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˝ Insects & Arachnids ˝ Amphibians ˝ Reptiles˝ Fewer visitors take an active interest on the insects, reptiles and amphibians of Tikal. Insects are very important, as they cooperate with the pollination of plants and with bringing about important chemical reactions on the forest floor. Many insects in Tikal are very beautiful, such as the peanut head fulgorid, and various species of butterflies. However, people tend to feel uneasy about insects, and even judge them as being ugly. Indeed, there are some, which might seem a little scary, like the wasp, the tarantula or the scorpion, but they all perform important roles within their niches in the complex habitat in which they live. Perhaps visiting Tikal and observing for yourself just how important each being in the jungle is will help you gain a new perspective on insects. Another little understood genus is reptilians. In ancient times the Maya venerated the feathered serpent and it was another reptile, the crocodile, which in their mythology carried the world in its back. Stories of dragons and mythical snakes, such as Nagendra, have always contributed to our fear of snakes and reptiles in general… but they too, perform important tasks in the environment. At Tikal, there are 2 different species of snakes which will undoubtedly seem to justify this fear, being some of the most dangerous in the New World: the fer de lance and the coral snake. However, these rarely attack humans unless they are provoked… A word of advise… Don’t provoke snakes, stay on the trails and don’t sit on fallen logs. Lizards and iguanas are nice to see, and you need not take special precautions with the other reptiles… However, do not feed or touch any of the animals at Tikal. There are 91 species of reptiles and amphibians in Tikal. It is common to hear that small ponds have dried out and that amphibian species are disappearing at an alarming rate. A dramatic decline in the amphibian population may be explained by a lowered water table, as these animals are dependent on water for their reproduction, by means of soft, shell-less eggs. In the course of research made for this website, we found that Cyrus L. Lundell’s reported average annual rainfall for the Petén between 1924 and 1937 varies in almost 1000 mm to the ones we found for Tikal between 1988 and 1998. If it rains a lot less now than it did at the beginning of the century then life has become a real challenge for frogs, toads, newts and some salamanders, which belong to this genus. At Tikal, the Maya used some of the frogs and toads for healing or ceremonial purposes, as one species’ secretions when ingested brought about altered states of consciousness. We seriously advise you to stay away from trying to find the right species of toad and from touching the frogs, which sometimes have stinging secretions, which may feel very uncomfortable on your skin.
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