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Animals in Costa Rica
Over eight hundred species of birds can be found in the canopy of the country's rainforest. The list of exotic tropical birds includes two species of macaw, making Costa Rica also a birdwatcher's paradise.
The jaguar continues to prowl through the jungle looking for prey, although he is on the endangered species list along with the squirrel monkey. Four species of monkeys swing in Costa Rica's trees, and two types of sloth can be found in the trees, too. In some areas, the local wildlife is accustomed to the human population and interactions are not unusual. One native rascal is the Capuchin monkey, who is known as a mischievous snatcher of unattended food.
Amphibians and reptiles can be found in abundant numbers in the rainforests of the Central Cordillera Mountains. The slopes of the mountains facing the Caribbean Sea receive the most rainfall. Diverse species of tree frogs and lizards make this forest their home. Some reptiles live in Costa Rica only when they're not at sea, like the Leatherback sea turtle. Male Leatherbacks spend the rest of their lives in the water once they reach it, but the female must return to the beach to build her nest.
Another native animal is the Tico. 'Ticos' are how the Costa Rican people affectionately refer to themselves, and they take a great deal of pride in their nation's wildlife. No matter which creature you prefer, Costa Rica has everything to offer for animal lovers around the globe.
Click here for a list of endangered animals in Costa Rica.
Even-toed ungulates in Costa Rica
Red brocket Collared peccary White-tailed deerCarnivores in Costa Rica
Margay Jaguar La plata otter Bushy-tailed olingo Harris's olingo Central american cacomistle Amazonian hog-nosed skunk Hooded skunk American jackal Eastern spotted skunk Greater grison Eyra cat Tayra Long-tailed weasel Kinkajou Coatimundi Crab-eating raccoon Northern raccoon Ocelot Gray fox Little spotted catDolphins, porpoises, and whales in Costa Rica
Atlantic dolphin Melon-headed whale Bridled dolphin Atlantic spinner dolphin Euphrosyne dolphin Long-beaked dolphin Rough-toothed dolphin Pygmy killer whale Grey dolphin Pygmy sperm whale Killer whale Fraser's dolphin Blainville's beaked whale Lesser beaked whaleBats in Costa Rica
Lesser sac-winged bat Hairy big-eared bat Brown tent-making bat Dark long-tongued bat White-bellied big-eared bat Striped yellow-eared bat Little yellow-eared bat Great stripe-faced bat Goldman's nectar bat Schmidts's big-eared bat Common vampire bat Handley's tailless bat Spectral bat Orange nectar bat White-winged vampire bat Geoffroy's tailless bat Tomes's sword-nosed bat Northern ghost bat Striped hairy-nosed bat Hairy-legged vampire bat Aztec fruit-eating bat Long-legged bat White bat Greater dog-like bat Black mastiff bat Brazilian brown bat Lesser dog-like bat Bonda mastiff bat Argentine brown bat Jamaican fruit-eating bat Pale-faced bat Big brown bat Great fruit-eating bat Pale spear-nosed bat Pallas's mastiff bat Black bonneted bat Pygmy fruit-eating bat Greater spear-nosed bat Miller's mastiff bat Dwarf bonneted bat Toltec fruit-eating bat Heller's broad-nosed bat Sinaloan mastiff bat Wagner's bonneted bat Greater broad-nosed bat Silver-tipped myotis Sanborn's bonneted bat Gray sac-winged bat Elegant myotis Chestnut sac-winged bat Little yellow-shouldered bat Davy's naked-backed bat Hairy-legged myotis Thumbless bat Highland yellow-shouldered bat Big naked-backed bat Black myotis Commissaris's long-tongued bat Louis's yellow-shouldered bat Parnell's mustached bat Montane myotis Gray long-tongued bat Talamancan yellow-shouldered bat Wagner's mustached bat Riparian myotis Pallas's long-tongued bat Mexican funnel-eared bat Silky short-tailed bat Lesser bulldog bat Chestnut short-tailed bat Brazilian free-tailed bat Greater bulldog bat Seba's short-tailed bat Shaggy bat Spix's disk-winged bat Wrinkle-faced bat Macconnell's bat Salvin's big-eyed bat Hairy big-eyed bat Fringe-lipped bat Tacarcuna bat Southern yellow bat Godman's long-tailed bat Black-winged little yellow bat Proboscis bat Big-eared wooly bat Greater sac-winged bat Short-eared bat Tent-maiking batAmerican marsupials in Costa Rica
Common opossum Virginia opossum Mexican mouse opossum Brown four-eyed opossum Central american woolly opossum Water opossum Alston's woolly mouse opossumHares, pikas, and rabbits in Costa Rica
Forest rabbit Eastern cottontail Dice's cottontailHorses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs in Costa Rica
Baird's tapirPrimates in Costa Rica
Black-crowned central american squirrel monkey Golden-mantled howling monkey White-faced capuchin Black-handed spider monkey Geoffroy's tamarinRodents in Costa Rica
Bolivar rice rat Central american agouti Coues's rice rat Boquete rice rat Salvin's spiny pocket mouse Spotted paca Deppe's squirrel Talamancan rice rat Red-tailed squirrel Big-eared climbing rat Short-tailed cane mouse Variegated squirrel Central american dwarf squirrel Alston's brown mouse Chiriqui brown mouse Mexican deer mouse Alfaro's rice water rat Dusky rice rat Harris's rice water rat Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine Tome's spiny rat Short-nosed harvest mouse Bangs's mountain squirrel Chiriqui harvest mouse Slender harvest mouse Desmarest's spiny pocket mouse Mexican harvest mouse Vesper rat Mountain spiny pocket mouse Nicaraguan harvest mouse Trinidad arboreal rice rat Armored rat Fulvous pygmy rice rat Rodriguez's harvest mouse Sumichrast's harvest mouse Chiriqui pocket gopher Goldman's water mouse Cherrie's pocket gopher Underwood's water mouse Variable pocket gopher Watson's climbing rat Tomes's rice rat Alfaro's rice rat Underwood's pocket gopherDugongs, manatees, and sea cows in Costa Rica
American manateeEdentates in Costa Rica
Common long-nosed armadillo Northern naked-tailed armadillo
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