| From September 16th- 24th of 2004, I visited central Panama for the second time, staying at the wonderful Canopy Tower, in Soberania National Park (check out my Links for the Tower's lovely website.). Click here for my Panama 2004 journal, including photos, for general information regarding this trip. My primary activity on this trip, as before, was birding, but I invariably encountered all manner of interesting creatures on a daily basis; the neotropical rainforest of Panama is home to a remarkable variety of wildlife, belonging to all orders. My trusty Canon digital video camera was at my side at all times, and while, again, my focus was primarily on birds, I paid more than cursory attention to the other abundant creatures, and succeeded in capturing some fascinating images (and behaviors) of mammals and other critters. This trip in fact exceeded my previous one in terms of the sheer variety of mammals encountered, although most creatures, for one reason or another, eluded video capture. Besides those species noted below, the "misses" included a Red Brocket Deer on Semaphore Hill on my taxi ride in, a Woolly Opossum on a night tour, a brazen Tamandua crossing Pipeline Road, an adorable Kinkajou outside the Tower's dining room one night, and a raucous stampede of at least 40 Coatimundis one afternoon on a walk down Semaphore Hill. The sheer variety of unusual and unique creatures was astounding, and the images presented below only scratch the surface of the non-avian wildlife wonders present in the splendid rainforests of Central Panama. |
| A variety of monkeys seen at close range was again one of the highlights of the trip, and no primate provided more thrills than Geoffrey's Tamarin, and petite and handsome monkey that I had not been able to film on my previous trip. I didn't have to wait long this time around- I encountered a troupe of tamarins on my first day alone on a walk down Semaphore Hill, and a couple of them stuck around for a modest photo-op, despite the presence of a Black Hawk-Eagle (a large raptor that seems to favor Geoffrey's Tamarin as a source of protein). These primates are frugivores, and very active tree-toppers, and I was fighting the sun on this particular morning, so I'm actually quite thrilled with the modest quality of the images presented at right and below. |
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| White-throated Capuchins (I recognize here the nomenclature presented in Emmons' Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, the most authorotative guide to the region, although I have heard of this species referred to as "White-faced Capuchin") are the most abundant primate of the Pipeline Road area, and a welcome sight to birders, as their troupes are often attended by small raptors, who feast on the small creatures flushed from hiding by the capuchins' reckless foraging. The handsome fellow pictured at right provided a special treat; a group of us watched this hapless primate try to crack open a succession of rock-hard palm fruits, valiantly smacking them against tree branches with both hands. The poor fellow gave up on each fruit after several tries, and finally slipped deep into the branches to resume his effort, as if embarassed by our attention. Eventually, this young fellow will learn what he can and cannot eat with ease! |
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I was fortunate this time around that a troupe of Mantled Howler Monkeys chose to reside quite close to the Canopy Tower for several days, allowing wonderful close-range views from the Tower's viewing platform (a few guests who stuck around during the mornings had even better looks than I did). A sad footnote to my enjoyment of these handsome creatures was their affliction with a terrible sore that protruded from the necks and head of most of this troupe; I missed much of the explanation Carlos (my guide) gave for this illness, but I recall something regarding transmission via domestic livestock (perhaps other guests picked up more on this topic- please e-mail me if you've got better info). Another primate eluded video capture, simply because I left my camera behind one morning; a handsome Night Monkey, who stuck his head out of a daytime roost in response to José's monkey-hoots, at a known spot on Plantation Trail. |
| It almost goes without saying that the sheer variety of insect life in the rainforest is almost immeasurable, and my meager observations don't even hint at the insectoid diversity that surrounded me at any given moment. I paused to film these creatures only occasionally, appreciating insects more for their effect on birds than in and of themselves, but occasionally I would pause in wonder. One such moment was when I spotted the splendid bee pictured at right, gleaning sap along Pipeline Road. And a number of us got a kick out of the beetle (I think a wood beetle) pictured below, which found comfort on Jim's pants leg along Semaphore Road. I've spent a bit of time with the butterflies of the region (see my Panama butterfly page for some images), but the rest of the insect world remains largely a mystery to me. |
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One of the most remarkable mammals I encountered was the enormous Capybara, the world's largest rodent, seemingly the size of a baby hippo. This year was the second time I have encountered this creature at the Ammo Dump Ponds, but whereas last year I viewed a small herd from a great distance, this year we found an individual browsing only 200 feet or so from shore. The image at left gives little sense of scale, but rest assured that this mammal is big; the best reference I can offer is the presence of an attendant Wattled Jacana, a fairly large shorebird, a pair of which gleaned prey from the body of the huge, but docile rodent. |
| The handsome Red-tailed Squirrel was seen almost every day on this trip, but consistently defies clean video capture in one way or another. Sometimes it's obscured by branches, other times in motion just often enough to elude focus, and in this case, sedentary and at close range, it is bathed in bright sunlight, and partially obscured. I had the pleasure of viewing another beautiful squirrel, a striking Variegated Squirrel found at the Summit Gardens- don't even ask me about the results of that attempt at filming! |
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| As little as I know about the insects of the region, I probably know even less about the amphibian life! The two frogs pictured below were found at different times on Semaphore Hill, both cleverly camouflaged in their own way. Joe Hammond taught me the name of at least one of these creatures last year, but the names escape me- I'm waiting for the definitive field guide to reptiles and amphibians for the region to be released! |
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| One of my favorite mammals of the neotropics is the somewhat un-glamourous Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (a long name for a simple animal). This trip did not provide the close-range viewing opportunities of my first visit, but I nonetheless observed both the Thrre-toed Sloth and its relative, Hoffman's Two-toed Sloth, on several occasions. My favorite memory of this placid creature was the view I received one brightly sunlit morning, when a gleaming lump in the cecropia tree outside the Canopy Tower revealed itself to be a happily slumbering Three-toed Sloth. I was on the viewing platform that morning for probably two hours, and I swear this creature never moved an inch! To say that sloths exhibit an economy of motion is the understatement of the century. The seemingly smiling animal at the top of this page is a sloth found on Semaphore Hill- he may be somewhat ragged and covered in bugs, which require relatively rigorous and periodic scratching, but to me the sloth is one of the most beautiful animals in the world.... |
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This represented only the second-best sighting of a boa on the trip, although I was not present for number one. On a field trip to Summit Gardens, the other birding group encountered a seven-foot long boa lazing along the path; unfortunately, the first group member to encounter the monster
was a nice gentleman from Canada (who shall mercifully remain nameless), who had an admittedly unnatural fear of snakes. I am told that his vertical leap on this occasion rivalled that of Michael Jordan in his prime, and the stream of invectives he emitted would have made a sailor blush. Wish
I had been there.... Nonetheless, the trip was mercifully free of Fer-de-lance, Whiplash Viper, and Vine Snake, all reptiles one would rather spy at a distance, or behind glass. Absent these ferocious creatures of the rainforest, the diversity of animal life was still quite remarkable, and I have little doubt that subsequent trips
will offer even more treasures...