Costa Rica (Traveller's Wildlife Guides): Travellers' Wildlife Guide

by Les Beletsky

Most travellers to Costa Rica want to experience its lush tropical forests and catch glimpses of exotic wildlife; toucans and parrots, hummingbirds and hawks, monkeys and big cats, frogs and toads, crocodiles, and (yes) snakes. Here is all the information you will need to find, identify and learn about Costa Rica’s magnificent wildlife. The author, himself a wildlife biologist and experienced ecotraveller, visited national parks, reserves, and other ecological sites, discussed wildlife with local and international experts and veteran tour leaders, and then selected, for new color illustrations, nearly 350 of Costa Rica’s most common amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals—the species you are actually likely to see. Also pictured are some animals of special biological significance—for instance, some highly endangered species. Easy-to-carry, entertainingly written, beautifully illustrated—you will want to have this book as constant companion on your journey. – Identification, distribution, and conservation information on Costa Rica’s frequently spotted animals. – Up-to-date information on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of the families of animals to which the pictured species belong. – Information on habitats and on the most common plants you will encounter. – Brief descriptions of Costa Rica’s most frequently visited parks and reserves. – Information on ecotourism in general and on conservation in Costa Rica.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Science

440 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the help of this book and several guides, we identified the following animals that we spotted in Costa Rica on our honeymoon. I only include those we saw outside of captivity. Also, we saw MANY birds, bugs and lizards that I cannot identify. Josh and I made this list as our trip was winding down and we still keep thinking of some that we forgot. I wanted to get it down so I won't forget and so that I could share with my students.

In somewhat alphabetical order:

Agouti
Armadillos
Arrow Shaped Micrathena (MANY!)
Ants, Ants, Ants
American Swallow-Tailed Kites
Ani (kind of crow-like?)
Black River Turtles
Basilisks (Jesus Christ Lizards)
Blue Jeans Poison Dart Frogs
Blue Morpho Butterflies* (and many other butterflies)
Bullet Ants*! (The only animal that I was scared of!)
Black Vultures
Cave Crickets
Chickens
Cattle Egrets
Costa Rican Squirrels
Cattle (Toros!)
Caimans
Crocodile!
Crabs
Crab Spiders
Collared Forest Falcon
Dung Beetle (injured--I put it in a safe spot.)
Dogs
Donkeys
Ducks
Eyelash Vipers
Funnel Spiders
Flying Walking Sticks
Green Sea Turtles
Goats
Green Spiny Lizards
Ground Anoles
Howler Monkeys
Hummingbirds* (SO MANY!)
Hercules Beetle (SO COOL!)
Horses
Iguanas*
Katydids
Kittens
Kingfishers
Ladybugs of all colors and sizes
Leaf Cutter Ants
Long-Lipped Bats
Line Snake Caterpillars
Leaf Litter Geckos
Mosquitos
Northern Raccoons
Northern Jicana
Orange Knee Tarantulas* (GORGEOUS!)
Osprey
Parrot Snakes
Peccary
Ponies
River Otters
Spider Monkeys
Spiders that folded up like walking sticks when at rest
Strawberry Poison Dart Frogs
Scorpion
Two-Toed Sloths* (!)
Three-Toed Sloths* (!)
Turkey Vultures
Toucans*
Vampire Bats
Whitefaced Capuchin Monkeys
Wolf Spiders (I was sort of scared of this one.)
Wild Turkeys
Wood Creepers
Walking Sticks

IT WAS AWESOME!

*Indicates animals that, upon sighting, made me miss my students and feel a little guilty that I was seeing these things and they weren't.


P.S. We went on lots of nature tours with guides, but my favorite was the night walk. Walking through a rainforest at night with all of the chirping and squawking and rustling and the tarantulas is downright surreal.

P.P.S The missing star is for the lack of invertebrates. I know that it would have to have a thousand more pages to include every insect and arachnid and whatnot, but they could have included some of the most common since they were abundant and alien.

P.P.P.S. I didn't see a Quetzal*, which means that I have to go back.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of the ecosystems of Costa Rica and the abundant wildlife there. There are wonderful identifying pictures of birds, reptiles, and mammals. I am taking the book with me to Costa Rica to help me identify animals.

[Miss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent series containing natural history information on all the animals featured and covering a broad variety of fauna types. A good general guide for the mildly curious.