Carara National Park

Habitat
The Scarlet Macaw lives high in the trees of lowland deciduous or tropical evergreen forests that are solid or patchy.

Range
This macaw graces forest canopies from Mexico to central South America.

Physical Description
Macaws are the largest parrots in the Americas, and the Scarlet Macaw is distinct both in color and shape. This bird cannot be confused with any other in Central America: its tail feathers are long and pointed, and its wings short for its large body. It has a large powerful bill for cracking tough seed coats and nuts. Bright red feathers cover the back, head, and lower tail feathers; bold blue spreads across the wings and lower back, with large strips of bold yellow above them. The conspicuous facial skin is pinkish white, and the bill ivory and black. Both sexes of these birds have adult plumage from a young age.

Interesting Biology
With strong wings, the scarlet macaw noisily flies high over the canopy; their travels may range far both daily and seasonally. Their loud, resonant, boisterous calls can often be heard as they fly, but they are usually quiet while feeding. Pairs, trios, or small family groups are often seen, but these may sometimes merge into flocks of 25 or even 50 individuals at large roosts in tall trees or mangroves.
The Scarlet Macaw nests in large holes in tall living or dead trees; they do not dig these holes, but rely on finding cavities that are high off the ground and have vertical entrances. Finding enough of such trees can be a limiting factor for these birds to maintain populations in an area, especially because some bee species occupy the same kind of tree cavity. A macaw pair will lay 1-2 eggs per season in such a nest and raise them together. These macaws are serially monogamous, but they may change mates after several seasons.
In 1900, these parrots could still be seen in forests throughout Central America; by 1950, however, due to habitat destruction, they were absent from the Caribbean slope except in the Northwest. They have also suffered from the pet trade; fortunately, today they are protected in every country in which they live.

Diet
This macaw largely forages in the canopy, eating large seeds, fruits and nuts in trees. Searching for the almond-sized and almond-shaped seed hidden beneath the tough, fibrous nut, the macaw chips out big chunks of the hard fruit using the sharp edge of its lower mandible; once it hits the nut, it slices through the outer fruit and picks out its meal. These can be rapid foragers: a flock of 10 birds can carpet the ground with three hundred of these fruits in a single hour as they look for the seeds.

Height/Weight
An adult Scarlet Macaw is 84 cm long and weighs 900 g.

Brief Taxonomy
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae

Habitat
These crocodiles establish territories in large rivers or streams, swamps, lagoons, or estuaries. They can tolerate salt water, so they may also be found in salt marshes, freshwater marshes, mangroves, swamp forests, river mouths, and sometimes in the open ocean. The bodies of water in which they live are usually in lowland dry, moist, or wet forests.

Range
This species ranges from Mexico to Peru on the Pacific slope and to Colombia and northern Venezuela on the Atlantic side. Southern Florida and some Caribbean islands are also home to the American Crocodile.

Physical Description
The American Crocodile’s head is more narrow and elongate with a skinnier snout, and the fourth tooth on both sides of the lower jaw is visible when its long mouth is closed. The croc also lacks the bony ridge that the caiman has in front of its eyes. This croc is different from other crocodiles in the Americas because the adult has a smooth bump or wart in front of each eye. Its body can be shaded from green to olive or grey with dark crossbands on its back and tail and a white or cream belly. It has webbed fingers to aid in swimming.

Biology and Natural History

At one time, the American Crocodile lived in most lowland areas of Central America. This powerful animal was excessively hunted for its valuable skin and because they were believed to pose a threat. By the 1960s, they were exterminated from much of their former range. A concentrated effort in the 1980s and 1990s helped this crocodile return to more of its former home ranges, and now it lives in protected areas.

The croc is more active at night, and during the day it may bask for hours on the shore or bank, saving energy. When it gets too hot, it will open its mouth or cool off in the water, where it spends the majority of its time. Sometimes they search underwater caves for refuge. Large individuals of this species can stay submerged without air for over an hour—they are skilled and swift swimmers.

Adults are very territorial and use vocalizations or physical warnings to protect their boundaries. This croc is a comparatively vocal species, especially during the breeding season when it may make low grunts or loud roars. Adults copulate in water, after which the female lays and covers 20 to 60 eggs in a nest dug out of the ground. She guards the nest for up to 3 months. The sex of a crocodile is affected by egg temperature during incubation, which is referred to as temperature-dependent sex determination. When the hatchlings begin to emerge, they scream for her. She carefully helps them exit and carries each baby in her mouth to the water. She will stay with them temporarily to protect them from predators, namely small mammals and birds, which may also eat crocodile eggs.

Adult American Crocodiles do not have any predators, with the exception of large sharks, humans, and sometimes a large jaguar. This species is capable of reaching lengths that make it one of the largest crocs in the world. However, large individuals have been intentionally targeted, so crocodiles longer than 4 m are rare. Although the crocodile has a menacing reputation and certainly should not be provoked, individuals large enough to kill humans have become very scarce. The crocodile is still endangered. Poaching is still an issue, and many populations are affected or threatened by habitat destruction in the Tropics.

Diet
Young crocs mostly eat aquatic insects, crabs, small fishes, and amphibians; larger individuals will eat any aquatic animals that they find, from crustaceans, snails, fishes, and frogs, to turtles, iguanas, caimans, water birds, and small mammals.

Height/Weight
Crocodiles are just 250 to 300 mm when they hatch, but over their lifespan they can become massive. Most adults average a length of 2.5 to 3 m and weigh 100 to 270 kg. The largest males can reach 6 or 7 m, making this one of the largest species of crocodile in the world, but few individuals of either sex reach more than 4 m in length.

Taxonomy
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Crocodylidae

Habitat
This large snake lives on the ground and in the trees from sea level to 1,000 m in elevation. It can survive in shrub, savannah, cultivated fields, secondary growth in lowland dry, moist, and wet forests, and in premontane moist and wet forests.

Range
The boa ranges from Mexico along both slopes through Central America and down to northern Peru, Paraguay, and central Argentina.

Physical Description
It would be unusual to encounter the small, beige eyes close enough to see the vertical pupil. However, when it is found in Costa Rica, the huge boa constrictor is distinct secondly because it lacks labial pits on its head and has a dark brown stripe from its snout to its neck. Its head and dorsal scales are small and smooth. This snake is colored cryptically: the body is mostly light brown to gray with dark brown to black lateral patches with lighter centers. The belly is grey. The tail may be banded in different colors, particularly shades of red, yellow, or black. While it may sound like a blandly vested serpent, the boa’s scales can be brightly iridescent. After shedding an old skin, this snake is incandescent. Younger boas are brighter, and the splotchy pattern may blur as some grow into large adults.

Boas fall into a group of primitive snakes that still have the bones of a pelvis and vestigial ‘legs;’ on the outside of the body—the only visual cue that these bones remain is a small horny spur on either side of the snake’s vent. Males have more distinct ‘anal spurs’ than females and use them to stroke the female during courtship.

Biology and Natural History
The boa is able to be active at dusk or night because it can hold body temperature without basking in the sun. While active, younger boas are more likely to move through the trees while larger individuals tend to stay on the ground. Some big ones may even be active during the day. Aided by their prehensile tails, these snakes are good at climbing.

Large snakes sit and wait for prey to present itself; the boa may also position itself by a mammal burrow or some other prey’s dwelling place and wait for days before moving on. The boa gets its meal by first striking the prey with its sharp teeth, secondly lifting the prey and coiling the long serpent body around it, and thirdly killing the prey by constriction, that is, tightening its body around the prey to strangle it. When the animal stops moving, the boa swallows it whole, head-first.

However, even though the boa constrictor looks intimidating it actually is not very dangerous. It is neither an easily agitated animal nor is it prone to defending itself aggressively. Hissing or coiling would preempt striking, and while this snake has no venom, it does have long, sharp, curved teeth that could cause and stick in a painful wound if the snake were provoked. It is large enough that the boa has few predators but not quite large enough to hunt prey as large as humans. Thus if a very large boa was given a convenient position around the neck of a human it could be able to suffocate such a foolhardy person, but otherwise the boa is not a threat to human existence even when in close proximity.

Mothers give birth to 10 to 64 viviparous (or live) young, each of which is 0.5 m long. Neither parent administers any further parental care. Young snakes have a high mortality rate and not many make it to the larger life stages. In captivity this snake has lived as long as 25 to 35 years, but wild ones probably do not live so long. They are negatively impacted by humans in some areas via habitat destruction and the pet trade, but apart from these factors they can adjust rather well. Like the jaguar or other important forest predators, catching a glimpse of Boa constrictor is a rare occasion.

Diet
The boa constricts many prey animals, the sizes of which depend on the current size of the boa. They commonly eat iguanas, lizards, birds, bats, and small mammals such as opossums, agoutis, or rabbits. They’ve been known to take coatis, ocelots, porcupines, monkeys, and young deer. Their predator position in the forest is similar to that of the jaguar or Harpy Eagle. While they have been known to eat poultry or dogs, the boa constrictor is not capable of killing or eating cattle.

Height/Weight
Most adults are 2 to 3 m in length, but some have reached lengths of 5 to 6 m.

Taxonomy
Order: Squamata
Family: Boidae

Habitat
As its name suggests, this frog lives in forests near ponds, small streams, or other slow-moving water. Within its habitats it is commonly found wherever there are portions of forest, even within cities. It can survive in gallery forest, lowland dry, moist, and wet forests, premontane moist and wet forests, and rainforest into lower montane wet forest and rainforest.

Range
This frog can be found from Honduras and Nicaragua to Costa Rica and Panama.

Physical Description
The smooth-skinned Brilliant Forest Frog is elegantly slender with smooth skin, a pointed head, longish snout, and big golden eyes. Unlike some frogs, its ears are clearly visible. This bronze species is spotted with vibrant blue or green and has brilliant red on the underside of its limbs and on the webs between its toes. It may have a few bright yellow splotches on the back of the thigh. The sides of the body are darker, the belly cream to grey, and on some males almost black. The face is masked in black, with a pale stripe from the snout to the eye, a white stripe on the upper lip, and a skin fold extending from the eye to the groin.

Biology and Natural History
These moderately sized frogs may be heard calling softly during the day from the forest floor in a slow, low trill.
Younger individuals may also be active at night, but adults are generally active during the day, scooting around on the forest floor. Their coloration camouflages them well while sitting still; but when startled, they leap into the air and then dive under leaf litter. This frog is muscular and long-legged; with bright colors hidden on the underside and inside of limbs, when this creature unexpectedly leaps, it uses a defense called flash-and-dazzle, as the confusing color scheme of the creature changes with its movement. After extending long, bright limbs mid-leap, the colors disappear again when the frog lands and buries itself in leaves.

The Brilliant Forest Frog has expanded toe and fingertips to help it climb, but does not have the sticky discs found on tree frogs. This frog has webbing on its feet but not its hands, and is less of a swimmer than some of its relatives.

It reproduces all year, and attaches its eggs to the underside of rocks. In its young stage of tadpole, most of its length is comprised of tail, which disappears as it develops into an adult frog.

Diet
The Brilliant Forest Frog eats small arthropods that it finds among the leaf litter.

Height/Weight
Adult females, at 45-63 mm (2.5 in), are usually larger than their male counterparts, which grow to 37-52 mm (1 7/8 in). Tadpoles can be as long as 115 mm (4.5 in).

Taxonomy
Order: Anura
Family: Ranidae

Habitat
The Collared Aracari is common in Caribbean lowland and premontane forest. In cannot live in areas that are heavily deforested, and is not usually above elevations of 1,000 m.

The Fiery-billed Aracari lives in forest similar to the home of the Collared, but can live at elevations up to 1,500 m.

Range
The Fiery-billed is endemic to the Pacific side of Costa Rica, from the southwestern region down to western Panama. It is common throughout its range except the northernmost parts.

The Collared Aracari shares the range of the Fiery-billed and furthermore lives on the Caribbean slope, from southern Mexico to western Ecuador. On the Pacific slope of Costa Rica, the Collared is uncommonly found in the northwest, and becomes more common in the western part of Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula.

Physical Description
The Collared Aracari ("ara-sorry') and the Fiery-billed Aracari are two of the most richly colored birds of the toucan family in Costa Rica. Their behavior and biology are closely similar, and their ranges overlap on the southern Pacific region of the country. Both are common within most of their ranges; their distinct profiles are most easily seen crossing between large trees on the edges of clearings in the canopy. They often shriek a high "cheep-eep' as they fly. Both birds have the characteristic, strikingly large bills that would be impossibly heavy if they were not hollow and lightweight. These species also have a slender body of medium size, a long tail and rather short, rounded wings. These are the only toucans known to sleep in groups in trees all year long-not only do parents take care of the hatchlings until they fledge, but the fledglings continue to share their parents' hole. Aracaris usually make their nests in holes that have been carved out by woodpeckers high off the ground, from 6 to 30 m high.

Adults of both species have a glossy black-olive head, neck, and chest; the facial and frontal colorations are also similar. Both have brilliant yellow and red feathers on the underside with a broad band across the middle: the Collared's is mostly black, the Fiery-billed's, red. The Fiery-billed has a noticeably larger black spot above this color band than does the Collared Aracari. The most striking difference between the plumages of these sister-species is that the Fiery-billed has a radiant spread of red, orange, and yellow across its bill. The Collared's bill is simpler: the lower mandible black and the upper mandible mostly a dull, pale yellow with maroon near the head. The Collared Aracari is also slightly smaller than the Fiery-billed and has a thin rufous collar around its neck that the Fiery-billed lacks.

Interesting Biology
The Collared Aracari tends to fly and forage in the middle and upper levels of forest, usually in moderately open areas or old and second growth zones. They may fly lower where the forest is more open, i.e., along forest edges, through gaps, or in young stages of forest. In such open areas, the unusually intense sunlight causes some fruiting trees and shrubs to produce more of the food that the Aracaris eat. They forage and travel in flocks of 6 to 15 individuals, and during the night as many as 6 may sleep together in a tree hole. Several adults (up to 5) may share caring for a clutch of 3 eggs at a time.
The Fiery-Billed Aracari tends to stay higher in humid forest than its collared relative, and can be found most often in adjacent clearings. They may still descend to lower levels to eat berries. Their groups tend to be smaller, foraging in bands of 6 to 10 individuals and sleeping together with 5 birds at most at night. Usually the 2 eggs to a clutch are raised by 3 or more adults.

Diet
The Collared eats a lot of fleshy fruits (such as aroids, Protium, palms, Cecropia), and may diversify its diet with certain insects, eggs, and small lizards or bird nestlings. The Fiery-Billed Aracari forages in the canopy for fruit, insects, and sometimes nestling chicks, and may approach the ground for berries.

Height/Weight
The Collared Aracari is usually 41 cm long and weighs 230 g; the Fiery-Billed is somewhat larger, at 43 cm and 250 g.

Brief Taxonomy
Order: Piciformes
Family: Ramphastidae

Habitat
Within its range, this species of motmot can survive in a variety of habitats, but it prefers tropical deciduous and tropical evergreen gallery forest. It may also be found in forest edges and mangroves; savanna trees and thickets, particularly during the wet season; and dry open regions.

Range
The Turqoise-browed ranges from southeast Mexico to Costa Rica. It is common all year in the lowlands of the northern Pacific slope up to 800 m, and occasionally seen in the Valle Central.

Physical Description
Although this bird nests in burrows, it also perches in plain view on telephone wires or fence posts next to roads. Their rough, hoarse calls include a distinct honk and kawukawuk.

The Turquoise-browed is small for a motmot, but its body is covered in color and pattern.
Besides the motmot's typical black mask around the eyes, the Turqoise-browed also has black and turquoise streaks on its face and throat. Its head and breast are olive green, but the back and underside are rufous, the underside a shade lighter. This motmot's shape is distinct due to its two long tail feathers that have racket-tips at the end of long bare shafts. This feather shape is not genetic, but instead develops as the weaker middle portion of the feather is rubbed off against branches or other objects.

Interesting Biology
This bird digs burrows 0.6 to 2.5 m long that are 8 cm in diameter, often in the bank exposed next to a road or stream. A mating pair shares the work of excavating the burrow, incubating the 3 to 4 eggs, and feeding the young. Biologists have found that, without teaching, these birds avoid poisonous coral snakes, but not nonpoisonous ones that can serve as a meal.

When perched, motmots often swing their tails like pendulums; when they are sallying for food, they will sit quietly until they swiftly swoop onto their prey. On returning to their branch or other originally location, they beat the prey against the perch before swallowing it. This bird usually lives alone, in a pair, or in a family group.

Diet
The Turqoise-browed Motmots use their large powerful beaks to snatch ground prey such as large beetles, insects, and spiders, as well as small lizards and snakes. They also eat fruit and catch butterflies, bees, and dragonflies mid-flight.

Height/Weight
This species of motmot weighs 60 to 65 g and is 34 cm long.

Brief Taxonomy
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Momotidae