Our last days at Bocas

The Bocas Research Station

This is the final blog post for the 2015 OIMB goes to Panama adventure.  We are coming to the close of two weeks spent at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution’s Bocas Research Station (BRS).  The Station is dedicated to understanding biological diversity and we have had a great opportunity to access the extraordinary diversity of marine and terrestrial biota that is characteristic of the Bocas del Toro region.

  

 

We have all spent over 25 hours in the water snorkeling on reefs, seagrass beds and along the edge of mangrove forests, and that is not counting the time the students have been in the water conducting their research projects.

Snorkeling on the reef above Acropora palmata

We have identified many of the common animals and algae and learnt some details of their biology, but there is still a lot more to see and learn.

 

We have spent time in the lab identifying organisms, planning projects, analyzing data and listening to lectures.   

 

 

BRS is a wonderful place for OIMB’s two week marine biology adventure in Panama.  The lab facilities, boats, seawater system, dorms and dining hall make it easy to run a field course.

 

The station personnel, especially Plinio Gondola, Arcadio Castillo,Deyvis Gonzalez, Urania Gonzalez and her assistant Tanyusha Grenald, have been most gracious and assisted us in many helpful ways.  The boat captain, Arnulfo Record, took us to some beautiful snorkeling sites.  Our cooks have fed us three square meals a day and we have eaten foods never tried before. We thank them all for making our stay at Bocas such a fun and productive time.

         Below are some photos of the great facilities that have supported us during our stay.

2015 students in the BRS station lab

Student Dorm and Dining Hall

Snorkeling and diving facility

Scarus - the boat we took to our snorkel sites.  Named for a parrot fish.

The seawater tanks at BRS where we kept our research animals

 

 We have taken 1,000s of photos and a lot of videos that will take us many hours to sort and label.  They will serve as a reminder of the wonderful opportunity that eight OIMB students and two faculty members have had to see remarkable things while in Panama.

Just a few of the wonderful animals we have seen: Southern sting ray Dasyatis americana, Batwing coral crab Carpilius corallines, Mantled Howler monkey, two-toed sloth, sea star Oreaster reticulatus