Costa Rica is a biodiverse country with 215 amphibian species, 895 birds, 1151 fish, 252 mammals, and 269 reptiles. This ranks as the 27th most biodiverse country in the world (Brazil has the highest overall biodiversity index). Yet, Brazil is 167 times larger than Costa Rica. When land area is taken into account, Costa Rica shoots to near the top of the list. Furthermore, with 26.3% of its land protected (the comparable figure in the U.S.A. is 13%) Costa Rica has a well-deserved reputation as a premier destination for wildlife viewing.
I recently spent 10 days in Costa Rica, primarily in the southwest of the country (Osa peninsula) and the northeast (La Selva Biological Station). During this time, I was fortunate to see and photograph some of the amazing wildlife.
Amphibians
Birds
Fish
Mammals
Coatis or Coatimundis are omnivorous diurnal mammals closely related to racoons. There are four coati species that range from the Southwestern United States to Brazil. The species found in Costa Rica is the White-nosed coati (Nasua narica). I saw several Coatis in Costa Rica, but the most memorable encounters were at La Selva Biological Station. Here, there is a foot bridge which crosses the Rio Puerto Viejo. The bridge is probably around 70 meters long and 1.5 meters wide. Each evening at dusk a coati (presumably the same individual) would cross the foot bridge even if people were standing or walking across the narrow bridge. Clearly this coati was accustomed to people, and it made for some of my favorite photos from the trip.
Reptiles
Invertebrates
Reason and Nature 