I was going thru the Canal on a cruise ship, and I saw some little brownish mammals bounding about nearby. Larger than rabbits, and no long ears. Maybe gophers? I might try to post a photo, but I didn’t have a telephoto, so I don’t know how well they’ll show up.
Hutias? Nutias? I’ve seen Hutias (banana rats) in Cuba, not sure if they are in panama. Both seem to resemble what you describe?
Until Colibri arrives: agoutis?
That just might be it.
Do they have prairie dogs that far south?
I’ll bet it was what they call a “tepescuintle” (Agouti paca, I think) in Mexico. Nahuatl for “forest dog”. Good eatin’.
ETA: I see now they put the tepezcuintle (a.k.a. spotted paca or lowland paca) in a different genus.
I lived in Panama for 2 years and was totally befuddled by capybaras.
Coatimundis were my all time favorite critters.
That’s surely it. They’re very common, even in towns, where they walk around on lawns and in gardens in suburban areas. They are active in daylight hours too.
Hutias are endemic to the West Indies, and don’t occur in Panama. Neither do nutrias.
No.
Pacas are nocturnal and rarely seen. Locally they are called conejo pintado (spotted rabbit). The former scientific name caused much confusion, since they are not agoutis. The agouti’s genus is Dasyprocta, literally “hairy butt” in Latin.
They are around but mostly nocturnal and much bigger than agoutis.
All the capybara I saw were in broad open daylight. They are much bigger than agoutis and are probably even big enough to be seen on the bank of an island from the deck of a cruise ship traveling through Gatun Lake!
This web site says: In areas where people disturb them more often, the capybaras are more nocturnal or active at night, for safety.
Yes, they do come out in daylight, and I’ve seen them in daytime near the Canal. But I see them more often crossing roads at night.