The Wildlife Refuge In Costa Rica

Hello, my name is Delaney Muldoon! I’m going to be a senior at Maryville College where I major in Biology and minor in Health and Wellness Promotion.  I am currently in Costa Rica on a study abroad trip to fulfill my cultural diversity core requirement, but also to learn and immerse myself in the Costa Rican culture. Yesterday we went to visit the Refugio Nacional Gandoca-Manzanillo located in the Limón Providence in Costa Rica. Doing the hike through the refuge allowed us to get to see some of the animals that Costa Rica is home to. Our guide through the forest was a man named Abel. Abel is a local who does these tours through the forest, and he is friends with our guide Madri. 

(This was the view as we entered into the rain forest for our hike with Abel.)

The refuge was alongside the beach. The beach was to the left as we entered and the rain forest was to the right. When we stepped onto the trail we immediately saw a poisonous dart frog. We saw many red and orange dart frogs but also a black one with white markings that our tour guide Abel was able to get a picture of. The dart frogs were the most spotted animal while in the rain forest. I believe our tour guide Abel said that the dart frogs can be poisonous but aren’t as poisonous to bigger animals. There is a picture below for reference. 

The rain forest was also home to many howler monkeys. These monkeys could be heard from all over from their spots in the trees. The monkeys were so high up I wasn’t able to get a cool picture of them. We did however see many sloths on our journey through the refuge. Sloths have been a very common siting here in Costa Rica so far. As we learned from Abel on the trip, there are many different types of sloths that are present in this country. Being able to see and hear the monkeys and also seeing the sloths in person has been a super cool experience. 

(Sloth spotted on the refuge guided tour.)

In additions to all these sloths and monkeys we saw on the hike, we also saw a single snake, that I believe was some type of viper snake Abel said. This little guy was about 1 ft long maybe, it was a baby. Abel said that the snakes typically stay in the same spot every day when they take a nap. He can always expect the snake to be in that same spot day after day. The little snake was a yellow color and he was all curled up on a log. Abel also mentioned that the snakes like this don’t typically attack people without having a reason. They are pretty dormant. 

 

(The little viper snake that was spotted.)

There was also a butterfly that was brown in color and had a large “eye” on each of its wings. Butterflies were also an insect that was very prevalent in the rain forest. We ended the hike with a view of the Caribbean ocean. It was a beautiful blue color, but was also a bit rocky. The fresh sea air smell nice. It was a great way to end the hike. 

(The beautiful Caribbean Sea.)

Overall, this was a very cool experience. It was great to have two people who know what they are talking about with us, Madri and Abel. It was amazing to see some of the wildlife of Costa Rica. Seeing the Caribbean Sea was also a plus, since it was so gorgeous. Abel did a great job showing us around and telling stories while also explaining what things were. So far the Costa Rican experience has been amazing and the people here have been so nice! 

Until next time :) …