Hey guys! My name is Meredith Hayden and I’m a senior Animal Science major with a Pre-Professional concentration and a minor in Agricultural Business. I recently came home from a May intercession in Belize! Throughout my time in Belize we studied different animal and plant species, specifically tropical and subtropical birds! This was my first experience studying abroad. Out of the activities we got to participate in, I would have to say my favorite part of the whole trip would have to be how closely we got to interact with a lot exotic wildlife.
TOP 10 FAVORITE ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS:
- Jaguar: This is Junior from the Belize Zoo. He was very docile and has been raised his entire life in the zoo around humans. He seemed to love having his picture taken!
2. Keel-Billed Toucan: This guy was very feisty! It took a few tries to get a good profile shot of him. He is the national bird of Belize.
3. Brown Pelican: This is a male Brown Pelican; the females are much more colorful. He is the state bird of Louisiana and commonly found in Belize.
4. Cushion Sea Star: We found this in shallow waters off the coast of Caye Caulker, an island about a hour into the Caribbean!
5. Brittle Star: Found on the corals on the Meso-American Barrier Reef- the second largest barrier reef in the world!
6. Nurse Shark: Our guides that took us out to the coral reefs also took us to “shark and ray alley” and released chum into the waters to attract the rays and sharks. These sharks were roughly 3-4 feet long and very indifferent about humans swimming around them- even while feeding! I got to get very close for all my shots of them.
7. Southern Ray: Also seen in shark and ray alley, these rays were very docile and indifferent to humans!
8. Seahorse: Unfortunately, the seahorse lives near the mangrove trees on the coast, which has darker water due to the sediment so the shots I got are murky. However, it’s not very easy to see these guys in the wild so I was excited that I got to experience that! I saw him in an area that was marked off as a reserve for seahorses.
9. Sea Urchin: I was taken off guard when I took this shot. I was snorkeling above the corals when I looked down and there were tons of sea urchins below me! They are related to starfish; however, their spines release a toxin!
10. Howler Monkey- I got to see these guys both in the wild on a reservation as well as in the Belize Zoo! They are LOUD. The loudest mammal in the world! However, they only howl to express dominance if threatened or to warm other howlers that they’re getting too close to their families’ territory.