of the oxygen supplied in the world, comes from rainforests, even though they are miles away.

Fact #23: Rainforest average temperatures, range between 70 and 85° F.

Fact #24: Rainforests provide us with timber, coffee, cocoa and many medicinal products, to name a few.

Fact #25: Rainforests are constantly being destroyed by multinational logging companies, land owners and developers to make way for more real estate investments.

Fact #26:  Rainforests are so dense with trees, that it takes about 10 minutes for the rainfall to reach the ground from the canopy.

Fact #27:  Rainforests found in Australian, provide 80% of the flowers not found anywhere else in the world.

Fact #28:  Rainforests are lost at a rate of 56,000 square miles each year.

Fact #29:  Rainforest Insects make up the majority of living creatures found within a rainforest. 

Fact #30: Rainforests remaining on the earth, are estimated at about 2.6 million square miles.

Fact #31: Rainforests that are destroyed each day, are equivalent to 86,400 football fields per day, which is equal to 31 million football fields of rainforest each year.

Fact #32: Rainforests provide habitats for a variety of animals, to include:  snakes, frogs, birds, insects, cougars, chameleons, turtles, jaguars and many more.

Fact #33:  Rainforest species are being depletion, at the current rate of 5–10% ever decade.

Fact #34: About 57% of rainforests are in developing countries.

Fact #35:  Rainforests provide about 70% of the plants identified by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (used in the treatment of cancer), can only be found in rainforests.

You can see why it's so important to preserve our world's rainforests.  You can see how much these rainforests impact the lives of everyone (on this planet), even if you don't live near a rainforest. 

There are hundreds of other interesting facts about rainforests, though not mentioned above.  If you haven't taken the time to educate yourself on rainforests, why not do so now.  All it takes, is everyone doing their part, and the world can change.  By doing your part, you are setting an excellent example for others to follow.

Here are some interesting facts specifically about the Belize Rainforest:

FACT #1 - The Belizean Rainforest is huge! More than half of mainland Belize is covered in rainforest.

FACT #2 - The Belize National Flower.  There are hundreds of different kinds of trees in the rainforest but also fragile, beautiful flowers like orchids. Did you know that the Black Orchid is the national flower of Belize, and it grows in the Belizean rainforest?

FACT #3 - Thousands of Caves.  The Belize rainforest is also where you’ll find thousands of caves.  Today you can rappel into some of these caves, explore them, see ancient pottery, ceremonial sites, and the remains of skeletons. 

FACT #4 - Biggest Waterfalls in Central America. The Belize rainforest is also where you will find some of the biggest waterfalls in all of Central America.  Thousand Foot Falls, being one of them in the Mayan Mountains.

FACT #5 - Mayan Ruins & Lost Cities. The Belize rainforest is also where you'll find many (yet to be discovered), lost cities of the Mayan people.  Belize has numerous Mayan sites, where you can see buildings of past civilizations.  The ancient Maya people built enormous pyramids, vast palaces, and strange carved stones called stelae right in the middle of the Belize rainforest. There are still many lost cities yet to be found in the Belizean rainforest.  Satellite images have revealed many of their locations, lost cities just waiting to be discovered. 

FACT #6 - Tours & Excursions.  Most of the tours & excursions offered in Belize, can be found in the Belizean rainforest.  These rainforest adventures, are what attract thousands upon thousands of visitors each year - to this tiny little country in Central America (that I call home). 

The Inland Blue Hole National Park, is located just off the Hummingbird Highway, 12 miles south of the capital city of Belmopan. It’s literally a 15 minute hike from the parking lot to the (Blue) sinkhole making it very accessible and a popular stop for tours in the area. As you walk down the fairly steep trail towards the sinkhole the first thing you notice is the bright sapphire blue colors piercing through the green foliage. Beams of sunlight penetrate the thick jungle canopy above and reflect off the glass-like surface of the water.

This is the Inland Blue Hole, for which the national park is named. It should not be confused with the Great Blue Hole on Lighthouse Reef Atoll which is popular with divers. The sinkhole was formed by the collapse of an underground limestone cave. The pool itself lays at the bottom of a large depression in the jungle; from ground level it drops around 100 feet to the surface of the water, after which the water depth drops 25 feet into a an underground cave system.

Fed by a tributary of the Cave Branch River, the underground spring water is cold, crystal clear and invigoratingly refreshing! There is a wide shallow sandy area where you can swim and relax surrounded by shear rock walls, hanging vines and lush jungle.

The Blue Hole National Park covers 575 acres of lush jungle to explore. Approximately 200 bird species have been recorded making if popular for bird watching. Wild cats which have been spotted in the park include the Jaguar, Ocelot and Jaguarundi. Other wildlife sightings include the Baird’s Tapir and the Nine-Banded Armadillo.  In addition to the Inland Blue Hole, the park also has nature trails and 2 cave systems: Saint Herman’s Cave and Crystal Cave (also called Mountain Cow Cave).

St. Herman Cave - The Herman Cave at Blue Hole National Park has unique geological features that can be found within 575 acres of forest rich with wildlife. The main attractions in this park, namely the St. Herman’s Cave and the Blue Hole, are connected by an underground stream. Visitors can walk 200 yards into the cave entrance unguided or can hire a guide to traverse the cave completely, seeing beautiful speleothems and Mayan artifacts. After a guided tour through St. Herman’s Cave, you can float peacefully back to the entrance of the cave on an inner tube.

The Blue Hole is a cool and refreshing place for an afternoon swim. It was formed by the collapse of an underground limestone cave. In this case, the river running through the original cavern still flows through the cave system, and forms a sapphire-colored pool at the bottom of the cenote. The depression measures about 100 feet deep and 300 feet in diameter, with the actual Blue Hole at the depression’s base having a depth of about 25 feet.

The park has 2 entrances off of the Hummingbird Highway. Just 2 miles north of the Inland Blue Hole entrance you’ll find the main entrance to the park that has the Visitor’s Center, camp site, observation tower and trails to Saint Herman’s Cave and Crystal Cave. The Dusky Ant Bird Trail leads your through the jungle from the visitor’s center to the Inland Blue Hole. The park is so accessible that it’s often combined with day tours to the Belize Zoo or cave tubing on the Caves Branch River System.

360 degree view from the observatory tower at the Blue Hole National Park.

St. Herman Cave is located in the Blue Hole National Park (aka Mountain Cow Cave).  The Government of Belize acquired a part of the site back in the 1960's.  Then in the 1970's, they purchased the remaining portion of the land.  In was declared the Blue Hole National Park on November 23, 1986.

In 1988 funds were raised to construct a wall to prevent erosion around the concrete staircase and a trail way, and a visitor's center was opened on May 8, 1996.

To avoid confusion with the Blue Hole (at sea), the parks name was changed in 2005 to Herman's Cave Blue Hole National Park.

Getting There:  Herman's Cave is located 12 miles southeast of Belmopan on the ride side of the Hummingbird Highway.  The park has (2) entrances with parking.  At the Herman Cave entrance, you will find a picnic area, visitor center, gift shop and trail heads.  The second entrance provides easy access to the Blue Hole, a picnic area, restrooms, changing rooms, as well as other trails to the national park.

The St. Herman Cave has unique geological features and can be found within 575 acres of forest.  The main attraction to the park are the Herman Cave and the Blue Hole, which are connected by an underground stream.

The original cavern still flows through the cave system, and forms a sapphire colored pool at the bottom of the cenote.  The depression measures 100 feet deep and 300 feet in diameter.  The actual Blue Hole (inland), has a depth of 25 feet.

What to Bring:  Sunglasses, sunscreen, towel, swimsuit, waterproof camera, loose comfortable clothing, hat, change of clothes, bug spray-repellent, no jewelry, water shoes, water & water bottle.

Recommendations:
*  Not handicapped accessible.
*  DO NOT bring jewelry.
*  Not recommended for pregnant women.
*  Not recommended for persons who suffer from heart or respiratory problems.
*  Not recommended for persons who have back or neck problems.
*  Not recommended for persons who have just recently had surgery.

Caves were used by the ancient Maya for performing many of their spiritual rituals.  Caves were considered (by the Mayan's), to be the home of gods and the entrance to the every mysterious underworld.  The underworld was called "Xibalba" and its literal translation from the Mayan language is "the place of fear".

Belize's landmass is covered in limestone rock (and for this reason), Belize has one of the largest and most extensive cave systems in all of Central America.  When visiting Belize, here are ten (10) caves you may want to take some time to explore.

If you're looking for the trill of adventure, the Black Hole cave drop is for you.  The total descent is about 300 fee deep.  Starting with the first 10 feet (this gives you an unforgettable rush), into the next 200 feet.  The final 100 feel will take you through the canopy of the Belizean rainforest.  This experience is definitely not for those seeking an average vacation.  You will need some ladder climbing, hiking and some rock climbing skills to get in and out of this cave.  By the time you're done with this experience, the rush you experienced will last a long time.  This is the cave you will be telling you're friends about, and is definitely worthy of being on your bucket list.

This is one of the most popular caves to explore by foreigners in the entire country.  This cave has over 1,400 Mayan artifacts, that you will never experience elsewhere.  There are even the remains of 14 skeletons.  One in particular (is the skeleton remains of a 13 year old female), referred to as the "Crystal Maiden".  This is because her remains are covered in calcium carbonate, when light hits the calcium carbonate, it sparkles in the lamp light, giving the illusion of a crystal maiden.   To get to this cave, will require a 45 minute hike, where you will cross 3 streams.  If you're looking for one of the top caves to experience - this will be the one, you will want to write home about.

This ceremonial cave can only be experienced and explored with the help of a licensed tour guide in a canoe.  This is about a half day adventure, well worth the sweat.  The canoe will glide along the river and you enter the cave and leisurely float through it's passages.  The interior chambers will remind you of cathedral ceilings with wide roomy passages.  Barton Creek Cave was noted as being on the list for being one of the 9 most unusual and beautiful caves in the world.  This is a beautiful cave to explore, seated in a canoe. 

The most notable feature of this cave is its massive mouth, and it is the largest cave you will come across in Belize.  The Rio Frio Cave is located in the Mountain Pine Ridge.  The entrance arch is spectacular and in the rainy season, you may get to experience the river than runs through the paths of the cave.  As regards physical fitness, this tour is not all that strenuous or difficult.  You will want to be sure and bring a flashlight with you, to experience the cave in it's entirety. 

There are about three (3) caves, that make up the Cave Branch Cave System.  They are: (1) Petroglyph Cave    (2) Waterfall Cave   (3) Footprint Cave.  The names of the caves have been taken from the objects you find on the walls inside.  There are embedded footprints on the walls inside the Footprint Cave, about six waterfalls (about 20 feet in height) inside the Waterfall Cave, and Mayan ancient rock drawings (from 300 to 900 A.D.), in the Petroglyph Cave.  This humongous cave system has been formed by the Cave Branch River that goes through these caves.

At Herman’s Blue Hole National Park there are unique geological features that can be found within 575 acres of forest rich with wildlife. The main attractions in this park, namely the St. Herman’s Cave and the Blue Hole, are connected by an underground stream. Visitors can walk 200 yards into the cave entrance unguided or can hire a guide to traverse the cave completely, seeing beautiful speleothems and Mayan artifacts. After a guided tour through St. Herman’s Cave, you can float peacefully back to the entrance of the cave on an inner tube.

The Blue Hole is a cool and refreshing place for an afternoon swim. It was formed by the collapse of an underground limestone cave. In this case, the river running through the original cavern still flows through the cave system, and forms a sapphire-colored pool at the bottom of the cenote. The depression measures about 100 feet deep and 300 feet in diameter, with the actual Blue Hole at the depression’s base having a depth of about 25 feet.

The Actun Che Chem Ha cave is located 16 miles from San Ignacio in the rolling hills of the Cayo District of Western Belize.  Located on private land, the cave is accessed by a 45-minute descent, and short incline through the rainforest in the upper Macal River Valley.  After approximately 1.5 hours in the cave, we hike further down in the river valley to a small farm house, where our host family serves us lunch with a beautiful view over the Macal River.

The Che Chem Ha Cave entrance is a small hole which leads to the main tunnel (200m long), this tunnel connects to a large chamber which then connects many other small chambers high up within the cave. This cave contains many ancient Mayan atifcats so it is heavily protected to ensure the preservation of these items.

This cave was discovered by a local farmer.  Within its chambers are many artifacts and artwork, for this reason it a favorite of many archeologists.  The chamber walls are lined with "ollas" or storage jars, and you can reach the high chambers through ladders inside the cave.  You can only explore this cave with a licensed tour guide, as the government monitors and guards this cave very well to stop the looting of artifacts.

So the story goes...........many years ago, a cub of a jaguar was chased into the cave's mouth by a local dog.  Thus the cave came to be known as the "Tiger Cave".  Because it is located so close to San Miguel Village, it is also sometimes called the San Miguel Cave. 

It is recommended that you get a licensed guide for exploring this cave properly.  The remnants of the farming practices of the ancient Maya can be witnessed in their full glory in this cave.  The entrance is immense and vaulted, as you find yourself staring at 500 feet high ceiling, and interior chambers with dripping stalactite (that resemble Roman fountains), and pure mineral deposits that look like pots of white gold.  Large gaping holes in the ceiling of the cave soon give way to shafts of sunlight that reveal an amazing sight.Smooth, rain-washed indentations on the cave’s limestone floor and large numbers of broken pottery shards scattered on a ledge become visible as you travel onward into the cave. No streams or creeks run through the entrance chamber, although, deeper into the cave, you will have to cross water.

Also known by its English name "Blue Creek Cave", Hobkeb Ha Cave is located near the Maya village of Blue Creek in southern Belize (in the Toledo district). Despite its somewhat remote location, Hokeb Ha is a popular destination thanks to its outstanding gorgeous natural scenery that includes a waterfall. 

This cave is about a 20 minute hike from the village. Hike a well marked, sometimes cemented path along the creek, until a clearing appears.  Pass through the research station in the clearing finding the wide trail on the other side.  Follow this trail, bearing toward the stream on your left till you meet a wide dry creek filled with white stones.  After crossing the dry creek, the trail may become vague, but continue along the creek heading upstream along the base of increasingly steep limestone fliccs.  In a few minutes, a 10 foot waterfall and the main cave entrance appears.

Long vines hand from the sheer rock wall above the cave mouth.  The huge cave entrance is carved from the summit of a hill where the Blue Creek gurgles up from underground.  The creek runs out of the entrance of the cave cascading over limestone boulders, under the towering shadows of the surrounding rainforest.  Archaeologists have found many Late Classic cermaic and an altar inside the cave, leading them to theorize that the Hokeb Ha cave was used specifically for ceremonial purposes.

Actun Chapat Cave is one of the best caves in Belize to explore! Inside this massive cave system are crystalized cave formations, flying and crawling cave critters, and a beautiful cenote, also known as the skylight. Actun Chapat is one of the best caving experiences in Belize! Similar to some of Belize’s famous caves such as Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave and Crystal Cave, Actun Chapat Cave holds secrets to ancient Maya rituals and sacrifices through the pottery and skeletal remains inside the cave.  The name “Actun Chapat” means “Centipede Cave;” and if you can make the connection, the cave is littered with centipedes inside. Don’t worry, they won’t bite.

Once we got inside the cave, we were met with grand crystalized rock formations, many broken pottery pieces, and, of course, centipedes!  Interestingly, each pottery piece is said to have been brought in by ancient Maya priests to conduct rituals and sacrifices for their deities. After the rituals were performed, they were then broken to release its spirit. Many of the pieces in this cave date back to as early as 1800 A.D. - so fascinating!

Exploring Actun Chapat, we entered into one of the largest chambers I have ever seen! The cave ceilings were really high, and inside was rather hollow with little formations and rocks. What made the experience even better was turning off your headlamps and hearing your voices echo inside the cavern. 

The sinkhole is caused by the process of carbonic acid softening of the minerals inside the limestone mountains, which later collapses. The carbonic acid comes from water that had accumulated on top of the mountains.  Making it to the skylight was definitely worth all the climbing and crawling! We wanted to capture this moment with as many pictures possible.

How to get to Actun Chapat? Getting to Actun Chapat takes a total of roughly 1 hour and 35 minutes from San Ignacio Town. This includes the time to get from San Ignacio to San Jose Succotz Village (15 minutes), the drive on Waterhole Road (1 hour), and the hike from Cave World Adventures to the cave entrance (20 minutes). Getting to Actun Chapat from Belize City would take 3 hours and 35 minutes.

Take with you a good quality hiking shoes, a pair of swim shoes, comfortable cotton clothing, bug repellent, sunscreen lotion, and your camera.  The equipment, is typically provided by the guide:  life vests, flashlights, headlamps, gloves, helmet and dry pack.

What to Bring:  Sunglasses, sunscreen, towel, swimsuit, waterproof camera, loose comfortable clothing, hat, change of clothes, bug spray-repellent, no jewelry, water shoes, water & water bottle.

Recommendations:
*  Not handicapped accessible.
*  DO NOT bring jewelry.
*  Not recommended for pregnant women.
*  Not recommended for persons who suffer from heart or respiratory problems.
*  Not recommended for persons who have back or neck problems.
*  Not recommended for persons who have just recently had surgery.

MANATEE IN BELIZE
You may not think that the manatee, is something you would encounter on your walk in the jungle, but if your jungle walk follows the sea, then you may very well encounter manatees playing in the rivers and estuaries.

The manatee, cruises the coastal waters from Florida to northern Brazil.  It moves along at a leisurely pace, browsing for food, walking the bottom on its oar-like flippers while uprooting sea grasses, or galumphing through the shallows searching for floating plant life.  Every four or five minutes its snout must emerge to take in a deep breath and at most, it will average six miles per hour, not allowing for resting or for horsing around.

The manatee's closest living relative is the elephant.  Males are called bulls and the females are called cows. 

Manatee make random squeaks and chirps white submerged, with no real sense of rhythm.  Only between mother and child do their sounds appear to be communicative.

Manatee can tip the scales between 400 and 1,300 lbs., all of it pudgy, and they have no neck whatsoever.  The tail is fat like a spatula, the muzzle folds over the mouth, and the skin is gray or brown, covered with fine wrinkles and short, upigmented hairs.

The manatee have special appeal for us humans.  It is gentle and shy, and is near-sighted.  It is rarely aggressive - only the bumping of bulls in competition for the attention of a female and often playful, including quite a bit of indiscriminate kissing.  When it becomes accustomed to the company of human beings, the manatee will include these creatures in its games.

Manatees group and regroup.  The only long-term association they make is between cow and calf, which lasts up to two years; the youngster suckles underwater, from teats beneath the mother's flippers.  Manatees breed throughout the year.  Gestation takes up to 400 days, can you believe it!  The average lifespan is not known, although it is recorded that one manatee in captivity lived to the age of twenty-three.

Manatees are strict vegetarians, and in return are not a food source for other animals - except man.  They have been hunted for their hides, their oil, and their flesh.  Here in Belize it is widely and mistakenly held that as meat it has special properties, and that it includes a variety of flavors.  Also, the bones are used for jewelry making.  However, through the Belize Zoo's nationwide educational campaign, it is hoped that the continued illegal killing of this endangered species will soon cease.

An even greater danger to the manatee's survival is involuntary slaughter by the propeller blades of motor boats.  Although its hearing is abnormally sensitive, and in an emergency it is able to gear up to 15 m.p.h., still the manatee does not seem to recognize the sound of impeding doom.  Other threats to its life are cold snaps, and the careless use of herbicides.

And just for the record, the water hyacinth, is the manatee's favorite food!

Belize's national animal (or mammal), is the Baird's tapir.  Locally known as the "mountain cow".  They are forest dwellers, active mostly at night as they forage along river banks and forest clearings.  They feed on grasses, aquatic vegetation, leaves, buds, and fruits of the low-growing shrubs. They sometime run afoul of man when they cause damage to corn fields and other crops.

Despite its adaptability, the tapir is high on the list of the world's endangered species.  Only in Belize does this shy creature still feel really at home.  The tapir is the largest of all land animals indigenous to Central America.  An adult weighs up to 650 lbs., its bulky body upholstered in a skin measuring between one to three centimeters thick.  Still this behemoth is able to sneak quietly away on its tiptoes, or to run off boisterously on its short little legs - as fast as a man!

Speaking of feet, these are specially designed for walking through mud holes, splaying out for maximum foothold in the muck and bunching up for easy extraction.

The tapir has a long, flexible upper lip, which it uses for foraging and for shoveling food into its mouth.  Its teeth include heavy-duty molars for crunching leaves and twigs and for crushing seed casements which require as much as 500 lbs of pressure!  Another way it deals with seeds is to swallow them whole and then digest them so slowly that they germinate in the process.  Fruits and vegetables are also enjoyed; the belief held by some in Belize that these herbivores will attack cattle is totally unfounded.

Although it eyesight is deficient, the tapir's hearing and sense of smell are acute.

Tapirs do not tend to congregate and they usually forage - day and or night - alone.  A single offspring is born, ill-disguised as a fawn:  brown, with white stripes and spots, which it does not lose until it is about half a year old.  It will stay with its mother for another half year, by which time it will have accumulated a formidable bulk of its own.

They are usualy non-aggressive, avoiding confrontation by taking off in the other direction.  In captivity they can be friendly and affectionate, as is April, the Belize Zoo's beloved tapir; every year, April's birthday is celebrated at the zoo by the children of Belie who bring her gifts of carrots and bananas.

Tapirs are usually solitary except when mothers have young. they range over large territories and are excellent swimmers spending a fair amount of time in forest rivers. They are also agile climbers, crashing up steep hillsides and river banks with apparent ease. When surprised, tapirs generally head for water, but will sometimes stamp their feet loudly and sometimes whistle.

The Bairds Tapir ranges from Southern Mexico to Northern Columbia and are endangered throughout their range. The main threats to the tapir survival is hunting and deforestation.

Belize is home to one of the largest New World monkeys, the spider monkey.  The rainforests of Central America, Mexico and South America are where these playful primates spend most of their time.

They get their name from their ability to stretch out like a spider in the canopy of the forest, high up in the tree tops.  They are easily recognized with their long limbs and unique tail that is longer than their body.  The tail is used as a fifth limb for support and swinging in the trees, but also provides an advantage to the monkeys by allowing them to hang from their tails and grasp hard to reach fruit.  Both males and females have a black coat with patches of white, long limbs, and a tail that is just as long as the body, with males being slightly bigger than females.

If they ever decide to get down to serious business, these monkeys are able to travel at amazingly high speeds, using the style known as brachiating.  Brachiating is the progressive from one hold (branch or vine) to another by alternate hand grips, including the tail, which is able to support the monkey's full weight.  One long stride can cover up to 40 feet.

Monkey Communities - Spider monkeys are very social creatures, usually living in intricate communities of two to three dozen individuals which break off into smaller groups to sleep and forage. These communities are overseen by a single matriarch that keeps the group on a feeding and sleeping schedule as well as deciding who can be a part of the community. Populations of spider monkeys can get very loud as they communicate with one another, while some in the group sleep, others keep watch and signal with a loud barking if threatened or disturbed.

Where  Do They Live? -  Spider monkey's live in the rainforest canopy.  Spider monkeys have an important relationship with the forest, the canopy provides protective cover for the primates from aerial predators, such as large birds, and a hiding place from other predators like jaguars and pumas.  Small groups of these monkeys travel long distances throughout the trees looking for food, using their long limbs to snag hard to reach fruit and leaves.  They require a continuous canopy to thrive, using it to travel, sleep, and as a source of food. For this reason, human deforestation has been a critical challenge in the success of these primates in Central America.

Tending to stay in the tops of the trees, they rarely coming down from the canopy, and feed over a large range of the forest. These primates tend to avoid contact with humans when they can, and have been known to leave areas that have been disturbed by humans. You can tell when a spider monkey is defending its territory by the loud barking and other vocalizations they make when they feel disturbed or threatened.

Diet & Rainforest Ecosystem - Their active lifestyle requires a huge diet and spider monkeys spend most of their time eating, which is great for the rainforest!  Here's why......Spider monkeys have special digestive systems that allow them to eat fruit whole, this helps them eat quickly so they can keep moving.  As they travel further, they spread the seeds through defecation, thus contributing to the diversity of the rainforest ecosystem. Spider monkeys depend on the rainforest for their home, food, and communities, while the forest, in turn depends on them for seed dispersal.

They can be quarrelsome &  fastidious fruit eaters, only about 20% of their diet consist of leaves, which they take from the uppermost branches.  Their long tails are also used to eat, either by hanging in suspension or picking up food. As a result, they can consume large amounts of foods in little time. Their diet consists of fruits and seeds and the occasional leaves, flowers and decaying wood but they also eat insects and bird eggs on rare occasions.

Offspring - The newborn spider monkey spends its first three months in the constant company of its mother, initially carried close to the chest, but very shortly it soon begins to ride on her back.  It continues to suckle for about a year, although it starts to forage for leaves and fruit, at around 3 months of age.

Gestation Period - The gestation period for spider monkeys is 225 days, with only one offspring born at a time.  As there are two or three years between pregnancies, the population is very slow to recover from any sort poaching, or sport killing.  As in the case of the yellow fever epidemic of the 50's, which killed off a large proportion of Belizean spider monkeys. 

At the Belize Zoo, the spider monkey exhibit has always been a popular stop for Zoo visitors. The playful primates that live in the trees enjoy showing off their acrobatics for their spectators. The Yucatan Spider Monkey that calls Belize home is an endangered species, which makes any successful birth even more significant and welcomed!

The Yucatan Spider Monkeys have black hair that is bristly and often matted. They also have a tan colour around their eyes, whiskers, chin and head area. Although males and females look similar, the female Spider Monkeys tend to be a little bigger in size but weigh less; their average weight is 19 pounds.

Populations took a steep drop in the 1950’s due to a strain of yellow fever, but, today, their major threats are deforestation and the pet trade. Fruits make up a big part of the spider monkey diet, which makes them important seed dispersers. Their population decline directly impacts the productivity of our forests.In the wild, spider monkeys live in large social groups. The father has no direct parenting role, but protects the group’s territory from intruders.

The Zoo is grateful to have a small troop of monkeys in an environment where Belizeans can come and observe them from a safe distance, and learn so much about their behavior, ecology, and threats.  However, a strong message is also reinforced at the monkey exhibits. “Monkey business is bad business!,” the signs boldly state. As fascinating as they may be, having monkeys as pets is NOT an option. Apart from being illegal in Belize, the pet trade only works to destroy an already endangered population. A mother monkey would never abandon its young, so you can be sure the cute baby being sold just is an unfortunate orphan whose mother was killed.

• Monkeys are part of the primate family. Humans are too.
  
• There are two species of primate in Belize, the black howler monkey and the Yucatan spider monkey.
• Both types of monkey live mostly in trees and are rarely seen coming down from the trees onto the ground.
• Both the black howler monkey and spider monkey have special tails that act as an extra, 5th limb so they can grasp and hold onto things.On the tip of their tails is a pad, which is almost as sensitive as a human fingertip.This means that the tail is very sensitive to anything it touches.It even has its own unique finger print.
• Black Howler Monkeys and Yucatan Spider Monkeys are considered endangered.
• The main threats to monkeys in Belize are habitat destruction, hunting and the illegal pet trade.
• It is illegal in Belize to hunt monkeys as well as keep them as pets in Belize.
• Because monkeys are so similar to people, some people think that they are cute pets.In fact they make very bad pets for just that reason.Because they are so similar to humans it is very easy to catch diseases and parasites from them.Of course, we can also give them our own diseases.It is important to know that when monkeys are about 2 years old they go through puberty, just like teenage humans.This is when they can become aggressive and very dangerous.And of course, because they are so smart, they get bored very easily and are extremely destructive.
• Black howler monkeys and Yucatan spider monkeys are some of the largest monkeys in the Americas.

 
BLACK HOWLER MONKEY FACTS

• Black howler monkeys live in small groups with about six monkeys in each group.
• They mainly eat leaves but if they can find it, they will eat fruit too.
• They usually move around on all four limbs and not on two like humans.
• Black howler monkeys have a specially adapted bone in their throat which allows them to make the very loud calls, which they are known for.
• Black howler monkeys live in the wild until they are around 16 years old.
• Female black howler monkeys cannot reproduce until they are about 5 years old.They are pregnant for 6 months before they give birth.Their babies depend on them for everything for the first 10 months of their lives.Black howler monkeys only reproduce every 2-3 years, so once their populations start to decline it is very hard for them to get their numbers back.

 
YUCATAN SPIDER MONKEY FACTS

• Spider monkeys live in large groups with about 20 monkeys in each group. During the day, they will split up into smaller groups to look for food. These groups are split into males and females.The female spider monkeys like to spend time in the day with other female monkeys and the same with the males.In the evening they will all get back together to sleep.

• Spider monkeys mainly eat fruit.When they can’t find fruit, they will eat leaves, flowers, buds and insects.
• Spider monkeys travel by swinging from limb to limb in trees.Because of this their hands have become very unusual as they have no thumbs.If they walk in the trees, they use all four limbs.Though they rarely come to the ground, if they do, they walk upright on two legs, just like people
• Spider monkeys have approximately 10 different calls which they use for communicating with other group members.
• Spider monkeys are one of the smartest of all monkeys.
• Spider monkeys can only survive in a forest that has not been disturbed by humans. When a forest is destroyed, it can take many years before the monkeys will return.
• Female spider monkeys cannot reproduce until they are around 7 years old. They are pregnant for 8 months before they give birth.The baby monkeys are depend on their mother for everything until they are about one and a half years old. Spider monkeys only have babies every 3 – 4 years,so once their populations start to decline it is very hard for them to get their numbers back.
• Spider monkeys live until they are about 27 years old.

The scientific name "Dracula", Latin for "little dragon", refers to the creepy appearance of the flower. There are approximately 100 different species of dracula orchids.  They are native to Central America and parts of South America. 

Species in this genus are quite diverse, but the most popular are the species which resembles a monkey's face. These unusual, showy flowers are one of the most amazing orchids you’ve ever seen. Mother Nature is so brilliant in its design.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MONKEY ORCHIDS (dracula gigas)
Orchids produce some of the most interesting and unique flowers. The Dracula genus is most famous for containing the monkey face species. However, just a few members of the genus (Dracula simia, Dracula gigas, Dracula benedictii and Dracula wallisii) have monkey-like appearance. The center of the flowers resemble the face of a monkey, and indeed, these unusual looking flowers look just like a monkey. And the most interesting thing is that different flowers provide different expressions of the monkey face.

Some members of this genus (Dracula simia and Dracula gigas) are commonly known as "Monkey Orchids", but the common name Monkey Orchid is not only restricted to this genus. Other species, such as Calanthe tricarinata and Orchis simia are also known as Monkey Orchids. 

The plants usually grow at high altitudes, between 5,250-8,200 feet.

How To Identify a Caribbean Octopus
Caribbean octopuses can be commonly confused with other types of octopuses.  One way to definitely tell them apart, is by looking at the eyes.  The Caribbean Reef Octopus has a dark circle around their eye. 

The body is about 6 inches in length but the span of the arms is quite a bit more. This can cover the space of about 36 inches. The overall size of them really depends on the particular region where they happen to live.

Complex brains - Octopuses have the most complex brain for invertebrates (animals lacking backbones). Scientists have discovered that octopuses use their memory to learn from their experiences and solve problems as they arise. For example, after a close call with a predator, an octopus will remember where the predator resides and will stay clear of that area.

Octopus Ink - When an octopus finds itself in a compromising situation with a predator, it will often release a cloud of dark purple ink into the surrounding water in an attempt to confuse the predator. Sometimes, however, this survival technique backfires and causes harm to the octopus.

The ink is highly toxic and if released into a confined area or where water lacks current, the octopus can become ill and even die. Another less deadly survival technique that octopuses have evolved is changing their skin color. If the octopus needs to blend into a background to avoid a predator, pigment cells in the skin are activated, camouflaging the skin to match the surrounding environment.

The color of the octopus also reflects the mood of the creature; for example, red signals anger, while white signals fear.  When the situation is less tense and it's time for an octopus to mate, this monogamous creature chooses one partner and stays with it for life.

Predators
Depending on the location where the Caribbean Reef Octopus lives, it can have some concerns with various types of predators. Among them include eels, stingrays, small species of sharks, and various types of fish.  If they can’t move away from the situation, they will release ink from their bodies to confuse the predator - allowing them to escape safely.

Humans are also considered predators.  They are considered to be great for various types of meals such as fried calamari and ceviche.  They aren’t in any jeopardy of extinction (at this time), as their number count is still good in many of their habitats. 

Habitat & Distribution
Octopuses live in shallow coastal waters and along the reef where there are formations of caves and dens for them to hide in.  You can commonly find them in and around the shallow coastal areas of Belize & the Caribbean where the waters are warm.  Thus the name Caribbean Octopus. 

They will move around from one location to location, never staying for more than a couple of weeks in any one spot. The females who have laid eggs are easy to notice, as they continually hover of one given area until either they die or the eggs hatch.

They love to reside in sea grass and along the corral reefs. Octopuses are nocturnal, moving around at night.  They do appear to glow at night, from under lighting due to their coloring. 

Diet & Feeding Habits
The Caribbean Reef Octopus spends most of its night looking for food. They majority of the diet is made up of crustaceans, mollusks, crabs and lobsters.  An octopus will frequently lure prey by waiving an arm tip, mimicking a worm.  The octopus then grabs the prey with its arms, biting it to inject a poisonous substance (paralyzing it) and a digestive enzyme.  The octopus then sucks the flesh from the prey, discarding the shell. Various types of small fish are also known to be part of their diet as well.

Behavior
Like all octopus they live on their own. They don’t seem to be too bothered though when other types of octopus come into contact with them. The passage is often something that occurs without any interaction at all. The only time they will pay any real attention to another octopus, is when they are interested in mating with a female. 

While all types of octopus are very intelligent, this specific species is said to be among the most intelligent of them all. Extensive research though is almost impossible on them. This is because of the fact that they don’t live very long lives. It is believed that their intelligence would continue to develop and to improve if they lived longer.

Anatomy
The octopus is totally unique with its soft body, no outer shell and 8 arm projections or tentacles. They have (3) hearts and (9) brains.  Two hearts pump blood to the gills, while a third heart circulates blood to the rest of the body. A central brain controls the nervous system, while there is one brain for each of the eight arms.

Their mouth and beak are located at the center of the tentacles. If the octopus loses one of the tentacles, another will grow in the same place. On each tentacle are as many as 240 suction cups arranged in 2 rows.

For a medium sized octopus, their overall body weight can be just over three pounds. They have a head that is very large which is part of their mantle. The eight arms are extremely thick. They aren’t able to move as quickly as other species of octopus but they don’t have to. Their abilities to lie flat allow them to appear like part of the natural scenery instead of a living creature. The body is often arranged in a pattern that looks like a parachute that is open and lying on the ground.

The acute sense of touch that octopuses have also aids in their survival and in finding prey. The suckers that are found on the underside of its eight tentacles act as eyes that can differentiate between different sizes and shapes and help it find prey, such as lobsters and crabs. The eyes of octopuses are also highly complex, comparable to human eyesight.

Breeding & Reproduction
Two octopuses will mate for life. When it is time for reproduction, the male transfers sperm into the mantle cavity of the female with one of its arms. The female then lays thousands of eggs, attaching them to the roof of her den where they develop for 1-2 months. After the female lays the eggs she does not eat again and consequently dies soon after the eggs have hatched. The devoted male octopus often does not mate again.

Since this species of octopus doesn’t live for very long, they are able to mate when they are from 3 to 4 months of age. The males seem to mature sooner than the females. The males will die sooner than the females as their role in mating is done once they have successfully released the sperm sac from their body to that of the female.

The males will actually fight with each other for the right to be able to mate with a given female. They would likely not be so eager to do so though if they knew that they would die. This fighting though is nature’s way of ensuring that the best genetic materials are able to be passed on to the future generations of offspring.

Even though the male is able to win that battle, he is far from done fighting. The female may not want to mate with him at all. If she doesn’t and he continues to pursue him she may bite off body parts or kill him. Yet the desire to mate is very instinctive for the males so they will continue to pursue a female. She generally will take part in mating as long as her basic needs are being met.

The female will die after mating too but she has one more aspect of life left to complete. Her mission at that point in time is to make sure as many of her eggs are able to be fertilized by the sperm and to hatch. There can be as many as 500 eggs that she will release from her body. She will lay them in either January or February. The warmer the water temperature, the sooner she will release them.

The incubation period will also be affected by the water. When it is warm the may only have 50 days or so before they hatch. In cooler temperatures it can be as long as 80 days though. The young offspring are amazing – able to move quickly through the water and to instinctively find food. They have a very quick growth rate too due to the whirlwind life span for them.

This was me, back in 2010 - a post published on "Our Belize Vacation"
with an octopus I caught off the dock by my house.

This was an amazing find off the dock today.  When I brought it out of the water, a crowd gathered at the beach, to see what I had caught.   I wanted to show everyone what a Caribbean Reef Octopus looks like.  

The Caribbean Reef Octopus is a coral reef  marine animal. It has eight long arms that vary in length and diameter. The "body" is large and chunky in comparison (up to 60 cm long). The Caribbean Reef Octopus is difficult to describe because it changes color and texture in order to blend into its surroundings, using specialised skin cells known as chromatophores.  Its color range is incredibly large; it can change from crismson to green, bumpy to smooth. It weighs around 3.3 lb or 1.5 kg.

The Caribbean Reef Octopus lives in warm waters around coral reef environments, with grassy and rocky sea beds. The Caribbean Reef Octopus lives in hidden, rocky lairs that are difficult to locate. Their lairs are usually created in shallow warm waters. 

The Caribbean Reef Octopus is not a social animal and does not interact with other Octopus briareus unless mating. If one Octopus was to go into any other Octopuses lair there would be an inevitable fight. Caribbean Reef Octopuses are usually safe from invoking fights if they stay 60 feet away from other octopuses at all times. If faced with a predator a Caribbean Reef Octopus, like most other octopuses, would suck up a volume of water then expel it quickly in the form of a jet to propel itself away from the foe. 

To further deter predators the Caribbean Reef Octopus can eject oil to mask its escape. The Caribbean Reef Octopus does not live in its lair for its entire life, instead it moves often except while caring for young/eggs.

The Caribbean Reef Octopus feeds on crabs, shrimp, lobsters, and a variety of fish. The Caribbean Reef Octopus is a nocturnal species and only hunts at night.

Ogcocephalidae is the official term for a bat fish. 
Batfish can reach in size from around 15 inches, and they grow extremely fast.  They have broad, flat heads; slim bodies covered with hard lumps and spines; some species have an elongated, upturned snout; about 14 in. long. They are poor swimmers and usually walk on the sea bottom on limblike pectoral and pelvic fins; most live in deep sea but some inhabit shallow water; members of a group known as anglerfish, are equipped with a “fishing pole” tipped with a fleshy “bait” to lure prey close enough to be eaten; unlike other anglers, can draw apparatus into a tube when not in use.

The species found in and around Belize, is the Short-Nosed Batfish, but there are about 60 species of fishes of the family Ogcocephalidae (order Lophiiformes), found in warm and temperate seas; of which the Short-Nosed Batfish is a member.

They are laterally compressed fishes similar in appearance to rays, with a large circular, triangular, or box-shaped head and a small tail. The largest members of the family are about 20 inches in length.

Typically, bat fish dwell on the bottom of the ocean floor.  So this was a rare find indeed.  They are found in deep, lightless waters of  the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific Oceans.  They are bottom-dwelling fishes, mostly found on the continential slope at depths between 660 feet and 3,300 feet deep. Found singly on mud, rubble and sandy bottoms resting on the sand or partially covered in sand or mud close to reef edges.  They feed on algae, fish, invertebrates and worms.

These batfishes with their depressed circular/triangular bodies are poor swimmers and have adapted for a life style of crawling about on the sea floor using their pelvic fins and arm like Pectoral fins. They have a small lure on their snout to attract their prey, the lure becomes shorter with age.

Also known as Deep-sea Batfishes, Handfishes, Longnose Batfish, Red-bellied Batfish, Seabats, Short-nosed Batfish, Slantbrow Batfish, Walking Batfish and red-lipped Batfish.

Longnose Batfish (Ogcocephalus corniger) Very uncommon & rare.
The longnose batfish (Ogcocephalus corniger) is a species of batfish found at depths between 95 & 755 feet in the Atlantic Ocean, ranging from North Carrolina to the Gulf of Mexico.  Like other members of the family Ogcocephalidae, it has a flat triangular body with coloring varying from yellowish to purple with pale, round spots. The lips are orange-red. Projecting from its head is a characteristic structure that is shared by other anglerfish.  

They were placed on the endangered species list (red list), in 2015.

The hermit crab is a crustacean.  This means they have a hard outer shell and belong to the same family as lobsters, shrimp, and crab. They can come in different colors such as red, brown, purple. They can also have patterns, stripes, or dots.  There are about 1,000 different species or kinds of hermit crabs in the world. 

The Caribbean Hermit Crab (Coenobita Clypeatus), is also known as the solider crab, the West Altantic crab, the tree crab, and the purple pincher (due to the distinctive purple claw), is a species of land hermit crab native to the west Atlantic, Bahamas, Belize, Southern Florida, Venezuela, the Virgin Islands, and the West Indies. 

Hermit crabs can be as small as a half inch long or as big as 16 inches.  Hermit crabs have ten jointed legs. They also have two pairs antennae. One pair they use for feeling and the other pair they use for smelling and tasting.

Most hermit crabs have long, spirally curved abdomens, which are soft.  The vulnerable abdomen is protected from predators by a salvaged empty seashell carried by the hermit crab, into which its whole body can retract.

Most hermit crabs will use the shells of sea snails (even hollow pieces of wood and stone) to occupy.  The tip of the hermit crab's abdomen is adapted to clasp strongly onto the columella of the snail shell. As the hermit crab grows in size, it has to find a larger shell and abandon the previous one.   This is often present vigorous competition among hermit crabs for shells. 

The interesting thing about a hermit crab's shell, is that it finds its shell from other animals. As they grow and get bigger, hermit crabs find bigger shells to use. They need these shells to protect their soft bodies and for shelter. Hermit crabs spend a lot of time on land, but they have gills like a fish. Their shells help them keep the air around their gills humid so they can breathe out of the water.  Hermit crabs tend to be nocturnal.

Hermit crab species come in a range of sizes, from a fraction of an inch (a few millimeters) to nearly the size of a coconut.

A hermit crab's front half is covered with a hard exoskeleton, like that of most other crabs. Its long abdomen has a softer exoskeleton, which can adapt to fit into a spiraled snail shell. A hermit crab presses its abdomen, its fourth and fifth pairs of legs, and the appendages at the end of its abdomen (called uropods) against the shell's inner wall by contracting its longitudinal muscles.

Its large, left uropod hooks to the center post of the shell. It is used for defense, holding onto tree limbs and balance. The smaller, right claw and the next pair of appendages, which also have claws, are used for collecting and passing food and water to the crab's mouth. Rough surfaces help hold the crab in the shell.

Hermit crabs have reduced gills, and their moist gill chambers have highly vascularized areas for gas exchange. They have stalked eyes with acute vision, and two pairs of antennae. They use the longer pair for feeling and the shorter, feathery pair for smelling and tasting. They also have sensory hairs that are part of the exoskeleton. They use these hairs and their antennae as vibration sensors.

Hermit crabs molt as they grow, shedding their exoskeletons and creating new, larger ones to accommodate their larger bodies. Some crabs leave their shell and bury themselves in sand to molt.  Some species store water in their shell before molting and remain in the shell throughout the molt, which may take from 45 to 120 days.

You can tell that a crab is freshly molted when it has a clean, bluish color. A crab may eat its molted shell, possibly for its calcium, vitamins and minerals.

The availability of empty shells at any given place, depends on the relative abundance of gastropods and hermit crabs, matched for size.  Hermit crabs that are kept together, may fight or kill a competitor to gain access to the shell they favor.  However, if the crabs vary significantly in size, the occurrence of fights over empty shells will decrease or remain non-existent.  

Several hermit crab species, both terrestrial and marine, use "vacancy" chains” to find new shells: when a new, bigger shell becomes available, hermit crabs gather around it and form a kind of queue from largest to smallest. When the largest crab moves into the new shell, the second biggest crab moves into the newly vacated shell, thereby making its previous shell available to the third crab, and so on.

When selecting a new shell, a hermit crab follows a series of steps:

• Explore the shell visually
• Test the shell for movability
• Explore the shell's surface texture
• Explore the external shape of the shell
• Test the shell's opening (Is it clear? Can the hermit crab get in?)
• Check the internal size to see if it can make a snap withdrawal
• Turn the shell upside down to make sure it can right itself again
  

When they find a suitable larger shell, they will crawl into it and this becomes their new home.  The shell will provide the Hermit crab with a place to rest or hide if they sense fear from whats around them.  Their bodies are quite vulnerable and this is why they rely on that shell to offer them protection.

As hermit crabs grow, they must exchange their shell for a larger one.  A hermit crab with a shell which is too small can not grow as fast as a hermit crab with a well-fitting shell.  Shells that are too small for their abdomens, cannot retract completely and this makes them vulnerable to being eaten by a preditor. 

The Hermit Crab loves to climb and that is something that allows them to explore their environment. If you have one in captivity it should have a cage that it can use for climbing activities. They tend to be in their shells during the day but then come out at night and can be very active.

The Hermit Crab isn’t able to bite because they don’t have any teeth. However, they do have the ability to pinch. They will do so if they feel that they are in danger and they aren’t able to coil up in their shell. They will also pinch if they are in their shell and someone is trying to coax them out of it.

There have been some species of the Hermit Crab reported to make croaking noises. Experts are still looking into what form of communication that this serves. They feel it could range from alerting about dangers, finding a mate, or a simple way for them to be able to explore their surroundings and get feedback from other living creatures around them.

Many different species of land hermit crabs live in tropical areas of the Indo-Pacific region, the western Atlantic and the western Caribbean (which includes Belize).

Land hermit crabs live close to the shoreline and must have access to both land and water. They use pools and crevices of sea water to wet their gills and the interiors of their shells, and they reproduce and spend their early stages in water. Other hermit crab species are entirely aquatic.

You will find the hermit crab living in a variety of locations. They are highly adaptable but they do need to be where they can find shells. This is why you will mainly find them living around the oceans. Hermit Crabs are often common pets that people find fascinating but that they also find them to be unique and easy to care for.

Land Crabs - Terrestrial Hermit crabs (land crabs) begin their lives in the sea but, through a series of molts, develop the ability to breathe air. After the last developmental molt, the young hermit crab will drown if left in water for an indefinite period of time.  Terrestrial Hermit crabs will never break their link to the sea.  They will continually use and keep small amounts of water in their shells at all times, to moisten and keep their modified gills hydrated.

Marine Crabs - For some larger marine hermit crab species, having one or more sea anemones growing on the shell can be very useful, because the anemones tend to scare away fish and other marine predators which might otherwise attack the crab. The sea anemone also benefits because it is well-positioned to consume loose fragments of the Hermit crabs meals. Because of this mutualism (a biological interaction takes place), sea anemones can be, and sometimes are, transferred to a new shell when the hermit crab changes shells.

Hermit crabs are omnivores scavengers, which means they eat both plants and animals. Hermit crabs are not picky eaters! They eat insects, worms, small fish, and plankton. They drink water by dipping their claws into the water and lifting out small drops. In the wild, hermit crabs have a lot of predators. Since the hermit crabs are generally small, they are hunted by fish, sharks, squid, and octopus.

The diet for the Hermit Crab is very diverse. They consume both small insects and plants so they are omnivores. They require a balanced form of nutrients and calcium from their diet in order for them to be able to survive.

The Hermit Crab isn’t able to bite because they don’t have any teeth. The left claw is larger in size than the right claw (and purple in color).  This claw is used for defense, and holding onto things and for balance.  The smaller right claw is used for collecting and passing food & water to the crab's mouth.

Both land and marine hermit crabs mate in seawater.  Mating for the hermit crabs is during the late spring or early summer of each year.  Before mating, the male holds the female with one claw, and then taps or strokes her with the other or pulls her back and forth. Both crabs emerge partially from their shells, placing their stomachs together to mate. 

The males offer sperm but the female will store it.  A female is able to carry several thousands of eggs and she will use the sperm to fertilize her eggs once she gets them to her destination.  Female land hermit crabs release fertilized eggs into the ocean. The spawning (called "washing" in the English-speaking Caribbean) occurs on certain nights, usually around August. 

After the eggs hatch, the are known as larvae.  These young crabs live as microscopi plankton for several weeks before settling on the bottom and searching for a shell to inhabit.  Larvae go through several aquatic life stages and molts.

After they molt several times they will become a young crab.  These young crabs are often consumed by various predators both in the water and on land. Even though they have their shell to protect them, it is when they are out of the shell that they are very vulnerable to those fast predators.  When adulthood is reached, the crabs migrate to shore for a terrestrial life.

Hermit crabs do have an instinct to go to a spawning area to deposit their eggs, for this reason Hermit crabs will not mate in captivity.

Hermit crabs are fascinating creatures. There are both terrestrial hermit crabs (which are sometimes kept as pets) and aquatic hermit crabs. Both types of crabs breathe using gills. Aquatic hermit crabs get their oxygen from the water, while land hermit crabs need a humid environment to keep their gills moist.

Even though you may see a hermit crab on the beach near the ocean, this could still be a marine hermit crab. Even though they may look like appealing pets, don't take a wild crab home with you, as hermit crabs (especially aquatic ones) have very specific requirements they need to survive.

Charatertistic #1)  Hermit Crabs Unlike true crabs, if a hermit crab gets sick of its shell, it can move out. In fact, they have to change shells as they grow. While gastropods like whelks, conch and other snails make their own shells, hermit crabs seek shelter in the shells of gastropods. Hermit crabs can commonly be found inhabiting the empty shells of animals such as periwinkles, whelks and moon snails. They usually don't steal shells that are already occupied. Instead, they'll search for vacant shells.

Charatertistic #2) Hermit crabs are crustaceans, which means they are related to crabs, lobsters and shrimp. Although it has 'crab' in its name, a hermit crab out of its shell looks more similar to a lobster than a crab.

In this cool (but somewhat creepy!) image, you can get an idea of what a hermit crab looks like inside its shell.  Hermit crabs have a soft, vulnerable abdomen that is twisted to wrap around the spire inside the shell of a gastropod. The hermit crab needs this shell for protection.  Because they don't have a hard exoskeleton and need to use another shell for protection, hermit crabs are not considered "true" crabs.

Characteristic #3) Like other crustaceans, hermit crabs molt as they grow.  This involves shedding their exoskeleton and growing a new one. Hermit crabs have the extra complexity of having to find a new shell when they outgrow their old one.

When a hermit crab is ready to molt, its new skeleton grows under the old one. The old exoskeleton splits and comes off, and the new skeleton takes some time to harden. Because of this, crabs often dig a hole into the sand to provide protection during the vulnerable time of molting.

Characteristic #4) Hermit crabs are always on the lookout for new shells to accommodate their growing bodies. When a hermit crab sees an ideal shell, it will sidle up very close to it, and check it out with its antennae and claws. If the shell is deemed suitable, the hermit grab will quickly switch its abdomen from one shell to the other. It may even decide to go back to its old shell.

Characteristic #5) Diet Hermit crabs have a pair of claws and two pairs of walking legs. They have two eyes on stalks to make it easier to see what's around them. They also have two pairs of antennae, which are used to sense their environment, and 3 pairs of mouthparts.  Hermit crabs are scavengers, eating dead animals and whatever else they can find. Hermit crabs may be covered with short sensory hairs that are used for smell and taste.

Characteristic #6) Hermit crabs often have growths of algae or other organisms on their shells. They also have symbiotic relationships with some organisms, such as anemones.  Anemone hermit crabs attach anemones to their shell, and both organisms benefit. The anemone stings potential predators with their stinging cells and stinging threads and also helps hermit crabs blend in with their surroundings. The anemone benefits by eating the leftovers of the crab's meal, and being transported to food sources. The anemone crab will even take the anemone(s) with it when it moves to a new shell!

1. House bound - These soft-bodied crustaceans are so dependent on their shells for protection that they will only venture out to copulate or to upgrade to better accommodation.

2. Paddling pools - Only smaller specimens, inhabiting periwinkle shells, tend to occur in rockpools. Larger ones, which can reach 8cm in length and require more spacious accommodation such a whelk shells, usually live below the low-tide mark.

3. Identity crisis - Hermit crabs are not true crabs, but are more closely related to squat lobsters, which are not themselves true lobsters.

4. Multipurpose mouthparts - These opportunistic omnivores will scavenge, kill, browse and graze whatever plant or animal matter is available. They are readily cannibalistic and can filter microscopic food from the water using their bristly mouthparts.

5. Multiple occupancy - Common hermits encourage anemones to attach to their shell, and will even transfer them from shell to shell when they move house. The anemones’ stinging tentacles may deter predators.

6. Handed hermits - Unlike many fiddler crabs, which may be left- or right-handed, a common hermit’s right-hand claw, or cheliped, is always the larger of the two.

7. Growing smaller - If they find themselves in a shell that is too small, and if nothing larger is available, common hermits have the rare ability to decrease in size from molt to molt.

Hermit Crab races at Crazy Canuck is just one example of island life entertainment.  

The toucan is a specialty of tropical America.  In Belize, the keel-billed toucan has been designated the national bird in honor of its hilarious beauty.

THE TOUCAN'S BEAK
When you see the capsized canoe beak (in rainbow hues) of the toucan, it is hard to imagine, that the bird could ever manage to roost high up into the air, much less pick up and cut fruit.  This beak is an amazing when it comes to structural engineering.  The horny outer shell is reinforced with a network of inner cellular fibers, providing strength without debilitating weight; it feels like laminated basla wood, but the serrated edges are more mindful of a stainless steel paring knife.  The coloration is beyond belief:  apple green, with an elongated orange triangle laid out along the lip of the upper beak and a streak of powder blue whispering across the lower beak.  The beak is attached to the toucan's head by a black, patent leather strap.  Science speculates that this gaudy display intimidates potential foe, but perhaps it simply bedazzles them, riveting them to the spot while the toucan decides on the best escape route.

THE TOUCAN'S BODY
Feather wise, this black bird wears a perfect bib of lemon yellow and, beneath its tail, a flash of cadmium red.  Greenish skin rings its eyes.  And, after all this and all that, its legs and feet are, unbelievably, an iridescent blue.  All things considered, the keel-billed toucan is an amazing bird!

THE TOUCAN'S DIET
The toucan generally feeds on the fruits of larger forest trees.  With its beak, it rips off a chunk from the fleshly portion; it juggles the morsel with the tip of its bill until it is positioned just so and then, with a toss of its head, it flips the food into the air and catches it somewhere en route to its throat.  It drinks water in a similar fashion, dipping its bill below the surface, then lifting it high, making of it a gutter to conduct the liquid down.  Toucans also eat insects, lizards and snakes, and have been known to help themselves to oropendola eggs.

THE TOUCAN'S HABITAT
This bird prefers large trees in open areas.  It nests in holes such as those made by woodpeckers and which it will enlarge by removing dead wood - but only enough so that it can fit comfortably when folded up, its bill down its back and its tail hinged forward.  Two to four white eggs are laid.  The parents take turns with the incubating as well as with the task of filing the baby bills.  The nesting stage is prolonged, lasting up to nine weeks.

These social birds may flock, in groups of six to eight, and often hold forth in a monotonous creaking croak.  At the Belize Zoo, there is a Toucan named Rambo (originally Rainbow).  If you catch him in the right mood, he will "purr" for you while you scratch his head. 

So next time you're in Belize, stop by the Belize Zoo and say hello to Rambo for me.

A firefly sits on a leaf in the Cockscomb Jaguar Reserve, waiting for the sun to set.  As the sun begins to disappear, you see a pale yellow light-emitting from the back of this bugs body.  This organ contains an enzyme, called luciferase (with pigments called luciferins), when this enzyme is secreted into the bugs lower organ, and then combined with oxygen - it creates the flashing yellow light you see.  

Unlike human light bulbs, this is a cold light without any infrared or ultraviolet wavelengths.  There are over 2,000 species of firefly scattered around the world, but despite their name they're actually beetles and not flies.   Fireflies are not the only type of beetle which emit light, some net-winged beetle larvae also do this trick.  This bug helps to bring the jungle to life at night.