I’ve just returned from spending a summer in Panama City, Panama, where I was an intern at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Specifically, I worked on University of Nevada Reno Assistant Professor Michael Logan’s project, titled The Genomic Basis of Thermal Adaptation: A Large-Scale Transplant Experiment in the Panama Canal. If you’re interested, you can read more about the project here (and Dr. Logan is currently accepting new PhD students!).
In between long field days on Barro Colorado Island and on Pipeline Road catching Anolis apletophallus lizards, I was able to photograph some really cool animals taking advantage of urbanization and thriving in the town of Gamboa.
Peruse the slideshow below to see some urban animals!
A small Trachylepis typhonius, or milk frog, was seen at the (aptly named) Rana Dorada bar in Ciudad del Saber, Panama. (1/3)
A small Trachylepis typhonius, or milk frog, was seen at the (aptly named) Rana Dorada bar in Ciudad del Saber, Panama. (2/3)
A small Trachylepis typhonius, or milk frog, was seen at the (aptly named) Rana Dorada bar in Ciudad del Saber, Panama. (3/3). Bonus: Can you spot the other urban herp in the photo?
This mourning gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris, was found in the Casa Casco bar in Casco Viejo in Panama City, Panama.
This coati, or Nasua narica, was living on Barro Colorado Island, a small island in the Panama Canal where there is a large field station for STRI. Because of this, it was very bold and was clearly used to humans and anthropogenic habitats.
A Geoffroy’s Tamarin, Saguinus geoffroyi, climbs the metal poles outside STRI’s Gamboa Lab. (1/2)
A Geoffroy’s Tamarin, Saguinus geoffroyi, climbs the metal poles outside STRI’s Gamboa Lab. (2/2)
A small invasive house gecko, Hemidactylus mabouia, that lived on the outside of my apartment and sometimes came into my bedroom at night.
A juvenile mourning gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris, was found in the water pitcher in my apartment. (1/2)
A juvenile mourning gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris, was found in the water pitcher in my apartment. (2/2)
A lesser-yellow-headed vulture, Cathartes burrovianus, perches on a barbed wire fence outside STRI’s Gamboa Lab. (1/2)
A lesser-yellow-headed vulture, Cathartes burrovianus, perches on a barbed wire fence outside STRI’s Gamboa Lab. (2/2)
This tarantula is, I believe, a Panamanian blonde tarantula, or Psalmopoeus pulcher. It was seen multiple times living in a shed at the bottom of Pipeline Road. A common sight at night, some scientists working at the base of Pipeline have named it Aria. (1/2)
This tarantula is, I believe, a Panamanian blonde tarantula, or Psalmopoeus pulcher. It was seen multiple times living in a shed at the bottom of Pipeline Road. A common sight at night, some scientists working at the base of Pipeline have named it Aria. (2/2)
This juvenile red-tailed boa, Boa constrictor, was relaxing on the fence outside STRI’s Gamboa Lab. For its safety, it was safely relocated to a nearby forest.
A black vulture, Coragyps atratus, perches on an abandoned church in Gamboa.
Agoutis, Dasyprocta punctata, are quite common in Gamboa and are often seen dining on trash or foraging in gardens.
A dwarf gecko, Sphaerodactylus lineolatus, was caught using some cement blocks as a perch behind STRI’s Gamboa Lab. (1/2)
A dwarf gecko, Sphaerodactylus lineolatus, was caught using some cement blocks as a perch behind STRI’s Gamboa Lab. (2/2)
Cleo is a University of Massachusetts Boston undergraduate student who started working with Kristin Winchell and Kevin Aviles Rodriguez in Dr. Liam Revell's lab, studying urban adaptation and evolution in Anolis. Cleo also works in the Herpetology Department at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, and hopes to continue studying reptiles and amphibians in their future career.
Latest posts by Cleo Falvey (see all)
- Recap: The Finer Points of Urban Adaptation - January 29, 2021
- Video Recommendation: The City Animal Tier List! - March 10, 2020
- Urban Observation of the Week: A Catalogue of Urban Animals in Gamboa, Panama - September 4, 2019
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