There are four species of monkeys in Costa Rica. This contrasts with no monkeys in Australia, the subject of a previous post. I recently got to see all four species of Costa Rican monkeys.
They are, in no apparent order, the Central American squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii), the Panamanian white-faced capuchin (Cebus imitator), the Mantled howler (Alouatta palliata), and Geoffroy’s spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi).
The capuchins and howlers have fairly stable populations while the squirrel and spider monkeys are listed as vulnerable and endangered, respectively. Getting photos of the spider monkey turned out to be impossible even though they are the biggest of the four species. We saw (and heard!) plenty of howler monkeys, but they were generally fairly elusive and stayed up in the high trees. The capuchins, in contrast, seemed to welcome human contact, coming right up to the edge of the river we were on to feast on the fruits at the end of branches. We only saw squirrel monkeys once, a dozen or so filling a tree not far from the ground we were hiking.
The trip to Costa Rica was one of the most biodiverse travel experiences I’ve ever had. Starting in San Jose and environs, we went all the way north to the Nicaragua border (even passing slightly over the border on the Rio Frio). Then it was the hanging bridges near the Arenal Volcano and out to the west for the Pacific coast. Eventually we went down to the south for bird and crocodile watching on the Tarcoles River. Our last day was in the famous Manuel Antonio National Park. Around the country we saw an amazing number of bird species, plus agouti, coatimundi, igaunas, sloths (both two-toed and three-toed) and much, much more.
Rarely do we take packaged tours, but this one with Caravan Tours was outstanding. Many thanks to our Tour Dictator (um, Director) Cinthia and bus driver Jaime for a fantastic week taking us around Costa Rica. Pura Vida!
I’ll have plenty more about Costa Rica coming up so stay tuned!
David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
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