On the prowl in search of ants and termites, a furry Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana) uses its long snout to explore what appears to be the dried husk of a large coconut (below). These photographs of the anteater were taken on a hike from Serena to Carate in 2010, not far from the beach that lines the Pacific shore of the Corcovado National Park. Northern Tamanduas consume an average of 9,000 insects each day.
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Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri oerstedii) are the smallest of the four primates that can be found in Costa Rica. They live exclusively in the southwest Pacific region. Often seen in a troop, the tiny monkeys travel quickly in a single file line, following the same route from branch to branch and tree to tree. This one, about to leap after the monkey before it, paused long enough to get its picture near the road leading into Carate.
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This Neotropical River Otter (Lutra longicaudis) is eating an eel alive. The writhing creature didn’t stand a chance against the otter’s dexterous paws and sharp teeth, but it made a terrific holiday feast on a muddy bank of the Sarapiqui River. This photograph was taken on Christmas Day in 2010.
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Neither shouts nor whistles would wake this sleepy Silky Anteater.
On the last day of my most recent visit to the Osa Peninsula, I noticed and photographed this fuzzy little ball in a tree not far from Luna Lodge. Without a guide, I wasn’t sure what I was seeing. I knew it wasn’t a sloth as it didn’t have thick matted fur, and lacking a black “vest,” it couldn’t be a Northern Tamandua. Later that day, when I saw expert guide Nito in Puerto Jimenez, I tried to describe the creature, mentioning a black stripe on its back. Nito was confused until I showed him this snapshot, and then his eyes grew wide. “That’s a Silky Anteater,” he exclaimed. Silky Anteaters (Cyclopes didactylus) are the rarest of the three anteater species in Costa Rica, and Nito told me he had only seen it one or two times himself. He was not surprised that my shouts and whistles failed to wake the animal so it would show its face. Strictly nocturnal, Silky Anteaters roll into a ball to sleep away the day. The genus Cyclopes – derived from the Greek words kyklos, meaning “circle”, and opsis, “appearance” – alludes to this distinguishing behavior.
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Central American Spider Monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) are found mostly in Costa Rica’s protected areas of primary rain forest. Their arms are longer than their legs, and they have no thumbs on their hands, which makes it possible for them to brachiate, or swing branch to branch with only their arms. They have an incredibly strong prehensile tail with a palm-like pad on the end. When these primates maneuver through the forest canopy looking for ripe fruit, they often get all five limbs in action, and truly look like spiders in a web of branches.
This Central American Spider Monkey demonstrates its full arachnid-like range, using arms, legs, and tail to travel through among the slender branches of the rainforest canopy.
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The Central American Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) is a rodent that looks like a cross between a rabbit with short ears and a giant squirrel with no tail. When frightened, the fur on its hind end stands out straight to make a bushy rump. Apparently this agouti feared neither people nor cars as it simply stood still in the yard of Bosque del Cabo as we slowly drove past and snapped its picture.
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Northern Tamanduas (Tamandua mexicana), also called Collared Anteaters, are the most common of the three anteater species in Costa Rica. These fuzzy mammals eat termites and ants that they find in trees or in the ground, where they use their long front claws to tear open insect colonies.
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A toe-toed sloth unhurriedly stretches as it maneuvers from branch to branch.
There are two types of sloths in Costa Rica: one with two toes and another with three. Often, when one spies an example of either species high up in a tree, the sloth is a motionless ball of matted fur, and it can be difficult to distinguish any features without binoculars or a spotting scope. This two-toed sloth happened to be on the move one evening, and it was fascinating to see just how slowly sloths maneuver. R e a l y r e a l y s l o w l y . R e a l y .
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There are four types of monkeys that live in Costa Rica. The Capuchin, or White-Faced, Monkey can be found all over the county, but I photographed this one from a boat while visiting the Pacific coast.
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