Suriname River at Brokopondo GPS: 5 North 3.576; 54 West 58.435 Just look at that! Can you blame me for falling in love with the jungle? Can you blame me for yearning to return? The thought crosses my mind almost hourly. This is the Suriname River near the village of Brokopondo. This was the most spectacular habitat we collected in. The shores were sandy and harbored both Guianacara owroewefi and Geophagus brokopondo. The current was brisk but the water was clear enough to snorkel. Guianacara owroewefi was very common at this habitat. The groups of mixed geophagines were quite unafraid, coming within a few inches of me. I was struggling to not get swept away by the current. Photography was challenging. Flowing north towards the Atlantic ocean, Suriname river is clear water river that drains the rocky highlands further south of Brokopondo. This gorgeous Leporinus sp. was about 8 inches long. Snorkeling supervised by Jeff and Spencer. Juvenile Cichla ocellaris were everywhere. While snorkeling, I was distracted by all the fish activity, but there was a flash of dark orange. Was that...? Could it be...? Yes, it was! Juvenile and subadult Crenicichla multispinosa! They reminded me of the C. sp. Xingu 1 Orange in their shape and speed but much skinnier and darker. They would not stop at all. They darted into the weeds and darted back out into the open water. We spent a lot of time seining, castnetting and fishing with lures but still could not catch a single C. multispinosa. So we decided to come back at night. It would be easy like plucking an apple from a tree. Crenicichla multispinosa We came back at night and spent almost 2 hours looking for the pikes. Not a single one! Sigh. Could it have been the bright full moon? They (and the juvenile Cichla) were clearly not coming to the shore at night like most cichlids. Could it be that they were pelagic, spending the night in the middle of the water column? Whatever the reason, we clearly do not know enough about the natural history and behavior of this species. Disappointed, we headed back to Lelydorp on the dark, bumpy road. We never caught a single C. multispinosa during the entire trip...and it was the fish I wanted the most. Species seen at Suriname River near Brokopondo: Cichla ocellaris Guianacara owroewefi Geophagus brokopondo Crenicichla multispinosa Leporinus sp. Red Fin All photos by J. Cardwell, S. Jack, J. Zaradka and V. Kutty Back to ==> Home http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/5491 Latest update: 20 January 2007 Comments on this page: email me at vin dot kutty at gmail dot com