One of the strangest things I saw in Costa Rica had to do with something close to home, almost.
In Manuel Antonio while eating lunch we saw a cat darting across the ground with something in his mouth. My brain was trained to see a mouse or a tiny rodent hanging from his teeth, but instead I saw something more slender, something with long, thin appendages, something that was green. That cat caught a lizard in his mouth and when I finally realized it I was jolted out of the familiar and thrown back into the reality that I was not in Boston anymore.
Being in Costa Rica and seeing so much wildlife that I had never experienced was new, exciting and amazing. Everything was so different though, that whatever I saw I wasn’t too surprised. But, as I ate my rice and beans with a plantain, that cat was eating a lizard and I was reminded that more than just people are shaped by their surroundings.
Of course, when it came to wildlife, that wasn’t the most exciting thing we saw. We also came across…
A Sloth. On our tour of the National Park in Manuel Antonio our tour guide took my little camera and placed it in the lens of his spotting scope to get that up close picture. We saw so many sloths, but no picture was captured that well.
A Macaw. While at a rest stop between Arenal and Manuel Antonio we were lucky enough to spot this guy and his friends taking a rest themselves.
A Laughing Falcon. This bird was in the National Park at Manuel Antonio. He gets his name from the sound he makes – it sounds like laughter.
A Snake. I forget what kind of snake this is- all I know is that I was thankful I was standing much farther away than it seems from this photo.
A White Faced Monkey. I thought I was going to go the entire trip without seeing one. But on our last day, right outside of our room, we finally saw about a dozen running around.
A Lizard. This guy greeted us every time we came back to our room in Manuel Antonio. He kept his eye on us every time we passed. I was scared of him at first, but at times he would scurry away when we got close. When I realized that he was just as scared of me as I was of him, he became endearing, cute even.
A Toucan. This was from a distance by the Arenal Volcano.
What is the strangest animal encounter you’ve ever had?
Bravo on the photos, they look so good. It’s amazing how many animals that we find exotic are probably taken for granted by the locals because they see them everyday. I saw a black bear a few weeks ago up Maine, that was cool. Also this summer I had a bull moose charge at my truck up in the middle of nowhere near the Canada-Maine border, that was cool but scary because it was taller than the truck.
the lizard in the cat’s mouth is pretty funny!
i guess the craziest things i’ve ever seen in the wild are black bears which i see ALL the time at home or rattlesnakes. nothing too crazy for the northeast! and in my european adventures i was mainly in cities, so nothing there.
Awesome photos! I especially love the laughing falcon.
My favorite, although maybe not crazy, animal moment was in Ireland on our honeymoon. We went to the Fota Wildlife Preserve where not all the animals are enclosed, including llamas and wallabies! One llama took a liking to me and got up close and personal with me and my camera. Those things are really big when they’re 6 inches from your face! And later I stood next to a wallaby! So fun.
wow, you guys got so lucky! great shots of the wildlife:)
Happy New Year and I love reading about your adventure!
I want to go to Costa Rica so bad. These are great photos!
Gosh, these picutres are really amazing.
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wow, great photos! I’ve been thinking of taking a trip to Costa Rica myself, which is how I came across your site… Any advice for someone who is wanting to travel there but has never been before?
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