Tropical Rainforest

Almendro de Rio

Purple flower clusters stand out against a dense green crown.

American Snail-eater

A narrow-bodied forest climber searches a world of branches and soft-bodied prey.

Annulated Tree Boa

Dark ringlike markings break up the outline of a forest-climbing boa.

Baird’s Tapir

Costa Rica’s largest land mammal has a flexible snout and an important forest role.

Bare-necked Umbrellabird

An elusive forest bird with a striking crest and important seed-dispersal role.

Big-headed Anole

A broad head and mottled colors help this forest anole blend into bark.

Black Wood Turtle

A dark wood turtle associated with freshwater environments.

Black-faced Solitaire

A cloud-forest singer often heard before it is seen.

Blunt-headed Tree Snake

An exceptionally slender snake with a broad-looking head and large eyes.

Bridled Anole

A large canopy anole wears dark oblique markings among the leaves and shadows.

Brown Basilisk

This brown or olive basilisk often has pale stripes along its sides.

Brown Wood Turtle

A domed brown shell belongs to a turtle that spends much of its time on land.

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth

A slow-moving leaf eater whose fur can blend with the green canopy.

Cacomistle

A cacomistle's long ringed tail is a memorable clue.

Caribbean Least Gecko

A miniature forest gecko blends into the shaded world close to the ground.

Carpenter's Anole

A small greenish anole hides among the fine branches of humid forest.

Ceiba Kapok Tree

Huge buttress roots help make a mature ceiba unforgettable.

Central American Agouti

A quick forest-floor rodent that stores seeds for later.

Central American Eyelash Pitviper

Raised scales above the eyes give this venomous branch-dwelling snake its name.

Central American Squirrel Monkey

A small, quick-moving monkey of Costa Rica’s Pacific forests.

Charles Myers's Anole

Lichenlike markings help a short-legged anole disappear against Pacific forest bark.

Cherrie's Ground Skink

Smooth scales and short legs help this little skink move through leaf litter.

Clouded Snail-eater

Cloudy patches of gray and brown hide a slender snake among forest branches.

Cocos Island Anole

This island anole tells a story found only on Costa Rica’s remote Isla del Coco.

Collared Aracari

A small toucan with a patterned yellow chest.

Collared Peccary

A hoofed forest mammal with a pale collar across dark bristly fur.

Common Basilisk

A long-tailed lizard associated with Pacific-slope waterways.

Common Monkey Lizard

A slow-moving tree-dwelling lizard with a very long tail.

Common Opossum

The common opossum is a marsupial: its young complete an important part of their development attached to their mother's teats, protected in her pouch.

Common Squirrel-Cuckoo

A rusty forest cuckoo with an exceptionally long tail.

Cope's False Coral Snake

A fine-tailed forest snake wears bold bands without advertising a safe encounter.

Cope's Parrot Snake

A slender green snake blends with branches and leaves.

Coppery-headed Emerald

A tiny hummingbird found naturally only in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Forest Rabbit

The Costa Rica forest rabbit is a native forest rabbit, not a domestic bunny living outdoors.

Costa Rica Least Gecko

A tiny gecko reveals a whole miniature world among forest leaves.

Coyote

An adaptable wild canid that uses woodland edges and open country.

Decorated Anole

A large forest anole blends green and pale markings into a leafy canopy.

Decorated Forest Snake

Fine lengthwise stripes help a small snake blend into forest-floor lines.

Derby’s Woolly Opossum

Derby's woolly opossum is a tree-climbing marsupial with soft fur, large eyes and a dark stripe down its pale face.

Ecuadorian Milksnake

A banded young milksnake offers a lesson about changing colors and misleading names.

Other Insects

Elephant Beetle

Large rounded beetle.

Expanded Lobster Claw

An upright open arrangement of colorful bracts rises among broad green leaves.

Forest Flame Snake

Bold red and dark markings stand out on this forest-floor snake.

Four-lined Ameiva

Pale lengthwise stripes make this quick ground lizard worth a careful second look.

Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey

Long limbs and a grasping tail help this monkey move through the canopy.

Ghost Anole

A quiet brown anole can disappear against a shaded tree trunk.

Giant Green Anole

A green anole that spends much of its time in vegetation.

Great Curassow

A large forest bird with a curled crest and contrasting male and female plumage.

Great Green Macaw

A green forest giant whose future depends on large nesting trees.

Great Tinamou

A camouflaged forest-floor bird with a far-carrying whistle.

Greater Grison

The greater grison has a long low body, short legs and a striking pale stripe separating its dark face and underside from its grizzled back.

Greater Sac-winged Bat

Two pale wavy stripes down a dark back are a starting clue for the greater sac-winged bat.

Green Basilisk

A green lizard of humid forests and stream edges.

Green Iguana

A large tree-climbing lizard with a throat fan and a row of spines along its back.

Green Vine Snake

An exceptionally slender snake resembles a living green vine.

Guapinol

Paired leaflets and hard brown pods identify a forest tree with an important wildlife role.

Helmeted Iguana

A dramatic helmet-shaped head rises above a perfectly still forest lizard.

Hoffmann's Earth Snake

A small dark earth snake reminds us that much of forest life stays hidden.

Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth

An arboreal mammal with two foreclaws and a slow digestive system.

Honduran White Bat

A tiny fruit-eating bat that shelters beneath leaves shaped into tents.

Hot Lips Plant

Two bright red bracts surround tiny pale flowers in the forest understory.

Humble Anole

A small, often brown anole associated with the forest understory.

Indio Desnudo

A tree whose warm-colored bark invites a closer look.

Jaguar

A powerful spotted cat that depends on habitat and healthy prey populations.

Jaguarundi

A small, long-bodied wild cat with a plain-colored coat.

Keel-billed Toucan

A rainbow-colored bill stands out against dark plumage and a yellow throat.

Kinkajou

A nocturnal treetop mammal with a gripping tail and a taste for fruit and nectar.

Laughing Falcon

A masked falcon named for its far-carrying call.

Other Insects

Leafcutter Ant

Leaf fragments carried above body.

Lesson's Motmot

A colorful forest bird with a blue crown and long tail.

Lichen Anole

Pale patches and short legs turn a quiet anole into part of the bark.

Linnaeus's Sipo

A long green-to-olive snake follows the paths made by forest branches.

Lowland Paca

A spotted nocturnal rodent that shelters in burrows near wooded watercourses.

Mangrove Tree Boa

A tree boa balances quiet coils among the branches of the southern Pacific.

Mantled Howler Monkey

A mostly dark coat with a lighter mantle along the sides.

Many-scaled Anole

A slender brown anole explores the low vegetation of southern Pacific forests.

Margay

An agile spotted forest cat with exceptional climbing ability.

Mexican Hairy Porcupine

This tree-dwelling porcupine has dark coarse hair that can hide many of its protective quills.

Mexican Long-nosed Armadillo

This armadillo wears a covering of bony plates, with flexible bands across its middle so it can bend while walking.

Middle American Ameiva

A long-tailed ground lizard searches among leaves and sunlit openings.

Mimic False Coral Snake

A bright forest snake offers a lesson about resemblance and careful observation.

Montezuma Oropendola

A large chestnut bird with a yellow-sided tail.

Mussurana

An adult’s dark body looks very different from a brightly colored juvenile.

Northern Forest Racer

A fine-tailed forest snake carries narrow crossmarks through the shade.

Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo

The northern naked-tailed armadillo is a digging specialist.

Northern Olingo

The northern olingo is a forest mammal that moves among branches and eats fruit, with nectar also reported in its diet.

Northern Raccoon

A masked nocturnal forager with a distinctly ringed tail.

Northern Silky Anteater

The northern silky anteater is tiny compared with the northern tamandua already in your guide.

Northern Tamandua

A climbing anteater with a dark vest pattern and a long sticky tongue.

O'Shaughnessy's Galliwasp

Short legs and a long smooth body help this forest lizard move through cover.

Ocellated Anadia

A slender forest lizard wears small eyelike markings along its sides.

Ocelot

A secretive patterned cat that hunts mostly on the forest floor.

Picado's Pitviper

A powerful, camouflaged pitviper rests on the floor of wet forest.

Proboscis Bat

The proboscis bat is a tiny insect-eating bat with an elongated muzzle.

Puffing Snake

A large forest snake shows how much color and pattern can vary within one species.

Puma

A long-tailed, unspotted wild cat that uses many forest types.

Rainforest Hognosed Pitviper

An upturned snout and leaf-colored markings distinguish this small forest viper.

Red-legged Honeycreeper

A small bird with red feet and a slender curved bill.

Red-tailed Squirrel

Red-tailed squirrels are active during the day and move readily through trees.

Redback Coffee Snake

A tiny red-backed snake lives close to the forest floor.

Ringed Snail-eating Snake

A small branch-climbing snake has large eyes and contrasting body rings.

Roble de Sabana

A native tree whose pink trumpet flowers brighten forest edges and open landscapes.

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

A green hummingbird with a rusty tail.

Salmon-bellied Racer

A slender racer carries a hint of pink beneath its brown-and-olive camouflage.

Salvin's Anole

A bark-patterned mountain anole stays hidden along the Pacific slopes of Talamanca.

Scarlet Macaw

Red, yellow and blue wings brighten Costa Rica’s Pacific forests.

Scarlet-rumped Tanager

A tanager whose male has a brilliant scarlet rump.

Slender Anole

A delicate brown anole watches the understory from narrow twigs.

Southern Bromeliad Boa

A small, secretive boa finds shelter among forest plants and tangled growth.

Speckled Racer

Small yellow-green speckles brighten a dark snake moving through low vegetation.

Spiral Ginger

Spiraling leaves lead the eye to a red-orange cone of bracts.

Spotted Coffee Snake

A small dark snake lives within the quiet cover of forest leaves.

Stream Anole

A slim anole perches beside streams in humid forest.

Striped Glasstail

A finely striped ground snake travels through damp foothill and mountain forest.

Summer Tanager

A seasonal tanager whose adult male is red all over.

Sunbittern

A streamside bird whose patterned wings reveal a hidden surprise.

Taylor's Leaf-litter Lizard

An elongated lizard slips through the shaded layers of the forest floor.

Tayra

An agile forest mammal with a dark body and often paler head.

Terciopelo

A venomous pit viper found in Costa Rica.

Three-wattled Bellbird

Listen for a remarkable call high above the cloud-forest trail.

Tiger Rat Snake

A long snake that can climb through vegetation.

Tiny Anole

Despite its English name, this mountain anole has a large and sturdy body.

Turkey Vulture

A soaring scavenger with a red adult head.

Turnip-tailed Gecko

A large native gecko with broad climbing toes.

Two-banded False Coral Snake

Paired dark bands make an eye-catching pattern on a slender forest snake.

Variegated Squirrel

A daytime tree-dweller whose colors vary across its range.

Violet Sabrewing

A large hummingbird with violet plumage and white tail corners.

Wagner Heliconia

Broad pink-and-cream bracts form a colorful upright flower display.

Water Anole

This streamside anole links a forest perch with cool running water.

Water Opossum

The water opossum, also called the yapok, is a marsupial adapted to life beside freshwater.

White Hawk

A pale forest raptor that watches patiently for prey.

White-faced Capuchin

A social monkey with a pale face, shoulders and chest.

White-lipped Peccary

A social forest mammal whose large herds need connected habitat.

White-necked Jacobin

A hummingbird with a blue hood and a mostly white tail.

White-nosed Coati

A long-snouted forest forager often seen with its tail held upright.

Wood's Anole

A long-legged mountain anole rests among the leaves of cool, humid forest.

Yellow-headed Gecko

Adult males wear a golden-orange head above a darker body.

Yellow-marked Dwarf Gecko

A tiny forest-floor gecko shows how much wildlife can fit beneath a single leaf.

Yellow-spotted Night Lizard

Yellow spots brighten the dark body of a secretive forest lizard.

Yellow-throated Toucan

A large toucan with a yellow throat and chestnut-toned bill.