The rainy season is upon us. For many of us that means hiding indoors for the next few months, but for Costa Rica’s frog and toad populations this means it’s time to party. Most species of amphibians use an explosive breeding strategy, which is a polite way of saying that they engage in massive orgies over short spans of time. In Costa…
MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Thousands of demonstrators gathered Saturday in the central Nicaraguan city of Juigalpa to protest the construction of a $50 billion canal that will run through their land. The protesters waved Nicaraguan flags and shouted “No to the canal!” They accused President Daniel Ortega of “selling the country” to China by allowing the…
The farmers of the insect world, leaf-cutter ants grow their own food in underground fungus farms. Pieces of leaf are carried hundreds of metres in impressive processions, with each ant carrying a piece up to 50 times its own body weight. That’s like one of us carrying a medium-sized van. The leaves are used to…
White-nosed coatis have tails as long as their bodies, used for balancing. They spend most of the day foraging for food, keeping their long, flexible muzzle close to the ground to sniff out beetles and spiders. In this way, they can travel two kilometres each day. Nights are spent out of harm’s way in…
The eyelash palm pitviper, a venomous viper species, is one of Costa Rica’s most recognized snakes. Known for its striking color variations – eyelash palm pitvipers can be bright yellow, brown, green, and red – the snake is named for its modified eye scales, which resemble eyelashes.