Bahia Aventuras

Uvita boat and nature tour operator

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You are here: Home / Archives for Captain's Blog

Always improving our services

April 26, 2010 by travis Leave a Comment

Through continuous trainings Bahia Aventuras guides have earned certifications from the Costa Rica National Area of Conservation System known as SINAC.  Although finishing the courses is a great achievement, the Bahia Aventuras team continues to increase their knowledge and skills by participating in different courses and trainings.  One course that the guides are currently participating in is offered by UNED.  The course is composed of 7 modules such as local geography, natural history, tourist legislation, first aid and tourism control and will last approximately 3 months.  Team Bahia Aventuras is always looking for opportunities to learn more in order to continue providing the most responsible and best service in the Uvita-Bahia and Osa area.

Reimer Carnet ACOSA 1RAFA Carnet ACOSA 1

Filed Under: Captain's Blog, Responsible Tourism Tagged With: Bahia Aventuras, Osa, Uvita, Uvita-Bahia

New road for Marino Ballena Park Entrance

April 26, 2010 by bahiaaventuras 1 Comment

PNMB entranceIn the following months the main road to the Marino Ballena National Park will be asphalted.  This new development for the Uvita-Bahia, Osa community brings great joy to boat tour operators and community members alike.  The project starts from the Coastal Highway and ends at the entrance to the marine park.  The project will benefit tourism especially as the road between Quepos and Dominical will bring added tourism to the area.  Community members and tour operators from Uvita-Bahia emphasize that the road must be well equipped with proper speed limit and stop signs so that the road does not become used as a super highway.

Filed Under: Captain's Blog, Uvita Tagged With: boat tour, boat tours, Costa Rica, dominical, tour operators, Uvita

Snorkel the Crystal Blue Waters of Cano Island

April 16, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

Some of the best Costa Rica snorkeling happens to be a short one hour boat cruise from the beautiful towns of Bahia-Uvita, Osa.  The magical place to snorkel is called Cano Island and it offers visitors pristine crystal clear waters to discover mother oceans mysteries.  Explore the world below the oceans surface and become enchanted forever.

Filed Under: Costa Rica Tours Tagged With: Bahia Ballena, best snorkeling, Cano Island, Costa Rica, Osa, snorkeling, Uvita

Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

March 18, 2010 by bahiaaventuras 1 Comment

Turtles -Tortugas Cano Island TourHow did the olive ridley get its name?

Olive ridley sea turtles are named after the olive colored shells that many turtles of this species have.

What do they look like?

Olive ridleys are similar to the Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. The two species are the smallest of all sea turtles. An adult olive ridley sea turtle can weigh up to 100 pounds and is 24-30 inches long. The hatchlings are about 1.5 inches long and weigh several ounces. The carapace varies from olive to grey-brown or grey-black. Hatchlings are greenish-black. The carapace of the olive ridley is usually a rounded heart-shape.

Where do they live?

Olive ridley sea turtles live primarily in the tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. They nest on the Pacific shores of the American tropics, as well as in the Indian Ocean and along the northeast coast of South America.

How long do they live?

It is unknown how long olive ridleys live, but like other sea turtles, they are likely long-lived.

What do they eat?

Olive ridley sea turtles eat crabs, shrimp, rock lobsters, and jellyfish. These make up their main diet in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans. There are data indicating that olive ridleys in other parts of the world eat mainly algae.

What is an “arribada”?

Arribada is the Spanish word for arrival. It is used to describe the mass nesting of olive ridley sea turtles. Nesting in large groups may be a defense against predators or a result of environmental factors influencing nesting. With many turtles coming ashore together and many nests subsequently hatching at the same time, it may help them to reduce predation. However, an arribada also makes the species susceptible to massive harvests by men, or natural disasters that could kill thousands of sea turtles at one time. Scientists do not know exactly what conditions bring all the sea turtles ashore to nest. Possibilities include moon or tide phases, and climate or weather conditions.

When and where do females lay their eggs?Sea Turtle

Female Olive ridley sea turtles are able to lay eggs between 10 and 15 years of age. A female olive ridley will nest at night 1-3 times per season. Female sea turtles always return to the beach where they were born, their natal beach, to lay their eggs. The olive ridley sea turtle nesting season ranges worldwide from June to December, with the peak period in September and October.

There are several important arribada beaches along the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, and especially in Costa Rica. There are also important sites in the Indian Ocean and in the South Atlantic Ocean. Females clear the sand with their front flippers, dig an egg chamber with their rear flippers, lay 100-110 eggs, and then use their front flippers to cover the entire area with sand. The eggs incubate for approximately 55 days before they hatch.

Who are their predators?

Hatchlings are much more susceptible to predators than adults. Crabs and raccoons feed on the hatchlings when they first emerge from their nests and fish and seabirds are a threat to hatchlings in the water. Very few hatchlings will survive to adulthood. Sharks are the principal predators of adult sea turtles, and their long flippers are especially vulnerable. Man is also a predator of the olive ridley turtle.

How many are there?

Prior to the time when sea turtles were hunted for their meat, eggs and leather, it is estimated that there may have been as many as 10,000,000 olive ridleys in the Pacific Ocean. Today the population is greatly reduced from historical times.

Why are they in trouble?

Humans have heavily exploited olive ridley sea turtles. They are killed for their meat and leather, and their eggs are collected off the beaches before they even hatch. The historic olive ridley fishery in Mexico was the largest turtle fishery in the world, with turtle products sold to Japan for high prices. Olive ridley sea turtles are often caught in shrimp trawls, longlines, and gill nets and drown because they cannot make it back up to the surface to breathe. Other problems include pollution and the loss of their nesting habitat as beaches become more developed. In the Eastern Tropical Pacific olive ridleys have been observed entangled in the debris that accumu- lates in weed lines. Sea turtles can also confuse trash and debris for food, and this can cause injury or even death. One surprising threat to sea turtles is the balloons that people let go. These balloons often float over the ocean before popping, and sea turtles can choke on the pieces of the balloon that fall into the water.

What can you do to help sea turtles?

It is possible for anyone to help support sea turtle conservation. You can help participate in beach cleanups or attend a public sea turtle walk. You can do a presentation on turtles for a class to raise awareness, adopt a turtle, or follow a sea turtle telemetry project. You can help just by remembering not to release balloons or throw trash into the ocean. You can help spread the word to your family and friends that sea turtles are an important part of our environment and should be protected.

*Adapted from: NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service – For educational purposes only

Filed Under: Marine Education Tagged With: olive ridley sea turtles, olive ridley turtle, sea turtle, sea turtles, turtle, turtles

Cruise with us!

March 17, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

The Bahia Aventuras I is a 2008 boat design complimented with a 2008 Suzuki 250HP that allows for comfort and style when navigating. It has 14 individual seats and accomadates any of our tours; a 4 person Private Sportfishing Tour to a 14-passenger Bahia Aventuras Combo Tour. The boat is great for whale watching, snorkeling trips to Cano Island, nature tours to Corcovado National Park, sport fishing, bird watching tours through the mangroves, dolphin encounters, and just cruising the beautiful Marino Ballena National Park in Uvita-Bahia Ballena, located in the south pacific near the osa peninsula of Costa Rica.

Filed Under: Costa Rica Tours Tagged With: Bahia Aventuras, Bahia Ballena, Cano Island, corcovado national park, corcovado national park tour, Costa Rica, dolphin encounters, Marino Ballena National Park, Osa, osa peninsula, snorkeling, sport fishing, Uvita, whale watching

Bahia Aventuras earns a spot in Costa Rica Spirits Magazine

March 17, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

Costa Rica Spirits

Bahia Aventuras gains fame in the March 2010 Edition of the bi-lingual German – English travel magazine Costa Rica Spirits.  The issue focuses on Costa Rica’s beautiful places and the articles about the southern pacific region-from Costa Ballena to the Corcovado National park-exemplify that the area is one of the best places in Costa Rica to visit.  One unique place to spend your vacation is Uvita-Bahia Ballena where Bahia Aventuras operates it’s whale watching,  dolphin encounters, sportfishing, corcovado national park, snorkeling and visits to Cano Island.  With operations expanding Bahia Aventuras will soon be offering diving, surfing and kayaking to make it the ONE STOP SHOP for all your marine tour needs.  Come visit us in Uvita-Bahia Ballena!

Filed Under: Captain's Blog Tagged With: Bahia Aventuras, Bahia Ballena, corcovado national park, Costa Rica, diving, dolphin encounters, snorkeling, sportfishing, surfing, Uvita, whale watching

Frequently asked questions

March 10, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

Answers to Commonly Asked Questions Whales & Dolphins
Q. Is it guaranteed that I will see whales and dolphins?
A. Bahia Aventuras is located in the south pacific of Costa Rica near the Osa Peninsula.  Our tours are focused in and around the Marino Ballena National Park, one of the most cetacean-rich areas in all of Costa Rica.  Visitors have the opportunity to see a wide variety of different species from humpback whales to bottlenose dolphins as well as sea turtles, manta rays, sea birds and other marine life.  We could never guarantee 100% that visitors will have encounters with whales and dolphins as they are not held in captivity.  The beauty of the Marino Ballena National Park is that we do encounter whales and dolphins about 95% of our outings during the whale season which stretches from mid July and October, and again in December through March, as they migrate to and from feeding and mating grounds in the north and south hemisphere.  We recommend that you plan two different tours and get your 10% discount with us to see the widest range of behaviors, species and opportunities for close encounters with the amazing marine life the area has to offer.
Q. What can I expect to see?
A. We can never offer 100% guarantee of encounters with wild animals.   However the following list is to be used as a guide to what we commonly see throughout the year.  This list is based on the areas past years of recorded sightings:
January: Spotted Dolphins, Humpback Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins,  Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins
February: Spotted Dolphins, Humpback Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins
March: Spotted Dolphins, Humpback Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales, Beaked Whales
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins
April: Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pilot Whales
Occasional: Humpback Whales, Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas
May: Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Common Dolphins, Pilot Whales
June: Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins
Occasional: Humpback Whales, Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales,
July: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins,  Common Dolphins
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales
August: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Pilot Whales
September: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales
October: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphin
Occasional: Orcas,  Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Pilot Whales
November: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins
Occasional: Orcas, Sei Whales, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pilot Whales
December: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pilot Whales
Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins
Q. Can I swim with whales and dolphins?
A. Swimming with whales and dolphins is illegal in Costa Rica.  Also illegal is keeping whales and dolphins in captivity, not following legal practices for sightings and encounters and hunting.  We encourage other companies to also follow best practices for marine tourism and not put too much stress and disruption on the whales and dolphins natural behaviors.  By following best practices for marine tourism we can avoid causing     constant disruption to their feeding, resting, nursing and other behaviors that might impact the health and well being of entire populations of whales and dolphins. Whale watching and dolphin encounters from our boats are powerful experiences that ignite a feeling of true awe! By viewing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat from our boat, you can start to explore  their world while minimizing the disruption to their natural behaviors.
Q. When is the best time to come?
A. Anytime is a good time to come to Uvita-Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica and visit the Marino Ballena National Park.  The “high tourist season-dry season” in Costa Rica is considered to be mid-November through April due to little or no rain. However, our tours continue year-round! Please remember that the whale season stretches from mid July through October, and again in December through March.  As for the dolphins, they are always here!  Many visitors enjoy coming during the “low season-rainy season” as there are less people and everything is green and blooming.
Q. What is the water and air temperature?
A. The water temperature is always between 82-85 degrees (perfect!) and air temperature stays in the low to mid 80’s.

Q. Is it guaranteed that I will see whales and dolphins?

A. Bahia Aventuras is located in the south pacific of Costa Rica near the Osa Peninsula.  Our tours are focused in and around the Marino Ballena National Park, one of the most cetacean-rich areas in all of Costa Rica.  Visitors have the opportunity to see a wide variety of different species from humpback whales to bottlenose dolphins as well as sea turtles, manta rays, sea birds and other marine life.  We could never guarantee 100% that visitors will have encounters with whales and dolphins as they are not held in captivity.  The beauty of the Marino Ballena National Park is that we do encounter whales and dolphins about 95% of our outings during the whale season which stretches from mid July and October, and again in December through March, as they migrate to and from feeding and mating grounds in the north and south hemisphere.  We recommend that you plan two different tours and get your 10% discount with us to see the widest range of behaviors, species and opportunities for close encounters with the amazing marine life the area has to offer.

Q. What can I expect to see?

A. We can never offer 100% guarantee of encounters with wild animals.   However the following list is to be used as a guide to what we commonly see throughout the year.  This list is based on the areas past years of recorded sightings:

January: Spotted Dolphins, Humpback Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins,  Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales

Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins

February: Spotted Dolphins, Humpback Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales

Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins

March: Spotted Dolphins, Humpback Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales, Beaked Whales

Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins

April: Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pilot Whales

Occasional: Humpback Whales, Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas

May: Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins

Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Common Dolphins, Pilot Whales

June: Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins

Occasional: Humpback Whales, Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales,

July: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins,  Common Dolphins

Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales

August: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins

Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Pilot Whales

September: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins

Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Pilot Whales

October: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphin

Occasional: Orcas,  Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Pilot Whales

November: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins

Occasional: Orcas, Sei Whales, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins, Pilot Whales

December: Humpback Whales, Spotted Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Pseudo Orcas, Spinner Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Pilot Whales

Occasional: Orcas, Brydes Whales, Rissos Dolphins

Q. Can I swim with whales and dolphins?

A. Swimming with whales and dolphins is illegal in Costa Rica.  Also illegal is keeping whales and dolphins in captivity, not following legal practices for sightings and encounters and hunting.  We encourage other companies to also follow best practices for marine tourism and not put too much stress and disruption on the whales and dolphins natural behaviors.  By following best practices for marine tourism we can avoid causing     constant disruption to their feeding, resting, nursing and other behaviors that might impact the health and well being of entire populations of whales and dolphins. Whale watching and dolphin encounters from our boats are powerful experiences that ignite a feeling of true awe! By viewing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat from our boat, you can start to explore  their world while minimizing the disruption to their natural behaviors.

Q. When is the best time to come?

A. Anytime is a good time to come to Uvita-Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica and visit the Marino Ballena National Park.  The “high tourist season-dry season” in Costa Rica is considered to be mid-November through April due to little or no rain. However, our tours continue year-round! Please remember that the whale season stretches from mid July through October, and again in December through March.  As for the dolphins, they are always here!  Many visitors enjoy coming during the “low season-rainy season” as there are less people and everything is green and blooming.

Q. What is the water and air temperature?

A. The water temperature is always between 82-85 degrees (perfect!) and air temperature stays in the low to mid 80’s.

Filed Under: Captain's Blog Tagged With: Bahia Aventuras, Bahia Ballena, boat tours, bottlenose dolphin, byrdes whale, common dolphin, Costa Rica, dolphin encounters, dolphins, humpback whale, Marino Ballena National Park, Osa, osa peninsula, spinner dolphin, spotted dolphin, whales

Baird’s tapir in Corcovado National Park

February 13, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

Baird’s TAPIR
Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is a species of tapir that is native to Central America and northern South America. It is one of three Latin American species of tapir.
It is a large browsing mammal, roughly pig-like in shape, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia and in Costa Rica can be found in the tropical rainforest of Corcovado National Park, often times near the river banks and ocean shores.  . There are four species of Tapirs, being the Brazilian tapir, the Malayan tapir, Baird’s tapir and the mountain tapir. All four species of tapir are classified as endangered or vulnerable. Their closest relatives are the other odd-toed ungulates, including horses and rhinoceroses.
The Baird’s Tapir has a distinctive cream-colored marking on its face and throat and a dark spot on each cheek, behind and below the eye. The rest of its hair is dark brown or grayish-brown. The animal is the largest of the three American species and, in fact, the largest land mammal found in the wild from Mexico to South America. Baird’s Tapirs usually grow to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length and 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in height, and adults weigh 240–400 kilograms (530–880 lb). Like the other species of tapir, they have small stubby tails and long, flexible proboscises. They have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot.
The gestation period is approximately 400 days, after which one offspring is born (multiple births are extremely rare). The babies, as with all species of tapir, have reddish-brown hair with white spots and stripes, a camouflage which affords them excellent protection in the dappled light of the forest. This pattern eventually fades into the adult coloration. For the first week of their lives, infant Baird’s Tapirs are hidden in secluded locations while their mothers forage for food and return periodically to nurse them, but after this time, the young follow their mothers on feeding expeditions. At three weeks of age, the young are able to swim. Weaning occurs after one year, and sexual maturity is usually reached six to twelve months later. Baird’s Tapirs can live for over thirty years.

Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is a species of tapir that is native to Central America and northern South America. It is one of three Latin American species of tapir.

It is a large browsing mammal, roughly pig-like in shape, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia and in Costa Rica can be found in the tropical rainforest of Corcovado National Park, often times near the river banks and ocean shores.  . There are four species of Tapirs, being the Brazilian tapir, the Malayan tapir, Baird’s tapir and the mountain tapir. All four species of tapir are classified as endangered or vulnerable. Their closest relatives are the other odd-toed ungulates, including horses and rhinoceroses.

The Baird’s Tapir has a distinctive cream-colored marking on its face and throat and a dark spot on each cheek, behind and below the eye. The rest of its hair is dark brown or grayish-brown. The animal is the largest of the three American species and, in fact, the largest land mammal found in the wild from Mexico to South America. Baird’s Tapirs usually grow to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length and 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in height, and adults weigh 240–400 kilograms (530–880 lb). Like the other species of tapir, they have small stubby tails and long, flexible proboscises. They have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot.

The gestation period is approximately 400 days, after which one offspring is born (multiple births are extremely rare). The babies, as with all species of tapir, have reddish-brown hair with white spots and stripes, a camouflage which affords them excellent protection in the dappled light of the forest. This pattern eventually fades into the adult coloration. For the first week of their lives, infant Baird’s Tapirs are hidden in secluded locations while their mothers forage for food and return periodically to nurse them, but after this time, the young follow their mothers on feeding expeditions. At three weeks of age, the young are able to swim. Weaning occurs after one year, and sexual maturity is usually reached six to twelve months later. Baird’s Tapirs can live for over thirty years.

Filed Under: Costa Rica Tours Tagged With: corcovado national park, corcovado national park tour, corcovado park, Costa Rica, Osa, osa peninsula

Green and black poison dart frog in Corcovado National Park

February 13, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

Green and black poison dart frog
The green and black poison dart frog, (Dendrobates auratus) is a brightly-colored member of the order Anura and is a native to Costa Rica.  It is commonly seen in the Osa Peninsula and the Corcovado National park during the Bahia Aventuras Corcovado Tour.  They are usually found on the floor of the rain forest and prefer locations near small streams or pools.
The adults are approximately 4 cm long and have a fused head and trunk with no tail.  Another important physical characteristic is the poison glands located throughout the surface of their body. Their bright colors are believed to encourage predators with color vision to avoid the frogs. The boldly contrasting patterns may be aposematic to predators that lack color vision, although this has not been proven.  They are diurnal, and are seldom still during the day, constantly searching for food and taking care of young.  They also have distinctive hopping motions.

The green and black poison dart frog, (Dendrobates auratus) is a brightly-colored member of the order Anura and is a native to Costa Rica.  It is commonly seen in the Osa Peninsula and the Corcovado National park during the Bahia Aventuras Corcovado Tour.  They are usually found on the floor of the rain forest and prefer locations near small streams or pools.

The adults are approximately 4 cm long and have a fused head and trunk with no tail.  Another important physical characteristic is the poison glands located throughout the surface of their body. Their bright colors are believed to encourage predators with color vision to avoid the frogs. The boldly contrasting patterns may be aposematic to predators that lack color vision, although this has not been proven.  They are diurnal, and are seldom still during the day, constantly searching for food and taking care of young.  They also have distinctive hopping motions.

Filed Under: Costa Rica Tours Tagged With: corcovado national park, corcovado national park tour, Costa Rica, green and black poison dart frog, Osa, osa peninsula, poison dart frog

Ant eater “Oso Hormiguero” in Corcovado National Park

February 13, 2010 by bahiaaventuras Leave a Comment

The Ant eater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), often reffered to in spanish as Oso hormiguero, litrally, “anteating bear”, is an animal measuring up to 2.4 meters (8 feet) in length, excluding the tail, and up to 1.2 meter (4 foot) in height at the shoulder. It has a long, thin head with a large bushy tail. Its color is gray, with a broad black band, bordered with white, starting on the chest, and passing over the shoulder.  Giant Anteaters are sometimes mistaken for bears because of their claws and bushy fur. It is also a very solitary animal and very easy to observe during the Corcovado National Park Tour.
Its food mainly consists of termites, which it obtains by opening nests with its powerful sharp claws. As the insects swarm to the damaged part of their dwelling, it draws them into its mouth by means of its long, flexible, rapidly moving tongue covered with sticky saliva. Their tongue can be flicked up to 150-160 times or more per minute. A full-grown giant Anteater eats upwards of 30,000 ants and termites a day.They also have small spikes on their tongue that help keep the ants and other insects on the tongue while they get swept into the anteaters mouth.
The Ant eaters frequent the low swampy savannas, along the banks of rivers, and the depths of the humid forests in the Corcovado National Park.
The two Anteaters of the genus Tamandua, the Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) and the Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana), are much smaller than the Giant Anteater, and differ essentially from it in their habits, being mainly arboreal. They inhabit the dense primeval forests of South and Central America. The usual colour is yellowish-white, with a broad black lateral band, covering nearly the whole of the side of the body.

The Ant eater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), often reffered to in spanish as Oso hormiguero, litrally, “anteating bear”, is an animal measuring up to 2.4 meters (8 feet) in length, excluding the tail, and up to 1.2 meter (4 foot) in height at the shoulder. It has a long, thin head with a large bushy tail. Its color is gray, with a broad black band, bordered with white, starting on the chest, and passing over the shoulder.  Giant Anteaters are sometimes mistaken for bears because of their claws and bushy fur. It is also a very solitary animal and very easy to observe during the Corcovado National Park Tour.

Its food mainly consists of termites, which it obtains by opening nests with its powerful sharp claws. As the insects swarm to the damaged part of their dwelling, it draws them into its mouth by means of its long, flexible, rapidly moving tongue covered with sticky saliva. Their tongue can be flicked up to 150-160 times or more per minute. A full-grown giant Anteater eats upwards of 30,000 ants and termites a day.They also have small spikes on their tongue that help keep the ants and other insects on the tongue while they get swept into the anteaters mouth.

The Ant eaters frequent the low swampy savannas, along the banks of rivers, and the depths of the humid forests in the Corcovado National Park.

The two Anteaters of the genus Tamandua, the Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) and the Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana), are much smaller than the Giant Anteater, and differ essentially from it in their habits, being mainly arboreal. They inhabit the dense primeval forests of South and Central America. The usual colour is yellowish-white, with a broad black lateral band, covering nearly the whole of the side of the body.

Filed Under: Costa Rica Tours Tagged With: corcovado national park, corcovado national park tour, corcovado park, Costa Rica, Osa, osa peninsula

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