Wildlife of Costa Rica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Costa Rica's climate and geography are great for supporting a wide variety of wildlife. Sometimes known as the "biological crossroads" of the world, Costa Rica's inhabitants are made up of more than 500,000 species of animal.
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[edit] Insects of Costa Rica
[edit] Butterflies and moths
There are about 1,250 species of butterflies and at least 8,000 species of moths. Butterflies and moths are common year round but are more present during the rainy season.
Costa Rican butterflies and moths have made amazing adaptations to the environment. Some examples of these are the following:
- Swallowtail caterpillars imitate bird droppings and many others have bright colours to warn predators of bodily toxins.
- What someone would easily identify as a butterfly or a wasp, in Costa Rica could well be a moth in camouflage.
Ecotourism is one of Costa Rica’s primary economic resources, and the country's butterflies add a lot to that. They bring life to rainforests, not only with the diversity in colour, but with the magnificence of the flowers that they help pollinate.
Some common butterflies and moths in Costa Rica include:
- Thoas Swallowtail
- Marpesia berania
- Dotocopa laure
- Banded Peacock
- Zebra longwing
- Morpho butterfly
- Green Page Moth
[edit] Other Insects
Invertebrate species make up most of Costa Rica’s wildlife. Of the estimated 505,000 species, about 493,000 are invertebrates (including spiders and crabs). It is known that there are tens of thousands if insects and microscopic invertebrates in every land type and elevation level. However, they are largely unnoticed or unidentified.
Some notable insects in Costa Rica are stingless bees, ants such as leaf-cutter ants and army ants, Hercules beetle, and many katydids.
[edit] Amphibians in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is home to around 175 amphibians, which include frogs. Frogs in Costa Rica have interesting ways of finding fishless water to raise their young in. Fish, of course, will eat tadpoles and eggs. Poison Dart Frogs put their eggs in water pools in bromeliads. Other methods include searching ponds before laying eggs, and laying eggs in wet soil.
There are 35 species of Elutherodoctylus frogs, 26 species of Hyla Frogs and 13 species of glassfrogs.
Notable frog species in Costa Rica include Red-eyed Tree Frog, a few species of Poison Dart Frogs, the semitransparent Glass Frogs, and the large Smokey Jungle Frog.
Some notable toad species in Costa Rica include the ten species of Bufo toads, and the Giant toad a huge toad known for its wide appetite. It has been documented eating almost anything, including vegetables, ants, spiders, any toad smaller than itself, mice, and other small mammals.ey
[edit] Birds of Costa Rica
Although Costa Rica is a small country, it is in the birdrich neotropical region, and has a huge number of species for its area. 894 bird species have been recorded in the country (including Cocos Island), with seven endemics. 19 species are globally threatened.
