Land Animals Wildlife Guide

Costa Rica is known to have some of the best biodiversity in the world. Relative to its size, it has more species than just about any other country except perhaps Panama. This is because Costa Rica is a convergence point for two huge continents – North American and South America.

Costa Ricans are very proud of their country’s natural heritage, and have enacted very strict laws protecting its species. The country is the only one in Central America whose forests are expanding every year. Although many amazing species such as the giant anteater and great green macaw are nearly extinct in the country, there are also positive signs such as reintroduction programs for a variety of species such as the scarlet macaw and spider monkeys.

In the Southern Nicoya Peninsula, there are dozens of mammal species that can be seen. The same goes for reptiles. There are hundreds of types of birds here as well, some are year-long residents and some are hear seasonally or just occasionally as they pass through migrating to other areas.

The best way to see wildlife here is to spend a lot of quite time hiking outside, particularly in the very early morning. Or, go on a guided hike, with expert who will be about 100 times better than you as finding and spotting the jungle’s hidden creatures.

A Few Animal Articles:

• Happy Tails Dog and Cat Rescue Project
  Happy Tails Montezuma is made up of a small group of volunteers. Our core group includes Julie Kliska, Penny Goodwill, Shawnnah Farkas, Tania Munguia, Ammi Modin, and Bee Barth. We rescue street dogs and cats whenever possible. We bring them to the vet (we work with both Deanne and Eduardo) for treatment ...
• Squirrel
  Height/Weight: Squirrels are generally small animals, ranging in size from the African Pygmy Squirrel at 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in) in length and just 10 g (0.35 oz) in weight, to the Alphine Marmot which is 53–73 cm (21–29 in) long and weighs from 5 to 8 kg (11 to 18 lb). Life Span: About 6 years Habitat: Squirrels can survive in almost any habitat from ...
• Coyote
  Life Span: A coyote’s life span is in maximum of 10 years if it’s in the wild and 18 years if it’s in captivity. Height/Weight: An adult 40-46″ in length and weighs 25-33 lbs. 19-25 lbs. Habitat: Their habitats are extremely diverse. They can be found everywhere from plains to mountains to dry arid deserts and tropical ...
• Scarlet Macaw
  Spanish Name: Guacamayo Rojo, Lapa Habitat: Lives in elevated trees of deciduous or tropical evergreen jungles. Lifespan: 40-50 years in the wild and up to 75 years in captivity. Height/Weight: An adult Scarlet Macaw is 84 cm long and weighs 900 g. This vividly colored, medium-sized macaw is the only one of its kind found on the Pacific side ...
• Raccoon
  Height/Weight: Size: The Raccoon is a mammal of medium size, measuring 0.65 to 0.96 meter in length. It weighs between 6.5 and 16 kg. The male is usually larger than females. Life Span: Raccoons usually survive for only 2 or 3 years in the wild, though they are also known to live for 13 years. The ...
• Deer
  Height/Weight: The largest species of deer is the Moose that is 5-7 ft tall and weighs around 800-1500 lbs. The smallest species of deer is the Pudu. It is 13-17 inches long and weighs 32lbs. The White Tailed Deer varies in size. Average life span: They average life span of a white tailed deer is 7-10 ...
• Cougar
  Spanish Name: Leon Habitat: Cougars are adaptive creatures that can be found in a variety of habitats from temperate, coniferous forests to low, multistrata, and tropical rainforests. Height/Weight: Adult males can be more than 2.7 m long with a tail 60-70 cm long and weigh 60-100 kg. Females are smaller, 1.5 to 2.3 m total in length. ...
• Coati
  Spanish Name: Pizote Height/Weight: Adult males generally weigh 6 kg, and are 1.1 to 1.2 m long with a tail 0.500 to 0.6 m long; females are smaller. Average life span: The average life span of a coati is 7-8 years in wild and around. Habitat: The coati lives in a range of forests, from temperate oak ...
• Sloth
  Height/Weight: Three-toed sloths are about the size of a small dog or a large cat, with the head and body having a combined length of around 45 cm (18 in) and a weight of 3.5–4.5 kg (8–10 lb) Life Span: About 25-30 years. Habitat: Found in the trees of South and Central America. Now virtually extinct in ...
• Tayra
  Spanish Name: Tayra Lifespan: The average lifespan Tayra is about 18 years in captivity. Height/Weight: Head and body length is 60 to 68 cm, with a tail 38 to 47 cm; they can weigh more than 5 kg. Habitat: Found in tropical evergreen forests but also exist in dry deciduous forests; they live below elevations of 1,200 m. The ...