Today we have some reptile, bird, insect, and amphibian photos from reader, physicist, and origami artist Robert Lang. They were taken on a trip to Panama, where he was invited to lecture on origami. Robert’s notes are indented.
We’ll start with the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus). It prefers salinity, but they are fairly common throughout the elevated (freshwater) parts of the canal and Gatún Lake.
As is now fairly well known, tropical frogs are being devastated by the chytrid fungus. The Gamboa Reserve has an enclosed area where many poison dart frogs roam. (They are fed, so are probably no longer poisonous.) They are highly variable in their patterns. Here we have two versions of the green-and-black poison dart frog (Dendrobates auratus).
And here are two individuals of the strawberry poison-dart frog (Oophaga pumilio). These are examples of the variety called the “blue jeans morph” (for obvious reasons).
They also have an enclosed butterfly tent. I snapped one good picture, but haven’t been able to identify the species (perhaps lepidopterist readers can help):
The nearby Summit Regional Park has a wildlife rescue center; here are a few birds awaiting rehab and restoration.
The Keel-Billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), also called the rainbow-billed toucan, was the inspiration for the Fruit Loops toucan. (And thus, partial inspiration for the term “Fruit Loopery” as applied to creationists, anti-vaxxers, and the like.)
The Yellow-Throated Toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus):
And last, the spectacular King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa). Our local vultures in the US (black and turkey) are pretty drab, but this fellow is spectacular!
Beautiful set!
Now I know – keel-billed. I’ll remember that.
Nice pictures, especially the crocodile! The butterfly is a species of Heliconius, and your picture captures one of the most special features of members of this genus. See the whitish stuff on its proboscis? That’s pollen. This is a long-lived butterfly (mine used to live up to around six months in captivity), and so it needs a protein source. It gathers nectar for energy like many other butterflies, but also gathers pollen to digest for protein.
These are some of the most interesting butterflies in the world, and their biology has been studied in detail, especially by the University of Texas Dept of Zoology under Larry Gilbert in the 1980s-1990s. By chance the physics building where I studied was right next door to their Zoology building, and these butterflies had a lot to do with my changing fields from physics to biology….
The butterfly pictured is the widely distributed (Mexico-Argentina) Heliconius sara. The larvae feed in groups on passionflower vine host-plants. At the end of the day, the H. sara in a piece of forest will return to a preferred spot where they sleep clumped on the tips of dead branch twigs. A male will sometimes defend or a daily basis a mating territory at a particular sunny place where it glides back and forth waiting for a receptive female and drives off rival males.
Why don’t we find very colorful ornamented vulture heads among the king vulture’s relatives? What selective pressures would factor the male kings in evolving something like that?
Thanks for posting these. Panama is a delightful place. Full of color and exotica. I visited once some years ago, and have fond memories. At the time Manuel Noriega was still imprisoned there. He died in 2017.
Gorgeous photos, exp. the croc and the frogs!
Lovely photos, each and every one. The frogs in particular, as I adore them and they bring back memories of when my son was a wee lad and we purchased soft rubber facsimiles of the species shown, at I believe what my young son called “the hippie store”. Good memories, great frogs. ✌️