Mammals of Panama

1
Mammals of Panama

• By Matt Debelak

2
Questions to think about

• What is one unique quality of the nine-banded
  armadillo?
• What feature dont giant anteaters have that
  almost all other animals do?
• What makes the wounds of vampire bats victims
  bleed freely?
• Why is the jaguar a keystone species?
• What are spinner dolphins masters of?
• What makes margays different from ocelots?

3
Nine-Banded Armadillo

• Solitary and mainly nocturnal
• An insectivorous animal

4
Has very unique abilities

• Able to inflate intestine to cross a river
• Can jump up to four feet in the air if frightened

5
Three-Toed Sloth

• Smaller and slower than the two-toed sloth
• Feed almost exclusively on leaves

6
Does not maintain a constant body temperature

• Solitary animals

7
Giant Anteater

• Doesnt have any teeth!

• Walks on knuckles to protect claws

8
Tongue can reach up to two feet

• Nocturnal near human settlements and diurnal
  elsewhere

• When threatened it can be very dangerous

http//www.arkive.org/giant-anteater/myrmecophaga-
tridactyla/video-08.html
9
Geoffroys Tamarin

• Also known as Panamanian or Rufous-Naped Tamarin

• Close to being endangered

10
Arboreal and Omnivorous

• Males and females look identical

11
Common Vampire Bat

• Large pointy ears and leaf-shaped nose

• Has a very distinct diet

• Recognized as a highly evolved bat

12
Saliva is used to make wounds bleed freely

• One of the few known bats capable of walking,
  jumping, and hopping

http//video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/a
nimals/index.html
13
Jaguar

• Largest and most powerful feline in the Western
  Hemisphere

14
Prefers dense rainforest as habitat

• Largely solitary and a stalk-and-ambush predator

• Is a keystone species

• Has an exceptionally powerful bite

• Numbers are declining at a dangerous rate

15
Spinner Dolphin

• Masters of echolocation

• Also communicate by slapping the water

16
Feed by taking individual dives to the depths

• Biggest threat is fisherman

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vDtHFPrmlhTQ
17
Bairds Tapir

• Largest land mammal from Mexico to South America

• Primarily nocturnal

18
Forages for leaves and fallen fruit

• Enjoys swimming and wading

• Communicate through shrill whistles and squeaks

• Are in danger of extinction

19
Margay

• A rare and secretive animal

20
A very skillful climber

• Can climb head-first down trees

• Little is known of breeding habits

21
Answers to questions

• What is one unique quality of nine-banded
  armadillos?

22

• Inflated intestine, jumping ability, can hold its
  breath for 6 minutes to walk under water

23

• What feature dont giant anteaters have that
  almost all other animals do?

24

• They dont have teeth!

25

• What makes the wounds of vampire bats victims
  bleed freely?

26

• The bats saliva

27

• Why is the jaguar a keystone species?

28

• It stabilizes ecosystems and regulations of prey
  species

29

• What are spinner dolphins masters of?

30

• Echolocation

31

• What makes margays different from ocelots?

32

• Spends almost entire life in the trees, while
  ocelots spend almost entire life on the ground

33
References

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mammals_in_Pa
  nama
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocelot
• Neotropical Rainforest Mammals A Field Guide,
  Second Edition by Louise H. Emmons and Francois
  Feer
• Latin American Mammalogy History, Biodiversity,
  and Conservation by Michael A. Mares and David
  J. Schmidly
• A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America
  Southeast Mexico by Fiona A. Reid
• http//animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/account
  s/information/Tamandua_mexicana.html
• http//www.theprimata.com/ateles_fusciceps.html