Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
boa and grazes at Punta Patiño, in the Darién. A more ambitious feature of the jaguar's diet
is the
peccary
, a kind of wild boar. Two barely distinguishable species forage through the
rainforest undergrowth in Panama: the more frequently seen
collared
peccary (
saíno
), which
lives in small herds, and the elusive, aggressive
white-lipped
peccary (
puerco de monte
),
which can travel in battalions of several hundred and be dangerous when threatened.
One of the largest, most extraordinary-looking mammals in the Neotropics is
Baird's tapir
(
macho de monte
). Another endangered nocturnal creature, it resembles an overgrown pig
with a sawn-off elephant's trunk stuck on its face, which is actually a stubby prehensile nose
and upper lip used to grip branches and eat off the leaves and fruit. Though the adults are
dull brown, baby tapirs have spotted and striped coats for camouflage. More commonly es-
pied are
sloths
(
perezosos
) and
anteaters
(
hormigueros
), both of which arrived on the planet
shortly after the demise of dinosaurs. Panama's
two-toed
and
three-toed
sloths spend much
of their time literally hanging around treetops, either curled round a branch camouflaged as
an ants' nest, or gripping with their long curved claws, doing everything in slow motion
to conserve energy. Inexplicably, they make a near-suicidal descent to ground level once a
week to defecate. In contrast, the
northern tamandua
, a type of anteater, moves nimbly
along the branches, hoovering up ants and termites. Not an uncommon sight in the Metro-
politan Park, even though mainly nocturnal, they are widespread across the country, whereas
the wholly terrestrial
giant anteater
is verging on extinction nationally, as is the
spectacled
bear
, named after the cream-coloured markings around its eyes.
Monkeys
are an almost guaranteed sighting in Panama, which hosts all seven Central Amer-
ican species. A distinctive feature of the tropical landscape, the large, shaggy
mantled howl-
er monkey
(
aullador negro
) is more likely to be heard before being seen; the ape's stentori-
an cries travel for kilometres, with large troops announcing dawn and dusk and even the
onset of heavy rain. The other two more widespread species are the cherub-like
Geoffroy's
tamarin
(
mono tití
), found in central and eastern Panama, and the larger, highly intelli-
gent
white-throated capuchin
(
mono cariblanco
). Named for their physical resemblance to
brown-robed Capuchin friars, though also somewhat misleadingly dubbed “white-headed”
or “white-faced”, the monkey's pink anthropomorphic face makes it a popular pet. Catch-
ing sight of a troop of
black-headed spider monkeys
(
mono araña negro
) - one of several
types of endangered Panamanian spider monkey - elegantly gliding through the canopies of
eastern Panama is a magical experience. At the other end of the isthmus, the
owl
or
night
monkeys
(
mono de noche
), with their saucer-like eyes, are restricted to the Caribbean low-
lands of Bocas, while over on the Pacific side, the delicate
squirrel monkey
(
mono ardilla
)
is occasionally sighted in the Burica Peninsula in southwestern Chiriquí.
Reptiles
Mention the fact that you intend to hike in the jungle, and someone is bound to alert you
to the dangers of
snakes
, though a relatively small percentage are venomous and snakebites
