At the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, scientists work to save frogs, whales and more

At the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, scientists work to save frogs, whales and more

 
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Punta Culebra nature center is open to the public. Pam LeBlanc photo

A three-toed sloth dangled from a tree outside the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Punta Culebra Nature Center earlier this week, when I dropped by for a visit.

The long-haired hippie was on the move, too, slowly making its way along a branch. I like to think it was there to greet our group of 20 passengers making a field trip to the center during a week-long cruise aboard Le Bellot on a Smithsonian Journeys cruise.

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute operates research facilties all over Panama, but this is the only one regularly open to the public, and the exhibits there give a glimpse into some important research that the organization is doing in Central America.

Panama is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. It’s home to roughly 2,300 species of trees, 1,700 species of fish and 1,800 species of butterflies.

Trying to save Panama’s iconic amphibians

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute house frogs to protect them from a fungus. Pam LeBlanc photo

Some of the center’s most important work involves the country’s iconic frogs. Since the 1990s, a fungus that dries the skin of amphibians has decimated frog populations across the country. Through the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project, scientists are creating a sort of “ark” collecting individuals and keeping them in tanks to protect them from the fungus.

A few of those frogs are on display at the center. I peered into a tank and got a glimpse of a Panamanian golden frog, which is now functionally extinct in the wild, tucked in some lime-colored leaves.

It’s not just frogs. Scientists at the institute studying humpback whales, which migrate off the coast, worked to convince authorities to create traffic lanes for ships, to lower the chances of whale-ship interactions. The solution, simple but effective, has reduced such interactions by 95 percent.

sloth

This sloth hung in a tree outside the Smithsonian Tropical Research Instittute. Pam LeBlanc photo

We spent some time in an interactive section of the facility, where we looked through microscopes and touched some whale bones. Outside, we watched green iguanas that live on the grounds and spotted more sloths, including a mother with its baby.

Visit the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Punta Culebra center

The center is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $5 for residents and $8 for non-residents, $2 for children and retirees. For more information go here.

 

 

 

 

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Cruising through the Panama Canal on an inflatable unicorn

Cruising through the Panama Canal on an inflatable unicorn

Smithsonian Journeys cruise

Two sailboats share a lock with Le Bellot during a Smithsonian Journeys Panama Canal cruise in February 2023. Pam LeBlanc photo

In one of the more surreal moments of my life, this week I climbed atop a unicorn-shaped inflatable toy and floated, in a swimming pool at the back of a cruise ship, through a set of locks in the Panama Canal.

It was an interesting perspective.

Smithsonian Journeys cruise

Pam LeBlanc floats on a pool toy at the back of a ship as it passes through the Panama Canal. Chris LeBlanc photo

Our ship, Le Bellot, was tethered to two train-like vehicles called mules that ran on tracks alongside the massive steel-gated chambers. Once we were in position, the water level in the chamber slowly dropped, and we proceeded to the next lock.

The entire 51-mile trip, from Atlantic to Pacific, took about eight hours and took us through six locks. And no, I didn’t ride the unicorn the entire time.

I’ve learned a lot since I boarded Le Bellot, which is carrying about 150 passengers on a week-long Smithsonian Journeys cruise round Panama and Costa Rica. We boarded in Colon, Panama. After a day in the San Blas Islands, we transited the canal. Now we’re motoring toward Costa Rica.

Smithsonian Journeys cruise Panama Canal

Entering the Gatun Locks in the Panama Canal. Pam LeBlanc photo

Ten interesting things I learned during a Panama Canal cruise:

  1. France began construction of the canal in 1881 but stopped due to high worker mortality and engineering problems. The United States took over in 1904 and the canal opened for business in 1914.
  2. American officials originally thought Nicaragua, not Panama, was the most feasible location for the canal.
  3. More than 25,000 people died during construction of the Panama Canal. Accidents like rockslides, plus mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and yellow fever all took a terrible toll.
  4. Ships pass through a series of six locks that lift them 85 feet up to Gatun Lake and then, on the other side, lower them back down.
  5. The U.S. controlled the canal until 1977, when it handed over partial control to Panama. In 1999, the Panamanian government took over full control and now operates the channel.
  6. The original locks are 110 feet wide and 42 feet deep. Newer, 180-foot wide and 60-foot-deep lanes opened in 2016 to allow larger ships to pass through.
  7. Some ships were built to what is called “Panamax” size – the maximum size that fit through the original locks. Now we’ve got Post Panamax ships.
  8. Annual traffic on the Panama Canal was about 1,000 vessels in 1914. Today, between 30 and 40 ships transit the canal daily.
  9. The toll for a yacht less than 125 feet is a few thousand dollars. Cruise ships and cargo ships pay much (much!) more, based on boat type, size, and cargo.
  10. Explorer Richard Halliburton, who was born in Brownsville in 1900, paid 36 cents to swim through the canal in 1928.
Panama Canal

Between 30 and 40 ships transit the Panama Canal daily. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

Where is Pam?

Click to open a larger map

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