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| Getting on the plane from Panama City to Bocas del Toro |
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View of the Panama Canal from the plane |
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| Plinio Gondola, Deputy Scientific Coordinator, gives us a tour of the station. |
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Every day, we take two boats out and go snorkelling to collect material for lab study. |
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| Back in the lab, we identify the species we have collected – there are many undescribed species! |
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“I know it’s a sea cucumber, but what species is it? |
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| Isostichopus badionotus – otherwise known as the chocolate chip sea cucumber! |
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Exciting discoveries back in the lab. |
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| Oreaster reticulatus is probably the most abundant sea star close to the marine station. |
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Oreaster reticulatus with a fanworm on a plain of coral |
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| Cassandra sill relaxed while snorkelling |
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A student dives down to examine a mass of coral and sponge. |
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| The roots of the mangroves create a world of their own, inhabited by ascidians, sponges, mussels, barnacles and more. |
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Condylactis gigantea |
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| Condylactis gigantea surrounded by several brittle stars. |
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| Isla de los Pájaros – a beautiful rock outcrop where we hoped to collect bivalves. |
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The sea was too rough for snorkeling, so we had to leave Isla de los Pájaros behind. |
