Researchers count manatees using their chatter to recognize individuals
An improved method of identifying manatees by their vocalizations makes it easier to tell them apart, to better estimate their populations and help efforts for their conservation.
Animals caught on camera in plantations inform sustainable forestry
Timber plantations near urbanized areas support the movement of small and medium-sized terrestrial mammals between patches of natural forest.
STRI special events, July 2024
BCI 100 media visit, Monthly Sloth Census, Children's Day at Punta Culebra and more.
How frogs’ superpowers may have led to life on land
Frogs lay eggs both in the water and in jelly-like masses on plants. Could their flexible behavior help explain how vertebrates moved from life in ocean to life on land?
Between pasture and forest: the crusade to protect the jaguar in Panama
Fundación Yaguará Panama not only leads the protection of the largest feline in the Americas in cattle ranching areas of the country, but also promotes gender equality by actively involving women in key roles in the project, both at the scientific and community levels.
Is the world’s biggest vine on Panama’s Barro Colorado Island?
Long-term research at Barro Colorado Island Research Station and at many other locations show that there are more woody vines in tropical forests, but very little is known about them. They are difficult to measure and so are often overlooked. This research group measured the biggest vine they have found on the island—but is this the biggest liana in the world? The authors challenge others to...
Red-eyed treefrog eggs hatch a plan to escape warming temperatures
A new study from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) shows that red-eyed treefrog embryos hatch early when exposed to high ammonia levels — an environmental cue that it’s too hot and dry for the eggs to survive.
New species of grapes are the oldest in the Western Hemisphere
Ancient, fossilized grape seeds from Panama, Colombia and Peru, provide perspective on the evolution of plants after the extinction of the dinosaurs.
STRI special events, June 2024
BCI 100, Book giveaway during visit to Bocas Station, School vacations at Punta Culebra and more
Visiting Bacurú Drõa, a community-led study of forest giants in Eastern Panama
The importance of community participation and consent in all aspects of tropical forest research in indigenous areas is critical but can only be achieved through creating space for dialogue.
