Fauna

With over 900 bird species, Costa Rica is a popular destination for birdwatchers. Birds that you are most likely to see are the beautiful scarlet and great green macaws, toucans, and hummingbirds. Costa Rica is home to over 50 species of hummingbirds that hover around flowers, feeding on nectar. The most famous bird of Costa Rica is most likely the quetzal, a beautiful bird with green feathers, a red belly, and a long colorful tail. It is found in the cloud forests of Costa Rica and is considered a symbol of the country's wildlife. I do not have it on picture, unfortunately.  

Costa Rica is home to over 250 species of mammals of which sloths, monkeys, wild cats, tapirs, anteaters and bats. Slow moving sloths can often been seen hanging from tree branches on both the South and Central Pacific as the Caribbean coast. They do not prefer tropical dry forest and are therefor rarely found in the Guanacaste region. There are two species of sloths living in Costa Rica. The brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus) which has a grayish coloration with what looks like a masked face and appearing to smile, and the Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni) which has a dark to light brown fur, with a more uniformly colored face, larger eyes, and a pig-like snout. The picture below is of a two-toed sloth. Ah yes, you have seen it right. A two-toed sloth has two claws on their front limbs, but three claws on their hind limbs.

Costa Rica is home to approximately 225 species of reptiles of which sun bathing iguanas and other lizards like geckos and the basilisk lizard which can run over water, tortoises, crocodiles and sea turtles. Several species of sea turtles, including green turtles, hawksbill turtles, and leatherback turtles, nest on various beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Famous places for spotting nesting turtles are Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean side and Ostional in Guanacaste on the Pacific side. 

Costa Rica is home to over 200 species of amphibians, of which many that are unique to the region. Poison dart frogs are probably the most well-known amphibians that most tourists are wishing to see. Poison dart frogs are brightly colored, toxic frogs found in the rainforest. They are known for their toxic skin secretions, which are used by indigenous peoples for hunting and medicine. Other interesting amphibians are the glass frogs, known for their distinctive, glass-like skin, red-eyed tree frogs and harlequin toads. 

Costa Rica has a rich and diverse insect population, with estimated over 500,000 species of insects. One of the most famous insects is the blue morpho butterfly, which is hard to miss as it is one of the largest butterflies in the world with distinctive blue wings. When it comes to beetles, there is also one that stands out above all the others. The Hercules beetle is one of the largest beetles in the world. There are also numerous species of ants, including leaf-cutter ants and bullet ants, which are known for their painful bite, apparently the bite feels like as if you were hit by a bullet, hence the name. Spiders are also common in Costa Rica and some of them are venomous, like the black widow spider. The female black widow has a distinctive black body with a red hourglass-shaped marking. Another spider to be aware of is the brown recluse spider, which can be identified by its brown color and a distinctive violin-shaped marking. Fortunately, bites are rare.  

Due to its geographical location along both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Costa Rica is home to a diverse range of marine life. Turtles are already mentioned and probably the most famous creatures regarding marine life in Costa Rica, but whale and dolphin watching is also very popular. One of the most common dolphin species in Costa Rica is the Pacific bottle nose dolphin, which can be spotted year-round around the Osa Peninsula. Other species are migratory and can be seen in different parts of the country. When it comes to whales, one of the most famous species is the humpback whale, which migrates along the Pacific coast every year. Costa Rica's waters are also home to a lot of fish species like yellow fin tuna, marlin, and sailfish, making fishing a popular activity in Costa Rica. Sharks are also commonly found and especially Isla del Coco National Park is famous for their shark populations. 

• Biodiversity is also about flora. Learn more about Costa Rican ecosystems, nature and plants on the Flora page.

• Now that you have read something about the fauna of Costa Rica, you might want to learn more about the different National Parks and their ecosystems on the National Parks page.