ANIMALES EN PELIGRO DE EXTINCIÓN EN PANAMÁ

Animals in Danger of Extinction in Panama Prepared by: Emanuel Reyes

Animals in danger of extinction in Panama

Panama is a paradisiacal country located in Central America and famous for the canal that connects the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Given its hot tropical climate and local ecosystems, Panama is a country with a huge variety of fauna and flora.

However, many of the species that inhabit this region are threatened with extinction, mainly because of man's careless action against nature and natural resources: Pollution, indiscriminate hunting, destruction of natural habitats, etc.

RANA DORADA DE PANAMÁ (ATELOPUS ZETEKI)

MICO NOCTURNO PANAMEÑO (AOTUS ZONALIS)

The golden frog of Panama is endemic to Panamanian territory, specifically to the country’s tropical humid forests, especially streams.

Its situation is extremely critical, so much so that it is considered extinct in the wild since 2007.

Threats focus on forest destruction, pollution and illegal trafficking of species. Fortunately, there are currently a variety of conservation programs that struggle to reproduce this frog species in captivity.

It is a monkey of rather small size, about 900 grams, being slightly smaller females. Her coat has brown and reddish colors on her back, yellow on her belly and black or dark brown on her hands. The Panamanian is of arboreal habits, being able to find specimens in a great variety of forests.

It usually lives in small groups, from two to six individuals.

MANATÍ

MONO ARAÑA DE GEOFFROY The Ateles geoffroyi or Geoffroy spider monkey is a primate typical of Central America and one of the largest on the continent. It is a gregarious animal that can live in groups of up to 5000 members.

The manatee (Trichechus manatus), also known as a marine cow, inhabits sweet and salty waters, so in America it is found both in the Amazon River and in the waters of the Caribbean Sea. Despite its large size, manatee is a peaceful aquatic mammal that feeds only on plants found in seas and rivers.

As far as it is known, man is the only culprit for the decline in the population of this species: Hunting for its meat and fat, contaminates the waters where it dwells and often injures them with boats and boats.

He prefers to live in rain forests and mangroves, where he spends most of his time at the top of the trees looking for food. It feeds on fruits, leaves, honey and some insects.

The deforestation of the forests that it inhabits has this species on the verge of extinction, but also the hunting of the human being.

Mono tití (Saimiri oerstedii)

The squirrel monkey of Central America is a primate of the Cebidae family. It is also called the redback monkey because of its goldred hair on the back.

They are the most endangered members of the other squirrel monkey families

Águila harpía (Harpia harpyja)

The harpy eagle, harpy or harpy is the national bird of Panama. Its territory extends through Central and South America, inhabiting mainly humid or rainy forests.

It is the largest bird on the continent, with about 100 centimeters long, 200 centimeters in size and a weight of about 10 kilos, the males being slightly smaller.

As a physicist they also highlight their chocolatecolored eyes or even occasionally yellow ones.

LOBITO DE RÍO The Neotropical River lobito (Lontra longicaudis) inhabits Central and South America. It belongs to the family of the mustelids and is characterized by a thick dark chocolate coat. It inhabits forests, savannas and wetlands, but it is imperative that you always have an abundant source of water nearby, such as rivers and streams, as it develops most of your life in them. It feeds on fish and other animals that it can find in the waters. The main threats of the river lobito are pollution and hunting to seize its skin.

CONEJO PINTADO

The painted rabbit also called lapa and common paca (cuniculus paca) is a rodent that inhabits Central America and part of South America. It is a nocturnal animal and good swimmer, as well as a herbivore. During the day he prefers to rest in his burrow. Its main threat is hunting for consumption of its meat, so in Panama it is regulated.

Tortuga carey (Eretmochelys imbricata)

The hawksbill turtle is a species of sea turtle in the chelonidae family. It is the only species in the genus Eretmochelys.

There are two subspecies, Eretmochelys imbricata imbricata which can be found in the Atlantic Ocean and Eretmochelys imbricata bissa, located in the Indo-Pacific region.

Tortuga verde (Chelonia mydas)

The Green Turtle is a species of sea turtle in the Cheloniidae family. This large turtle is distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Oso hormiguero (Vermilingua)

Tapir centroamericano (Tapirus bairdii)

The vermiligous ant bears are body is robust. It can measure from 1.20 to 1.30 m long and the tail from 75 to 85 cm, and can weigh up to 40 kg. The coloring of the coat varies from different shades of gray. They are native to Central and North and Central America.

It represents an important component of the food chain, being part of the diet of jaguars.

Tapirus bairdii is given many names in Central America. It is called tapir, tapir, niguanchan, among others.

This mammal inhabits different countries, which include Panama, Mexico and Ecuador.

The male is characterized by its short coat, long snout and the fact that females breed their offspring for 400 days before giving them birth. You can inhabit both moist forests and dry areas, as long as you do so in areas near a river and vegetation.

How to help endangered animals in Panama?

The problem of species extinction is closely related to human action. Environmental pollution, trafficking in species, destruction or modification of ecosystems, mascotism of alien species, poaching, introduction of invasive alien species, etc.

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Avoid increasing contamination. It opts for ecological alternatives, such as the replacement of plastic bags with fabric bags, the use of public transport, etc.

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It respects the protected areas and natural reserves of Panama. Here we tell you the importance of nature reserves and protected areas.

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Do not be part of the mascotism of exotic species, especially if they do not have regulatory CITES documents. These animals cannot be pets!

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Report the cases of illegal hunting that you know.

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Avoid consuming products originating from illegal trafficking in endangered species, such as trophies, decorative objects, derived products, etc. o not participate or avoid the introduction of invasive alien species or with potential to become invasive in this area.

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Become more involved in the protection of these animals in Panama by volunteering in associations that protect threatened species.

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Share these tips with your friends and acquaintances to help raise awareness of society and to ensure that we can achieve results not only in Panama, but in all the countries of the world.