Costa Rica is one of the Central American countries. Despite the fact that its territory is made up of just over 50,000 km², which makes it small compared to other regions, it has a rich animal biodiversity, which is distributed throughout important wooded and jungle areas, in addition to a diversified aquatic fauna. between the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
We invite you to continue reading this article on our site, in which we present information about some of the main animals of Costa Rica.
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
The white-tailed deer, native to various regions of America, is a symbol of Costa Rica's national fauna, legally decreed. Its size is medium, although it also varies according to the region. It is considered to be of least concern, due to its distribution and adaptability to various types of ecosystems.
In the case of Costa Rica, this deer lives in secondary forests, thickets and also in transition areas (ecotone) between the savannah and the forest. As for the height, it can be from sea level to higher mountainous areas.
Manatee (Trichechus manatus)
This animal is an aquatic mammal of the order Sirenia and is also considered a symbol of the marine fauna of Costa Rica, although it has a wide distribution and migratory habits in the Caribbean Sea. Depending on the changes in water temperature, the manatee makes constant movements, generally returning to the same places that it considers as refuges.
It develops in shallow marine waters, also in wetlands, rivers and estuaries and is capable of resisting important changes in the salinity of the water. Two subspecies have been identified, being Trichechus manatus manatus the one that inhabits the Costa Rican Caribbean area. It is classified as vulnerable
Yiguirro (Turdus grayi)
It is the national bird of Costa Rica, therefore, a typical animal of Costa Rica and emblematic throughout the country. It is native to Central America, although it extends as far north as the United States and south into Colombia. It is classified as least concern. It is a bird that is usually in urban areas and in Costa Rica it is an animal highly appreciated for its beautiful song. In general, he is used to living close to the population. In other regions it is known as thrush or clay-colored thrush.
Three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus)
This mammal of the order Pilosa is one of the two types of sloths found in the country, since there is also the common or two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmani). However, the three-toed is a symbol of wildlife and a animal representative of the fauna of Costa Rica
It is not endemic to the country, as it spreads throughout the region and even to the south. It is classified as least concern and its habitat can be varied, from dry to evergreen forests and it even has some tolerance for disturbed areas. It can be found at altitudes from sea level to 1000 meters.
Iris-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)
This beautiful bird is a member of the toucan family and has a wide distribution range, from southern Mexico to Venezuela. It is very representative of the animals of Costa Rica. Its blue legs, its black body, its yellow chest and neck, eventually combined with red, and its large green, red, orange and even blue beak give it a wonderful appealto this animal. It inhabits forests, jungles, wooded thickets and lowlands up to elevations of about 1200 meters, mainly towards the Caribbean side of the region.
Mangrove Hummingbird (Amazilia boucardi)
It is a species of hummingbird and one of the endemic animals of Costa Rica. Unfortunately, it is in danger of extinction Its habitat is mainly made up of mangroves located on the Pacific coast, however, it can also be present in adjacent places, such as secondary forests and even sandbanks, but very close to sea level.
It is a small and beautiful bird with a very striking green and bronze color The destruction of the mangroves is the cause of the decrease in its population. Eventually, the rise in sea level due to climate change could also affect the species.
Get to know all the Types of hummingbirds in this other article if you love these birds.
Howler or Congo monkey (Alouatta palliata)
This primate belongs to one of the New World monkeys and is widespread from southern Mexico to Ecuador. It is a well-known Costa Rican animal due to its wide distribution in the country. It is considered vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature due to the disturbances suffered by its habitat and, also, due to its illegal traffic.
The habitat of this typical Costa Rican animal is made up of various types of evergreen, deciduous, riparian, and mangrove forests, and it can also be present in intervened forests. The country has established special legislation for its protection because some areas with loss of forest cover have disappeared[1]
In this other article you will find the Types of monkeys that exist, don't miss it!
Puma (Puma concolor couguar)
The cougar (Puma concolor) is a feline that is present from North America to a wide distribution throughout South America It is considered to be of least concern because it is one of the mammals with the largest range. It is a feline that can measure from about 800 cm to a little over a meter.
The IUCN has recently temporarily named the subspecies P. c. costaricensis (native to Costa Rica and Panama) as P. c. couguar, which in turn includes all those distributed throughout North and Central America. This felid grows in various types of forest vegetation, mountainous areas and lowlands, including open areas of Costa Rica.
Discover all the types of puma that exist and where they live in this other article.
Red Poison Frog (Oophaga pumilio)
This frog is a small amphibian of up to 24 millimeters, red in color combined with blue or other colors, which, due to the humidity of the body, appear bright. Its peculiarity, in addition to its color, is that it is a poisonous species The poison is formed from the type of food it consumes.
This frog is another of the native animals of Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. In the case of the Costa Rican region, it develops in wooded, jungle areas and even gardens. It is possible to find it in protected areas, such as the Braulio Carrillo National Park, the Corcovado National Park and the Tortuguero National Park.
Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)
This is another representative bird of the fauna of Costa Rica, although it has an abundant extension from the south of Mexico, Central America and the south of the continent. It is a beautiful bird of the Psittacidae family, which also includes parrots and cockatoos. The scarlet macaw, as this animal is known in Costa Rica, is brightly colored, such as red, yellow, blue and white. They are sociable and emit quite striking vocalizations. In this other article we talk about the Talking Parrots.
Other animals of Costa Rica
Since there are many wild animals in Costa Rica, below we review other species that also live in this country. They are as follows:
- Tapirus bairdii.
- Bellbird (Procnias tricarunculatus).
- Chaucel (Leopardus tigrinus).
- Insigne Hummingbird (Panterpe insignis).
- American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus).
- Gopher (Orthogeomys heterodus).
- Costa Rican Glass Frog (Hyalinobatrachium chirripoi)
- Costa Rican coral (Micrurus mosquitensis).
- Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).
- Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus).
