Costa Rica has long been celebrated for its extraordinary biodiversity, dedicating a significant portion of its national budget to conserving and protecting its rich flora and fauna. Over a quarter of the country’s land is safeguarded within a network of wildlife refuges, national parks, national and biological reserves, marine sanctuaries, and conservation areas. This commitment underscores Costa Rica’s global reputation as a leader in environmental preservation.
Despite these extensive efforts and protected lands, the nation’s wildlife faces ongoing challenges. Deforestation and illegal hunting continue to pose serious threats, leading to the extinction of some species. Additionally, factors such as road accidents and electrocutions contribute significantly to wildlife mortality, placing several species at critical risk of joining the list of those lost forever from Costa Rica’s unique ecosystem. Understanding the plight of these vulnerable creatures and the dangers they face is crucial for effective conservation. It’s also important to be aware of the potential dangers one might encounter, which you can learn more about in articles like deadliest animals in costa rica. This article highlights 10 species currently in danger and explores how individuals can contribute to keeping Costa Rica’s abundant biodiversity thriving.
The Plight of Costa Rica’s Endangered Species
While conservation areas provide vital refuge, many species require larger, interconnected habitats that are increasingly fragmented by human development. This section details some of the most critically threatened animals calling Costa Rica home, outlining their characteristics and the specific dangers leading to their decline.
Squirrel Monkey (Tití)
Saimiri oerstedii
Family: Cebidae
The Squirrel Monkey is the smallest primate species found in Costa Rica, inhabiting both primary and secondary forests. These agile creatures primarily feed on insects and berries. Their body length is approximately 75 cm, with the tail accounting for about 40 cm of that length. The subspecies found on the Osa Peninsula typically exhibits a yellowish-reddish coat with black around the face and a prehensile tail, which aids in navigating branches. Those in Manuel Antonio National Park tend to have grey crowns.
Squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii) in a Costa Rican forest
The most endangered populations are located near Manuel Antonio in the Parrita and Quepos areas, as well as Potrero Grande in Buenos Aires. Another subspecies is found in the southern region, particularly around Puerto Jiménez on the Osa Peninsula.
Threats
The main threats to the Squirrel Monkey are deforestation, which destroys their habitat, and the illegal pet trade. Their small size and “cute” appearance make them attractive to those seeking exotic pets, driving poaching and trafficking. This species is listed in Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), prohibiting international trade.
Baird’s Tapir (Danta)
Tapirus bairdii
Family: Tapiridae
The Baird’s Tapir, known locally as the Danta, is the largest terrestrial mammal in Costa Rica. Though shy and difficult to spot in the wild, their large footprints and horse-like dung are easily identifiable. Their diet consists of leaves, fruits, buds, and seeds, though their exact feeding habits are not fully understood.
Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) walking through vegetation in Corcovado National Park
Tapirs have robust bodies, strong legs with large hooves, and sparse brown fur with a lighter belly. Young tapirs have distinctive white spots that fade with maturity. A unique feature is their long, flexible upper lip resembling a small trunk. Adults can weigh between 150 and 300 kg. Despite their size, they move through the forest with surprising ease and can be fiercely protective of their young. Tapirs hold significant cultural importance, considered a holy animal and deity by the BriBri people, one of Costa Rica’s prominent indigenous groups. They range from Mexico down to Panama and can be found in various Costa Rican parks and reserves including Rincon de la Vieja, Arenal-Monteverde, Braulio Carrillo, Corcovado, Tortuguero, and La Amistad Biosphere Reserve.
Threats
The primary predators of the Tapir are jaguars and humans. Habitat destruction through deforestation and poaching pose significant threats to their survival.
Jaguar
Panthera once
Family: Felidae
The Jaguar is the largest carnivore found in Costa Rica. Characterized by a robust body, short legs, strong claws, a short tail, and small rounded ears, these muscular cats have short, yellow fur marked with distinctive black rosettes. Adult males typically weigh 64 to 100 kg, while females weigh 45 to 80 kg. Jaguars possess excellent sight and smell, often hunting near rivers. While they favor peccaries and mountain hogs, their diet is diverse, including deer, monkeys, birds, fish, turtles, and iguanas.
Jaguar (Panthera once) resting on a branch in a Talamanca forest
Historically, Jaguars inhabited the entire Costa Rican territory. Today, their populations are restricted to large forested areas like Guanacaste National Park, the Arenal-Monteverde complex, Tortuguero, Barra del Colorado, Corcovado, and the La Amistad Biosphere Reserve in the Talamanca mountain range. Their shy and elusive nature makes spotting them in the wild exceptionally rare.
Threats
Jaguars are primarily threatened by poaching, often for their fur, and the destruction of their habitat caused by fires and deforestation.
Geoffrey’s Spider Monkey
Ateles geoffroyi
Family: Cebidae
Geoffrey’s Spider Monkeys are known for their complex vocalizations used for communication within their groups and marking territory. Their diet mainly consists of fruits, tender leaves, flowers, insects, and small vertebrates. Infants are nursed for up to a year.
Geoffrey’s Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) in the treetops of a Costa Rican forest
These monkeys have small heads, slender bodies, and long limbs. Their tail is particularly notable, exceeding the combined length of their head and body and used as a fifth limb. Adults can weigh over eight kilos. Fur color varies greatly between subspecies, ranging from blonde or reddish to dark black. Spider monkeys are diurnal and strictly arboreal, moving swiftly through the canopy using their long limbs and tails. Their original distribution in Costa Rica spanned all forest types up to 2000 meters. Currently, they are found in national parks such as Santa Rosa, Rincon de la Vieja, Palo Verde, Tortuguero, Barra del Colorado, Corcovado, and the La Amistad Biosphere Reserve.
Threats
Their main predators are the harpy eagle and humans, who hunt them for food. Habitat destruction through deforestation also significantly threatens their existence.
Mantled Howler Monkey
Alowatta palliate
Family: Cebidae
Howler Monkey groups typically consist of five to thirty individuals, with adult males, females, and infants. Their diet is primarily leaves, tender branches, flowers, and fruits from various trees like ojoche, medlar, and mountain almond.
Howler Monkey (Alowatta palliate) in a tree in Rincon de la Vieja National Park
Distinctive features include a large head, a silky beard on adult males, and a heavy, compact body ranging from 60 to 62 cm in length and weighing 15 to 25 pounds. Their color varies from bright black to reddish-brown. They are easily recognizable by their powerful bellows, amplified by their specialized hyoid bone, which can be heard over long distances. Howler Monkeys inhabit areas from Paraguay to Guatemala. In Costa Rica, they are mainly found in Guanacaste, from sea level up to 1,600 meters, living entirely in the treetops of primary or secondary forests. Each group occupies a defined territory depending on food availability.
Threats
Threats include large wild cats and humans. Deforestation is a major cause of habitat loss, directly impacting their survival.
White-faced Capuchin Monkey
Cebus capucinus
Family: Cebidae
Also known as the Cariblanco, this intelligent and agile monkey is one of the most frequently observed primates in Costa Rica’s protected areas. Their diet is diverse, including fruits like guava, fig, and jocote, as well as insects such as cicadas, grasshoppers, and beetles. Occasionally, they also consume small vertebrates like lizards and mammals.
White-faced Capuchin Monkey (Cebus capucinus) in Braulio Carrillo National Park forest
Their name, Capuchin monkey, comes from their coat pattern resembling a Capuchin monk’s habit: cream or yellowish hair around the face, neck, chest, and shoulders, with the rest of the fur being black. They have a pink face and a long black prehensile tail, longer than their head and body combined (around 45 cm). White-faced monkeys weigh between 1.4 and 4.3 kg, with males being larger. They are diurnal and travel in noisy groups, sometimes exceeding 30 individuals. They inhabit various ecosystems, including dry tropical forests, humid forests, mature secondary forests, and mangroves, found in parks like Guanacaste, Palo Verde, Santa Rosa, Manuel Antonio, Carara, Braulio Carrillo, Tortuguero, and Corcovado. Their range extends from Honduras to Colombia and Ecuador.
Threats
Deforestation is their primary threat. Due to their intelligence, they are also poached and traded illegally as pets.
Ocelot
Leopardus pardalis
Family: Felidae
The Ocelot is a medium-sized wild cat with a small head and short tail. Its short, matte gray fur is marked with distinct brown spots bordered by a black band, with elongated spots on the back and neck. The tail has black spots, ending in a black tip. Their ears are black with a prominent white spot. Some individuals can weigh up to 12 kg.
Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) camouflaged in the undergrowth of a Costa Rican forest
Ocelots hunt primarily on the forest floor but are also skilled climbers. Their diet includes small and medium-sized mammals, birds, iguanas, frogs, fish, and turtles. Occasionally, they may prey on domestic animals. Ocelots are nocturnal, resting in high tree branches during the day. Their range extends from the southern United States to Paraguay. In Costa Rica, they are found in large wooded areas including Guanacaste National Park, Palo Verde, the Arenal-Monteverde complex, Tortuguero, Barra del Colorado, Corcovado, the La Amistad Biosphere Reserve, Tenorio, Rincón de la Vieja, and Braulio Carrillo.
Threats
Major threats include habitat loss due to deforestation and illegal hunting, often for their fur.
Giant Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla
Family: Myrmecophagidae
As its name suggests, the Giant Anteater’s diet consists mainly of ants and termites, accessed by breaking open nests with their powerful front claws. They are known to travel significant distances (up to 11 km) in a single night foraging for food.
Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) foraging in Palo Verde, Costa Rica
These animals have a long, tubular snout and a thick, horse-like tail. Their legs are relatively short, and their eyes and ears are very small. They possess a distinctive cylindrical tongue. Adults typically weigh between 25 and 30 kg. When threatened, they defend themselves by standing on their hind legs and displaying their formidable front claws. Giant Anteaters are found from Guatemala down to Argentina, but they are now extremely rare in Central America, including Costa Rica, where they face imminent danger of extinction. Recent sightings have been reported primarily in Corcovado and the San Ramón Forest Reserve. They inhabit tropical forests, swamps, and wooded savannas.
Threats
The main dangers to their existence are poaching and habitat loss. It is feared the species may disappear from Costa Rica before their ecology and behavior are fully understood.
White-lipped Peccary (Wild Boar)
Tayassu pecari
Family: Tayassuidae
The White-lipped Peccary, often called a Wild Boar, resembles a pig but with a bulkier head, shorter legs, and a short tail. Their body is covered in rough grayish fur, with white markings on the nose, lips, and cheeks. The average body length is 125 cm, reaching a weight of 40 kg, with no significant size difference between sexes. They prefer hot and humid forests, foraging for roots, fallen fruits, herbs, and insects by rooting in the ground with their snouts.
Wild Boar (Tayassu pecari) in the dense Corcovado rainforest
When confronted by predators like dogs used by hunters, peccary herds tend to stay together and may aggressively counter-attack in pairs before returning to the group. Historically, White-lipped Peccaries were found in Costa Rica from sea level up to 1500 meters. Today, only small herds survive in Tortuguero and Corcovado National Parks. Their continued presence in the Guanacaste mountain range volcanoes is uncertain.
Threats
Their main predators are jaguars and humans. Hunting, particularly with dogs, and significant habitat loss due to deforestation are major threats. They require large tracts of primary forest to survive, making them particularly vulnerable.
Manatee
Trichechus manatus
Family: Trichechidae
The Manatee is a large aquatic mammal, weighing between 200 and 600 kg. While somewhat social, the most enduring bond is between mother and calf, lasting one to two years. They have small eyes and rounded, fleshy lips. Manatees are herbivores, feeding on various underwater plants and typically submerging for 4 to 5 minutes at a time.
Manatee (Trichechus manatus) swimming in the waters near Barra del Colorado, Costa Rica
They are primarily found in rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters from Florida to Brazil. In Costa Rica, they were historically common in the San Juan, Sarapiquí, and San Carlos rivers, the Tortuguero Canals, and the Gandoca region estuaries. Today, these endangered mammals are primarily found in Tortuguero National Park, certain canals of the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge, and Gandoca Manzanillo.
Threats
Humans are the only known predator of the Manatee. Although sharks and crocodiles share some habitats, they rarely prey on manatees. Water pollution poses a significant threat to their survival. Manatees are a legally protected species in Costa Rica.
Extinction, Conservation, and Community Action
The expansion of agriculture and tourism in Costa Rica has historically led to the clearing of vast forest areas. Neglect, unsustainable tourism practices, unchecked development driven by greed, while benefiting a few, ultimately harm the most vulnerable: wild animals. Fortunately, considerable efforts are being made by the Costa Rican government and various organizations to protect the nation’s remaining biodiversity.
Costa Rica’s positive stance towards conservation and environmental sustainability has positioned it as a leader in conservation. The Costa Rican people are often deeply committed to ensuring their diverse natural resources are preserved.
How You Can Help
Individuals can play a vital role in supporting conservation efforts in Costa Rica. Funding various conservation programs directly contributes to protecting, restoring, and sustaining forests, like those on the Osa Peninsula, for future generations. Organizations such as Kids Saving The Rainforest and the Corcovado Foundation offer programs that enable you to contribute to conserving Costa Rica’s natural resources. Your support and donations are invaluable to the success of these important initiatives.
Supporting ecotourism is another impactful way to help. Staying at eco-hotels that are designed and operated to respect the natural surroundings and minimize disruption to the ecosystem offers a valuable and meaningful experience while promoting ethical tourism practices. These establishments ensure that your visit benefits conservation.
Volunteers from Kids Saving The Rainforest planting trees in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Combining conservation work with travel is also possible through conservation expeditions. These programs offer volunteers the opportunity to experience the beauty of Costa Rica firsthand while actively participating in protecting its wildlife and habitats. Next time you plan a trip, make sure the businesses you choose to support share a strong commitment to a brighter future for Costa Rica and its incredible wildlife.
Conclusion
Costa Rica’s dedication to conservation has created vital protected areas, yet its endangered animals face persistent threats from habitat loss, illegal hunting, and human-induced dangers. The survival of iconic species like the Tapir, Jaguar, and various monkeys, as well as the lesser-known Anteater, Peccary, and Manatee, depends on continued, proactive conservation efforts. By supporting reputable organizations, engaging in responsible ecotourism, and contributing to conservation programs, individuals can make a tangible difference in safeguarding Costa Rica’s invaluable biodiversity for future generations.
