Back in the ’90s, scientists had already begun warning us: Big changes are coming. On cue, the world watched in horror over the next three decades as the mercury rose, farmlands began to dry out, and unnatural weather patterns prevailed. Today, climate change is a global phenomenon. No country is safe from at least one consequence. Along the Pacific Coast, for instance, rising sea levels and the rapid degradation of...
Life on Mesoamerica’s Pacific slope is influenced by all kinds of things — from its rich mix of plants and animals to its diverse landscapes and colorful cultures. But one of the biggest forces shaping daily life here is the annual monsoon season. These rains aren’t just a weather shift. They’re what keep everything going — helping water crops, refilling rivers and underground water, providing drinking water, and keeping forests...
World Oceans Day 2025 is coming up on June 8. This annual event brings to the fore issues concerning our oceans — the vast part of the earth that makes up 97% of the planet’s water and covers 71% of its surface. With this year’s theme, “Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us,” the UN urges communities, governments, and other stakeholders to grasp the magnitude of the ocean’s wonders and how to...
"Beat Plastic Pollution" is the challenge this World Environment Day. World Environment Day 2025 aims to amplify its call for collective action to protect the planet on a global scale. It is slated to take place on June 5 in the Jeju Province of South Korea, two months before the world reconvenes to negotiate an international treaty that ends plastic pollution. The event will also focus on scientific research that...
At Paso Pacifico, we take the plight of endangered birds in America to heart. Together with our volunteers, partners, donors, and sponsors, we do everything we can to keep these species from going extinct through our programs and partnerships. The goal is to protect habitats where they can live and safely breed. Threatened by habitat disruption, these birds’ numbers have been dwindling over the last decades. The IUCN lists 31...
Depending on the geography, the forest dweller tayra (Eira barbara) goes by various names — tolomuco or perico in Central America, viejo de monte in the Yucatan Peninsula, motete in Honduras, and irara in Brazil. They’re about the size of a dog but look like something else entirely — a cross between a weasel and a wolverine — with dark fur, dark eyes, short legs, long claws, pronounced canines, long...
At a distance, collared peccaries can be confused for warthogs or wild pigs just due to their shape, size, and snout. Peccary, after all, is the family name for pig-like mammals. The Dicotyles tajacu should not be mixed up with Tayassu pecari, the white-lipped peccary. It is a similar pig-like species from the family Tayassuidae. This animal’s most distinctive physical feature is the thin white “collar” around its neck that goes down to its...
Have you ever wished to take a walk through the wooded wilderness of Central America? It’s an amazing place to discover, and the place where you’re very likely to find a really curious creature sporting a mishmash of characteristics. But what is this creature? Let me describe it to you: a twitchy snout, banded tail, and distinctive facial markings, make the famous the white-nosed coati a common beauty located in...
From the snowy wilds of Alaska to the rugged southern tip of Chile, one big cat has mastered a variety of biomes. In North America and South America, the puma stalks its prey, raises its young, and splits the air with its distinct screaming calls. This long-tailed, enigmatic felid has proven extremely adaptable to a range of environments despite threats like human hunting and habitat loss. At Paso Pacifico, our...
Beyond their vast proportions, whale sharks seldom escape notice, not only due to size but for the peculiar patchwork of spots and stripes adorning them. Curiously, these visual signatures differ for each individual—akin to fingerprints among humans—serving as markers for differentiation. Classified under the scientific name Rhincodon typus, these giants are the planet's largest sharks and fish. Fully matured specimens stretch to an imposing 60 feet and tip the scales...
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