Some tourism ads and photos/videos from visitors to Costa Rica make you think you will see Monkeys and Sloths everywhere you go, which is not true. Except for the aggressive White-faced Capuchin Monkey, all other monkeys are quite shy and elusive, but if you try, you can find them and photograph them all over the country, especially in the rainforests. Sloths are even more shy and difficult to see and photograph. But if you check my CR Mammals Gallery you will see the many photos I have of both monkeys and sloths or photos a total of 28 different mammals here! But the one wild mammal I see the most often and in the largest number is the White-faced Coatimundi or generally just “Coati” or the local Spanish name of “Pizote.”
Though in the Raccoon family, they are quite different and we do have raccoons here also! 🙂 See the “Treehugger” website’s 11 Interesting Coatimundi Facts. They live from Mexico south to the northern fringes of South America, so mostly a Central American animal. You frequently see them in large groups or families sniffing around the ground for grubs and beetles (feature photo at top), which is their favorite food, though they are omnivorous and do eat fruits, frogs, lizards, and other small creatures and plants. Read more on Wikipedia.
The shots below are some I made on my recent trip to Manquenque Lodge . . .
CLICK an image to see it full-width and larger . . .
“Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius.”
-E.O. Wilson
“Wildlife is something which man cannot construct. Once it is gone, it is gone forever.”
-Joy Adamson
And unfortunately we loose species every year as our human development destroys their habitats with both global warming and forest destruction.
See more photos in my White-faced Coatimundi GALLERY.
¡Pura Vida!
They are so cute!!!
Thank you!!!
🙂