We visited Costa Rica in July 2004. The Republic of Costa Rica lies in Central Ameraica, bordering Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, and shares a martime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island.
Scenery:
Birds:
Tree swallow, Tachycineta bicolor
White-breasted magpie jay, Calocitta formosa
Bare-throated tiger heron, Tigrisoma mexicanum
Great egret, Ardea alba
Boat-billed heron (immature), Cochlearius cochlearius
Hummingbirds:
Green-crownd brilliant, Heliodoxa jacula
Violet sabrewing, Campylopterus hemileucurus
Mammals:
Black howler monkey, Alonatta caraya
Whate-faced capuchin, Cebus imitator
Long-nosed bats, Rhynchonycteris naso
Crab-eating raccoon, Procyon cancrivorus
Insects:
Tiger leaf-wing butterfly, Consul fabius
Cream-spotted tigerwing, Tithorea tarricina
Giant owl butterfly, Caligo sp.
Dot-lined angle moth, Macaria abydata
Grey cracker butterfly, Hamadryas februa
Blomfild's beauty butterflies, Smyrna blomfildia
Jungle (filth) fly perched on a butterfly's eye
Fish:
Banded butterflyfish, Chaetodon striatus
Black butterflyfish, Chaetodon aya
Grey angelfish, Pomacanthus arcuatus
Yellow snappers, Lutjanus argentiventris
Latin grunts, Haemulon steindachneri
Porcupinefish, Diodon hystrix
Balloonfish, Diodon holocanthus
Spotted puffer, Guentheridia formosa
Yellow stingray, Urolophus jamaicensis
Stone (blinthead) triggerfish, Pseudobalistes naufragium
Spotted sharpnose puffer (toby fish), Canthigaster punctatissima
Acapulco damselfish, Stegastes acapulcoensis
Panamic green moray, Gymnothorax castaneus
Jewel moray, Muraena lentiginosa
High-hat, Pareques acuminatus
Starry grouper (flag cabrilla), Epinephelus labriformis
Pacific mutton hamlet, Alphestes immaculatus
Blenny, <TBS>
Pacific seahorse, Hippocampus ingens
Nudibranchs:
Samla telja
Coryphellina marcusorum
Felimarc agassizii
unidentified, <TBS>
Anetarca armata
Invertebrates:
Pen shell, <TBS>
Mouthless cran, Cardisoma crassum
Sea cucumber, <TBS>
Hermit crab, <TBS>
Unidentified ribbon worms, <TBS>
Harlequin shrimp, Hymenocera picta
Bat star, Patiria chilensis
Blue sea star, Phataria unifascialis
Pacific reef octopus, Octopus mimus
Reptiles and Amphibians:
Green tree frog, Hyla cinerea
American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus
Black spiny-tailed Iguanas (Garrobo), Ctenosaura similis
Rose-bellied lizard, Sceloporus variabilis
Eastern casquehead iguana, Laemanctus longipes
Juvenile green basilisk, Basiliscus plumifrons)
Central American whiptails, Holcosus festivus
We returned to Costa Rica on a wildlife photography trip in July 2025:
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Contact us at mermaid@underwater.org.
Last modified 14 April 2026
Amphibians
Birds
Insects
Mammals
Reptiles
Spiders