Panama

Gamboa Area (Panama): mammal records

Posted by Paul Carter

Paul Carter; 26 Mar 2022 (v1); revised 8 July 2023 (v2) – removed Margay record.
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, Quichua Porcupine, Tomes’s Spiny Rat and 9 bat species (including images of Mesoamerican Mustached Bat).

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Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum (Marmosa alstoni) in Boquete, Panama

Posted by Paul Carter

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.

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Boquete (Panama): mammal records (2022)

Posted by Paul Carter

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.

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Panama

Paul Carter, 26 Mar 2022 (revised 18 Apr 2022)

I visited Panama over 6-20 February 2022; with Chi Phan. Of the +38 mammals recorded the highlights were Margay and Ocelot on the Pipeline Trail; Panama Mouse Opossum at Gamboa; and Cacomistle and Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum at Boquete.
Contents below: 1) Locations; 2) Mammal List; 3) Photos; 4) Travel Tips.
Links to regional reports and species reports are shown below.

1. LOCATIONS VISITED
Mammal-watching was focused on the following three areas:
1) Gamboa (36 mammals; 4n at Summit Rainforest and Golf Resort; 2n at Gamboa Rainforest Lodge). Site post HERE.
2) El Valle de Anton (3n at El Valle de Anton La Chachalaca).
3) Boquete (6 mammals; 5n at Los Naranjos cottage). Site post HERE.

2. MAMMAL LIST – as 26 March 2022
Bat records below marked as “EMT” were made using an Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro (link), but only where there were visuals on the bat and repeated recordings that made sense (habitat, range etc); the EMT is not up to date on taxonomic changes so this was also taken into account on IDs.

  1. Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum (Marmosa alstoni) @ Boquete (first photographic record for Panama? Detailed post HERE and Zenodo article HERE).
  2. Panama Mouse Opossum (Marmosa isthmica / Marmosa robinsoni isthmica) @ Gamboa.
  3. Common Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) @ Gamboa area and Boquete.
  4. Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) @ Gamboa area.
  5. Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) @ Gamboa area.
  6. Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni) @ Gamboa area.
  7. Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus) @ Gamboa area.
  8. Lesser White-lined Bat (Saccopteryx leptura) – EMT. @ Gamboa area.
  9. Greater White-lined Bat (Saccopteryx bilineata) – EMT. @ Gamboa area.
  10. Common Black Myotis (Myotis nigricans) – EMT. @ Anton Valley.
  11. Northern Hairy-legged Myotis (Myotis pilosatibialis) – EMT. @ Anton Valley.
  12. Common Big-eared Bat (Micronycteris microtis) @ Gamboa area and Anton Valley.
  13. Merriam’s Long-tongued Bat (Glossophaga mutica) @ Gamboa area.
  14. Seba’s Short-tailed Bat (Carollia perspicillata) @ Gamboa area.
  15. Common Tent-making Bat (Uroderma bilobatum) @ Gamboa.
  16. Great Stripe-faced Bat (Vampyrodes major) @ Gamboa.
  17. Greater Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus vittatus) @ Boquete.
  18. Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) @ Gamboa area.
  19. Mesoamerican Mustached Bat (Pteronotus mesoamericanus) @ Gamboa.
  20. Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) @ Gamboa area.
  21. Margay (Leopardus wiedii) @ Gamboa area.
  22. Cacomistle (Bassariscus sumichrasti) @ Boquete.
  23. White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica) @ Gamboa area and Anton Valley.
  24. Western Lowland Olingo (Bassaricyon medius) @ Gamboa area.
  25. Kinkajou (Potos flavus) @ Gamboa area.
  26. Collared Peccary (Dicotyles tajacu) @ Gamboa area.
  27. Gabb’s Cottontail (Sylvilagus gabbi / Sylvilagus brasiliensis gabbi) @ Gamboa.
  28. Red-tailed Squirrel (Syntheosciurus granatensis / Sciurus granatensis) @ Anton Valley.
  29. Variegated Squirrel (Echinosciurus variegatoides / Sciurus variegatoides) @ Gamboa.
  30. Quichua Porcupine (Coendou quichua; includes Coendou rothschildi) @ Gamboa area (Plantation Road and Laguna Trail).
  31. Lesser Capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius) @ Gamboa area.
  32. Central American Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) @ Gamboa area and Boquete.
  33. Spotted Paca (Cuniculus paca) @ Gamboa.
  34. Chiriquian Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys garichensis) @ Boquete.
  35. Talamancan Deer Mouse (Peromyscus nudipes) @ Boquete.
  36. Tomes’s Spiny Rat (Proechimys semispinosus) @ Gamboa area (Plantation Road, Laguna Trail and Tram station).
  37. Mantled Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata) @ Gamboa area.
  38. Geoffroy’s Tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi) @ Gamboa area.

3. PHOTOS
Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum shown below; other mammal photos shown in site/regional posts.

Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum (Marmosa alstoni) in Boquete, Panama (2022 Feb 17 – 9 PM)

4. PANAMA TRAVEL TIPS (2022)

  • Covid protocols: We were vaccinated and no covid test was needed before arrival, but we had to fill in an online health form with submission of certificate/card showing full covid vaccination, and your passport ID page. See COVID-19 Guidelines (tourismpanama.com). ALL travelers were required to present their completed Electronic Health Affidavit (in physical or digital form) to their airline or carrier BEFORE boarding to Panama. COPA state that fully vaccinated passengers must present a COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
  • Rental Car: we used Avis (in Tocumen airport), renting a Hyundai Tucson 2WD; no issues. Avis charged $22 for a toll-booth drive-through system but we did not drive through many booths. See this post for driving in Panama.
  • Navigation: we used the Waze app; it shows the speed limits (mostly correctly) and reported traffic police (many on the highway). The AllTrails app was also useful for hiking trails
  • Phone cards: at the phone card booth opposite the Avis rental counter in Tocumen airport we bought Digicel sim cards and a one-week package with unlimited data and texts for about $25. We later bought 7-day plans for about $6 using Recharge.com (which seemed easier than using Digicell itself for extending a plan).
  • Antigen tests: we needed these for return to the US. We flew at 7 PM and got the tests at 2 PM with a 30-minute wait for our results. The test center was at the rental-car section in Tocumen Airport.