The guy with the Boa Constrictor. Believe it or not, this is one of the most frequently kept pet snakes. Females give birth to a clutch of live babies. A large female Boa Constrictor can have as many as 30-40 living young in the wild. It's status in the wild; Declining due to deforestation, over collection for the skin trade as well as occasional consumption by humans.

John and the monkey, I am not sure what kind of monkey this is.

Amazonian girl with the Green Parrots.

This is my favorite photo from this village full of children. You may ask why? Isn't it just a boy with a rat?
When we arrived to the village of Boca Da Valeria, many families and children were lined up ready for us to take photos of them for a small monetary gift. We saw elaborate costumes, animals, snakes, and even a trantula. This little boy had what looked like just a rat, that's it, no costume, no "wow" pet, just a rat. Everyone was just passing him by and he looked so sad. I told John that I needed more money for photos because I wanted to take a photo of the boy with the rat. I said "look at him, everyone is passing him by, and sure he doesn't seem to have a fantastic pet, but at least he brought his pet, even if it is a huge rat". There were other children on the trail without any pets and regardless they would ask for dollars, which we were advised not to give them if they just asked, since it would create problems down the road with tourists being bombarded. We were told that it's ok to give monetary gifts to those in costume or with pets as a token of our appreciation for the photo.

This little boy with the rat, came out to greet us on the trail in hopes of securing a few monetary gifts for his photo with his pet. I couldn't disappoint him. I felt a lot of compassion for this little boy with the rat and it has become my favorite photo of the children of The Amazon.

I found out later, in doing this blog, that the rat is actually called a Brown Agouti, a rodent scavenger that lives on the ground of dense rain forests. This small-eared animal feeds on fruits, leaves, and roots. It can grow to a length of two feet and weigh up to four pounds. Using its long legs, an agouti moves with a jumping motion, like a deer. Agouti couples usually bear two young. When born, the young are fully capable of taking care of themselves, but remain with their parents for as long as 20 weeks. Jaguars often prey on the agouti.