Mammals

Guide to Mammal Species in Costa Rica

This White-Nosed Coati Was Spotted on a Beach along the Papagayo Peninsula.

Many visitors come to this country fore the sole purpose of having their own National Geographic experience, trekking through the rain forest in search of wild cats and sloths. Unfortunately the truth is a different story. While there are still many mammals living here, many are in real danger of extinction, and some have already disappeared. Besides, surprisingly, out of the over 200 mammals present here, half of these are bats.

Cats

The big cats, such as the jaguar and the ocelots, have been hunted for their beautiful skins that were exported to the United States for a hefty price. The jaguar, symbol of the Central American forest, was worshipped as a God during pre-Colombian civilizations. A lover of water, he can be found in mangroves and lowlands as well as in the thick rainforests. Today, he is a rare sight.

The black jaguar, or black panther as it is called, is now almost completely extinct. His cousin the ocelot has had the same fate. Fortunately, poaching is now totally illegal; however it is the deforestation that is now causing the problem, as these animals depend on their habitat to survive. Both the ocelot and the jaguar are now recovering slightly and are present in various parks throughout the country. Needless to say, actually seeing an Ocelot is one of life’s most precious gift, so incredibly beautiful they are, yet, this is also their nemesis, as their fur is probably one of the most beautiful money can buy…. The Margay, slightly smaller than the Ocelot, and the Jaguarundi, usually gray in color and the size of a domestic cat, are more common. These cats are however super shy and avoid confrontation with man, smelling and hearing us long before we can see them! Don’t be too disappointed if you cannot see them as most people don’t.

For those who are cat lovers, La Pacifica, near Canas in Guanacaste, is a huge refuge for big cats; they specialize in rescuing babies with the aim of putting them back in the wild once they are old enough to survive. The cats are free, not kept in small cages, and they are encouraged to hunt for themselves.

Primates

Monkeys, on the other hand, are hard to miss. There are four species of monkeys in Costa Rica, all of which are descendants of Asian and African monkeys that evolved into the New World about 40 million years ago. They are noisy and if you are in the right area, one only has to look up.

The Howler Monkeys, the biggest primate of Costa Rica, can be heard up to 20 kms away; although not particularly aggressive, they certainly do sound like it! The Spider Monkeys will offer you a spectacular show as they swing and throw themselves from branch to branch, almost effortlessly. The White Faced Monkeys, or Capuchin, will not hesitate to have a go at your belongings should you look the other way. The Titi Monkeys, also called Squirrel Monkeys, the smallest and smartest of all primates here, will be watching you as you pass underneath them totally unaware. So beautiful they are, black, yellow and white! Most monkeys are found along the coasts as well as in the forests and mountainous areas.

The sloth is another exotic animal, strange in its appearance and mysterious. The Spanish name for this curious creature is lazy bear, as it moves in slow motion, indeed, it hardly moves at all. They are so slow that moss, and all types of vegetation, has time to grow on their fur!

They do everything in trees, even give birth there suspended on some branch. They rarely venture on the ground, however, should you see one crossing a road, stop the car, find a large branch that you will present to him and he will automatically grab it. All you need to do then is to drag the sloth across the road; you will have then avoided him or her being run over, as it takes them so long to cross over! Beware, however, as sloths are capable of stunningly fast reactions, so keep that in mind if you decide to give one a hand so to speak; make sure the branch is long and strong, and keep your hands well out of the way, as their claws are long and powerful. They have a funny kind of flat face and large round eyes and really do look like happy aliens. There are two kinds of sloths here in this country, the two toed and the three toed.

Winged Mammals

Bats are everywhere yet not always so easy to see as they are of course nocturnal. During the full moon they will usually also stay securely suspended in the branches for fear of the owls! Most bats, like the Giant Jamaican Fruit Bat, are frugivores, eating fruits or insectivores, insect-eaters. The vampire bats are however a different story. They bite cattle and domestic farm animals during the night causing a lot of damage, it has been estimated that it goes as far as $100 million across Central and South America as they go around spreading diseases like rabies.

In Tortuguero the fishing bulldog bat cannot be missed with its huge 60cm wingspan. This amazing creature locates its preys in the water by using sonar; as it flies just above the surface, it can detect the slightest wave or movement of the water, and it catches the preys with its hooked feet just as the fish swims by. No escape! While sitting outside your cabina or in a bar somewhere at the beach, you will feel more than see them flying around you in circles. They may be blind but I have never seen or heard of a bat having an accident and crash into someone, so relax!

Hoofed Mammals

There are many Deer living here, all belonging to two species; the red brocket deer, or cabro de monte, slightly hump-backed and bronze in color. The males have single-prong horns and live in the rainforests. The larger, more commonly seen white-tailed deer or venado, are widely dispersed in habitats throughout the country, but more particularly they live in Guanacaste. They are a smaller variant of their North American counterpart and they vary from gray to red, normally with a white belly and a white dappled throat and face. Males have branched antlers.

Costa Rican Critters

Anteaters are spectacular to see and are fairly easy to spot in the lowland habitats. These strange looking animals survive solely on ants, as their name suggest, and termites. They have a long elongated nose and an even longer tongue that allows them to dig right into the nests!

You will also probably run across the Armadillo, so special to Latin America, so funny to watch as it they seem to carry their armor, faster than you would think! Coatis (of the racoon family), weasels, and various rodents are also plentiful. You will not miss the skunk, or Zorro as they call them here, for its lovely black and white stripes and of course, its world famous smell! These small mammals are eaten not only by the big cats, but by the coyotes; these are spread out all over the country, even in some parts of the Central Valley. The cry of a coyote has to been heard at least once during one’s lifetime for sure. It is wild, dangerous, mysterious, awesome and scary all at once!

Marine Mammals

Finally, last and not least, it is possible to watch whales, dolphins and Manatees in the waters of Costa Rica. In the Osa Peninsula, south of the Country on the Pacific Coast, tours are offered to go whale watching, while dolphins can be see fishing and playing while taking the sun on the beaches of the Caribbean, if you are a little bit lucky that is!

The Manatees are common along the Caribbean coast, and they can be observed in the canals of Tortuguero as well as in the Gandoca Manzanillo Park in Puerto Viejo. West Indian Manatees are quite a sight, huge, they can weigh as much as a ton; resembling a walrus without any tusks, wrinkly and with small round eyes, that are not exactly pretty. They possess no hind limbs and their big fleshy lips seem to hang out of their mouth. They are now strongly protected; they used to be hunted for their flesh and their hides that were used to make machinery belts and high-pressure hoses. Indeed the Caribbean of Costa Rica is one of the places on earth where they are most populated today. They are shy, friendly and loving animals that are said to give each other kisses and make excellent parents and actually swim while “holding flippers” in groups!

This is just a small review of what can be seen or heard in this amazing country. While many are not on the endangered list, it is hoped that our grand children and great grand children will still be able to walk this ground and share this heaven with the wild animals. Enjoy your travels and best of luck if you are hoping to get a glimpse of all these magnificent animals!