When Animalia Ambassadoria first arrived in Manaus, the tropical heat hit them all hard. Fortunately, everyone managed to remember to pack both Camel-Bak water packs and deodorant. There were many things that were discovered in Manaus and the Amazon Jungle.
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First of all, while Melbourne was capable of catching piranhas by hand, he didn't do it without proper protective equipment, such as rubber gloves and rubber chest waders. As he put it: 'Proper preparations prevents painful performances.'
They were able to not only get the required fishes for Animalia Aquatica, as well as a male and female version of each, but also a male and female Amazon Black Caimans, Amazon River Dolphins, Capybaras, Jaguars, Ocelots, and South American Tapirs.
Another new project that was started was Animalia Aviana, with birds as the focus. Two bird species that would be mentioned here was the toucans, and the Ruby-throated hummingbirds. The reason for this was the fact that the scientists wanted to see how the virus affected two radically different bird species.
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Calypso and Caliope were actually quite average, for a two-headed green anaconda, but their sluggish movement showed that they weren't at optimum health. Both heads were actually fully formed and functional, but it was clear that they couldn't swallow as big as foods as anacondas with only one head. They were somewhat more aggressive and harder to surprise, but the easiest way to placate them was to feed them a large amount of food to render them lazy and more sluggish.
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The Grand River Amazon Hotel and Casino, about two miles west from Manaus, was actually more livable then they had anticipated, even though the outdoor pool was now a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Many windows were broken, and vines and other plants and animals living in what were once five-star rooms. It would be planned to clear out many plants, and uplift the animals to both be colonists and workers at the hotel. What was a big surprise was the capture of a small group of tomb robbers who were using the abandoned hotel as a base for their plundering. After playing some "good cop, bad cop" with the looters, they were able to learn of a previously undiscovered archaeological site. Melbourne would stay behind to supervise the cleaning up of the hotel, and the excavation and cataloging of the Pre-Colombian city in the jungle. Clara would have to wait until her cubs were born and she was stable enough for travel before she could view the hotel for herself. Animalia Ambassadoria would return to Lyre and Animalia with the test subjects for the Animalia projects in the meantime. They were also needed for the IAC, as their group was actually quite popular, and would make a great showing of the IAC for those who wouldn't be able to make it.
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All together, the trip was fruitful, and had different rewards. One thing they had to do when they got back was a medical inspection to make sure they didn't have any diseases or parasites, but this would be followed up by a free cleaning up at Siam Shine.