Fauna Galore

On our last day in the area around Puntarenas, Costa Rica, we hired a private taxi to drive us to Villa Lapas in the forests of the Carara Biological Reserve. We enjoyed a private ecological walking tour across five hanging bridges nestled right in the rainforest. It was an exciting day of beautiful vistas and exotic animal sightings.

On the way to the park, we stopped at a bridge and looked down into the Río Tárcoles to see tons of enormous crocs swimming, fighting, and sunbathing.

On the way to the park, we stopped at a bridge and looked down into the Río Tárcoles to see tons of enormous crocs swimming, fighting, and sunbathing.

This little guy was hanging out on one of the bridges when we arrived.  He checked us out, we checked him out, and then he took off.

This little katamundi was hanging out on one of the bridges when we arrived. He checked us out, we checked him out, and then he took off.

We weren't actually quick enough to get a good zoomed in picture of the absolutely beautiful scarlet macaws we saw flying around the treetops, but this shot from cityparrots.org is a pretty good picture of what we saw.

We weren't actually quick enough to get a good zoomed in picture of the absolutely beautiful scarlet macaws we saw flying around the treetops, but this shot from cityparrots.org is a great visual of what we saw.

This mother poison dart frog is transporting her three young tadpoles to the top of a very large tree where she'll deposit them each in separate bromilliades that are holding enough water for the tadpoles to survive and sprout legs of their own.  Our guide, Andrei, was so excited to see a mother carrying her tads that he made us promise to e-mail him this picture.  It's a little blurry due to lower light conditions under the canopy and the inability to use a flash because it hurts the eyes of these fragile little creatures.

This poison dart frog is a mother--on her back you can see the three tadpoles she is transporting to the top of a very large tree. Once she is high enough, she'll deposit them each in separate bromilliades that are holding enough water for the tadpoles to survive and sprout legs of their own. Our guide, Andrei, was so excited to see a mother carrying her tadpoles that he made us promise to e-mail him this picture. It's a little blurry due to lower light conditions under the canopy and the inability to use a flash because it hurts the eyes of these fragile little creatures.

These cute little bats are so small and lightweight that a big palm leaf is all the shelter they need.

This little rufous tailed jacamar was another treat that got our guide, Andrei, really pumped.  There are two species of jacamar found in this part of Costa Rica, and the rufous tailed is by far the most rare...lucky us!  Andrei was jumping up and down after this guy flew away.

This little rufous-tailed jacamar was another treat that got our guide, Andrei, really pumped. There are two species of jacamar found in this part of Costa Rica, and the rufous-tailed is by far the most rare...lucky us! Andrei was jumping up and down after this guy flew away.

waterfall

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