Liolaemus Nigroviridis Lizard

This beauty is an endemic lizard from Central Chile that can be found from the 5^th to the 6^th region. It lies between 1100 and 1300 meters above sea level, and prefers living among coligüe bushes, oak forests, and in high altitude bushes. Females are thin and generally greyish browned-colored, but they don’t have the typical greenish touch present in males.

As an adaptation, it has developed ovoviviparity (a mode of reproduction in animals in which embryos develop inside eggs that are retained within the mother's body until they are ready to hatch), so it doesn’t need to find special conditions for laying its eggs. Among its predators are large lizards (iguanas) and birds of prey.


Why are you looking at me?

In general, lizards can be seen suntanning very early in the morning; when they reach the proper temperature they start to move quickly and avoid overheating, looking for shades during the midday. If a predator caughts them, they drop their tails (autotomy). The detached tail will continue to wriggle, creating a deceptive sense of continued struggle and distracting the predator's attention from these lizards. Fortunately, they can partially regenerate their tails over a period of weeks.

The Chagual (Puya Chilensis & Berteroniana) (English)

You've probably seen these plants along the way from Santiago to Viña del Mar or Valparaiso, or in many other spots in the Region of Valparaiso. They are a very rare and important native species of this country, one vulnerable due to the advancement of the human intervention on the natural land. 

The first time I could see one of them in person, I was amazed by how this plant develops such a beautiful structure under such hard conditions. I personally consider it a very rare and marvellous plant, and a natural heritage that we must know and care.

The Chagual is a native plant that can reach up to 2 meters high and that grows in hills, mountains, as well as in coastal hillsides, mostly in Central Chile. The stem (spear) of the flower is eatable; delicious salads and tasty marmalades can be made out of it. It is also used for various natural remedies, specially its gum, produced in the flower peduncles for the bite of the Castnia psittacus butterfly's caterpillar. 

Isn't it beautiful?

This species can be found in many places along the central Chilean coast. Its messy look and its amazing, exotic flowers make it one of the most gorgeous native plants in Chile. However, the first impression can be rather disappointing, since its spear is usually eaten by the Mariposa del Chagual's caterpillar, drying the flowers and giving it a burned-like look. This caterpillar may be considered more like a plague, but once it reaches maturity, pollinates and extends the life of this native species. 

We'll see this and more when we explore one of our exciting routes again. Hope you join us and see you soon!


Bato Explora 
The excitement of an interesting trip

The Blackish Oystercatcher (Haematopus Ater)

First of all, let me tell you that I'm a non-native English speaker, so I apologize for the grammar and sense mistakes you may find in the following text. Anyway, I think you'll understand most of the info presented. That being said, I'll tell you about an interesting bird species that we usually run across in our beach hikings, particularly, in our ecotour Costa Esmeralda (Horcón y Maitencillo hiking).

The Blackish oystercatchers presence however can be easily detected by its loud and distinctive warning calls. The Blackish Oystercatcher (Haematopus ater) is found in Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands and Peru, and is a vagrant to Uruguay.Its natural habitats are rocky shores.

Their particular light redish beak helps them to easily open and taste delicious shellfish and other sea animals. By the same token, they are highly appreciated by predators such as small foxes and raccoons. They have a long reproduction season from February to July. Nests are usually made above the high water line in a shallow hollow, amongst rock debris or in a crevice. Adults mimic being hurt or nest in empty places to deviate the attention from predators. Both parents are in charge of taking care of the babies.

These babies can walk after a few hours from birth, however, they need at least two months to properly open their own bivalves. They leave parents' home after six months and their lives will pass away after a ten-years journey.

Hope you have enjoyed this small description and I invite you to post any comments.If you are interested in this species, here it is a useful link: http://mundoazul.org/habitats-species/shore-birds-waterfowl/blackish-oystercatcher-haematopus-ater/

In Bato Explora, we're waiting to explore with you this and many other surprises in our ecotours.

Hope hearing from you soon,

Sebastian

Liolaemus Nigroviridis

Esta bella especie es una lagartija endémica de la zona central de Chile y se le encuentra desde la V hasta la VI Región. Habita entre los 1100 y los 1300 msnm y prefiere vivir en el matorral de coligue, en los bosques de roble y en los matorrales de altura.

La hembra presenta un aspecto más fino, en general de colores más café grisáceos y sin el tinte verdoso, siendo de menor tamaño que los machos y los ejemplares juveniles.

Como adaptación a las condiciones extremas de altura presenta ovoviviparidad (sus crías nacen vivas); así no tiene que buscar condiciones especiales para poner sus huevos. Sus depredadores son la iguana y aves rapaces como el cernícalo; y se alimenta de insectos.

En general, se puede ver a las lagartijas tomar sol en las mañanas (ectotermos); cuando alcanzan una temperatura adecuada se mueven activamente, evitando el sobrecalentamiento y buscando la sombra hacia el mediodía. Estas pueden hacer autotomía (cortar su cola) si un depredador las coge de esta, tienen un plano de fractura en sus vértebras y por eso la cola se desprende y se mueve de forma automática por un rato, lo que atrae al depredador mientras estas escapan. Luego le vuelve a crecer la cola, pero sin vértebras.

Fuente: Libro Parque Nacional la Campana

A few days from the beginning. Ya queda poco.

We are very excited about the opening of our ecotourism project. We already have our web page operational www.batoexplora.com, although some mistakes have been found and we're working to correct them.
Our company is a young ecotourism company operating in the Region of Valparaíso and offering ecotours along the central coast line. Currently, we are offering our beautiful ecotour Costa Esmeralda. During this exciting journey over land and sea, you'll see amazing cliffs and beautiful virgin beaches. You'll discover the native environment and the rich local culture of this sea-loving region. Join us on this wonderful adventure through the authentic and popular village of Horcón, the beautiful biodiversity protected by the Quirilluca Reserve and the surprising adventure found at Maitencillo.


Our idea is to link diverse tourism activities in this area, cooperating with the local economy and being connected with nature. We have developed research and found very interesting stories to tell you.


This and more will come soon, we'll keep you posted. Here are some pics for you to enjoy.


See you soon!


Bato Explora.