Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
It was the first day of our expedition. The sun was rising within the morning mist while some enjoyed an early stretch with our wellness specialist. Near ahead lay Manuel Antonio National Park (MANP). Created in 1972, it is the smallest of Costa Rica’s National Park Network. Here’s where we started our voyage throughout what is considered to be one of the most diverse places on earth, the Neotropical Rainforest.
The park protects a small but interesting patch of forest in the midst of a town driven by a tourist economy and development. Our landing site was one of the sandy beaches that surround the park and quickly wildlife started unfolding around the couple trails we could choose from.
First, spiny-tailed lizards were bringing life to the leaf litter, while agoutis, a large size rodent, were looking for an early meal and dispersing seeds all around the park. As we kept going forward, we were surprised by a tame white-tailed deer, and a far away roar that was much like a pack of ferocious dogs, until we discovered hanging from the trees troops of howler monkeys. Neotropical monkeys, because of their arboreal behavior, enjoy a great advantage, and that is the use of a prehensile tail. Always curled up and holding on a branch, it provides the monkey with a safety grip and complete mobility with all four limbs. Although howler monkeys seem to be more of a laid-back, restful species, we could definitely notice the use of the tail.
Birds like the common potoo and amphibians like the red-eyed tree frog were among smaller organisms that gave us a great example of how well hidden and cryptic animals can be in the rainforest.
And then we found one of the most rare and beautiful animals, with a behavior so distinctive that was named after a deadly sin, the sloth. Three-toed and two-toed sloths were hanging on the trees proudly proving why they are considered the slowest animals in the forest. Not moving much, and most of the times not moving at all, they gave us a great opportunity to fully observe them through the spotting scope.
Finally, white-faced capuchins started roaming the forest ground looking for food while they entertained us with their curious and mischievous attitude.
Overall it was a day full of wildlife, not common of a typical rainforest. Because MANP is not part of an ecological corridor, most of the animals are trapped as in an island with no predators. In the future the park is planning on creating a corridor that would allow species to spread and find new territories bringing a well balanced network of life back to the park.
