A golden silk orb-weaver (Nephila) waits patiently for its unfortunate victims. This spider is named after the color of the silk it spins, not the color of the spider itself. It is believed that insects like flies and bees are attracted to bright yellow colors and thus become entangled more readily. This spider was one of many (probably about 20) that had spun its web between the roof and railing of the building I slept in.
This wheel bug (Arilus cristatus) was found on a leaf outside our cabin. This bug truly looks like a metalic robot, with its long, slow-moving legs and a large hemi-circle on its back. Wheel bugs are true bugs, or Hemipterans, and can be found all throughout North and Central America.
My guess is that this is a Scarlet King Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides) but I can't be too sure. There are many species of Coral and False Coral snakes in the tropics, the latter mimicking the lethally venemous former, and there is no sure way to tell them apart. In North America, one can get by with the phrase "Red next to black, you're alright Jack, Red next to yellow, you're a dead fellow" but this cannot be relied upon in the tropics. I kept my distance from this serpent.
This green spiny lizard (Sceloporus malachitus) made its home under and on the front porch of our cabin at Gavilan. This lizard is the southern-most representative of a genus that is widespread among the U.S., Mexico, and Northern Central America.
This Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) was one of many that flit about the low altitude mountains of the Caribbean. Other species we watched were Montezuma Oropendolas (Psarocolius montezuma), Collared Aracaris (Pteroglossus torquatus), and White-crowned Parrots (Pionus senilis).
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