Costa Rica
Silky Anteater, Cyclopes dorsalis, Manuel Antonio
I have been to Costa Rica three times. In 2010 I spent 9 nights here and I return to Sylvan, near Golfito, for a weekend in 2019. In early 2021 I spent a week with Fiona Reid traveling through the mountains and then back down to Sylvan.
Honduran White Bats, Ectophylla alba, Tirimbina
Alajuela Province
Poas Volcano
I looked for Montane Squirrels here for a day in 2010 but found only Red-tailed Squirrels and a rabbit species that might have been Dice’s Cottontail but probably a Tapiti. I returned for 24 hours in early 2021 to look for Bang’s Montane Squirrel. The park is very strictly controlled now and we didn’t see any squirrels, though we did catch some Nicaraguan Deermice in the hotel garden.
Guanacaste Province
Santa Rosa National Park
Grey Sac-winged Bat, Balantiopteryx plicata
A few hours here in 2010 produced Common Vampire Bats, Greater White-lined Bats, Grey Sac-winged Bats, Seba’s Short-tailed Bats, Merriam’s Long-tongued Bat and a few Central American Spider Monkeys.
Common Vampire Bat, Desmodus rotundus
Heredia Province
Selva Verde Lodge
Thumbless Bats, Furipturus horrens
I spent a night here in 2021 to see the colony of Thumbless Bats. We also saw Common Big-eared Bats, Central American Agoutis, Proboscis and Greater White-lined Bats and Variegated Squirrels.
Tirimbina Lodge
Hairy Big-eyed Bat, Chiroderma villosum
I spent two nights here in 2010 focussing on bats and we caught Common Tent-making Bats, a Hairy Big-eyed Bat, Sowell’s Short-tailed Bat, Macconnell’s Fruit Bats, and a long-tongued bat species. Walking the trails on a guided bat walk produced roosting Allen’s Short-tailed Bats, Hairy Large-eared Bats, Big Yellow-eared Bats,Thomas’s Fruit-eating Bats, Lesser White-lined Bats, Wagner’s Sac-winged Bats, a Thomas’s (Shaggy) Bat and Honduran White Bats plus a Variegated Squirrel.
Honduran White Bats, Ectophylla alba
Puntarenas Province
Corcovado and the Osa Peninsula
Panamanian White-throated Capuchin, Cebus imitator
I spent two nights here in 2010 and saw White-throated Capuchin, Central American Spider Monkey, Red-backed (Central American) Squirrel Monkey, Mantled Howler Monkeys, Baird’s Tapir, White-lipped Peccaries, White-tailed Deer(apparently rarely seen), Mantled Howler Monkeys, White-nosed Coatis, Long-nosed Bats, Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloth andTome’s Spiny Rats.
Central American Spider Monkey, Ateles geoffroyi
Finca Bellavista Treehouse
Two nights here in 2019 and 2021 produced Alfaro’s Pygmy Squirrel, Spix’s Disc-winged Bats, Greater White-lined Bats, Tomes’s Rice Rats, Mexican Porcupines, Kinkajou and Coatis.
Manuel Antonio & Quepos
Silky Anteater, Cyclopes didactylus
A day around here in 2010 produced many Brown-throated Three-toed Sloths, a White-tailed Deer, Silky Anteaters, Mexican Tamandua, White-faced Capuchins, Lesser and Greater White-lined Bats,Lesser Dog Like Bats, Seba’s Short-tailed Bats, Greater Spear-nosed Bats, Common Vampire Bats and a Mexican Greater Funnel Eared Bat
Mexican Tamandua, Tamandua mexicana
Monteverde
Kinkajou, Potos flavus
During two nights in 2010 I saw Kinkajous, a Variegated Squirrel, and helped catch Riparian Myotis, Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat, Thomas’s Fruit-eating Bat, Intermediate Fruit-eating Bat, Big Fruit-eating Bat , andToltec Fruit-eating Bat. I also saw White-nosed Coatis, Central American Agoutis, Two-toed Sloths, Mexican Porcupines, a Red-tailed Squirrel, Underwood’s Long-tongued Bat
Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine, Coendou mexicanus
Sylvan (near Golfito)
Peter’s Disk-winged Bat, Thyroptera discifera
In late November 2019 I spent three nights visiting Fiona Reid at her new ecolodge, Sylvan (as of early 2021 boasting a lodge list list of over 80 mammals) and returned in 2021 for two nights. My 2019 visit was not a mammalwatching trip per se but of course I saw a few species, best of which was undoubtedly Peter’s Disc-winged Bat. In 2021 we spent two nights batting quite intensively and caught 15 species: Proboscis Bat, Greater Fishing Bat, Orange-throated Bat, Hairy Big-eared Bat, Common Vampire Bat, Merriam’s Long-tongued Bat, Chestnut, Seba’s and Sowell’s Short-tailed Bats, Niceforo’s Big-eared Bat, Northern Yellow-shouldered Bat, Northern Little Yellow-eared Bat, Jamaican, Great, Pygmy , Thomas’s and Watson’s Fruit-eating Bats and Mexican Black Myotis plus Central American Squirrel Monkeys too.
San Jose Province
Carara National Park
Northern Ghost Bat, Diclidurus albus
Carara National Park is the place to see Northern Ghost Bats. A couple of hours here in 2021 also produced Pacific Tent-making Bats and Proboscis Bats.
Las Vueltas Lodge (and Los Quetzales National Park)
Talamancan Deermouse (Peromyscus nudipes)
Las Vueltas is a truly lovely cloud forest reserve and two nights here (and next door around Los Quetzales National Park) in 2021 produced a bunch of high altitude goodies including Bang’s Montane Squirrel, Red-tailed Squirrels, Dice’s Cottontail, a Mountain Spiny Pocket Mouse, Chiriqui Harvest Mouse, Talamancan Deermouse, Boquete Rice Rat and a Desert Red Bat. Thought there is plenty more to return for.
Community Reports
Costa Rica, 2023: Bryan Kao, 12 days & 29 species including Thomas’s Shaggy Bat, Northern Olingo and Central American Dwarf Squirrel.
Guanacaste, 2023: Venkat Sankar, 4 nights & 53 species with highlights including Vesper Rat, Northern Big-eared Bat, Sanborn’s and Underwood’s Bonneted Bats, Striped Hog-nosed Skunk, and Baird’s Tapir.
Costa Rica, 2022: Klil Zaitlin, 3 weeks & 21 species including Baird’s Tapir, Central American Red Brocket and Kinkajou.
Costa Rica, 2022: Hugh Paxton, 2 weeks & species including (a potentially reliable spot for) Southern Spotted Skunk, Jaguarundi and Mantled Howler Monkeys.
Costa Rica, 2023: Bud Lensing, 5 days & 14 species including Central American Squirrel Monkey, Kinkajou and a Silky Anteater.
Costa Rica, 2022: Venkat Sankar & Alex Meyer, 7 days & 72 species including Alston’s Mouse Opossum, Central American Silky Anteater, and over 45 species of bats including Smoky Bats and both disc-winged bats.
Costa Rica, 2022: Atif Hashmi, 11 days & 29 species including Olingo, Kinkajou and Northern Tamandua.
Costa Rica, 2022: Hugh Lansdown, 14 days & 20+ species including Underwood’s Pocket Gopher, Tayra and Ocelot.
Costa Rica, 2021: Jan Ebr, 2 weeks & 19 species including a Paca, Central American Dwarf (Alfaro’s Pygmy) Squirreland a Central American Red Brocket Deer.
Costa Rica (mainly batting and ratting), 2021: Jon Hall, 1 week & 36 species including Thumbless Bats, Bang’s Montane Squirrel and Dice’s Cottontail.
Sylvan, 2019: Jon Hall, 3 nights & a few species including Peter’s Disc-winged Bats.
Costa Rica, 2019: Rob Jansen & Romy Jansen-Houtzager, 5 weeks & 35 species including Dice’s Cottontail, Greater Grison, Jaguarundi and Oncilla. Lots of detailed info and some nice photos too.
La Selva, 2019: Ben Schweinhart, 1 week & 25 species including Silky Anteater and Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo and a Baird’s Tapir.
Costa Rica and Panama, 2019: Romain Bocquier, 45 days & 61 species including a Margay, 2 Olingos and Spectraland Northern Ghost Bats.
Costa Rica, 2019: July Balona, 17 days & many mammals including Tayra, Orange Nectar & Shaggy Bats and a Jaguarundi.
Mammals from my living room, 2019: Fiona Reid’s report of mammals encountered in or around her tree house near the Osa Peninsula, with around 25 species including Watson’s Climbing Rat, Alfaro’s Pygmy Squirrel and an Ocelot.
Manuel Antonio National Park, 2019: Andy Murch, 2 days & 14 species including Lesser Dog-like Bat, Greater Spear-nosed Bat and both Sloths.
La Selva Station, 2018: Matt Miller, 5 nights and 18 species including Mexican Mouse Opossum, Shaggy Bat and Striped Hog-nosed Skunk.
Costa Rica, 2018: Sophie Betrisey and Manuel Baumgartner, 2 weeks & 28 species including Mouse Opossum, Dice’s Rabbit and Montane Squirrel.
Costa Rica, 2017: Ben Balmford, 2. 5 weeks & 50 species including Northern Ghost Bats, Tayra, Costero and some nice rodents and bats.
Costa Rica, 2016: Michael Kessler, 4 weeks & 43 species including Zeledon’s Mouse Opossum, Woolly Opossum, Pale Spear-nosed Bat, Tayra, Hooded Skunk and Cotero.
Costa Rica, 2016: Alan Dahl, 8 days & 15 species including Northern Tamandua and Honduran White Bats.
Costa Rica, 2016: Richard Webb, 12 days & 36 species including some nice bats, Olingo, Greater Grison and a Vesper Rat.
Costa Rica, 2015: Margarita Steinhardt, 3 weeks & 30 species including Pumas (in what sounds like it could be a reliable spot), Woolly Opossum and Striped Hog-nosed Skunk.
Costa Rica, 2015: Juan Luis Ortega Herranz, 1 week & 21 species including Wrinkle-faced Bat, Northern Tamandua, Olingo and Ocelot.
Costa Rica & Panama, 2014: Dominique Brugiere, 1 month & some nice species including, in Costa Rica, a Mexican Porcupine.
Costa Rica, 2014: Simon Feys, 2 weeks & 25 (living) species including Woolly Opposum, Alston’s Singing Mouse, Olingo, Tayra and some nice bats at Tirimbina.
Costa Rica, 2013: Matthew & Maureen Hart, 1 week & 26 species including Ocelot, Silky Anteater, Kinkajou, Woolly Opossum, Mexican Porcupine and Honduran Bat. Plus some interesting comments from others, including a site in CR for Water Opossum.
Costa Rica, 2012: Sarah & Andy Young, 2 weeks & 27 species including Olingo and Honduran White Bat.
Costa Rica, 2012: Tomer Ben-Yehuda, 10 days & 22 species including Olingo, Puma and Spotted Dolphins.
Central America, 2011 & 12: Dominique Brugiere, combined notes on two trips through the Yucatan, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize. Lots of mammals.
Osa Peninsula, 2011: Alan Dahl, 9 days & 15 species including a Wooly Opposum.
Costa Rica, 2011: Stefanie Lahaye, 1 month & 40 species. A great report including many of the usual Costa Rican suspects as well as an Olingo and some nice bats and rodents.
Costa Rica, 2010: Jon Hall, 9 nights & 48 species including Baird’s Tapir, White-lipped Peccary and Silky Anteater.
Costa Rica, 2008: Sjef Ollers, 3 weeks & 22 species including an Ocelot and a Long-tailed Weasel.
Corcavado Nartional Park: Curtis Hart, some notes on 3 visits, the mammals of which included Baird’s Tapir and White-lipped Peccary.
Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala): Curtis Hart – a few notes on different national parks.
Costa Rica, 2007: Jeroen Verhoeff, 3 weeks & 20 mammals plus bats including a Tayra and a Silky Anteater (on 13 December). Great photos.
Costa Rica, 2007: Don Roberson, 2 weeks & 13 mammals.
Also See
Costa Rica/ Nicaragua/ Panama – suggestions for very low budget mammalwatcing, September 2024
Travelling with small kids: what to aim for in Costa RIca, August 2024
Mammals of Costa Rica website July 2022
RFI Manuel Antonia and Sirena Station January 2020
Silky Anteaters at Manuel Antonio March 2018.
Bush Dog Sighting Dec 2017.
Bosque del Cabo Resort – mammal watching tips Feb 2015.
Northern Ghost Bat sighting Apr 2014
Going to Costa Rica (anyone want to join), Jan 2012.
Resources
Wainwright, M. 2007. The Mammals of Costa Rica. Zona Tropical Publications, Cornell. Nice looking field guide that includes most species, but doesn’t have detailed desciptions of all the bats and shrews.
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