Alejandro Arteaga

I can’t believe I am saying this, but after 14 years dedicating our lives to this project, we have a publication date for our long awaited book: the of Ecuador.

I will be revealing this to our inner circle at reptilesofecuador.com/newsletter 💌

A heartfelt thank you to the 305 backers who are making this project possible every day. 💚

Reptiles of Ecuador Information, maps, and images about Ecuador’s 493 species of reptiles in the online version of the Reptiles of Ecuador book.

Ecuador’s luminous lizards found? 💡🦎

My team and I embarked on an to the Amazonian slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes. The goal was to find the mysterious lightbulb lizards and test their bio-luminescent capabilities.

We made an intriguing discovery, though it remains inconclusive, leaving us with a mystery we aim to unravel in the coming weeks.

Learn more about our mission: 👉 www.khamai.bio/

I will soon be going to in search for giant again, but this time, with a very special secret guest from . I will also be inviting 1–2 additional people, which will be selected from the most recent 50 donors of the fundraiser: 👉 https://www.reptilesofecuador.com/support_project.html

Today, I want to reveal a secret project. During the past five years, my team and I have been studying an enigmatic group of Andean saurians known as the lightbulb .

What is special about these “bulbs”?

👉👉 https://www.khamai.bio/lightbulb_lizard_project.html

Lightbulb lizards (genus ) stand out as one of the world’s rarest and least studied lizard groups. Their elusive nature and burrowing tendencies have left a void of knowledge regarding their natural history, reproductive habits, and the extent of their species diversity.

Today, I want to share the story of the of Ecuador book, a meticulously created field guide that has gained attention due to its expansive scope, novel photographic style, open-access nature, and funding strategy.

The idea for a Reptiles of Ecuador book emerged in 2010 from a casual conversation with a wildlife photographer friend. I posed a question:

Why are there field guides for birds and mammals of Ecuador, but none dedicated to reptiles?

👉👉 CLICK LINK below to continue reading this article.

https://www.reptilesofecuador.com/story.html

🐍🐍 VIPER ALERT! We have 2 days to raise the remaining 8% for the Eyelash Viper project! Thank you so much to all enthusiasts who are helping us make this project a reality 👉

https://www.khamai.bio/eyelash_viper_project.html

Have you ever wondered how to capture stunning wildlife images like the pros? 🤔 Well, wonder no more! Join on an epic adventure to the lush of , , this November 2023, and learn photography from the masters themselves! 📷
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1. Chien Lee Wildlife Photography
2. Frank Pichardo
3. Lucas Bustamante
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Explore the exotic landscapes and mesmerizing wildlife of Borneo while honing your photography skills under the guidance of these artists! Limited spots available! Reserve online now through the link below.

https://www.tropicalherping.com/borneo_photo_tour.html

Calling all nature enthusiasts and believers in the power of crowdfunding! I'm thrilled to share that the Eyelash Viper Project is now 85% funded, all thanks to the incredible support of 28 backers like YOU. 🌿🐍

When we first embarked on this journey, many doubted that a field research project focusing on systematics could be successfully crowdfunded. But guess what? We're proving them wrong, one contribution at a time! 💪

Join us in making history by supporting this groundbreaking initiative. Every dollar brings us closer to our goal and helps shed light on the fascinating world of Eyelash Vipers.

Click the link below to learn more about the project and see how you can be part of the actual field search (2nd link). Together, we can make a difference and pave the way for future crowdfunding efforts in scientific research. 💚

Support project 👉 https://shorturl.at/vyAKM
Join expedition 👉 https://shorturl.at/lnyLN

Pictured here are two morphs of Bothriechis schlegelii (oropel and red-wine) found in Island, .

The of Ecuador 🐍 book is approaching its publication fundraising goal (85% raised thanks to 250 backers). Today, you can claim (=pre-order) one of the 50 remaining limited-edition signed hardcover copies and get it shortly after the publishing date.

👉

Support project | Reptiles of Ecuador book The campaign to support the publication of the Reptiles of Ecuador book offers four pledge options, including adopt a species, pre-order book, and get an original illustration.

Thanks to Robert Irwin for this incredible gift. His first nature photography book. 👉 https://shorturl.at/BLTW1

Congrats to Nature and Culture International and the team at for the discovery of paladines and two additional species. 🐸 Press release here 👉 https://shorturl.at/qBFS5

New expedition: search for the golden 🐍 in the Ecuadorian Chocó rainforest. July 2023.

Join here 👉 https://www.reptilesofecuador.com/expeditions/join_expedition.html

Our expedition to Island 🇵🇦 yielded the red-wine morph of the . I want to dedicate this picture to Casey Klebba and Carly Jones (Minifund) for helping fund the penultimate of the Eyelash Viper Project 👉https://khamai.bio/eyelash_viper_project.html

This incredible species of Christmas-colored snake ( ayerbeorum) 🐍 was previously known only from (described by Lucho Vera Pérez), but Jose Vieira found and photographed this individual in . The discovery took place in of Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco. Make sure to follow/support Jocotoco to help them protect the habitat of this elusive serpent. Visit link below 👇 to download the official publication.
https://www.khamai.bio/publications/arteaga_batista_2023.pdf

https://twitter.com/alearteagath

I will be speaking at GLEX Summit - Portugal on June 14–16 at Terceira Island, . Join me and other explorers from around the world. 👉 https://bit.ly/3WlDTpn

We'll be there.

Between May 19 and 23, there will be a caravan for the protection of the , organized by Mushuk Away. The goal is to build alliances among those seeking to save the rainforest. 👉 https://bit.ly/42SIQbu

I will be speaking at the Global Biodiversity Festival on May 21st! Join me and other speakers from around the world at: www.globalbiofest.com

Great news! Now you can claim the book of the as a pledge option to support our next field guide (one book supports the next). Thanks to all who continue to support this campaign. 👉 https://bit.ly/3KoZ1qy

I will be sharing the results of my "Rescue for 13 lost Harlequin in Ecuador" during the The Explorers Club's annual dinner ( ) in 📍 NYC this weekend. Thanks to Discovery and The Explorers Club for supporting my 🔍 research.

Looking for a video assistant/field biologist for a 3-week expedition to southern 🇹🇿 in October for a new project on African bush . Join my Telegram 💌 for additional information ( 👉 https://t.me/s/alejandroarteagath).

Special thanks to the 25 backers who have helped us reach 84% of our Systematics project (https://bit.ly/3odIQ6E). 🐍

New totally FREE or about the 🐊 and of 🇪🇨. It is available for free high resolution download in the link below 👇. I want to dedicate this poster to Debra Dabideen Donovan Roy Averill-Murray ReptiFiles.com and Taline Kazandjian for sponsoring the creation of the accounts for the crocodilians of Ecuador. Thanks to Bioparque Amaru and Zoológico El Pantanal for providing photographic access to crocodilians under their care.

https://www.reptilesofecuador.com/posters.html

Quiero dedicar un agradecimiento especial a Iona Aponte Valdivieso y su familia por salvar una área equivalente a 170 m2 de selva amazónica que será integrada a la Reserva Pitalala ( ), hábitat de la 🐸 rana mono amazónica ( , mostrada aquí), y de miles de especies más. Iona y sus hijos (Joaco, Emi, y Nicolás) son protectores de la naturaleza y la primera familia de Ecuador en apoyar a Khamai Foundation a salvar la selva amazónica.

Thanks to Cheryl Vogt for symbolically adopting the White-lipped Mud Turtle ( )🐢. Only one freshwater species remains to be adopted.

Great news! Now you can claim the book The Amphibians and Reptiles of as a pledge option to support our upcoming book about the of the whole country (one book supports the next). 👉 https://bit.ly/3KoZ1qy

Incredible news from our Systematics 🐍 project. Thanks to the support of Minifund, we have received DNA sequences that confirm the existence of the famous (the golden morph of ) in 🇪🇨. Pictured here are three "oropels" from Ecuador and one from 🇨🇷 (can you guess which one?). Thanks to César Rescate Silvestre for allowing us to sample specimens under his care. Visit link below to help us complete our crowdfunding for this project (84% of goal raised). 👇

https://www.khamai.bio/eyelash_viper_project.html

New species! aparatiritos, a new snail-eating 🐍 endemic to central . Link to PDF here 👉https://www.khamai.bio/publications/ray_et_al_2023.pdf

Great news! 💚 Many of you have been asking if the original on paper illustrations that artist Valentina Nieto created for the of Ecuador book can be purchased. Starting today, yes they can! Valentina created stunningly detailed illustrations depicting the 35 Ecuadorian we could not photograph. As a way to help the book’s fundraiser, today, you can get your favorite illustration along with the the author's certificate of authenticity. 3 of out 35 have been claimed. Visit link below to claim your favorite. Can you guess which one I will be taking home? (hint: it is a 🦎)

https://www.reptilesofecuador.com/support_project.html

Yesterday, Chris Cave found this absolutely stunning ( ) 🐍 during our BioBlitz for Khamai Foundation. Visit www.khamai.bio to learn about what we are doing.

Yesterday, we found this juvenile Two-lined Forest-Pitviper ( ) 🐍 perched at about 2 m above the ground in terra firme forest in Napo, Ecuador. 👉 Christian Cave ( on IG) is in the second picture. . www.khamai.bio

King Glassfrog (Teratohyla midas), photographed in-situ during our first night of the herpetofaunal bioblitz at the . 🐸

Special thanks to the 24 backers who have helped us reach 55% of our Systematics 🐍 project fundraising campaign (https://www.khamai.bio/eyelash_viper_project.html). The specimen pictured here is from , .