The fauna of Costa Rica is as diverse as its flora. Nevertheless do not expect wild animals to show up everywhere. The dense vegetation of the tropical rain forests offer protection and food and are therefore a home for several animal-species.

Well camouflaged in the almost impenetrable verdant of the most complex ecological system of the earth, many animals can hardly be seen. But with a little patience and well trained eyes one can catch sight of numerous animals for sure, above all the many colorful birds, monkeys and other mammals as well as different reptiles and amphibians.

Here is a small selection of the different animal species in Costa Rica:

Mammals

Over 200 species of mammals can be found in Costa Rica, most of them -50% to be accurate, are bats. Monkeys can be seen frequently.

Monkeys

In Costa Rica four different species of monkeys reside. These belong to the group of the broad noses and to the family of the capuchin-likes. They live as day-active tree inhabitants in pairs or groups of 10 to 40 animals.

Howler monkey

Spider monkey

White-faced Capuchin

Squirrel monkey

Wild cats

Watching wild cats in nature, ranks is an extremely rare event, since they are rather shy and become active usually only at night. The six different occurring species live very withdrawn in different parts of the country. For the preservation of these graceful animals, different projects have been started, for example the ocelot protection program in Punto Uva in southern Costa Rica.

Felis tigrina

Jaguar

Jaguarundi

Puma

Margay

Ocelot

Canidae (dogs)

Coyote

Gray fox

Racoons

In Costa Rica there are 6 representatives of this family, in which 16 species are found in the Americas.

Racoon

Crab-eating racoon

Coati

Bassaricyon gabbii

Bassaricyon sumichrasti

Potos flavus

Mustelids

Tayra

Skunk

Rodentia

Hispid cotton rat

Red-tailed squirrel

Pygmy squirrel

Spiny pocket mouse

Paca

Agouti

Bats

Bats have a very broad nutrition spectrum: Most species are insectivors or feed from fruits or nectar or even fish.

Additionally there are three species, which feed from the blood of vertebrate animals, the famous "Vampires". Most of the100 in Costa Rica living bat-species are quite small. Bats are night-active animals.

Marsupials

There are marsupials not only in Australia, but also on the American continent. The night-active animals are skilled climbers and inhabit therefore also the tree regions in the Costa Rican forests.

Marsupial rats

Opossum

Sloths

Two-toed sloth

Three-toed sloth

Armadillos

Nine-banded Armadillo

Anteater

Banded anteater

Giant anteater

Little silky anteater

Hoofed animals

Red brocket deer

White-tailed deer

Baird´s tapir

Collared peccary

Marine mammals

Pilot whale

Common dolphin

Spinner dolphin

Manatee

Birds

Costa Rica is despite its small size, is a true bird paradise. With all its various varieties, it offers home and place of refuge to approximately 850 spieces of birds.

Hawks

Harpy eagle

Ornate hawk-eagle

Black-and-White Hawk-eagle

White hawk

Black-collared hawk

Gray hawk

Fish-hawk

Osprey

Falcons

Peregrine Falcon

Carancho

Laughing Falcon

Vultures

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

King Vulture

Owls

Spectacled Owl

Crested Owl

Great Horned Owl

Singing birds

With world-wide around the 4,000 species in 35 families, the singing birds represent the largest subordination. The sparrow birds, which indicates altogether approximately 5,000 different species.

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

Blue-Gray Tanager

Scarlet Tanager

Indigo Bunting

Trogons

Resplendent Quetzal

Collared Trogon

Violaceous Trogon

Orange-bellied Trogon

Slaty-tailed Trogon

Hummingbirds

The 330 species of hummingbirds comprise the second largest, and undoubtedly the bestknown, strictly New World avian family. In Costa Rica 52 hummingbird-species can be found. The "jewels of the rain forest" are notable for their small size, 2 ¼ -8" and 2 to 20g, iridescent colors, manner of flight, which relates to their spezialisation for nectar feeding. Hummingbirds are important pollinators, they take the place of bees and pollinate a multitude of flowers. Hummingbird flight involves rapid wingbeats (200 per sec.) and a unique rotarion of the entire wing enables these small birds to fly in any direction or even hovering in place - both are essential for extracting nectar from the mostly red, purple and/or yellow flowers. Floral tubes often correspond closely to the form of their chief pollinators bill.

Hummingbirds

Little Hermit

Violet Sabrewing

Crowned Woodnymph

Woodpeckers

Lineated Woodpecker

Pale-billed Woodpecker

Toucans

Keel-billed Toucan

Chestnut-mandibled Toucan

Collared Aracari

Fiery-billed Aracari

Parrots

With some 332 living species, parrots can be found almost everywhere in the tropics, some extend into the subtropics and a few even to the more temperate regions.

Scarlet Macaw

Great Green Macaw

Red-lored Parrot

White-crowned Parrot

Barred Parakeet

Cuckoos

Black-billed Cuckoo

Cocos Cuckoo

Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo

Kingfishers

Ringed Kingfisher

Green Kingfisher

Herons

Great Blue Heron

Boat-billed Heron

Tricolored Heron

Ibises

White Ibis

Glossy Ibis

Roseate Spoonbill

Storks

Wood Stork

Jabiru

Large Waterbirds

American White Pelican

Brown Pelican

Anhinga

Olivaceous Cormorant

Marsh and Stream Birds

Green-backed Heron

Least Bittern

Spotted Rail

Purple Gallinule

Wattled Jacana

Reptiles

Crocodiles

Crocodile

Caiman

Snakes

135 species, only 18 poisonous, live in Costa Rica.

Boa Constrictor

Tropical Rattlesnake

Terciopelo

Eyelash Viper

Coral Snake

Sea Turtles

Leatherback Turtle

Hawksbill Turtle

Loggerhead Turtle

Ridley Turtle

Green Turtle

Saurians

Green Iguana

Black Iguana

Lizards

Jesus Christ Lizard

Amphibians

160 species, that are 8% of the worldwide ocurring amphibians, live in Costa Rica.

Frogs

Frogs need generally live in moist areas. In Costa Rica they live well protected mostly in tree holes and bromeliads. Many species are brightly colored, which in many cases indicates they are poisonous.

Gaudy Leaf Frog

Glass Frog

Poison Dart Frogs

Boulenger´s Hyla

Toads

Giant Toad

Mexican Burrowing Toad

Insects and Spiders

About 750.000 insect-species are currently known to live in Costa Rica, although figures over 1 million are estimated. Today the number of insect-species is about 2/3 of the worldwide known animal species. Spiders are represented by approximately 20.000 species.

Butterflies

Costa Rica houses about 1.400 butterfly-species, that is about 10% of the worldwide distributed species.

Morpho

Monarch

Heliconius butterflies

Hymenopteras

Extreme diversity of species within the insect family include approx. 280,000 species among ants and with almost 10.000 species, in the family of bees, wasps, bumble-bees,...

Leaf-cutting Ant

Acacia-Ant

Arboreal Termite

Beetles

Rhinoceros Beetle

Spiders

Golden Orb-Spider