It is the same green fascinating forest, but now it’s dark and you are ready to find out what’s there. At night it’s the best time to find Costa Rica wildlife, observe and photograph beautiful tree frogs, shy snakes, colorful insects, mammals and other creatures that only come out at night.
The experience of Costa Rica Wildlife at night is one of the richest experiences; turning off the lights for a moment and listening to all the secret sounds is one of the best things you can do in our privileged country.
Common species we encounter on the Night Tour include: Common Pauraque, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Tropical Screech-Owl, Crab-eating Raccoons, Dark Four-eyed Opossums, Nine-banded Armadillos, Rats, Pacas, Three-toed Sloths, Two-toed Sloths, Common Opossums, Kinkajous, Striped Hog-nosed Skunks as well as several Bat species.
One reason mammal diversity in Costa Rican forests may at times seem dismal is that 117 of Costa Rica’s 260 mammals are bats.With about 1400 identified species, bats are the
second most diverse mammal group, second only to rodents. They are found in every continent except Antarctica and make up about one quarter of all mammal species.
Near the Tarcoles River we found the Greater Fishing Bat (Noctilio leporinus) , one of the most spectacular mammals.With pointed ears, small eyes, prominent cheeks, and large canine teeth, these denizens of the dark bear an uncanny resemblance to bulldogs, hence their common name Bulldog Bats.
Bulldogs are large bats, with an average wingspan of 60cm. Perhaps their most striking feature, though, are the greatly enlarged hind feet.Equipped with long, sharp claws, these
feet allow the bulldogs to feed on prey almost no other bat in the world can fish.
Apart from bats, about three fourth of the remaining Costa Rican mammals are either partially or entirely nocturnal and rarely seen by travelers. That’s why a nocturnal tour is a great opportunity to get into the Costa Rica Wildlife.
The Kinkajou is the cutest of mammals and spend most of their time in the trees. The Kinkajou is able to turn their feet backwards to run easily in either direction along branches
or up and down trunks. Kinkajous often hang from this incredible tail, which also aids their balance and serves as a cozy blanket while the animal sleeps high in the trees.
Besides the fantastic world of mammals, we can’t deny one of the principal attractions in the zone is the Tarcoles River and of course crocodiles. The best spot in all Costa Rica to see crocodiles is the Tarcoles River. Here you won’t just see just a couple of crocodiles, you get to see dozens of them. It isn’t a beautiful river but certainly has the richest biodiversity.
Unlike we can easily see them during the day, Crocodiles have a particular way to recognize them at night, and it is for the light reflected on their eyes that shows us they are very active during the night.
We can find so much more in the company of a competitive tour guide who leads you into the secret life of Costa Rica wildlife at night, Mangrove Birding Journeys offer several
options to enjoy night tours, such as night boat tour in Tarcoles River, Botanical Garden night walks and Macro Photography tours.