Panama: Can I See Some ID?
One of the most unheralded-yet-important part of our three-week trip to Africa in 2016 was the “bird book” that we were given on our first day. It was more of a pamphlet, really, but it had a full list of every flying critter on the continent. When we’d see a new one, our naturalist would call out the name and we’d put a check mark by it. By the end of the trip I think we’d added 72 species. Without the book, there’s no way I would’ve remembered them all.
Of course, species ID is important for more than just making life lists of birds, fish or flowers. Proper identification can help you know whether something is safe to eat or legal to keep.
After our most recent trip to Panama, I realized that I couldn’t immediately distinguish or ID some of the many fish in the Gulf of Chiriqui, especially the snappers. I wanted to make it easier. Fortunately, Rainforest Publications produces 8x11 charts of Panama Sport Fish, Panama Marine Mammals, Panama Caribbean Reef Fish and Panama Pacific Reef Fish. They were out of them all, but I managed to find three of the four through Paradise Cay Publications. The Panama Pacific Reef Fish chart was sold out there, and kind of expensive elsewhere, so I got a reasonable facsimile from Franko Maps. They’re all laminated and comprehensive, albeit a little tough for my aging eyes to decipher. They fold flat and resist tearing, so I can throw them in the boat bag and then tell the difference between the different kinds of snapper and grouper I intend to catch, along with their larger and smaller brethren. Then I’ll add them to my ever-expanding life list of fish with certainty.
