The chapter begins with Levine flying in a helicopter over the dense jungle of Costa Rica, roughly 18 months after his encounter with Malcolm in Santa Fe. He is accompanied by Marty Guitierrez, an American field biologist who works for the Reserva Biologica de Carara. Recently, another strange animal carcass was discovered by a pair of campers on a secluded beach, and Levine is eager to examine the remains before the government destroys them. Problems immediately arise upon landing at the site; Levine is annoyed to learn that the Public Health Service has already been to see the animal, possibly contaminating the specimen as well as being forbidden from taking pictures. The corpse is in an advanced state of decay, though Levine can tell that its skin pigment appears to be green with darker