第450回：性命难保树懒幼崽，死亡象征黑美洲鹫

環遊尋美拾遺錄，皇氏古建築大全

Jumbo Heritage List & Huang Explorer Sail

第450回：性命难保树懒幼崽，死亡象征黑美洲鹫

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环球旅行第756天、五洲游学之美洲历险记第283天：

中美洲的纽约巴拿马城真是热浪滚滚，每天流几斤汗，佩服在这里经商的广东人，他们来到巴拿马就把大量的野味吃绝了，什么穿山甲啊，食蚁兽啊，鳄鱼野鸡啊，据说树獭不好吃，才逃过一劫。

今天早上独自起床，洗漱完毕就直接出门，到处找吃早餐的地方，结果发现大部分商铺都只是出售面包和咖啡，我一直走到地铁站，看到旁边有一家疑似华人开设的自助餐厅，一份饭菜是2.75美金，生意不错，我空腹上了地铁，跟巴拿马的上班族一起涌入车厢，坐了四个站之后，到达目的地，出站走到大街道上，已经非常炎热，

我边走边吃营养棒，经过一栋残破的古房子，左侧是一个老教堂，过马路上了人行天桥，走到对面，经过一个铁皮房，有妇女在油炸一种食物，我和几个妇女排队，叫了两个煎饼配奶酪，花费一美金，我边走边吃，味道还可以，误走到教堂右侧的公路上，正好碰到一个背包客，他说我走错路了，如是他亲自带我返回到医院那里，然后叫我沿着盘山公路走。

车流量极大，到处是自驾车，医院坐落和山脚下，对面是大量的临时餐厅，很多人坐在那里吃盒饭，我一走往山上走，经过一些豪宅，最后抵达了上山的盘山公路，游客驾驶的汽车不能上山，后半段就比较安静了，山上分布着一些民居，看到一栋三层的木宅正在施工粉刷外墙，另外一栋老木头房子已经荒废，成了秃鹰的巢穴。

我开始继续往安康山上爬行(Cerro Ancon)，经过一些古树，到处是白蚁巢穴，因为天气酷热，我又背着大包，走得我汗流浃背，后来我突然听到一种动物的尖叫声，循声望去，赫然发现了一只年幼的树獭。

我曾经在文莱见过大量的水獭，但野生树獭却是第一次看到，我没有想到树獭居然是那么小，尽管有些树獭的体格比大象还大，但那些大的树懒基本都绝种了。我是被小树獭的尖叫声吸引住的，当时母树獭丢掉小树獭独自往树上跑，我当时只注意到了小树獭，没有留意正在朝树干上爬行的大树獭，错失了给它拍摄照片的最佳时机。

小树獭想爬上光滑的水泥长椅，但它被卡在椅子侧面了，它始终无法爬上椅面，就那么僵持着，我给它拍照，后来猛一回头，果然看到了母树獭，她已经爬到三米高的树杆上了，正朝巢穴缓慢攀援，偶尔折断一些枯枝，它根本不管小树獭的死活啊。

我寻思了半天，本来想直接伸手像抱狗一样将树獭抱到怀里再送它到树上，但后来我犹豫了，因为我知道树獭的毛皮上有大量的寄生虫和跳蚤等。树懒是哺乳纲披毛目下树懒亚目动物的通称，哺乳动物，形状略似猴，动作迟缓，常用爪倒挂在树枝上数小时不移动，故称之为树懒。树懒是唯一身上长有植物的野生动物，它虽然有脚但是却不能走路，靠得是前肢拖动身体前行。分布于中南美洲。

毛被蓬松长厚；头短圆，耳小并隐于毛内；尾短；前肢3指，后肢3趾，均有可屈曲的锐爪，前肢长于后肢；上颚有齿5对，下颚4对，共18枚；胃分数室；颈椎9节，为哺乳动物中最多者；全身毛色灰褐因身上毛被附着有藻类植物，外表呈现绿色。它终年栖居树上，用爪钩住树枝倒挂身躯，并在树上移行，可防备食肉兽的袭击，天敌为蟒蛇和猛禽。嗅觉灵敏，视觉和听觉不很发达。夜行性，以树叶、果实为食。多数种类春季繁殖，妊娠期随种类而异，4到6个月或9个月。每胎一仔。

树懒科包括三趾树懒（Bradypus）和二趾树懒（Choloepus）两个属，每属因分类体系不同而各有一至数种，共6种。树懒主要分布于中美和南美热带雨林。三趾树懒前后肢均三趾，二趾树懒后肢三趾而前肢二趾。二者颈椎数目也不相同，其中三趾树懒颈椎9枚，是哺乳动物种最多的，而二趾树懒则和多数哺乳动物一样是7枚。由于三趾树懒和二趾树懒结构上的区别较大，有人将二者置于不同的科，树懒科只保留三趾树懒，而二趾树懒则和已经灭绝的大懒兽类的大地懒亲缘关系很近，可置于大地懒科，并且三趾树懒可以自成一个三趾树懒总科，而大地懒科与大懒兽科组成另一个大懒兽科总科。

树懒的适应范围与同属贫齿目的食蚁兽十分不同，它是严格的树栖者和单纯的植食者。它的头骨短而高，鼻吻显著缩短，颧弓强但不完全。这种变化不仅发生在种间，甚至同种不同个体之间的颈椎数也不同。外表能见的趾不超过3个，并趾足。三趾树懒三趾等长，跤骨基部及附骨愈合，爪强而成钩状，体型较小，体重4到7千克，体毛长而粗，毛被为藻类提供了生存条件，雨季时，藻类在毛表的凹陷处生长，使浅色毛皮变成绿色。

树懒已高度特化成树栖生活，而丧失了地面活动的能力。平时倒挂在树枝上，毛发蓬松而拟向生长，毛上附有藻类而呈绿色，在森林中难以发现。三趾树懒分布较广，北到洪都拉斯，南到阿根廷北部，二趾树懒分布略狭窄，北到尼加拉瓜，南到巴西北部。这些严格的植食者主要吃树叶、嫩芽和果实。难得下地，靠抱着树枝，竖着身体向上爬行，或倒挂其体，靠四肢交替向前移动。它们能长时间倒挂，甚至睡觉也是这种姿势。

前肢增大，明显长于后肢。在地上时，四肢斜向外侧，不能支持身体，只得靠前肢爬，拖着身体前进。在热带盆地，雨季地面泛滥时，树懒能游泳转移。树懒栖息的热带环境，那里温度比较稳定。树懒的体温调节机能不完全，静止时体温变幅在28到35℃之间。当环境温度降至27℃时，便有发抖现象，可见它适应温度的范围是有限的。

依据赖景阳先生编著《世界哺乳动物名典》记载，正式中文译名，树獭、树懒二者均可以。树獭是依据动物的形态、外形像水獭、栖息在树上翻译之；树懒是以该动物长时间静止不动的生活习性翻译。这二者均是中文俗名，物种正确的身分是以学名为准，不因中文俗名或英文俗名的不同而受影响。我没觉得树懒的外形哪点像水獭，生活习性等则更是大相径庭。汉字“獭”在《说文》中已有，本意即是指水獭，水居食魚。从犬賴聲。也许因为已有食肉目鼬科的水獭，所以也必得有个树“獭”吧，但除了水獭和海獭属同目同科外，其余的“獭”都属于不同的目，互相之间差别很大。正如鬣“狗”更接近猫科一样，光看俗名是无法了解生物的真正特点以及它们之间的亲缘关系的。

树懒是唯一身上长有植物的野生动物，它虽然有脚但是却不能走路，靠得是前肢拖动身体前行。所以它要移动2公里的距离，需要用时1个月。尽管如此，在水里它却是游泳健将，对于树懒来说最好的食物是低热量的树叶，吃上一点要用好几个小时来消化。 人们往往把行动缓慢比喻成乌龟爬，其实树懒比乌龟爬得还要慢。树懒生活在南美洲茂密的热带森林中，一生不见阳光，极少下树，以树叶、嫩芽和果实为食，

吃饱了就倒吊在树枝上睡懒觉，可以说是以树为家。树懒是一种懒得出奇的哺乳动物，什么事都懒得做，甚至懒得去吃，懒得去玩耍，能耐饥一个月以上，非得活动不可时，动作也是懒洋洋的极其迟缓。就连被人追赶、捕捉时，也好像若无其事似的，慢吞吞地爬行。像这样，面临危险的时刻，其逃跑的速度还超不过0.2米每秒。

树懒妊娠期为120到180天，雌兽在怀孕期间暂时具有比较有效的体温调节能力。每窝产一仔，幼仔在2个月时就能自己吃树叶了，先从雌兽的嘴里舔叶子的碎片，开始学习和继承雌兽对某种树叶偏爱，获得专门消化这种树叶的特有的肠道微生物。但在1岁之前，幼仔一直呆在雌兽的身边，当顽皮地爬在雌兽的背上时，就如同一个逗人喜爱的绒毛娃娃，这样既安全又暖和，时时置于雌兽的保护之下，还可以随时摘到可口的树叶。它的寿命接近12年。

我当时在寻思如何帮助那只无助的小树懒，它已经开始口吐白沫了，而它的母亲看到我站在马路边，更不敢下树了，我灵机一动，忙找到一个树杆，我伸到树懒面前，它果然听话地借助树枝的帮助而攀爬起来，当它抓稳树枝后，我将它提到马路边，但它爬行极慢，无奈我又使用树枝，它就开始沿着树枝缓慢地往我握的地方爬行，很快就要抓到我的手了，我只好又将它放在地上，小树懒又开始尖叫，最终我干脆故伎重演地又让它抓住树枝，然后将它提到大树杆上，让它脱离树枝，开始往树杆上爬，有几次它翻过凸起的枝桠时，非常危险，我一度担心它会从树上掉下来，直到它最终爬到母树懒身上，我看到母树懒搂着它吊在树上休息。

九点多遇到二个华人，其中一个在跑步，另外一个华人在缓慢地爬山，他只提着一瓶矿泉水，浑身大汗，我当时正在拯救小树獭熊，他从马路边走过来，非常热情地跟我聊天，我其实对树獭更感兴趣，但既然他跑过来跟我聊人生，我也不能拒绝，他姓李，广州人，在巴拿马城开超市，月入上万美金，他说当地员工的月收入只有几百美金，但当地人没有攀比的习惯，生活简单，政府务实，没那么多骗子，

他说很多华侨都想回国创业，结果大部分人回国做生意都是亏损的，因为国内的生意人太会算计了，还不说大量的诈骗犯，李生说广东人刚来巴拿马时，喜欢猎杀野生动物吃，结果将当地的野鸡和野生鳄鱼等都吃光了，他来这里有十多年，兄妹都在此，他父母依然生活在广州花都。

这时一个洋人骑车经过，他告诉我后面拐弯处有一只树懒，我忙折返走了百多米，果然看到一只成年树懒正在攀爬树藤，但它移动极缓，我看了一会，看到另外一对欧美情侣走过来，我这才返回到小树懒那里，观察它的动向，再返回到成年树懒那里时，又看到三个本地人正站在树下欣赏，那只树懒已经倒挂身躯休息了。我还遇到一个洋女，她一个人牵着四五条大狗，骑车的洋人也往回骑了，他说经常能在这里看到树懒和猴子等野生动物。

我欣赏完树懒，就继续爬山，偶尔碰到跑步的亚洲女人，气温极高，我满头大汗地走到山顶的发射架下面，先后欣赏了巴拿马大运河和港口，还远眺了古城和小机场，不经意间就能抬头见到黑美洲鹫，这在中美洲是很常见的猛禽。

我经常能看到在天空盘旋搜寻腐肉的黑美洲鹫(Black Vulture)，它们个头大、数量多，看鸟的人不太可能错过它的存在，我以前在墨西哥也见过黑美洲秃鹫(Gallinazo Cabecirrojo, Cathartes Aura; Gallinazo Negro, Coragyps atratus)，只是今天才开始仔细观察它们的存在了。

黑美洲鹫亦称为黑头美洲鹫，是美洲鹫科黑美洲鹫属中的唯一一种，从美国东南部到南美洲都有分布。虽然黑美洲鹫分布广泛，但仍然不及同科的红头美洲鹫。尽管黑美洲鹫的名称和外表与欧亚大陆的秃鹫相似，但亲缘关系并不相近。欧亚大陆的秃鹫属于鹰科（同科的亦包括鹰、鸢、鹞等），而黑美洲鹫则属于美洲鹫科。

黑美洲鹫多栖息于相对开放的环境，例如疏乱的树林或灌丛中。黑美洲鹫的翼展可达1.5米，属大型鸟种，但比起美洲鹫科的其他6种，它却是体型最小的一种。黑美洲鹫全身有黑色的翅膀和羽毛，头和颈部裸露灰黑色皮肤，钩嘴较短。黑美洲鹫是吃腐肉的清道夫，也会吃蛋或动物幼崽。在一些人类居住的地方，也会在垃圾堆中找食物。黑美洲鹫通常依靠敏锐的视觉或跟随着其它嗅觉灵敏的鹫觅食。

由于缺乏鸣管（鸟类的发声器官），它们只能发出咕噜声和低沉的嘶叫声。它们一般在洞穴、树木凹陷处中或直接在空旷的地上孵卵，通常一年会生生育两只幼鹫，用反刍的方法给幼鸟喂食。在美国，黑美洲鹫是受到1918年候鸟协定法案保护的鸟类。在玛雅文化中，黑美洲鹫同其他美洲鹫科鸟类一样，是死亡的象征。黑美洲鹫会飞到高空寻找食物。在滑翔时翅膀伸展呈水平。在短程飞行中，振翅频繁。

它的翅膀相对较短，只能形成一个较小的帆面，所以飞行的效率比其他秃鹰低。与红头美洲鹫相比，黑美洲鹫在飞行中振翅频率较高。当发现有其他动物接近或收到惊扰时，黑美洲鹫会开始呕吐，目的是为了警告外来者并减轻自身的重量以便飞行。黑美洲鹫通常是集体觅食；一群黑美洲鹫能够轻易赶走一只通常单独在尸体上进食的红头美洲鹫。在自然界的生态系统中，黑美洲鹫的主要食物是腐肉。

在有人类居住的地方，它们也会在垃圾堆中寻找食物，有时也会偷蛋或破坏一些植物，甚至伤害或捕杀新生或残疾的哺乳动物。和其他秃鹰一样，处理腐肉的习性使得它们在生态系统中起到了关键作用，避免了腐肉导致的疾病在自然界中滋生蔓延。黑美洲鹫觅食主要依靠视觉或跟随美洲鹫科中的其他嗅觉灵敏的秃鹰来寻找动物尸体。美洲鹫科中红头美洲鹫、小黄头美洲鹫和大黄头美洲鹫的嗅觉灵敏，它们贴近地面飞行时能通过嗅觉发现覆盖在森林植被下的动物腐肉的味道（乙硫醇气体）。而对于王鹫和黑美洲鹫而言，由于它们缺乏这种通过嗅觉觅食的能力，就会跟随在那些秃鹰后面寻找腐肉。进食时黑美洲鹫具有侵略性，有时甚至会驱赶体型稍大的红头美洲鹫。

黑美洲鹫偶尔也会以家畜和鹿为食，它是美洲鹫科中唯一一种猎食家牛的鹫类。它们偶尔会骚扰正在分娩的家牛，但主要是猎食一些刚出生不久的小牛，因为小牛在刚出生几个星期之内时还不会对黑美洲鹫的接近产生警戒。通常黑美洲鹫会群体围攻一只小牛，然后去啄它的眼睛、鼻子或舌头，小牛便会因此受惊而被鹫群捕杀。黑美洲鹫会捕食初生的家畜，牧场工人因此将其视为威胁。黑美洲鹫和其他种类鹫的粪便可能会危害甚至杀死植物。在美国，黑美洲鹫受到《候鸟条约法案》保护。根据该法案，获得、杀害或拥有黑美洲鹫都属于违法，最高刑罚为罚款15,000美元及监禁六个月。现时黑美洲鹫的族群规模维持稳定，并没有达到成为濒危物种的标准（在十年或三代之内数量减少超过30%），因此在《世界自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录》中被列为“无危”。

黑美洲鹫缺乏王鹫具有的宗教性。虽然一些古代的浮雕表现出了黑美洲鹫拥有的宽鼻孔和钩喙，却缺乏王鹫较有标志性的特征，所以仅认为是一种“神鹫”而不确定就是黑美洲鹫。黑美洲鹫的繁殖习性会因所居住的纬度而有所差异。例如在美国，俄亥俄州的黑美洲鹫交配繁殖不会早过3月，而在佛罗里达州的黑美洲鹫早在1月便开始了。

在南美洲，阿根廷和智利的黑美洲鹫早在9月就会产卵，而南美北部的黑美洲鹫通常要等到10月。南美洲有些地区的黑美洲鹫的产卵日期甚至比这还要晚，例如特立尼达地区的黑美洲鹫直到11月才会产卵，而在厄瓜多尔的黑美洲鹫有可能等到2月。黑美洲鹫一般通过一个求偶仪式来配对，仪式是在地面上进行的：数只雄鸟将雌鸟围在中间，并且部分张开它们的翅膀，头部上下摆动，以表现自己来吸引雌鸟的注意。它们有时也会进行求爱飞行、潜水或在已选择巢穴附近互相追逐。

新大陆的黑美洲鹫不会筑巢，而是把蛋产在两块巨大岩石中间的空隙，在隙里放置一些树枝。雌鹫通常会产下一至三枚蛋，并孵化约33至35天。幼鸟和成鸟雏羽的变化很小。幼鸟换羽后羽毛丰满时，看起来几乎跟成鸟差不多。黑美洲鹫通常会在出生后三个月后离巢飞翔，会与父母一起在在大群体中生活几年。由于没有鸣管，黑美洲鹫和其他新世界秃鹰一样，几乎不具有发声功能。通常它们是沉默无声的，但有时也会发生轻微的嘶嘶声或哼声。

我今天也意外地发现了另外一种南美洲的动物，叫什么微型猪，也可能是豚鼠，因为之前没有见过，很难定义这种动物。

我下山之后径直走到竖有圣雄甘地雕塑的广场，过广场就到达了地铁站，乘坐地铁返回到阿根廷站，出了车站经过广东人超市，进去想买西瓜，结果大西瓜卖5.95美金，我又走到靠近我们旅馆的那家小超市，找本地人购买了一大瓣的西瓜，花费1.5美金，我返回到旅馆，看到嫒居然坐在楼梯口，

行李都堆在门口，她不想住在这个烂旅馆了，她说泽伦洛旅馆的邋遢瘦法国老板娘太差劲了，不准许我们就近搬到对面的那个集体宿舍，非要我们搬到楼下院子对面的那个住八个人的集体宿舍，嫒不愿意搬过去，因为那个宿舍已经住了四五个人了，下午再进来几个就住满了，而楼上靠近楼梯口的集体宿舍才住了一个人，还有空调，但法国老板娘却说那个楼上的宿舍要14美金，如果我们要住就要加钱，我当时就质疑说，既然她之前承诺给我们安排一个好的宿舍，为什么现在一说搬到好宿舍就要加价呢？但跟法国女人争论这些都没有意义，她们就是死脑筋。

我和嫒将四个背包搬到了新的集体宿舍，然后提着食物袋走到厨房，嫒开始煮米饭，准备做土豆炒肉和炒白菜，期间一个25岁的荷兰青年也在厨房做饭，他和嫒聊天，原来他现在也在旅馆做义工，混免费的住宿，他同时打三份工，另外一份工作是白天在一个俱乐部卖门票，可以拿提成，他每天要忙到很晚才返回宿舍，典型的“996”型员工。

我们先吃了西瓜，之后又开始吃丰盛的午餐，然后我去洗手间冲凉，完了就上床睡觉，不久值班的小姐跑进来搞厕所的卫生，又把我吵醒了，之后只是断断续续地睡了半小时，到了15：30分左右，我们又穿上脏衣物出门。

我们搭乘地铁抵达了古城的边缘，徒步走了近二公里，经过小商品市场，那里分布着大量的中国商铺，出售五金电器和小商品等，我们疾步走到了非常颓废的巴拿马世界遗产老城(CASCO VIEJO)参观。

我们浏览了几座教堂，也目睹了宗教盛会，当时大量警察和士兵守住教堂，很多人聚集在那里，电视台的摄制组也过来了。

我们乘坐地铁返回到新城，经过中国超市时又购买了一些水果，返回到旅馆，嫒做了米粉炒鸡蛋和香肠，吃完饭我们又泡菜喝。

20：55分嫒刚洗完澡，今天才办理入住的精瘦洋妞忙迫不及待地跑进洗手间，原来洗个澡还要排队，她男友睡在上铺，是一个高大威猛的秃头，这样算来，这个大宿舍内的一，二，四，五，六，七和八号铺都睡人了，几天前遇到的那个总是躲在角落使用平板电脑的壮秃头男原来就睡在我右侧，他傍晚也躲在客厅角落使用电脑，后来可能发现客厅太吵了，因为泽伦洛旅馆邋遢瘦老板娘正与几个男义工打乒乓球，还有可能是客厅太热，所以壮秃头男就返回宿舍享受17度的空调，另外有一个中老年男人坐在院子内发呆，女主人的疯狗到处跑动，

另外一个黑人则非常安静地躺在吊床上发呆，白妞躺在客厅的临时折叠床上发呆，另外几个义工则在聊天，这个旅馆总是聚集了很多大，其中大部分却是义工，今天傍晚值班的是一个墨西哥梅里达的男人，他先是在厨房替所有的人做好了薄煎饼，之后到了八点，在没有人提醒的情况下，他主动给几个集体宿舍打开了空调，他做事还可以，不像白妞和法国老板娘，又邋遢又吝啬，很难沟通。那个白妞完全没有服务意识，我中午本来躺在吊床上休息，尔后我起身去柜子里拿东西，返回时就差那么半钞钏，结果白妞就抢占了我的吊床，导致我不得不躺在长椅上小憩，她之前还找一个不三不四的黑哥要药咳，不知道是不是毒品。

外面非常炎热，房间却吹着冷风，嫒都被冻得受不了，跑到外面上网了，我还得穿上抓绒衣才能扛得住，不过空调冷就没有蚊虫了。过了22：30分，另外一个黑壮的中年男人居然也走进了宿舍，我左侧的洋夫妇开始聊天，光头男在床上放了两瓶啤酒，好喝完之后直接搂着他老婆躺在下铺的床上，两个狗男女当着我的面搂在一起接吻，我心想既然是男女朋友或者夫妇，为什么不住个独立房间再亲热呢？住在男女混住的宿舍亲热什么？

Jumbo Huang citation resources: Ancon Hill is a 654-foot hill that overlooks Panama City, Panama, adjacent to the township of Ancón. Ancón Hill is an area in Panama that was used for administration of the Panama Canal. It was under U.S. jurisdiction as part of the Panama Canal Zone until being returned to Panama in 1977. Largely undeveloped, the area is now a reserve. The hill includes the highest point in Panama City. The summit of the hill can be reached by a 30-minute hike. According to a local Ancon resident, at this time it is no longer possible to drive to the summit of Cerro Ancon (February 12, 2017). Relatively undeveloped it includes jungle in an otherwise urban area, and wildlife still survives cut off from other jungle areas. It is not uncommon to see sloths, white-nosed coati, nine-banded armadillos, Geoffroy's tamarins, or deer on Ancon Hill, which now has protected status. Its name is used as an acronym by a Panamanian environmental group, Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (ANCON).

Casco Viejo, also known as Casco Antiguo or San Felipe, is the historic district of Panama City. Completed and settled in 1673, it was built following the near-total destruction of the original Panamá city, Panamá Viejo in 1671, when the latter was attacked by pirates. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1997，Panama City was founded on August 15, 1519 and it lasted one hundred and fifty-two years. In January 1671, the Governor Juan Perez de Guzman had it set on fire, before the attack and looting by the pirate Henry Morgan. In 1672, Antonio Fernández de Córdoba initiated the construction of a new city, which was then founded on January 21, 1673. This city was built on a peninsula completely isolated by the sea and a defensive system of walls. Today this place preserves the first institutions and buildings of the modern city of Panama. It is known as Casco Viejo (Spanish for Old Town)…

The lower slopes contained residences and Gorgas Hospital. Higher up were the residence of the Governor of the Canal Zone and Quarry Heights, where the United States Southern Command was located. Quarry Heights was named for being adjacent to a large rock quarry on one side of the hill, which left a visible cliff face on one side. The hill contains an abandoned underground bunker once manned by the US Southern Command. At the top are two broadcast towers and a small road that reaches them. One-way vehicular traffic is now allowed during daylight hours. Hikers can use the road to reach the summit, and the hill is a popular jogging and hiking trek. Along the path, all manner of vegetation and birds can be seen, including a large number of orchids (which are protected by CITES).When the pirate Henry Morgan sacked Panama City in 1671, his scouts first climbed Ancon Hill to gain knowledge of the local defenses. Ancon Hill overlooks the site of the new city, constructed after Morgan's destruction of the old one.

The hill became part of the land taken to build the canal and a national symbol in 1906 after Amelia Denis de Icaza wrote her poem about its annexation. Today this hill still boasts a large national flag at its summit. The first ship to officially transit the Panama Canal in 1914, SS Ancon, took its name from the hill and surrounding township.

When Panama regained control of the hill following the 1977 Panama Canal Treaty, one of the first things the country did was fly a large Panamanian flag atop the hill.

Sloths are arboreal mammals noted for slowness of movement and for spending most of their lives hanging upside down in the trees of the tropical rainforests of South America and Central America. The six species are in two families: two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths. In spite of this traditional naming, all sloths actually have three toes. The two-toed sloths have two digits, or fingers, on each forelimb. The sloth is so named because of its very low metabolism and deliberate movements, sloth being related to the word slow. This is an evolutionary adaptation to their low-energy diet of leaves, and to avoid detection by predatory hawks and cats who hunt by sight.[3] Sloths are almost helpless on the ground but are able to swim.[4] The grooved hair of the sloth's shaggy coat is a host to symbiotic green algae which helps the sloth camouflage itself in the trees, and provides nutrients to the sloth. The algae in turn nourishes sloth moths, some species of which exist solely on sloths. They are classified in the order Pilosa along with the anteaters. Extinct sloth species include many megafaunal ground sloths, some of which attained the size of elephants, as well as marine sloths. Sloths belong to the superorder Xenarthra, a group of placental mammals believed to have evolved in the continent of South America around 60 million years ago. One study found that xenarthrans broke off from other placental mammals around 100 million years ago.

Anteaters and armadillos are also included among Xenarthra. The earliest xenarthrans were arboreal herbivores with sturdy vertebral columns, fused pelvises, stubby teeth, and small brains. Sloths are in the taxonomic suborder Folivora of the order Pilosa. These names are from the Latin 'leaf eater' and 'hairy', respectively. Pilosa is one of the smallest of the orders of the mammal class; its only other suborder contains the anteaters. Sloths can be 60 to 80 cm (24 to 31 in) long and, depending on species, weigh from 3.6 to 7.7 kg (7.9 to 17.0 lb). Two-toed sloths are slightly larger.[16] Sloths have long limbs and rounded heads with tiny ears. Three-toed sloths also have stubby tails about 5 to 6 cm (2.0 to 2.4 in) long. While almost all mammals have seven cervical vertebrae, two-toed sloths have only six, while three-toed sloths have nine, allowing them to rotate their heads through 270 degrees.[18]Sloths have colour vision, but have poor visual acuity. They also have poor hearing. Thus, they rely on their sense of smell and touch to find food.Sloths have very low metabolic rates (less than half of that expected for a mammal of their size), and low body temperatures when active 30 to 34 °C (86 to 93 °F), and still lower when resting. Sloths are heterothermic, meaning their body temperature may vary according to the environment, normally ranging from 25 to 35 °C (77 to 95 °F), but able to drop to as low as 20 °C (68 °F), inducing torpor.[19]The outer hairs of sloth fur grow in a direction opposite from that of other mammals. In most mammals, hairs grow toward the extremities, but because sloths spend so much time with their limbs above their bodies, their hairs grow away from the extremities to provide protection from the elements while they hang upside down. In most conditions, the fur hosts symbiotic algae, which provide camouflage[20] from predatory jaguars, ocelots, and harpy eagles. Because of the algae, sloth fur is a small ecosystem of its own, hosting many species of commensal and parasitic arthropods.[23] There are a large number of arthropods associated with sloths. These include biting and blood-sucking flies such as mosquitoes and sandflies, triatomine bugs, lice, ticks and mites. Sloths have a highly specific community of commensal beetles, mites and moths. Species of sloths recorded to host arthropods include, the pale-throated sloth, the brown-throated sloth, and Linnaeus's two-toed sloth. Incidentally, it appears that sloths benefit from their relationship with moths because the moths are responsible for fertilizing algae on the sloth, which provides them with nutrients.Their limbs are adapted for hanging and grasping, not for supporting their weight. Muscles make up only 25 to 30 percent of their total body weight. Most other mammals have a muscle mass that makes up 40 to 45 percent of the total body weight. Their specialised hands and feet have long, curved claws to allow them to hang upside down from branches without effort, and are used to drag themselves along the ground, since they cannot walk. On three-toed sloths, the arms are 50 percent longer than the legs.

Sloths are victims of animal trafficking where they are sold as pets. However they make very poor pets as they have such a specialized ecology.

The black vulture (Coragyps atratus), also known as the American black vulture, is a bird in the New World vulture family whose range extends from the southeastern United States to Central Chile and Uruguay in South America. Although a common and widespread species, it has a somewhat more restricted distribution than its compatriot, the turkey vulture, which breeds well into Canada and south to Tierra del Fuego. It is the only extant member of the genus Coragyps, which is in the family Cathartidae. Despite the similar name and appearance, this species is unrelated to the Eurasian black vulture, an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae (which includes eagles, hawks, kites, and harriers). It inhabits relatively open areas which provide scattered forests or shrublands. With a wingspan of 1.5 m (4.9 ft), the black vulture is a large bird though relatively small for a vulture. It has black plumage, a featherless, grayish-black head and neck, and a short, hooked beak.

In natural settings, the black vulture eats mainly carrion. In areas populated by humans, it may scavenge at garbage dumps, but also takes eggs and decomposing plant material and can kill or injure newborn or incapacitated mammals. Like other vultures, it plays an important role in the ecosystem by disposing of carrion which would otherwise be a breeding ground for disease. The black vulture locates food either by sight or by following New World vultures of the genus Cathartes to carcasses. These vultures—the turkey vulture, the lesser yellow-headed vulture, and the greater yellow-headed vulture—forage by detecting the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the beginnings of decay in dead animals. Their heightened ability to detect odors allows them to search for carrion below the forest canopy, The black vulture is aggressive when feeding, and may chase the slightly larger turkey vulture from carcasses.

The black vulture also occasionally feeds on livestock or deer. Like other birds with scavenging habits, the black vulture presents resistance to pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins. Many mechanisms may explain this resistance. Anti-microbial agents may be secreted by the liver or gastric epithelium, or produced by microorganisms of the normal microbiota of the species. The black vulture is considered a threat by cattle ranchers due to its predation on newborn cattle. The droppings produced by black vultures and other vultures can harm or kill trees and other vegetation. The bird is also considered a threat to the safety of aerial traffic, especially when it congregates in large numbers in the vicinity of garbage dumps—as is the case in the Rio de Janeiro Tom Jobim International Airport…