Betzi Perez

Betzi is a biologist born and raised in the small town of Santiago in the province of Veraguas, Panama.  Her love of nature began at an early age, when she spent much of her childhood on farms.  She soon realized that she wanted to work closely with nature.

She completed her bachelor's degree in biology at the University of Panama.  While doing graduate work on a coral reef in Isla Iguana, she saw a whale for the first time.  At that very moment, she decided she wanted to study whales and they became her passion.  After graduating, Betzi went on to get a master’s degree in marine mammals at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma in México, where she specialized in the study of humpback whales. 

She has worked as a research assistant for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on many projects, including the behavioral ecology of tropical birds and social insects (nocturnal bees and leaf cutter ants).  Because of her love for nature and her curiosity for social insects, she was called to work as a naturalist guide at Barro Colorado Island.

Betzi has been splitting her time between conducting research and guiding for the past six years.  During her free time she loves to play Ultimate Frisbee, watch movies, take nature photography, read a good book, and most importantly, spend time with her family and friends.  If you can’t find her, she might be in her office, Nature.