Biomuseo, Panama City, Panama

The Biomuseo in Panama City, Panama is a very colourful designed building. The fractured exterior reflects the upheaval of the land when Panama rose from the ocean creating the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Before that time there was one world ocean. This geological event changed the world forever.

Once closed off, the Caribbean water heated up. Some of the water evaporated and was carried by the East-West trade winds to rain in the Pacific Ocean. The addition of fresh water eventually made the Pacific Ocean less salty than the Atlantic Ocean. The heated water was pulled north with the Gulf current where heat was released in the northern climates in the form of rain that moved across Eurasia. The rain water eventually ended up in the Arctic Ocean diluting the salinity of the ocean and making it more prone to the development of sheet ice.

The rise of the isthmus of Panama also allowed for the migration of animals from North and South America which had evolved in isolation. There were elephant sized giant ground sloths and many other unique animals that converged and their evolutionary paths took a significant turn.

The museum does an excellent job of demonstrating the changes and the various display halls concentrate on various pieces o the puzzle. This museum is not to be missed if you are at all interested in biodiversity.