Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

http://www.stri.si.edu/

Today after school we visited and toured the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, right up the road from us in Bocas.  It's an understated but very cool little compound right on the ocean where quite a bit of scientific research is done.  Our guide was a local man who spoke Spanish and English and started volunteering with the STRI over ten years ago, and was then offered a job.  He does things like conduct tours, drive boats, take researchers diving, and conduct outreach programs in Panamanian schools. 

At the STRI we saw a lot of animals: caymans, tortoise, lobster, sea urchin, anemone, sea stars, sea cucumbers, sponges, corals, and my favorite, the howler monkeys.  They also study the many species of bat found in Panama (73??) and sloths.  He told us about the lionfish, an invasive species from Asia that is killing a lot of native sea life, and also how the sea animals are being harmed by litter; garbage on the beach, worst of all plastic bags, confuses them and they eat it and die.  He talked about the effect of global warming as well; not so many years ago, he remembers when scientists had to wear wetsuits when studying sea life here in Bocas because the ocean was so cold.  Now, the water is so warm it almost isn't refreshing, and you can stay out all day without a wetsuit.  This is damaging the coral and therefore the small fish that feed in it, and could have devastating effects on sea life.

 We saw Nonni fruits which are supposed to cure cancer.

We met an American grad student in her fifth year of PhD study, who is here studying tropical sea grasses for a few months. 

Their website is above, and Ray took some pictures which I will post later.
Love to all!