Jaguarundis (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), family Felidae, found widely across the Americas, from far South TX and SE Arizona, through Mexico, Central America, and much of South America
This cat is very secretive and elusive, and rarely seen.
While working in Ecuador, with the Quichua people, I was told that they use magical portals at the base of Kapok trees to travel from one tree to another... or to the other side.
In a historic vote, the nation’s highest court today ruled the Minera Panamá mining contract for an open-pit mine unconstitutional, marking a WIN for biodiversity, local communities, and our planet.
Panama has an opportunity now to be a leader in safeguarding precious ecosystems and protecting biodiversity. This ruling champions the rights, voices, and well-being of local communities over profit-driven interests.
This victory is also a beacon of hope for our planet’s future. Safeguarding irreplaceable ecosystems like these is critical to combatting climate change and biodiversity loss. Congratulations to the people of Panama, who overwhelmingly rejected profit over planet. We continue to stand with you!
Video credits:
Collaboration between @duletvindigena @waguafilms @mullu.tv & Passu Creative Community
Indigenous Protester - TV indígena and waguafilms
Great Green Macaw - Hans Norelius, CC BY 2.0
Gemini's Dart Frog Jaime Culebras / @photowildlifetours
#PanamaTeQuieroVerde
#PanamáValeMásSinMinería
The Surprise Reappearance of a Rare Frog Has Scientists Leaping to Protect Its Habitat
The marsupial frog, which incubates its young in a pouch on its back, was thought to be extinct in some countries.
With jaunty peaks sticking up from its eyelids that may help it camouflage as a dry leaf, the horned marsupial frog is “a fascinating creature that people can’t wrap their heads around,” says James Muchmore, founder of Save the Chocó, a conservation group dedicated to protecting this threatened region of Ecuadorean rainforest.
Instead of laying thousands of eggs in water, like most frogs, female horned marsupial frogs produce only ten or fewer of the largest amphibian eggs in the world, at a whopping diameter of one centimeter. Males then fertilize these eggs and place them into a pouch on the mother’s back, which is what earns the species, and dozens of related frogs, the “marsupial” moniker.
As the embryos grow, they develop structures similar to mammalian placentas through which their mother delivers oxygen, water and possibly nutrients. After about two months, horned marsupial frog eggs hatch as forest-ready froglets, skipping the tadpole stage.
This remarkable adaptation frees them from the need to find ponds or streams for egg-laying. They spend their lives high in the trees of Central and South American rainforests, where the humid air is thought to keep their skin from drying out...
Read more: The Surprise Reappearance of a Rare Frog Has Scientists Leaping to Protect Its Habitat | Science | Smithsonian Magazine
White-nosed Coati (Nasua narica), family Procyonidae, found in the far SW United States, far South TX, Mexico, Central America, and far NW South America