Endangered animals have low populations, obviously, and therefore people assume they’re difficult to spot. Costa Rica alone is home to 250 endangered animals and plants. Not every rare animal is necessarily hard to find. If you’re planning on paying a visit to this diverse and colourful nation, here are three rare animals in Costa Ricawhich you can meet with a minimal amount of effort.
1. Green Sea Turtle
The Green Sea Turtle weighs between 300 and 350 pounds and comes to nest on the beach where they were born on an annual basis. It’s where the legendary march of the turtles comes from as the newly hatched turtles struggle towards the sea amid attack from predators.
If you come at the right time of the year it’s easy to spot them. Visit the small village of Tortuguero and you’ll see one of the 22,500 turtles which visit the beach each year. It represents 25 per cent of the total Green Sea Turtle population. You can see them between the months of June and October. The best months are July and August.
2. Central American Squirrel Monkey
The squirrel monkey is the smallest primate in the country. It weighs just two pounds. The locals refer to them as ‘mono titi’. These troops of squirrel monkeys are fairly easy to spot in the right places since they travel in groups as low as 20 to groups as large as 70. These monkeys stick together until the mating season where the females split from the pack.
The black-crowned squirrel monkey is the subspecies you want to try and spot. Until recently, it was listed as critically endangered. Conservation efforts have helped to improve population numbers again. You’ll find this monkey in Corcovado National Park and Manuel Antonio National Park. The grey-crowned squirrel monkey can only be found in Manuel Antonio National Park.
3. American Crocodile
The American Crocodile is an animal you wouldn’t have expected to find on this list. It’s not because it comes under attack from predators. It’s one of the largest reptiles in Costa Rica. The reason why this is one of the rare animals in Costa Rica is because of us. Humans have destroyed its habitat and poachers steal its eggs.
You shouldn’t have too many problems seeing one of these creatures. They’re 13 feet long and about 400 pounds. Tours regularly take people to ‘Crocodile Bridge’. This is a bridge spanning the Tarcoles River between Jaco and San Jose. American Crocodiles prefer this area as a place to bathe in the sun.
Beware about getting too close and listen to your tour guide. They can easily outrun a human on land and they’re even faster in the water. Unless you can consistently run at about 30 miles an hour for a few minutes the croc is always going to win.
Crocodiles rarely hunt humans unless they’re starving. As long as you keep at a safe distance and you don’t go anywhere near their eggs there’s no reason why they should be a threat to you.
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- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
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By Lisa melia
When not working as a blogger for the Shaka Beach Retreat in Costa Rica, Lisa loves to spend her spare time enjoying the nature and wildlife in this amazing coutry.