Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My wife and I just got back from a trip to Panama. We ended up buying a townhouse on an island called Bocas del Toro on the Caribbean side. Its about a 30 minute flight from Panama City on a "puddle-jumper". I saw an enormous Tiger Rat! It flew out of the shrubs, across a manicured lawn, and up into the trees. It was 8' easy w/almost no yellow. The gringos down there told me that they are "all over the place". I didn't even have time to grab my camera. One guy did show me a pic of one he caught..an almost all black monster!

One big boa in the mangrove roots, tons of Cone head lizards, and a bunch of Dart Frogs completed the sightings. As we were there to look at property I didn't have enough time to really explore. It was awesome seeing something in the wild that I keep at home. I'm all over these guys in 18 mos. when our place is finished being built.

Bill

I have never seen an all black. They would have to exist in my opinion. It would be very cool to see an all black 8 footer. See if you can find some Cribos in Panama. Blacktail or Uni? Would be nice to catalog some of the color phases by region in both Spilotes and the Cribo. Panama, yeah!!
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

If it had any yellow it was moving way too fast to see! The guy who owned the place we stayed at (different part of the island) actually has a laminated "Reptiles of Panama" and is going to send me a copy. I wasn't aware Mussuranas were native to Panama until I looked it over. Mainland Panama has a more varied ecosystems than does the island we bought on - many mountains w/pretty high elevations. All I can verify on "our" island so far is Amazon Tree Boas, BCIs, and Spilotes. We'll only be a $10 "water taxi" from the mainland however.

I haven't checked which ssp.yet but there's a Mike Snake there as well. Honduran??

Bill

>>I haven't checked which ssp.yet but there's a Mike Snake there as well. Honduran??

If you go up into the Chiriqui highlands you can find Black Milksnakes. Here's a roadkill 5 footer I found there a few years ago.

I also saw a Spilotes there near the canal, but it has some yellow on it.

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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas