One of the things that blew us away about Panama was the amazing range of wildlife we encountered on a daily basis. Over the years, we’ve visited a number of countries known for their biodiversity, but none of them come even close to this tiny Central American nation.
I’ve found quite a few lists online detailing all of Panama’s elusive animals, but what’s the point of listing tapirs, peccaries and jaguars if your chances to actually spot them are basically non-existent without lying still in the jungle for three days straight?
Thus, I decided to compile a list of the animals that you actually have a good chance of encountering on your trip, and I’ll include exactly where we spotted them, so you can follow in our footsteps to try your luck.
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18 Exotic Panamanian Animals and Where We Spotted Them
Coatis
Coatis are relatives of the raccoon and are recognizable by their long, ringed tails and distinctive pointy snouts.
We managed to see a huge group of them on our first full day in the country, while exploring the Parque Natural Metropolitano in Panama City. They were foraging around a lawn near the ‘El Castillo’ Bunker at the beginning of the Sendero Mono Titi and didn’t seem to be bothered by us in the least.
Toucans
These beautiful tropical birds with their large, colourful beaks seem to be rather common in Panama. Still, we realized they’re easier heard than seen, as they like to hang around in the treetops, where they’re well hidden by the canopy.
We eventually managed to spot one in the garden of our AirBnB (Blue Frog Guesthouse) by the Santa Maria River in Santa Fé thanks to our wonderful host Mike pointing out their call to us: They almost sound like a frog. We managed to watch ours for about a minute before it got startled by a butterfly and flew off 😂.
Howler Monkeys
With their loud, guttural calls echoing through the treetops, it’s very likely you’ll hear these monkeys before you see them.
I had spotted them before in Mexico, but in smaller numbers than in Panama, where we encountered quite a few of them during our tour of Isla Barro Colorado in Gatún Lake as well as on Coiba Island, where they form an endemic subspecies.
Cacomistles
Also known as the ringtail cats, cacomistles are nocturnal mammals living deep in the tropical forest – usually not a good combination for wildlife spotting.
Still, while they’re usually extremely elusive, they’re also regular visitors to the Lost & Found Hostel along the Fortunato Road, where a couple showed up every night at around 8pm to nick some sugar water from the colibri feeders.
My picture is quite terrible due to the bad light conditions, but you’ll get a general idea of these cute animals.
Bottlenose Dolphins
While this type of dolphin has a huge range, I’d say they’re usually not as easy to spot as in the waters of Panama’s Pacific Coast. We saw a pod of them swimming around a calm bay on our way from Santa Catalina to Isla Coiba National Park and according to our guides, they’re apparently there all the time.
Dad-Joke Warning (Are you ready?): I guess living in a protected marine National Park with all the food you can dream of is nothing to turn your bottle-nose up at. You can’t say I didn’t warn you beforehand.
Strawberry Poison-Dart Frogs
These little creatures might be tiny, but they’re super easy to spot due to their bright-red colour. Apparently there are up to 30 colour morphs, but we mainly spotted the variation with brighter legs and a darker back.
We saw tons of them along the northern coast of Isla Bastimentos in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago. Keep your eyes peeled for them while walking between Wizard Beach and Red Frog Beach, or on the way to Playa Larga in the eastern part of the island.
Collared Trogons
Trogons can be found in tropical forests all over the world, but in Panama we saw a few members of the colourful Collared-Trogon Species, including the pretty Orange-Bellied subspecies.
They turned out to be amazing subjects for photography, as they usually stayed still for a long time after landing on a branch. We saw them along the Zamora Trail in the Altos de Campana National Park and again on Isla Barr Colorado in Gatun Lake.
Starfish
This is probably the only entry on this list, where you’ll have a 100% chance of seeing the animals exactly where I tell you. Dozens, perhaps even hundreds of them, can be found in the shallow waters of the aptly-named Starfish Beach on the western side of Isla Colón in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago.
I had encountered Starfish before, but usually while snorkeling or diving in much deeper waters, and never in numbers like these. We spotted most of them at the calmer eastern end of the beach near the mangroves.
Just make sure to be very careful where you step while walking around in the water, and don’t even think of touching them or taking them out of the water!
Resplendant Quetzals
These beautiful birds are quite elusive, considering that they are Panama’s National Birds, but after exploring the mountains surrounding Boquete for three days, we finally managed to spot one on our last day.
We saw the strikingly green bird on the grounds of the Finca Lerida Coffee Estate near Boquete town, quickly flying from tree to tree. It was too fast for us to snap a picture, but we managed to identify it as a female. Other people told us, that they spotted some near the popular Pipeline Trail in the area, although we didn’t see any there.
Agoutis
These big rodents are another animal we had encountered before, but never in such large numbers as we did in Panama.
We spotted a couple of them in Panama City’s Parque Natural Metropolitano and on Coiba Island, but if you want to make absolutely sure to see them, head to Gamboa Village along the Panama Canal, where they’re roaming absolutely every green space and front yard.
White-Faced Capuchin Monkeys
The curious white-faced capuchin monkeys are a rather common sight in Panama’s forests, but they’re not as noisy as other primates (looking at you, Howler Monkeys), so make sure to occasionally check the surrounding trees while hiking in the jungle.
We encountered large groups of capuchins while exploring Isla Barro Colorado and the trails of the Fortunato Reserve around the Lost & Found Hostel. The largest group, though, turned up when we made camp for the night on Coiba Island’s Playa Machete, checking out what we intruders were up to.
Sea Turtles
A lot of beaches in Panama are important breeding grounds for hawksbill, leatherback and loggerhead turtles, and if you visit between August and December, you’ll have a chance to watch the little ones hatch.
We were a little late for that spectacle, but we still managed to see countless adult hawskbill turtles (not to mention incredible amounts of tropical fish and quite a few sharks) while snorkelling through the waters around Coiba Island National Park.
Hummingbirds
We came across different species of hummingbird while exploring the country that we simply stopped counting at some point. Seriously, we came across them on an only daily bases, so an encounter will almost be guaranteed when coming to Panama.
We spotted them in more places than I can list here, but we saw the majority of hummingbirds whizzing around in the Valle de Antón area as well as in the highland forests of Boquete.
Wooly Opossums
As this is a nocturnal animal mostly inhabiting trees, we didn’t expect to spot one of these little creatures, so we were all the more delighted when we came across one sitting near the porch of our bungalow at Selina Red Frog on Isla Bastimentos on the Bocas del Toro Archipelago.
If you want to see shy, nocturnal animals like these, it really pays to either stay a few nights in the jungle or take part in a night hike with a naturalist guide, like we did in Santa Fé. We didn’t get a photo of the opossum, because we were as surprised as the little fellow was;-).
Blue-and-Black Poison Dart Frogs
These little amphibians are said to be rather rare, so we didn’t hold out much hope of seeing them, but actually managed to spot even two in the garden of our AirBnB by the Santa Maria River in Santa Fé. I guess it’s called the Blue Frog Guesthouse for a reason.
They came out after a short spell of rain and quickly hopped away after seeing us, so it’s probably a question of being in the right place at the right time.
West-Indian Manatees
Manatees are another type of animal we had never before seen in the wild. In Panama, these huge, beautiful creatures only live in a couple of rivers on the mainland of Bocas del Toro province. The easiest way to see them is to take a guided boat tour of the San San Pond Sak Wildife Reserve near Changuinola.
On the trip, you’ll stop on a wooden observation platform in the mangroves, where the park guards will tie up some banana leaves for the manatees to chew on. When we were there, it didn’t take long for a small manatee to come by and start munching on the leaves.
Sloths
As everyone will tell you, both Two- and Three-Toed-Sloths are very common in Panama, but we found out that actually spotting them isn’t all that easy. They like to hang around (literally) pretty high up in the tree tops, and are usually obscured by tons of foliage.
The fact that Panama’s trees are full of ant nests, termite hills and bromeliads, all of which can be mistaken for sloths at a glance, doesn’t make the endeavour easier, exactly. I suggest you check the tops of Cecropia Trees when you come across them, as this is one of their favourite haunts.
We managed to spot a three-toed sloth with a baby on Isla Barro Colorado in Gatun Lake and a rather active adult sloth on the way from Wizard Beach to Old Bank on Isla Bastimentos in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago.
Various Nocturnal Insects, Frogs, Scorpions and Snakes
One of the coolest things we did on our trip was take part in a guided night hike through the jungle. While walking through the Santa Fé National Park in the Cordillera Central mountains, we encountered an unbelievable amount of interesting creatures, both big and small.
We came across scuttling opossums and huge toads, but also tiny snakes, phosphorescent scorpions, humonguous spiders, plenty of frogs, as well as a super cool Shield Praying Mantis.
It was a fantastic experience and I can’t recommend it enough to see the rainforest in a very different atmosphere than during the day. You can contact the amazing guide Edgar through Hostal La Qhia in town.