James Borrell is a biodiversity scientist and science communicator researching how people and nature can adapt to environmental change.

The Invisible Amazon: Photos from remote camera traps

What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what’s going on.Whilst working in the Amazon this summer, I was privileged to be surrounded by a staggering array of wildlife. Caiman cruised the depths of the cocha, primates raced through the trees and tarantula lived far too close for comfort.

At the same time, there were a lot of things we didn’t see. Cats, far too elusive to be caught by the naked eye, the lumbering Tapir, who would hear us coming and disappear back into the forest, along with other wierd and wonderful creatures I can only begin to imagine.

Luckily though, remote camera traps offer a glimpse of rainforest life that would normally be invisible to the outside world. Now, I’m privileged to share a few images captured on our expedition, led by the British Schools Exploring Society, to the remote Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. I think Cousteau sums it up perfectly…

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