Costa Rica cont. - The Animals

October 9th, 2005

Please click on each of the images below to read a little story about our encounters with our friends.

And after checking out this section, please read some more about our trip here.
or
Take a look at our picture gallery here.

The Otter Familia

The Magical Scarlet Macaw

A Tale Of A Poison Dart Frog That Could

Quetzel Tales And Toucan Sams

Long Live the Sea Turtle!

Lions and Tigers and Monkeys OH BOY!

Whether it’s two-toed or three-toed, it’s still a Sloth to me

The Otter Familia
Neither of us have ever seen a real life otter, other than in the zoo. During our canoe trip in Tortuguero we ended up seeing an entire family of otters in their natural habitat! It was pretty nice. We made sure not to move our canoe as to not scare them. They are very cute, wet animals with little faces. There were two adults and one little one. They swam single file on the edge of the water closest to land. Every few seconds an otter would plunge down into the water and then poke its little head up. We learned they were searching for crabs to eat. They were an adorable otter familia.
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The Magical Scarlet Macaw
Ever since we landed in Costa Rica Aaron told me how badly he wanted to see these Scarlet Macaws. The area that is recommended to go see them was too expensive for us to get to. So we went to Carara National Park which is one of the only other places they can be spotted. It was our last full day in C.R and we still hadn’t seen the Scarlet Macaws yet.

We went to the National Park and walked around for two hours without seeing them, and then it started to pour. We waited out the rain to try another entrance to the park where an employee said they frequented. On the other side of the park I saw red spots in a tree. And Aaron was able to recognize their call. I started screaming I was so excited. Aaron got to see several of the birds. They were all on this one tree in pairs. Love Birds! I got to see them fly, which was beautiful. They looked huge flying over me with their wings spread out. After we watched the Scarlet Macaws for ten minutes it started to pour even worse then before. It was almost magical, as if someone cleared the sky for a few minutes so we could see these awesome birds.
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A Tale Of A Poison Dart Frog That Could
Because Ross, our guide through the canals of Tortuguero, was a biologist and worked at many ranger stations he knew the land extrememly well. During our canoe trip he had us pull our over and take a walk through the jungle. He was really hysterical- a Canadian expat who was just fed up with life up there. He walked through the thick of the jungle in his flip-flops and shorts all this while smoking a cigarette- it was a sight! At one point Ross suggested that we keep our eyes on the ground as it was the time of day that snakes would be taking naps on the trail. We didn’t encounter any snakes, however, we walked passed a dozen or so of these little poison dart frogs as pictured above. Some were a bright iridescent red and blue.

During our walk in the jungle he picked the berries from a plant and offered us some. Instinctually, Hayley declined while I was busy being macho and accepting the fruits of the jungle. But Hayley ultimately talked some sense into me and I never ended up eating any. Ohh, and after the tour Hayley, myself and Ross grabbed a few beers at a bar that sits right next to the canal. We ended up having some interesting talks with this disenchanted expat and than walked into the jungle a bit tipsy. It doesn’t get any better than that!
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Quetzel Tales And Toucan Sams
We were able to see one of these glorious birds the first day of our trip! Freddy, our tour-guide, knew exactly where we would find one. Luckily we beat a whole slew of other eco-tourists (bleh!) to their little nesting spot so we had the prime view. Freddy was really amusing- he literally ran around with his binocular and tripods spotting these amazing creatures. The quetzel’s tail is soooo long that when it sits inside of its home (in a hollow of a tree), its tail wraps around and pops out of a crack of the tree right over its head. Its feathers are so bright and vivid, like you have never seen before. Apparently not too many folks get to see this bird so we felt really lucky!

During this bird watching expedition we spotted so many variety of birds that we can’t even remember. It was our first encounter with the toucan. But, during the trip they showed up everywhere, flying overhead, just like any common bird. It is really funny seeing them fly with their short and stout bodies, shadowed by their massive, colorful beaks.
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Long Live the Sea Turtle!
Seeing a turtle lay eggs on the beach was probably one of our all time coolest experiences. We were told that these sea turtles on average pop out between one hundred to one hundred and eighty eggs at a time. We witnessed probably twenty of those births right up close, maybe 2 feet away from her. The reason we were allowed to watch the turtles give birth is because they are in a trance and aren’t aware of their surroundings. The gov’t attempt to be very organized with these viewings, as not to disrupt any of the process. No white flashlights (only a red color which the guides use) are permitted as well as no white clothing. This distracts the approaching turtles.

The turtle eggs were large and white and came out every few seconds. After she deposited all the eggs we watched her cover up the hole that she made earlier to birth the turtles. This is a long process as the turtle is tired and uses her feet to kick the sand over the hole. She then travels back to the sea where the male waits for her during this whole procedure. With the bright moon, waves crashing and the turtle making its way back to the sea it was really a special moment.

In the morning Aaron and I took a walk and saw all these trails from the tip of the beach to the water, and we knew they were made from turtles. The sad part about this is that out of the numerous eggs the turtle lays only three of these will make it to adulthood. Although this is an example of natural selection it is still upsetting to think about. Long live the Sea Turtle!
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Lions and Tigers and Monkeys OH BOY!
To be truthful, there were no lions and tigers (that we saw anyways), but there were plenty of monkeys! We saw a dozen or two monkeys encompassing three different species up close and personal- Howler, Spider, and the White-Faced monkey (Capuchin). We even had a troop throw fruit at as we stepped foot into their territory. Ross, in Tortugerro, told us that monkeys have a distict smell based on the different plants that get digested and end up in their feces. So by the end of the trip we thought that we were full fledged biologists, we swear that we could tell when we were approaching monkey troop. Just test us!
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Whether it’s two-toed or three-toed, it’s still a Sloth to me
As nasty and hideous as I find Sloths, Hayley became obsessed with these guys during our trip. But, as much as I make fun of Hayley for this, she has one on me. In Santa Elena/Monteverde I asked our guide (Freddy), “Is that oil I see on that sloth’s fur?” He further explained that because they lay out all day long, and it rains nearly every day, they grow algae and fungi in their fur. The most that we ever saw one move was when one scratched its head for a little bit. We don’t have anything like these nocturnal creatures in The States.
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disclaimer: we did not take these shots; I have included credit when provided.

Entry Filed under: Traveling Expedition