Part 2. Pirre Station

If you are not specifically looking for Darien endemics, you will find a lot of interesting wildlife around Pirre Station itself. There are a few short trails around; besides, countless animals inhabit the station grounds, or come to visit from the forest.

Araneus and Nephila (center) spiders, Pirre Station.

Wolf spider, Pirre Station.

At night, the station is full of hunting spiders. I've never seen so many beautiful spiders of all sizes as in Pirre Station Area.

Wolf spider, Pirre Station.

Gasteracantha spider, Pirre Station.

Giant whipscorpion, Pirre Station.

Tree scorpion, Pirre Station.

Other common residents include scorpions, millipedes, and, of course, a lot of insects.

Tree scorpion, Pirre Station.

Gianr millipede, Pirre Station.

Blaberus giganteus cockroach, Pirre Station.

Megadiscus snail, Pirre Station.

Look also for giant snails and other creatures under rotten logs and around the garbage pits.

Megadiscus snail, Pirre Station.

Calithera butterflies, Pirre Station.

Nymphalid butterfly, Pirre Station.

During the day, the forest, station clearings, and the banks of streams are full of colorful butterflies. But some local caterpillars are every bit as beautiful as the butterflies that eventually emerge from them. Don't touch them: many Neotropic caterpillars are highly poisonous.

A caterpillar pretending to be a bird dropping.

Lymantrid caterpillar, NP Darien.

Hawk moth caterpillar, NP Darien.

Crepidophryne epiotica toad, Pirre Station.

At least ten species of frogs and toads can be found on the station grounds. As often is the case in tropical parks, the restrooms are the best place to look for amphibians at night due to high moisture and lots of insects.

Crepidophryne epiotica toad, Pirre Station.

Crepidophryne epiotica toad, Pirre Station.

Giant Bufo marinus toad, Pirre Station.

Crepidophryne epiotica toad, Pirre Station.

Giant Eleuterodactylus frog, Pirre Station.

Frogs range in size from tiny to giant, and in shape from rounded to almost anorexic.

Gastrotheca tree frog, Pirre Station.

Poison-dart frog (Dendrobates), Pirre Station.

Eleuterodactylus frog, Pirre Station.

In addition to amphibians, Pirre Station is home to countless reptiles - geckos, skinks, basiliscs, snakes, turtles, even small caimans in forest rivers. If you go there, bring a good supply of insect repellent, film and flashlight batteries. You will need all of it for long, fascinating nights of spotlighting.

Rana frog, Pirre Station.

Snail-eating snake (Sibon sp.), Pirre Station.

Yellow-headed gecko (Gonatodes albogularis), Pirre Station.

Mabuya skink, Pirre Station.

You are also supposed to bring your own supply of food if you visit Pirre Station. Other than that, there's very little you need in the forest. A mosquito net and a light raincoat would come handy during the rainy season. Sandals make the best footware; you won't need warm clothing even when you finish exploring the station area and venture into the densely forested mountains beyond.

Basiliscus basiliscus lizard, Pirre Station.

Crepidophryne toad in Sarcoscypha mushroom, Mount Pirre.

Part 3: Wonders of the forest
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