Rosannette Quesada Hidalgo

Rosannette Quesada H. is an enthusiastic behavioral ecologist based in Panama City, Panama. She is also a science storyteller and the founder of the science communication initiative Opilio Tracker, a project promoting appreciation for arachnids.

Stories from this author

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Your Photos Can Help Make Scientific Discoveries

Scientists combined iNaturalist photos and scientific observations to uncover the possible evolution of a very particular behavior: egg-caring in a group of arachnids

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Does Helping Your Mom Pay Off? Queen Bee Pheromones Help Daughters Decide Whether to Stay or Leave the Nest

Queen pheromones in Megalopta bees tell daughters when it's worth sacrificing their fertility to help their mom

Glitter and Globug

How Camera Traps at the Smithsonian’s Research Institute in Panama Inspired a New Generation of Tropical Scientists

The long-term mammal monitoring project on Barro Colorado Island is one of the most unique camera trap systems in the tropics and the first of its kind

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Connected Forests Favor More Diverse, Disease-Preventing Microbes

New research shows that forest connecting different types of habitats may help frogs fight a deadly amphibian fungus

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Leafcutter Ants Have Blind Spots, Just Like Truck Drivers

Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama discovered that carrying oversized loads limits the ability to perceive the trail in leafcutter ants, akin to blind spots while we are driving

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Mutualism Under Pressure: New Research in Panama Shows a Plant's Ability to Keep Its Defender Ants Happy

Scientists discovered that swollen-thorn acacias invested more in ant rewards during a drought, suggesting that mutualistic interactions play a crucial role in the plant's survival, even during climate stress

Aaron O'Dea

Human Fishing Reshaped Caribbean Reef Food Webs, 7,000-Year-Old Exposed Fossilized Reefs Reveal

A groundbreaking study of 7,000-year-old exposed coral reef fossils reveals how human fishing has transformed Caribbean reef food webs: As sharks declined by 75 percent and fish preferred by humans became smaller, prey fish species flourished—doubling in numbers and growing larger. This unprecedented look into prehistoric reef communities shows how the loss of top predators cascaded through the entire food web, shifting the balance among coral reefs

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Frog Tadpoles That Grew Up In The City Developed Faster But Ended Up Being Smaller

Have you ever wondered how city life affects animals like frogs? A new study reveals that urban Túngara frog tadpoles develop faster —but end up being smaller — than tadpoles from forests, probably resulting in smaller adults. This might be an adaptation to warmer urban puddles with fewer predators or to constantly changing environmental conditions in the city

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Birds by Day, Bats by Night: Paired Long-Term Census of Bats and Birds Starts in Panama

Research teams studying bats and birds gather in Panama’s Soberanía National Park to celebrate the launch of a long-term census of bats designed to complement the bird census, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year

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NASA Is Studying Tropical Ecosystems by Linking the Ground, Air and Space

A NASA plane came to Panama to acquire aerial images to inform scientists about the diversity of tropical ecosystems. At the same time, researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama collected similar data from the ground. The goal: to create an algorithm to better understand tropical ecosystems using satellite remote sensing in the future

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Possible Caterpillar-Like Baby Hummingbird Discovered in Panama

A baby hummingbird hatches. But it has fluffy feathers on its back, looking just like a dangerous caterpillar. Could this be something unusual among hummingbirds?

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A Composting Fly Could Significantly Reduce Organic Waste at the Smithsonian Institution

An innovative and low-cost project aims to bio-convert food scraps into fertilizer, animal feed and extractable oil using the Black Soldier Fly