Endangered Species in Panama

MAMMALS

Tapir (Tapirus Bairdii)

They are active both day and night. They live alone or in pairs, are fast in the water and are good climbers. Their natural enemies, besides man, are the jaguar and puma. Marcan permanent routes within the forest to connect water and feeding sites.

The tapir is prized for its delicious meat.

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

These animals are active both day and night. They can be found alone or in small groups. It is a sedentary species and only seen in pairs at the time of woo. Their activities can be diurnal, nocturnal or crepuscular. It is difficult to see because they remain hidden in vegetation and alert. For its noticeable coveted meat and skin, are constantly subjected to indiscriminate hunting.

Painted Rabbit (agouti paca)

The body is between 60 and 79 cm in length and 2 to 3 cm tail. It weighs between 7 and 10 kg. Is covered by a coat hispid brown or orange, white spots with rounded bands. They are opportunistic feeders, feeding on fruits, but they change their diet according to food availability. Can be domesticated and bred. The bale is hunted for its excellent meat, which is extremely smooth and it tastes a lot like pork. The further indiscriminate hunting and habitat destruction threaten their survival as a species.

Saino (Tayassu tajacu)

Inhabits wooded areas undisturbed lowland wet. Quickly disappears secondary vegetation areas affected by deforestation. It is diurnal, but prefers warm, dry places to be active at night. They move in packs of 1-20 or more individuals. Their diet consists of fruits, herbs, insects, eggs, tiny turtles and other vertebrates, including snakes, whose bite is apparently immune. Heavily hunted for their meat and for sport. Rarely found near villages but are common in protected areas.

BIRDS

Wild Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

This duck is a surface of genus Anas, belonging to the order and the family Anatidae Anseriformes. Common and widespread. Temperature inhabits subtropical areas of North America, Europe and Asia. Also frequents Central America and the Caribbean. Probably the best known of all ducks.

Chestnut-fronted Macaw or Severe Macaw (Ara severus)

The Maracana grande is natural in America. Its location extends from the jungles of Darien in Panama to the Amazon basin, reaching the center of Bolivia and central Brazil. It lives in the rainforests. He documented from sea level to 800 meters.

Eared Dove(Zenaida auriculata)

The Tortola Torcaza is natural in the Americas. Its distribution includes the Lesser Antilles and South America from Colombia and Venezuela to central Chile and Argentina. He is considered common in some parts of their range. It lives in the lowland rainforests in tropical forests in the mountains, in the rain forests of deciduous vegetation in the gallery forests in the plains, in the farmland.

The Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja)

It is distributed in the tropical forests of Central and South America. The cause of his death has been the destruction of their hunting brokers. The harpy eagle is distributed in the tropical forests of Central and South America (northern Argentina and southern Brazil), but his observation has been made increasingly sporadic or null in Central America, except Panama. The cause of his death has been the destruction of their hunting brokers.

REPTILES

Boa (boa constrictor)

The Boa constrictor, also known as red-tailed boa or Jibóia in Latin America, is a native boa America from Argentina to northern Mexico. Only the subspecies Boa constrictor constrictor has the end of his tail reddish. Lives in habitats with little water, such as deserts and savannah, while it can be found in moist forests and farmland. It is a terrestrial and arboreal reptile.

Iguana (Iguana iguana)

The iguana is 1.50 m long. In the neck and back has a high ridge, formed by independent thorns, another series of spines similar is under the chin. Body and tail has long, narrow, with the latter can give powerful punches, although it is a harmless animal.

Iguanas are herbivores and oviparous. Lay their eggs underground for the month of February. They reach sexual maturity at 16 months of age, but are considered adults at 36 months, when measured 70 cm long.

It is very persecuted by man for food because their meat as well as being friendly, has high nutritional value.

Cayman (Caiman crocodilus)

The young specimens are distinctly greenish with black markings. The slightly larger individuals and young adults are olive green, while the older ones are a dull gray. Its snout is tapering, hence its name.

Carey turtle (eretmochelys imbricata)

They inhabit almost all rocky coasts, living in particularly clear waters with abundant food. It only breeds in tropical and small beaches generally do not visit other turtle species. The hawksbill turtle is certainly one of the most beautiful of all marine species, which has been so strongly captured to get their eggs, their meat, skin and above the shell, which is highly appreciated for the preparation of various objects adornment as combs, jewelry and eyeglasses frames.

The stifle is one of the most impressive reptiles for their strength, girth and length. Their diet consists of frogs, fish, waterfowl, shrimp, crabs and some small mammals. This encourages inhabits swamps, lakes and rivers. It is a solitary animal, but during mating lives near the nests and hatchlings care during their first weeks.

ANFIBIUS

Golden frog (Atelopus zetequis)

The golden frog is one of the treasures of the Panamanian fauna is endangered because of human encroachment has degraded their habitat and has become the object of promoting its illegal market and uprooting.

Clown Frog (Atelopus varius)

Small populations remain in Costa Rica and Panama. Endangered by increased exposure to ultraviolet rays, habitat destruction and hunting for contraband.

Common toad (Bufo aucoinae)

It breeds in streams and rivers during the dry season. They live in tropical rain forests. It feeds on insects. It is a nocturnal animal.

They are extinct by the presence of a fungus that was introduced to the country and that is attacking these animals.

Rocket Frog (Colostethus nubicola)

It is a species of frog Dendrobatidae family. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, rivers, plantations, rural gardens, and heavily degraded forest were. It is threatened by habitat loss.

FISH

White shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

White sharks are characterized by fusiform body and robust, in contrast to flattened shapes that often look other sharks. Can be measured from 4 to 7 meters. White sharks are quite different from being mere “killing machines”, as claimed by the popular image we have of them. The orca may constitute a threat to white sharks besides man, who are dedicated to hunt these animals for their dangerousness.

Seahorse (Hippocampus erectus)

Seahorses or hippocampi are a group of marine fish belonging to the family Syngnathidae, which also includes pipefish. The males can reach 19 cm in total length. They are in danger extinction because they are attractive to decorate aquariums.

Sergeant Fish (Cichla ocellaris)

It feeds on live prey such as fish, shrimp, worms, insects, etc., Are mainly piscivorous. It territorialism, protects the female and the young are fed into his mouth which in case of danger. Great predator, must be kept in aquariums with fish larger than themselves. It is preferable to place a couple alone for aquarium. Spectacular fish is able to decorate an aquarium alone. These species are threatened with extinction by commercial fishing, to decorate the tanks.

Tarpon (Megaolps atlanticus)

It is a large fish, between 2 and 2.5 m and about 150 kg in weight, fusiform body like a herring, completely covered with large, thick scales, bluish green on top and silver on its sides. Inhabit Atlantic coastal areas. Are Grouped in banks to pursue, sometimes freshwater fish from which they feed. Their meat is not particularly nice but its size make it a desirable prey for sport fishing.

Causes of the extinction

The main causes of the extinction of animals are generally related to the action of man, and this is totally true and that has always been exploited natural resources indiscriminately regardless of the dangers that this causes.

These causes of the extinction of the species are:

1. The killing of animals for their fur value.
2. The intensive fishing and hunting to market their meat.
3. Contamination of alien species into the wild, or “invasive species.”
4. Dams, waterways, and other large enterprises that man constructs.
5. Pollution of the seas by oil loss.
6. Erupting volcanoes and natural features as the “gray death”.
7. Other pollutants affect as uranium deposits, polonium, radium and other radioactive elements.
8. Forest fires, collisions of ships, etc.

Human activities such as pollution, draining of wetlands, savannahs conversion to pasture, deforestation, urbanization, destruction of coral reefs, and the construction of roads and dams, have destroyed or seriously damaged and fragmented available habitats.

Habitat fragmentation, isolation and division of habitats into smaller areas, have led to the species of plants and animals kept in these “islands” of habitat lose contact with others of their own kind, this reduces their genetic diversity, making them less adaptable to environmental or climate change, and leaves them highly vulnerable to extinction. Sometimes fragmented habitats become so small that they can maintain a sustainable population.

Consequences

Upon termination of a species is altered throughout an entire ecosystem, and this results in a lack of balance in the proliferation of other species still exist, whether plants, animals or both, to be affected the ecosystem is also affected being human and planet as such, not only living things, an example of this is the excessive logging produces dramatic changes in climate and in the sequence of rainfall and temperatures in various parts of the world, one of the solutions and the most obvious is the management and moderate use of plant resources, animals and minerals too. As major causes of extinction of animals are generally related to the action of man and this is totally true and that has always been exploited natural resources indiscriminately regardless of the dangers that this causes.

Citar este texto en formato APA: _______. (2017). WEBSCOLAR. Endangered Species in Panama. https://www.webscolar.com/endangered-species-in-panama. Fecha de consulta: 31 de octubre de 2024.