SUMMARY: Pura Goa Lawah is home to a large colony of Geoffroy’s Rousette (Rousettus amplexicaudatus) that can be seen at the cave entrance. On my visit (29 April 2015) there were least 1,000 bats roosting in the cave; presumed to all be the same species.
Continue readingCountry Data
Dugong at Uluwatu Beach, Bali (Indonesia)
SUMMARY: Uluwatu Beach is a popular surf spot about 1.5 km north of Uluwatu Temple on the Bukit Peninsula (Bali). Whilst surfing here in January 2004 and waiting in the line-up (small surf, only about 3-foot) I saw the back of a Dugong (Dugong dugon) break the surface, about 15 meters away. An hour later when back on the cliff-top I looked down and had clear views of it feeding on the seagrass.
Continue readingGamboa Area (Panama): mammal records
SUMMARY: This post summarizes my mammal records (30 species) in the Gamboa area, Panama, from six nights in Feb 2022 (6-10th and 18-20th). Species included Ocelot, Panama Mouse Opossum, Geoffroy’s Tamarin, Western Lowland Olingo, Gabb’s Cottontail, Rothschild’s Porcupine, Tomes’s Spiny Rat and 9 bat species (including images of Mesoamerican Mustached Bat).
Continue readingAlston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum (Marmosa alstoni) in Boquete, Panama
By Paul Carter (22 Feb 2022). Revised 22 March 2022 to match the open access report lodged on Zenodo as:
CARTER, Paul. (2022). Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum, Marmosa alstoni (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae), in Boquete, Panama. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6374907
SUMMARY
On 17 Feb 2022 at 9:00 PM I photographed Marmosa alstoni (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) in the Boquete area, Panama. Mammal Diversity Database (2022 v1.8) treat M. alstoni as endemic to Costa Rica, following the recent review of the M. alstoni complex by Voss et al. (2021). Following the taxonomy in Voss et al (2021) and their review of previous records in Panama it appears that this record in Boquete is the first photographic record of M. alstoni in Panama; and possibly the first confirmed record in Panama.
Boquete (Panama): mammal records (2022)
Paul Carter, 21 Feb 2022
This post summarizes key mammal records (six species) from five nights (13-18 Feb 2022) in Boquete, Panama; staying at Los Naranjos Cottage; part of a two-week trip with Chi Phan. The record of Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum (Marmosa alstoni), currently listed as endemic to Costa Rica, is seemingly the first confirmed record for Panama. The Los Naranjos cottage is recommended as a place to stay if wanting to see Cacomistle; I don’t know of it being reported at any other accommodation in Boquete. These records are mostly from the two dry nights of our visit.
Contents below: 1) Sites; 2) Mammal List; 3) Images.
Panama
SUMMARY: On a trip in February 2022 I saw +38 mammal species; the highlights being Ocelot and Panama Mouse Opossum at Gamboa; and Cacomistle and Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum at Boquete.
Continue readingBelize
SUMMARY: On a mammal-watching trip to Belize in December 2021 (15 nights) I saw +40 species of mammals. Mammal highlights included Baird’s Tapir, Hatt’s Vesper Rat (a Yucatan endemic) and Thomas’s Sac-winged Bat. Reptile records included Creaser’s Mud Turtle at La Milpa (NW Belize); this appears to be the first record outside Mexico. I travelled with Chi Phan.
Continue readingCreaser’s Mud Turtle (Kinosternon creaseri) in Belize
SUMMARY: This record of Creaser’s Mud Turtle (Kinosternon creaseri) appears to be the first record beyond Mexico and in Belize. It was seen on 7 Dec 2021.
Continue readingManed Rat (Lophiomys imhausi) in Ethiopia
Location: Harenna Forest, Ethiopia.
Date: 2018 Mar 24 – 8.24 PM.
Summary: Rarely seen in Ethiopia; only two other recent records (as at 2019).
Ethiopia
Dates visited: 20 March – 4 April 2018.
Mammal List: about 60 mammal species (including one Maned Rat).
Reptile List: about 15 reptile species.
I only visited areas south of Addis Ababa as well as Debre Libanos.
Logistics: I travelled with a cultural guide (Biruk) and driver (Werku); they were not wildlife guides but I recommend them both highly if you are prepared to manage the wildlife side yourself. We used a 4WD Landcuiser and camped where we could; I went spotlighting wherever we camped.
Route Summary (2018): Addis Ababa – Mount Fantale Hyena Caves – Awash NP – Doha Lodge – Ali Dege NP – Bilen Lodge – Awash NP – Dinsho and Gaysay Grasslands – Web Valley – Dinso Sof Omar Caves – Sanetti Plateau – Riru and Harrena Forest – Sanetti Plateua – Dinsho – Wondo Genet – Lake Awassa Park – Senkele Wildlife Sanctuary – Abiata-Shalla Reserve – Alem Gen – Ziway – Lake Langano – Debre Libanos – Addis Ababa.
Posts to date include:
Maned Rat (Lophiomys imhausi); one of three recent records in Ethiopia (as at 2019).
Iceland
SUMMARY: In July 2020 during COVID I had to leave the USA and could not get back to my home in Thailand. Iceland was an option and on an 18-day trip around the island I drove 3,370 km and saw eight mammal species, the highlights being Arctic Fox at Modrudalur and White-beaked Dolphin.
Continue readingArctic Fox at Modrudalur (Northern Iceland)
In August 2020, midway through a 3,300 km drive around Iceland and about 65 km from Lake Myvatn, I was driving east on the ring-road when I came across a remote cafe – Fjalladýrð Kaffi. It was the only building at the intersection with a dirt road (#901) to the south. I stopped for a coffee and randomly picked up a brochure on “one of the most isolated farms” in Iceland; the brochure included a photo of an Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus). This was of interest as it appeared that they were locally protected, unlike many other parts where they are hunted. I had seen habituated Arctic Fox earlier at Heydular and when I mentioned that later to the owner of another farm-stay she replied that it was not right to encourage foxes; she also said she had been to a mink farm and “the mink seemed happy” **. So instead of continuing east on the ring-road I headed south on the track to Modrudalur/Fjalledyrd, about 7 km south of the ring-road. Modrudalur at 469 meters above sea level is the highest inhabited farm in Iceland and it includes turf houses, a church, restaurant, campground and an Arctic Fox den. The den is easily found on a grassy bank about 50 meters north of the restaurant and just off the wooden boardwalk that leads to some accommodation.
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