The Costa Rica News (TCRN) – Forming the land bridge between the North and American continents, Costa Rica is a bio-geographical corridor brimming with life, mystical landscapes and stunning natural wonders. About the size of West Virginia, this mountainous, rain forest country boasts an incredible 500,000 different species, almost five percent of all plant, insect marine and terrestrial wildlife species on Earth. Costa Rica has approximately 30% of its land protected in National parks, wildlife reserves and conservation areas.
In a recent report from the National Biodiversity Strategy of Costa Rica, it was revealed that 5,000 new species of animals and plants have been discovered and registered from 2011 to 2013. Another report in 2013, from Zookeys Journal detailed an amazing 277 new species of wasp were found in Costa Rica.
There are an estimated 8.7 million species living on our planet, with approximately 6.5 million land species, and 2.2 million ocean species, and as much as 85% to 90% of these are still undiscovered, so it’s no wonder that even in a small country like Costa Rica, new species are being discovered every year.
Costa Rica is seasonally home to more than 850 bird species. There are 5,000 different species of grasshoppers, 220 reptiles, 160 known amphibians, and 10% of all known butterflies.
Costa Rica boasts more than 9,000 species of “higher plants”, and at least 800 species of ferns.
The most recent addition to the recently discovered species in Costa Rica is the Glass Frog (pictured above), Hyalinobatrachium dianae, which was found in February 2015, in the Talamanca Mountains. There are 149 species of glass frogs on record and 14 can be found in Costa Rica. The Glass Frog is a unique species that lack pigmentation in their skin giving them a transparent look. Glass frogs are found in isolated parts of Central and South America.
Costa Rica continues to attract record numbers of tourist to its sunny shore. Last year in 2014 a record 2.5+ million visited, visited this country to experience its rich biodiversity.
Contributed by Roy Arroyo
Roy Arroyo is a renowned Costa Rica Naturalist. Roy’s work in the field has furthered the understanding of Costa Rica’s finest ecology institutions. His knowledge in Costa Rica’s macro and micro eco-systems and specialty in bird habitats and behavior makes him one of the most respected guides in the country.
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose Costa Rica
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