Discover Panama
by Annie Saint-Amand
About 5.7 million years ago, a series of geographical events transformed the ocean floor and created a narrow strip of land linking Central and South America—the Isthmus of Panama. Terrestrial animals have used this bridge to migrate in search of habitat. Today, almost 550 species of birds call Panama home, as do 154 mammal species and about 300 species of reptiles and amphibians.
Encompassing an area of about 29,000 square miles, Panama rarely exceeds a width of more than 75 miles. The country’s coastal islands and hundreds of miles of protected coral reef shelter a great diversity of marine life. Panama also offers food and shelter to both North and South American bird migrants. The concentrating effect of the narrow geography on migratory routes contributes to a great variety of avian life. Panama’s national bird, the extremely rare harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), is one of the largest raptors in the world, with a wingspan of up to seven feet. It catches sloths and monkeys from the forest canopy with the help of its large talons.
Seventeen species of mammals are threatened in the country, including the brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps), Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii), giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), woolly opossum (Caluromys derbianus), and spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus). As of this writing, about 20 percent of Panama’s land area is protected in 14 national parks, more than a dozen forest reserves, and ten wildlife refuges.
—Annie Saint-Amand
ZooGoer 30(6) 2001. Copyright 2001 Friends of the National Zoo. All rights reserved.
