Field biologist · Herpetologist · Explorer
Abel Batista
Thirty years searching for what no one sees. Around 35 species of Panama have a name today because he gave it to them.
There is an exact point where something alive stops being invisible and begins to exist for science. That point, again and again, was Abel.
What he has named
Pristimantis gretathunbergae
Greta Thunberg’s rainfrog
Abel led the international team that discovered and described this rainfrog in the highlands of eastern Panama. The species was named after climate activist Greta Thunberg —the epithet was chosen by the winner of a Rainforest Trust naming-rights auction.
Andinobates geminisae
Orange poison dart frog
A tiny, intensely orange frog with a unique call, from a Caribbean forest in Colón Province. Abel is the first author of its description; the species honors Geminis Vargas for her support of Panamanian herpetology.
Atelopus fronterizo
Border harlequin toad
A harlequin toad from Darién, part of the most threatened amphibian group on Earth. Abel collected the type specimen in 2012 and is a co-author of the species’ formal description.
The field
The work happens at night.
Mountain trails, waterfalls and cloud forest. Where it rains the most, what has no name yet stays hidden.
See the fieldworkWhat lives through his lens.
Amphibians, reptiles, birds and insects of Panama, photographed in the field during his work.
Know it to protect it.
Abel takes herpetology to classrooms, fairs and communities. He teaches people to live alongside snakes instead of killing them, and trains the next generation of Panamanian naturalists.
One naturalist, one ecosystem
He does not work alone.
His science becomes experience, conservation and culture through the projects he connects.
Press, talks, environmental consulting and collaborations. Email him
Contact
Let’s talk about the field.
For press, talks, consulting or scientific collaborations, reach him by email.