Costa Rica

[Mark]

My wife and I recently spent a few weeks in Costa Rica and thought I’d share some photos with you. Sadly no salamanders were seen, not through lack of trying I might add. I was out on many a rainy night scouring the vegetation with my torch. The locals and guides I spoke to all said the same – “Sure we’ve got salamanders here, you won’t see them though, they’re up in the trees.” Anyway, Costa Rica is certainly not a place lacking in herps so I didn’t let the hiding salamanders upset me.

We started in La Selva, an area of rainforest about 2 hours drive north of the capital San Jose. The forest is very rich in wildlife here and walking anywhere is a slow business because you stop every few paces to marvel at colourful birds, monkeys, sloths, snakes and poison dart frogs. The dart frogs were on my list of “must see in Costa Rica” and within 24hrs of landing in the country I was not disappointed. Dendrobates pumilio were the first to be spotted hopping about in the jungle undergrowth followed shortly by the much larger Dendrobates auratus. Being diurnal, colourful and highly toxic both species are bold and very visible during the day. Photographing them is quite a challenge because they hop away into the undergrowth when approached and refuse to sit still for more than a second. The D.auratus often travel around in pairs, reminding me very much of clockwork toys. In some areas of primary forest they were so prolific you had watch where you put your feet through fear of squashing them. Not a problem I was expecting but a welcome one...

Also at La Selva we saw good populations of red eyed leaf frogs around pools. Well hidden during the day these frogs emerge at night and make a sort of loud kissing sound as a call. Eggs were laid on leaves overhanging the pools which were chock full of tadpoles. Metamorphs, still with tails, crawl up plant stems looking very sorry for themselves.

Of the reptiles seen here, discounting the ground anoles which are literally everywhere, hog nosed pit vipers were quite common along the forest trials. They like to sit curled up in the middle of the path looking just like the surrounding leaf litter. Even when you do spot one, look away for a split second and you’ve lost it again. The very first one we saw was pointed out by a guide and even staring at it from 2ft away I could not see it, the camouflage is incredible! However, once you have your eye in for them you can pick them out quite quickly. Goodness knows how many we stepped on or nearly stepped on during our treks, and considering their toxicity it’s a marvel we survived. Green iguanas and plumed basilisks can be seen along most waterways and large brown turtles bask on any sunlit log in the water. The adult male iguanas are huge and whilst being peaceful vegetarians it is quite a shock to stumble across such a huge reptile in the forest.

After La Selva we headed west toward Arenal on route to Montevede and the cloud forests. We stayed a night in a cabin in some secondary forest not far from the volcano. During the night the cabins were patrolled by a security guard called Ronaldo. I know he won’t read this because he couldn’t speak a word of English. At 11pm he checked in on us and I showed him a few of the photos on my camera from La Selva and somehow, despite not speaking each other’s language he decided it was his job to find me some frogs that evening. So after much “vamos-ing” and “ranas-ing” we headed off into the forest, me with my camera and him with a rottweiler on a leash and a 2ft machete. It was a pretty weird herping trip but we found some cool frogs, chased armadillos around and spent a funny half hour crouched at the burrow entrance belonging to a smokey jungle frog waiting for it to emerge.

Monteverde was not particularly good for herping and I had suspected as much before arriving. The forests are largely out of bounds during the night and the vegetation is so thick it makes seeing animals almost impossible. Good for them I guess, although frog declines are particularly severe in this area. There is a particularly good frog centre at Santa Elena with a nice collection of native frogs.

We then travelled down the west coast eventually ending up on the far west coast of the Osa peninsular in the Corcovado national park. We camped in the rainforest and did lots of trekking. Everywhere we went there was an abundance of litter frogs of different kinds and the frogs attracted a good selection of snakes. We had a close encounter with a Fer-de Lance which made us extra wary on the trails. The D.auratus in Corcovado were very different to those from in La Selva, much smaller, wider black areas with thin green lines rather than the thick green marbling on other frogs we’d seen elsewhere. Marine toads emerge like a plague after dark, some the size of dinner plates who are busy eating the mid-sized toads, whilst the mid sized toads are busy eating the tiny toads. They appear to be creating their own self sustaining food chain.

Anyway - here are some of the amphibians we saw (thanks to Twan Leenders for his helpful IDs of some of the frogs). There might be a few photos so hold onto your hats....

Dendrobates auratus - Green and Black PoisonFrog

Dendrobates auratus - Green and Black Poison Frog

Dendrobates auratus - Green and Black Poison Frog

Dendrobates auratus - Green and Black Poison Frog pair

Dendrobates auratus - Green and Black Poison Frog (form found near Carate, Osa - note thin green lines)

Dendrobates pumilio - Strawberry Poison Frog aka Blue Jeans

Dendrobates pumilio - Strawberry Poison Frog aka Blue Jeans

Dendrobates pumilio - Strawberry Poison Frog aka Blue Jeans

Dendrobates pumilio - Strawberry Poison Frog aka Blue Jeans - Habitat shot

Agalychnis callidryas - Red-Eyed Leaf Frog

Agalychnis callidryas - Red-Eyed Leaf Frog - egg mass on leaf overhanging water.

Agalychnis callidryas - Red-Eyed Leaf Frog

Agalychnis callidryas - Red-Eyed Leaf Frog

Agalychnis callidryas - Red-Eyed Leaf Frog

Agalychnis callidryas - Red-Eyed Leaf Frog - newly metamorphosed

Smilisca phaeota - Masked Treefrog

Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni - Fleischmann's Glassfrog

Eleutherodactylus noblei - Noble's Rainfrog

Eleutherodactylus fitzingeri - Fitzinger's Rainfrog

Hyla loquax - Swamp Treefrog

Agalychnis callidryas - Red-Eyed Leaf Frog

Hyla loquax - Swamp Treefrog

Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni - Fleischmann's Glassfrog

Scinax elaeochrous - Olive Tree Frog

Hylomantis lemur - Lemur Leaf Frog

Scinax elaeochrous - Olive Tree Frog

Craugastor rugosus - note mites on face.

Craugastor rugosus

Leptodactylus pentadactylus - Smoky Jungle Frog

Smilisca sordida - Drab Treefrog (Best guess - just hopped along the wall of our balcony one wet night)

Craugastor stejnegerianus

Duellmanohyla rufioculis - Rufous Eyed Treefrog

Bufo marinus - Marine Toad (juvenile)

Dendropsophus ebraccatus - Hourglass Treefrog

Bufo haematiticus - Litter Toad

Bufo marinus - Marine Toad

Diasporus diastema

Craugastor fitzingeri or C. crassidigitus

Craugastor fitzingeri or C. crassidigitus

Bufo marinus - Marine Toad

Rana vaillanti - Vaillant's frog

Craugastor fitzingeri or C. crassidigitus

And now some of the reptiles we saw.

Ameiva festiva - Central American Whiptail

Basiliscus vittatus - Striped Basilisk

Norops lemurinus - Lemur Anole (best guess)

Norops lemurinus - Lemur Anole (best guess)

Ctenosaura similis - Black Iguana

Ctenosaura similis - Black Iguana

Anolis intermedius - Gray Lichen Anole (another guess, feel free to correct)

Iguana iguana - Green Iguana (juvenile)

Iguana iguana - Green Iguana

Basiliscus plumifrons - Green Basilisk

Iguana iguana - Green Iguana

Rhinoclemmys annulata - Brown Wood Turtle

Rhinoclemmys annulata - Brown Wood Turtle

Corytophanes cristatus - Casque-headed Lizard (deceased)

Norops humilis - Ground Anole

Norops humilis - Ground Anole

Gonatodes albogularis - Yellow Headed Gecko

Mastigodryas melanolomus - Salmon Bellied Racer

Bothrops asper - Fer-de-Lance

Bothrops asper - Fer-de-Lance

Oxybelis aeneus - Brown Vine Snake

Pseustes poecilonotus - Bird Eating Snake

Leptophis ahaetulla - Green Parrot Snake

Porthidium nasutum - Hog Nosed Pit Viper

Porthidium nasutum - Hog Nosed Pit Viper

Porthidium nasutum - Hog Nosed Pit Viper

Porthidium nasutum - Hog Nosed Pit Viper

Dendrophidion vinitor - Lowland Forest Racer

 

[Kaysie]

Mark, those are all fantastically lovely pictures! But it seems all your amphibians are lacking tails. You should've brought some climbing gear with you

 

[grius]

Amazing pictures!! and so is the wildlife . A pretty successful trip it looks like.

 

[Molch]

wowsa. Absolutely spectacular. I think if there was a heaven for herp nuts. it would look a lot like Costa Rica.

I remember seeing many of those species there when I spent half a year in 1988 (yes, when I was young). I saw lots of salamneders too, at high elevation, under rocks and roots. Those were Boltioglossa subpalmate I think, and they were definitely not in the trees

 

[Otterwoman]

Absolutely stunning!!

How close did you get to those poisonous snakes??

 

[Mark]

I saw lots of salamneders too, at high elevation, under rocks and roots. Those were Boltioglossa subpalmate I think, and they were definitely not in the trees

I remember you saying this Molch. Our trip was geared around the forests and jungles (OK, and a few beaches for good measure!) so we never made it to the mountains you mentioned. We didn't fancy taking antimalarials so we avoided the mountains in the south entirely. It's a shame, but we had a fantastic time anyway so I'll get over it!

How close did you get to those poisonous snakes??

Quite close, a few feet perhaps. They're nocturnal so they're curled up asleep during the day and rather placid. I think you'd have to poke them with a stick a few times before they got angry. When angry the Fer-de-Lance is apparently a bit unpredictable. We lifted one of the small vipers up using sticks to move it off the path (the one not curled up in the photo), it woke up, but it wasn't aggressive, just a bit bemused. The local guides said it was bad luck to be the 3rd person on the trail - the 1st person that steps on the snake wakes it up, the 2nd person makes it angry and the poor 3rd person gets bitten...

 

[Jan]

Your photograpy is outstanding Mark. You should publish in National Geographic or National Geographic Traveler!

 

[Azhael]

As gorgeous as they all are, i find myself captivated by the B. haematiticus and the L. pentadactylus O_O Your skills as a photographer always impress me, but those two pictures i find trully beautiful!!!
I also find myself torn between the desire of thanking you for such an amazing herping report, and the need to damn you to the seven hells for being so bloody lucky

Very impressive and very inspiring herping, Mark!!

 

[Black leaves]

wow, your picture is amazing... its like you colour the frist 2 frogs by your self... love it...

 

[John]

I completely missed this thread until now. Jaw-droppingly awesome photos, Mark. You saw a ton of stuff. Did you have any help finding these guys? Was it an organized trip? Finding wild pumilio is no mean feat if it's your first time. I love the Fer-de-lance photos. Awesome snake.

Looks like you discovered the joys of ring flash?

 

[Mark]

Thanks John. We booked the whole trip ourselves. In a couple of parks we paid for short guided walks but mainly because some areas of primary forest reserves were restricted without a guide. Guided tours, unless focused specifically on herps, are not ideal for spotting frogs. Your average tourist wants to see birds and mammals. We had much better luck on our own.

Actually pumilio were very abundant and not that difficult to spot especially in La Selva . Even outside the reserve in secondary growth surrounded by farmland they were quite abundant. Auratus had been introduced into La Selva and was also doing very well. In the primary forest there really were times when you had to watch where you put your feet to avoid stepping on little red or green frogs.

I've had the macro-ring for a while now but this was the first time I've used it extensively in the field. I was a little disappointed to be honest. I wish I'd spent the extra cash on a twin lite model. It's fine for small subjects if you just want a nice flat light. It has less control and creative options than I would like. Trying to shoot through glass with it is just pointless so I hardly ever use it indoors.

 

[Molch]

Actually pumilio were very abundant and not that difficult to spot especially in La Selva . Even outside the reserve in secondary growth surrounded by farmland they were quite abundant. Auratus had been introduced into La Selva and was also doing very well. In the primary forest there really were times when you had to watch where you put your feet to avoid stepping on little red or green frogs.
.

y'know, when I was in Costa Rica in 1988 it was like that with the pumilio: you had to watch your step or you'd squash them. The auratus were less abundand but still seen regularly. I'm delighted to hear that over 20 yrs later they are still that common!

 

[tylototriton]

I must have missed this post. Great photos! I absolutely love Costa Rica and it looks like you had a great time.