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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
two sloths holding on a tree together with green leaves in back
Second Floor | Temporary Exhibit

Barro Colorado Island 100 Years of Discoveries and Wonder

Open Until January 2024
Location map

Step into a Tropical Forest

Celebrate the 100th Birthday of Barro Colorado Island Research Station by immersing yourself in a Panamanian jungle! From monkeys to microbes, research on the “most studied piece of tropical real estate in the world” gave rise to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, which now hosts 1200 scientists from 50 countries at 12 tropical research facilities, trains young biologists, and contributes new knowledge vital to the future of tropical forests and reefs.

Two brown Ants and one green leaf
Did you know?

that the Panama land bridge connected North and South America and divided an ancient ocean into the Atlantic and Pacific?

LOOK FOR:

4 black paw prints
Jaguar tracks
an aquoti eating a seed
An agouti that steals seeds from other agoutis.
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TO DO:

  • Listen to howler monkeys’ dawn chorus.
  • Play a game to discover how bat predators shape the mating calls of frogs.
  • Learn how lightning strikes alter tropical forest biodiversity.

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a large piece of blue lapis lazuli
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cheetah on branch with other animal
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