In Panama, manatee researchers listen in

In Panama's typically murky rivers, manatees are hard to see unless close to the surface. (Photo by Ana Endara, STRI)

Tucked away in northwestern Panama, the San San and Changuinola rivers snake their way through banana plantations on their way to the Caribbean Sea. The two rivers, part of the 16,400-hectare (40,500-acre) San San Pond Sak wetlands, are home to the endangered Antillean manatee (Tirchechus manatus manatus). A passing glance into either river may not reveal the burly sea mammal, which can weigh up to 3,000 pounds and reach 10 feet in length, even though the waters are not deep. That’s because the rivers are so murky. Though the opacity is due in part to naturally present waterborne sediment, thick aquatic vegetation and decaying organic matter, it is exacerbated by runoff from nearby farms and deforested land. For researchers, this means manatee populations cannot be tracked with aerial methods such as drones, as is done in Florida, says Héctor Guzmán, a senior marine biologist at the Smithsonian Tropical... Read more →