MEET a few of the ANIMALS - THE WILDLIFE OF THE FOREST
We record amazingly beautiful wildlife from the Costa Rican rainforests. We have +10,000's of photos and videos of the terrestrial wild animals that traverse the forest floor including; all 5 species of the tropical cats, a member of the weasel family, the most obscure Tapir, both species of peccaries, 2 species of deer, 2 species in the raccoon family, the 2 large rodents (that the cats love), along with the Tamandua anteater, 3 species of opossum, and the beautiful forest large birds of curassows and guans, among others. Below is just a sample of some of the interesting species that our Bushnell field cameras have captured over the years, and a few details about the species in each photo.
JaguarThe focus, our main attraction, the king of the tropical forests/ecosystems. The "indicator" of forest health - and yet so elusive! Here is the Jaguar, testing out the scent pad at our camera station - here kitty, kitty!.
King of the tropics, the jaguar's range is about 20-50 square miles. He is illusive and stays away from human contact, but we are finding that he enjoys using the trails just as much as we humans do! 
Ocelot & MArgayThe Ocelot: Not to be confused with a jaguar cub, and not to be given too little credit to be a margay. The Ocelot has two distinguishing white spots on the back of his ears, and his spots create longer blotches, or lines, along his abdomen and neck areas.
The Margay: A smaller feline, but still not the ocelot. The Margay has a shorter tail than the ocelot and stands closer to a house cat in height. He can barely sniff a scent pad or camera without climbing up to peer in directly. |
PumaKnown as the puma, cougar, or mountain lion, this cat is the second largest cat species in the Costa Rican rainforests. Puma are very versatile between the forests and open areas they inhabit, and the prey they hunt after.
The Puma is the resilient, versatile big cat of all the Americas. While wide-ranging, it's tolerance for humans is not limitless, demonstrated by the recent USFWS declaring the Eastern puma now extinct. We strive to study this versatile cat in its surroundings, and how it co-exists with the Jaguar as king of the Forest. The Puma may be the Prince of the Forest! 
The jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) is the most evasive cat that we conduct research on. There are very few photos we have of them. They are primarily active during the daytime rather that at night like many other cats. They like to inhabit lowland areas and be near running water if possible. They are small and slender in build and have a long tail. It looks like a cross of a cat and a weasel.
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Tayra |
Coati |
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The largest predator in the "weasel family" (Mustelidae) that we are following. His black shiny coat and rust-colored collar, along with his distinct stride and 5-toed tracks distinguishes him from his feline friends. The pads of their feet are hairless but are surrounded by sensory hairs which act like whiskers on a cat.
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The White Nosed Coati or "coatimundi" is a member of the raccoon (Procyonidae) family. They travel in large groups and are very mischievous! Their biggest quality is their large tails that stick straight up in the air, which makes it much easier to count them in photos! They also have a highly mobile snout that is great for finding bugs and searching cracks and crevices!
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Baird's TapirThe size of a small steer, looks like it is in the elephant family, but is more closely related to a horse! The Baird's tapir is the largest prey species in the Costa Rican Rainforest. We often view them smelling our scent lures, often a mom and 'baby' are seen traveling together on the trails.
Collared & White-Lipped PeccaryThe Collared Peccary: Not to be confused with other wild boar pigs in Costa Rica, has a lighter colored line, or collar, around the neck. The collared peccary is the smallest and most abundant of the peccary species due to high adaptability and wide ranges.
The White-Lipped Peccary: They look as though their chins and necks have been dipped in cream or sun bleached from the ground up. The white-lipped peccaries are mainly nocturnal, and are a bigger peccary compared to the collared peccaries. Both species tend to stick to large herds, creating a very messy and muddy path wherever they go. |
Northern TamanduaNorthern Tamanduas are a species of anteaters that are included in the family Myrmecophagidae. These guys are mainly arboreal, but will spend some time on the ground smelling out those ant and termite nests. We have given these guys the nickname "Aladdin", for the fact that their fur looks like a dark vest on tan skin.
Agouti & PacaAgouti: About the size of a large guinea pig, the agouti is a rodent from the Dasyproctidae family. These are a favorite prey for the smaller cats. They love to bury and cache away seeds and nuts acting as one of the rainforest's best seed dispersers.
Paca: Similar in size to the agouti, the paca is another ground dwelling rodent whom is a favorite prey species for predators. The paca is from the family Cuniculidae. They are diurnal, however in places where there is a high number of predators, they are mainly active at night. |
Some of our favorite photos:
Below see some of our favorite videos of the cats we see in Costa Rica-
First we have a stunning jaguar smelling our scent pad. In the second video we have a jaguar who decides to try and take a bite out of the camera- thank goodness they are wrapped in steel! The third video is of a lovely puma who decided that being in the spotlight of our trail cameras is a great place to take a snooze! And finally, our fourth video is an ocelot having a nice evening walk down the trail!
First we have a stunning jaguar smelling our scent pad. In the second video we have a jaguar who decides to try and take a bite out of the camera- thank goodness they are wrapped in steel! The third video is of a lovely puma who decided that being in the spotlight of our trail cameras is a great place to take a snooze! And finally, our fourth video is an ocelot having a nice evening walk down the trail!
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