Right now at Tranquilo Bay we are having the reproductive migration of this curious animal. We have crabs all over the place, which is great, because this specie in some areas of the Caribbean has seen drastically reduced numbers . These crabs are intensively exploited as a food resource in some areas, however, in the areas where the animal it is not exploited as food the destruction of the habitat is the reason for the reduced population.

Photos by Natalia Decastro

Some data about them:

Young individuals are often very colourful, and as they grow older the colours tend to fade, females may be duller than males. This crab reaches sexual maturity in approximately 4 years, it is not uncommon for adult crabs to measure 10-11 cm and weigh up to 500 g.

This crab is a slow growing species compared to most other crabs, which makes it difficult for it to increase its population. While most crabs may require approximately 20 molts to reach maximum size, Cardisoma requires more than 60 molts.

One claw is usually considerably larger than the other. They feed throughout the day in shaded areas; however, if exposed to direct sunlight for prolonged periods, they prefer to feed at night. They are omnivores, but primarily feed on plant material, collected near the vicinity of its burrow.

The reproductive cycle is closely linked to seasonal weather patterns and lunar phase. Heavy rains in the spring initiate migrations. During this time they gain weight rapidly as foraging intensity is increased for the first few weeks of the migratory period. Males actively court ripe females during this period.

Fertilization is internal, and females carry external egg masses. Eggs are carried for approximately 2 weeks prior to hatching, and must be released into salt water for larvae to survive. The eggs hatch into free swimming larvae.

Here are a couple of pages I put together to capture a once in a lifetime experience of some of our guests in August. This family was at the Zapatilla Cayes and it was about time to return to Tranquilo Bay. Ramon was working the beach doing his rounds looking for nesting females, but really it was quite early. He happened upon a nesting female. He told Jim and the guests to come see her and to come see what they do when they study the females to tag them, gather scientific information, etc. During this nesting season, Ramon and Natalia happened upon a female nesting during daylight hours twice. It is very unusual. If you calculated the odds of a family from New Jersey getting the chance to see this while on vacation here in Panama - the odds would be very very low. However, luck was on their side and they experienced something that so few people in the world have a chance to experience. Here are the photos.

Looking for the green eel that lives in the coral by the dock.



Walking into the shade



Enjoying her vacation



Smiling for the camera

This video is extremely over due. This is from November 2008. I just got some new editing software which makes it much easier to pull the videos together so watch out...

Here are some more photos of the kids checking out the iguana from earlier this month. They loved it.

Ramon and Natalia were out watching the night monkeys about a week ago. Here are a few of the photos that Ramon caught. Several nights later I was out with the puppies and I heard the monkeys moving about. They are difficult to actually see unless you take some time to find them. When I was putting the photos together I was reminded how fast life moves sometimes and that we need to slow down so that it doesn't pass us by. Actually getting to be in the presence of these monkeys is a treat. One that you don't get if you don't take the time. Have a great weekend.



[ Supplies: Ali Edwards from the kit: Bloom and Grow at Songbird Avenue. All proceeds from this kit go to benefit Autism Speaks. Orange paper by JEdwards - Everyday Challenge from Designer Digitals. Papertag from Scrapgirls. ]

Here is a grasshopper type insect that Ramon encountered at the Chocolate Farm. His coloration is very interesting.

Another photo of the precious green frog we find at the chocolate farm.

This is the same frog our guest was capturing on his camera in the last post. These frogs and all of their different characteristics never cease to amaze me.

One of our recent guests getting a photo of a red frog. The frog itself is cut off here, but you can see it in his camera display. Pretty cool.

This moth was caught in action.

The infamous sloth during the kayak paddle through Bahia Honda. He was so close you really almost could touch him.

On the same kayak paddle through Bahia Honda, we ran into a sloth. Here is Ramon’s photograph of our guest catching a photo of the sloth.

The farm has been full of things to photograph recently. Here is a snail who of course lives on island time.

Dendrobates auratus: Three green frogs photographed in one visit to the Chocolate Farm. As you can see this frog varies in color. Amazing.

This is one of the photos Natalia got at the chocolate farm recently.

We went to the beach last week with the grandparents. It was a great day. We played in the water and along the shore. Tres and Scott were walking along the beach with Tres’ Grandma Anita. Scott saw a little baby turtle along the beach. That turtle had been injured by a crab. Nature. However we thought that maybe if the turtle was allowed to recuperate a bit he might be okay. So Jim rescued the turtle from the crab. We were going to take the turtle to Ramon and Natalia who study the turtles with WSC.

Ramon and Natalia came to see us at the beach when we were there. Jim and the boys had attempted to take the turtle to them at the same time they showed up. My dad and I told them about the baby turtle. They asked us where the turtle was found. They had been looking for a nest in that area that they had expected to hatch. After checking several locations, Natalia found the nest and all the egg shells left behind by the turtles. Jim and the kids came back as she was digging the nest out to count the shells to see how many turtles hatched.

Super cool to watch them go through the process to determine how many made it and if there were any eggs that didn’t hatch. The Hawksbill female lays about 140 eggs per nest. In this nest there were 137 eggs. Of that about four didn’t hatch. We also found this little guy. He didn’t make it out when the rest of his brothers and sisters made it out. The boys found one turtle that nature kept from making it, but because of that turtle we found a nest and rescued this turtle. Just one of the wonderful experiences we encounter here on a daily basis.



We got some video of this little guy making his way out to sea as well. I will post it in the near future.

Enrique found this baby sloth on the jungle floor one day when he was doing some work around the property. He knows how much we like to photograph the wildlife which surrounds us so he brought it over to the main building on a stick so that we could see it and photograph it. This is closest that any of us had ever been to a baby sloth. We were very careful not to touch it - not because the sloth is dangerous, but because we didn’t want to get our smell on it. We do not know if another’s smell on the sloth would cause its mother to shun it or not, but we didn’t want to take any chances. After we took a few photos of this little guy, Enrique took him back to where he found him so that he could be reunited with his mother.

As you can tell in this first picture, Boty isn’t quite sure what to make of him. You can’t see it in this picture, however, Tres and Scott were both fascinated by the baby sloth. I think they thought they were almost on one of Diego’s adventures where they were helping the baby sloth return to his mother. Very few children have the opportunity to actually “participate” in one of those special adventures.

Tres, Scott, Gina, Jay, Jim and Jim’s older brother went on a field trip a couple of weeks ago. First they went to our friend’s chocolate farm. Tres and Scott have been there many times before and they love it every time. Then in the afternoon they went to Bahia Honda and into the Bat Cave. They had so much fun. Tres and Scott have been talking about it so much since then. Here are a few photos of the “field trip”. I never went on any such kind of trip. Pretty cool school.

Coastal Conservation Corporation is responsible for protecting the turtles on several of the beaches here in Bocas del Toro. Our friends Ramon and Natalia have been caring for the turtles on these beaches for the last five years. We see them whenever we go out to the Zapatilla Cayes. They also come over to use our communications on occassion. They graciously provided us with a few of the photos they have taken over the term of their tenure here in Bocas. They have been blessed with some beautiful encounters over the years as you can see in these photos.






Two of our guests were at the Zapatillas with Jay on Tuesday. Natalia took them along with her as she did her final check on a turtle nest. There was one baby turtle who hadn’t dug himself out. They helped him out of the nest and watched as he made his way to the sea. Over 100 turtles hatched and made it to sea as Natalia and Ramon kept watch. Thank you!



I am going to update the Zapatilla Cay website and put all of their photos on the site. I will post on here when I have it completed.

We have updated all of the photo galleries with photos from the past year. Here are a few of my favorite new ones:






We are unable to include all of the photos we have taken or that our guests have provided to us. Each one of these has a story - they all bring a smile to our faces when we see them. We hope that they do the same for you. We also hope that they help you get a feel for what it is like to spend some time with us here in paradies.

We have broken down some of the larger categories into sub categories so that you can see an example of the diversity that we have down here in plant and animal life. This link takes you to all of the plants which you can use as a jumping ground to get to different plant types. This link takes you to the animals for all of the different types of animals we encounter on our excursions. This link takes you the entire group of photo galleries. Spend some time checking them all out.

The resident eel poking his head out of the coral he calls home. This coral head is on the side of the dock so we check it out each time we are down there to see if Mr. Eel is out and about.

Here is one of the red frogs from on our trail. A graduate student from Michigan is studying our frogs and a variety of their characteristics here at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. She says they are prolific - she grabbed a group of males and females and has put them to stud service. She will return our frogs to us and the offspring will be studied for some time.

Here are a couple of pictures of the green and black Dendrobates we see on the mainland at Green Acres Farm which is the home of Cerutti and Family Chocolate.



David has the frog on his finger to give you an idea of its size.



Here is a close up of the little guy in his natural environment.

Area: Close to Tranquilo Bay
Activity: Kayaking & Snorkeling
Weather: Rainy

A great excursion close to Tranquilo Bay is kayaking your way through a series of canals naturally etched in the mangrove forests. When the weather is less than cooperative, this is a nice way to get out and still be within reach of the creature comforts. We paddled a short distance from the dock in an arsenal of sit-on-top kayaks and soaked up a little tropical rain along with the flora and fauna. To me, the rain just enhances the experience and it also reminds you that it is not called the rainforest for nothing. In these enchanted canals you get to see a plethora of wildlife, who don’t take shelter because of the rain but rather go about their daily business. One can see animals such as white faced capuchins, an assortment of birds ranging from Osprey to Kingfishers, upside down jellyfish and of course all types of tropical fish. We donned snorkel and mask and took to the water since we were already wet and swam the edges of the mangrove lagoons. They are rich and diverse, and allow for vast amounts of time to be spent searching their marvels. Mangroves in the rain shed a little light on what could be just a rainy day.

Area: Bocas del Toro, Panama (Mainland Panama)
Activities: Chocolate Farm Tour & Chance Ocelot Sighting
Weather: Sunny and Windy

After a very filling breakfast of Pixbae Pancakes (made from scratch) it was decided that our morning excursion was going to be a visit to a chocolate farm on the mainland called Green Acres. This beautiful farm is owned by Dave and Linda Cerutti who came to Panama from San Diego almost ten years ago. The boat ride out was breezy and allowed us to shake off some of the heat that persistently resides close to the shores of these lowland Caribbean islands.

After our arrival and introduction we were treated to something special, something that could not be planned. Dave had apparently saved an Ocelot as a cub from a life of imprisonment in a nearby town. He had seen it in a cage and offered to buy the cat so she could be set free. Now she lives in the jungle however, she occasionally comes for a visit to the farm. This relationship you have to see to believe. So, there we were getting ready for our tour, when out of the foliage comes this magnificent animal strolling towards us in a very nonchalant manner. We were all awestruck and frozen because it was not expected nor could one ever be ready for such an approach. I just about passed out when it started rubbing and licking my leg. After an explanation from Dave and Linda we let our guard down and enjoyed the company of this truly wild animal.



The next course of events were almost as inspiring, I had no idea the process it takes to get the Cacao bean to the point of consumption that we all know and love, that wonderful thing called chocolate. This was truly a day filled with education and enlightenment, the kind you only get by traveling through this mystic and mysterious part of the world.

Excursion: Rio Mananti Exploration
Area: Rio Mananti, Bocas del Toro, Panama
Weather: Clear skies sunny and warm

This is David Moseley’s fourth trip to Tranquilo Bay; hence we have learned that he has an insatiable appetite for two things, exploration and fishing. When you put the two together, he seems to be in another world, but then again, maybe this time he was.

The archipelago of Bocas del Toro is one strange place. After 8 years of exploration one would expect a sense of normalcy to set in, well, it never has. Not for me, and not for David, who has visited a unique and different area on each of his explorations in Bocas del Toro. He always asks, “Where does it all end? Well David, perhaps it never does, I am still looking for the answer.

Today we (me, David, Jay & our friend John) went up a river that was not on the map. The discovery was a complete accident, but this is precisely how we have made some of our most unique discoveries.

We had set out to explore the Rio Mananti which is on the map, however, within a kilometer of that river were three small river mouths converging in one bay. This was characteristic of the area we were looking for and therefore temporarily fooled us.

What a great surprise, the scenery was stunning. There were huge stands of White, Black, and Red Mangroves whose roots entered the river from its banks to soak up the brackish water. Just after the mouth, the little river was completely enclosed by canopy. Multiple species of hardwood trees, palms, bamboos, bromeliads, orchids, and vines engulfed all space.

The wildlife was incredible, we immediately spotted three species of Kingfishers, multiple species of Herons and Cranes, and later a Collared Aracari. We saw a huge Green Basilisk lizard fall into the river from a tree branch and proceeded to “walk on water” all the way to the riverbank. His transition from water to land was seamless.
After just a few kilometers we came upon a Ngobe Bugle Indian woman fishing from her cayuco, a type of hand made dugout canoe crafted from a single tree. She had ten or so fish, representing several different species of beautiful Cichlids. She also informed us that we were up the Rio Koy, not the Rio Mananti.

Anyhow, not a bad accident if you ask me. One thing is for certain, we will be going back to the Rio Koy.

It is difficult to find the Rio Mananti because its mouth is a maze of multiple entrances, all well guarded by large sand and soft bottom flats. One had better know the local tides, and we were there on a rise allowing us to safely backtrack for several hours. After navigating some awfully skinny water for several kilometers, we just couldn’t find a way in. After disturbing multiple pods of bait, we decided that was enough searching, and that it was time to fish.

David Moseley a.k.a. “Mo”, owns a website called Wadefishing.com, and I want to let you know that he travels prepared to do just that anywhere he goes. After outfitting our crew with the latest in wade fishing technology, we hit the flats.

For about an hour we waded the sand bars and soft bottom flats in front of the various river mouths. There were huge schools of bait in the water, and right off the bat Jay thinks he sees a Tarpon. He couldn’t really pursue, because he had the boat tied off to his waist and was towing it along while he fished. The fish was fining and made its way over to John, but he was just out of range, and never got the fish to turn. We were casting these sweet Shimano bait casting set ups that Mo brought with all different kinds of baits. We threw plastics, crank baits, and top water plugs. We spooked several fish while wading, but never made a positive identification. We landed a couple of nice Jack Crevalle.

While fishing, we spotted a cayuco going in through a little obscure cut we had not yet tried, we quickly hopped in the boat to follow, knowing that sometimes a little local knowledge is the only way. Finally, and without getting stuck, we made our way into one of the branches of the Rio Mananti. With the help of a family, who was farming a small piece of land on the riverbank, we drove around exploring a few of the river forks and found the main branch.

With the sun low in the sky, we decided to save that adventure for Mo’s next trip to Panama, and asked ourselves again, where does it all end?

Today I accompanied Joel and Lauren from Boston on a kayak trip to paddle Bahia Honda Creek. The weather was overcast and cool, with a couple of little showers throughout the day. Just as we entered the mangrove entrance at the mouth of the creek, we were swooped on by two different species of kingfisher birds. There are at least three different species of mangrove on this creek bank and some of the specimens are at the top of their size limit. The canopy forms as red, black, and white mangroves converge overhead forming a bridge for animals to pass over the creek. We stopped and watched a mother 3-toed sloth cross directly above us as her baby clung to her belly. We also spotted several speckled caiman and took some great photos. After our paddle, it was off to see some Caligo butterflies at La Loma. During a short hike at La Loma, we spotted another sloth carrying a baby, several lizards and some amphibians. Joel and Lauren just couldn’t get enough, so when we returned home, we hiked for another hour and a half at Tranquilo Bay. The birding was excellent, we encountered gold collared manakins, tityras, pale vented pigeons, Montezuma oropendolas, lineated woodpeckers, red lored amazons, and blue headed parrots. Lauren practiced her macro photography and took some nice shots of poison dart frogs, leaf cutter ants, and a beautiful cicada. Believe it or not, Joel and Lauren still had enough energy to go take a swim, but then again, it was their last day.