Panama Adventure - A Few Random Mammals

Trish and I saw several other mammals in Panama besides the monkeys and sloths I’ve already posted. As you can probably imagine, mammals are often MUCH harder to spot than birds, which means photographing them can be a challenge.

Names and descriptions are provided above each photo.

Kinkajou. These tropical tree-climbing mammals are related to raccoons and coatis. Found in southern Mexico, Central America, and South America, they are difficult to see because they are nocturnal. I took this photo as this kinkajou was feeding on a banana outside a window of the Canopy Tower.

Northern Tamandua. This is actually a tree-climbing anteater. This anteater specializes in raiding ant, termite, and bee nests high in the trees. Like other anteaters, it has no teeth, but it has strong claws for tearing into insect nests, and a long, sticky tongue for slurping up its prey. This is the only one we saw, and photographing it was a challenge, as it was high in a tree and very busy looking for food.

Coati. Also known as the coatimundi. Related to the raccoon and kinkajou—one of the other mammals included in this post. Whereas kinkajous are usually seen climbing trees (they have a prehensile tail), coatis are usually on the ground (with a more raccoon-like tail), although they are also good climbers. Coatis often forage in groups, and they hold their long tails up high, which helps the others in the group stay together in thick vegetation. This one was on the move, refusing to pose for good photos.

Central American Agouti. Fairly common in Panama, agoutis are rodents that can grow to almost ten pounds. They are often seen in gardens, as well as in the rainforest. Agoutis are active during the day, and they form monogamous mating pairs, sometimes for life. They have a rather odd courtship ritual. When the male is in the mood, he sprays the female with urine. If his timing is right, this will send the female into an excited dance. This, in turn, prompts the male to give her a few more nice urine squirts. You can guess what happens next.

Proboscis Bats. These tiny bats were hanging around on the lower side of the trunk of a leaning tree. They usually live in colonies with as many as 45 individuals, roosting together like this during the day and hunting for insects at night. Most colonies have between 5 and 11 bats. These bats usually feed while flying just above a body of water (without actually touching the water), and this particular tree was actually leaning out over a portion of the large lake that is part of the Panama Canal (we were in a boat when we found them).

Photo credits:
All mammal photos - Stan C. Smith