Tikal Ace the tour Guide

15/01/2013

14/01/2013

great egret

14/01/2013

The Jesus Lizard is called that because it can indeed walk on water just like Jesus. Its real name is Basilisk and it hails from sunny Central America and is related to the Iguana.

The Jesus Lizard likes to live near water, that way, when it is frightened by an approaching predator it can get to the water and run across the surface. Their predators are: large birds, snakes, fish, other larger reptiles, and a few mammals.

The lizards can run on water because they have a fringe of scales on their hind toes which makes little webs that can trap bubbles of air and water beneath their feet. This keeps them from sinking into the water if they run quickly enough across. When they do stop running they don’t mind taking a little swim. The smaller lizards can run further than the bigger and heavier ones. Basilisks usually weigh between 200-600 grams (0.44 - 1.3 lbs) and may grow to be about 2 feet (61 cm) long although they average about 1 foot (30.5 cm) in length.

14/01/2013

The Boa constrictor is a large snake, although only modestly sized in comparison to other large snakes such as the reticulated python and Burmese python, and can reach lengths of anywhere from 3–13 feet (0.91–4.0 m) depending on the locality and the availability of suitable prey. There is clear sexual dimorphism seen in the species, with females generally being larger in both length and girth than males. As such, the average size of a mature female boa is between 7–10 feet (2.1–3.0 m), whilst it is 6–8 feet (1.8–2.4 m) for the males. It is common for female individuals to exceed 10 feet (3.0 m), particularly in captivity, where lengths of up to 12 feet (3.7 m) or even 14 feet (4.3 m) can be seen. A report of a Boa constrictor growing up to 18.5 feet (5.6 m) was later found to be a misidentified green anaconda.

14/01/2013

Twin Pyramid Complexes, which are two identical pyramids placed atop two other pyramids. Generally, the Mayans positioned nine steles in front of the western pyramid. An internal courtyard, equipped with an altar and a stele bearing the inauguration date of the architectonic complex,can be found in the north, while in the south, visitors will find a palace with nine entries. The Twin Pyramid Complexes were constructed to celebrate Katùn -the twenty year cycle. While excavating Tikal, scientists found eight of these complexes, two of which are at other sites within Tikal-Yaxha and Ixlu.