In September 2022, Ollie and a small team went out to the Canandé reserve in the Chocó region of NW Ecuador to look for new species of reptiles and amphibians in the canopy, as well as test out some novel canopy sampling methodologies.

The project was the realisation of a long-awaited dream and yielded some promising findings, including what is believed to be a new species of frog of the genus Pristimantis, a possible first country record for Anolis pentaprion and a host of new height records for multiple other species.

The paper was published in the journal Reptiles and Amphibians and can be accessed and read at this link.

We also taught many other researchers and guides how to climb and got them up into the canopy with us so they too could experience this magical place. They were able to use the time to search in a previously unexplored habitat for the species they were interested in. Below is guide Ismael Castellano heading up to the canopy and Chiara Correa searching for her beloved orchids.

Keep your eyes out for the Herps at Height film from CineWanderer Productions! Sneak peek below