I visited Peru briefly in 2016 and again in June 2023.
Sites Visited:
Mammal Species Posts:
Streaked Dwarf Porcupine (Coendou ichillus) is a species known from only nine sites across four countries, I photographed it south of Iquitos – see https://www.pacapix.com/m-coendou-ichillus/.
Paul Carter. 8 July 2023.
Website: www.pacapix.com. Email: paulcarter@pacapix.com.
A citable version was posted on Zenodo here on 9 July 2023: DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8128848
Summary
On the nights of 20 and 23 June 2023 I photographed Streaked Dwarf Porcupine (Coendou ichillus, Voss and da Silva, 2001) in lowland forest 60 km south of Iquitos (Loreto, northeastern Peru), having found both with a thermal scope whilst in the company of Juan Pacaya (a guide from Tahuayo Lodge). These two records appear to be the first in situ records from northeastern Peru. C. ichillus is a poorly known porcupine confirmed from only nine sites (Ramírez-Chaves et al, 2020). One of the two sites in Peru is the Iquitos area in northeastern Peru where the only known specimen is a juvenile purchased by Pekka Soini in 1971 from a market near Iquitos and its collection point was never known (Voss and da Silva, 2001).
Continue readingFirst published 25 Nov 2022 3 PM; revised 26 Nov 2022 after the whale washed up at The Strand.
At 8.30 AM on 25 Nov 2022 I photographed from shore a dead Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) floating about 2-3 km offshore from Steenbras River Mouth (on Clarence Drive south of Gordon’s Bay). I later heard that it had washed up in front of the Indoor Swimming Pool at The Strand at around 3 PM the same day, so over about 6 hours it seems to have moved 9 to 10 km. On 26 Nov at 7 AM I went to The Strand and photographed it before its removal by city officials.
Continue readingBy Paul Carter; posted 5 Sep 2022.
This post summarises my mammal records and site information from various trips to Bali (Indonesia). These trips included a surf trip in 2004 (seeing dugong) and two months in 2015; most of the data below is from 2015.
CONTENTS: Mammal List, Site Data, References, Photos.
Paul Carter. Posted at pacapix.com on 1 Sep 2022
Pura Goa Lawah is home to a large colony of Geoffroy’s Rousette (Rousettus amplexicaudatus) that can be seen at the cave entrance; there were an estimated +1,000 bats roosting in the cave (29 April 2015); presumed to all be the same species.
Continue readingUluwatu Beach is a popular surf spot about 1.5 km north of Uluwatu Temple on the Bukit Peninsula (Bali). Whilst surfing here in January 2004 and waiting in the line-up (small surf, only about 3-foot) I saw the back of a Dugong (Dugong dugon) break the surface, about 15 meters away. An hour later when back on the cliff-top I looked down and had clear views of it feeding on the seagrass.
Continue readingPaul Carter; 26 Mar 2022 (v1); revised 8 July 2023 (v2) – removed Margay record.
This post summarizes my mammal records (30 species) in the Gamboa area, Panama, from six nights in Feb 2022 (6-10th and 18-20th). Species included Ocelot, Panama Mouse Opossum, Geoffroy’s Tamarin, Western Lowland Olingo, Gabb’s Cottontail, Quichua Porcupine, Tomes’s Spiny Rat and 9 bat species (including images of Mesoamerican Mustached Bat).
Contents: 1) Sites; 2) Mammal List (including links to iNat posts); 3) Images; 4) References.
By Paul Carter (22 Feb 2022). Revised 22 March 2022 to match the open access report lodged on Zenodo as:
CARTER, Paul. (2022). Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum, Marmosa alstoni (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae), in Boquete, Panama. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6374907
SUMMARY
On 17 Feb 2022 at 9:00 PM I photographed Marmosa alstoni (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) in the Boquete area, Panama. Mammal Diversity Database (2022 v1.8) treat M. alstoni as endemic to Costa Rica, following the recent review of the M. alstoni complex by Voss et al. (2021). Following the taxonomy in Voss et al (2021) and their review of previous records in Panama it appears that this record in Boquete is the first photographic record of M. alstoni in Panama; and possibly the first confirmed record in Panama.
Paul Carter, 21 Feb 2022
This post summarizes key mammal records (six species) from five nights (13-18 Feb 2022) in Boquete, Panama; staying at Los Naranjos Cottage; part of a two-week trip with Chi Phan. The record of Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum (Marmosa alstoni), currently listed as endemic to Costa Rica, is seemingly the first confirmed record for Panama. The Los Naranjos cottage is recommended as a place to stay if wanting to see Cacomistle; I don’t know of it being reported at any other accommodation in Boquete. These records are mostly from the two dry nights of our visit.
Contents below: 1) Sites; 2) Mammal List; 3) Images.
Paul Carter, 26 Mar 2022 (revised 18 Apr 2022)
I visited Panama over 6-20 February 2022; with Chi Phan. Of the +38 mammals recorded the highlights were Margay and Ocelot on the Pipeline Trail; Panama Mouse Opossum at Gamboa; and Cacomistle and Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum at Boquete.
Contents below: 1) Locations; 2) Mammal List; 3) Photos; 4) Travel Tips.
Links to regional reports and species reports are shown below.
1. LOCATIONS VISITED
Mammal-watching was focused on the following three areas:
1) Gamboa (36 mammals; 4n at Summit Rainforest and Golf Resort; 2n at Gamboa Rainforest Lodge). Site post HERE.
2) El Valle de Anton (3n at El Valle de Anton La Chachalaca).
3) Boquete (6 mammals; 5n at Los Naranjos cottage). Site post HERE.
2. MAMMAL LIST – as 26 March 2022
Bat records below marked as “EMT” were made using an Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro (link), but only where there were visuals on the bat and repeated recordings that made sense (habitat, range etc); the EMT is not up to date on taxonomic changes so this was also taken into account on IDs.
3. PHOTOS
Alston’s Woolly Mouse Opossum shown below; other mammal photos shown in site/regional posts.
4. PANAMA TRAVEL TIPS (2022)
Paul Carter, Feb 2022, revised 25 March 2022
On a mammal-watching trip with Chi Phan to Belize in December 2021 (15 nights) I saw +40 species of mammals. A summary of the mammal records and locations is given in Section 2 below; highlights being Baird’s Tapir, Hatt’s Vesper Rat (a Yucatan endemic) and Thomas’s Sac-winged Bat. A summary of the reptile records is given in Section 3; the Creaser’s Mud Turtle seen at La Milpa (NW Belize) appears to be the first record outside Mexico (detailed post HERE). The route and sites visited are listed in Section 1. Contents below: 1) Sites and Accommodation; 2) Mammal Records; 3) Reptile Records; 4) Images.
NOTE: Content on this page is not fixed and change is probable, for example addition of species and links to site reports.
Revised 17 Jan 2022
This post describes what appears to be the first record of Creaser’s Mud Turtle (Kinosternon creaseri) beyond Mexico and in Belize; it was seen on 7 Dec 2021.
Continue reading