Costa Rica is a gorgeous nation crammed with numerous and engaging wildlife and crops. At this time we’ll be specializing in Costa Rican reptiles particularly. From snakes to lizards to turtles, this lovely nation has a variety of reptiles to select from, so preserve scrolling to see which of them made our checklist!
Banner Picture: Source
High 10 Record – Costa Rican Reptiles
1. Swift Anole
Scientific Title: Anolis tropidolepis
Geographic Vary: Costa Rica
Conservation Standing: Least Concern
Swift anoles are endemic to the mountains of Costa Rica, which signifies that they aren’t discovered anyplace else on the earth. They’re a extremely adaptable species that may be present in varied varieties of rainforests, in addition to pastures, stream programs, and secondary and old-growth forests. Typically they’re present in pasture grasses, leaf litter, on tree trunks, and on rocks in streams. They’re thought-about probably the most considerable species of anole at larger elevations in a lot of Costa Rica.
2. White-Headed Snake
Scientific Title: Enuliophis sclateri
Geographic Vary: Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama
Conservation Standing: Least Concern
White-headed snakes are additionally known as Colombian longtail snakes or sock-headed snakes. They’re primarily present in undisturbed lowland humid forests, nevertheless, in Colombia, they may also be present in disturbed areas and palm tree plantations. The higher surfaces of their head and neck are pure white, apart from the tip of the snout. Their shiny white heads are the explanation the white-headed snake bought a few of its widespread names. Reptile eggs make up their predominant weight loss program, and they’re a terrestrial species, which means they spend most if not all of their time on the bottom.
3. Rainbow Galliwasp
Scientific Title: Diploglossus monotropis
Geographic Vary: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama
Conservation Standing: Least Concern
The rainbow galliwasp is a secretive lizard, not often noticed out in nature. Terrestrial and semi-fossorial, rainbow galliwasps spend most of their time on the bottom. Particularly, they spend their time in burrows probably constructed by different animals, beneath logs, rocks, leaf litter, and tree roots all through the rainforest they inhabit. Juveniles of this species have black backs with white stripes throughout their our bodies. Adults have a darkish again shade with pink, shiny yellow, or white faint markings down their backs. Their heads and sides are reddish in shade to shiny yellow. Males, nevertheless, are bigger and have brighter coloured heads than females. They’ve cycloid scales, that are scales that resemble fish scales.
In some areas of the Chocó biome, locals know this species as mamá culebra, which implies “mom of snakes,” or mamá coral, which implies “mom of coral snakes.” They consider that the rainbow galliwasp offers delivery to coral snakes and is a venomous species. In Ecuador, they’re known as escorpión, which implies “scorpion.” That is probably in reference to the truth that the galliwasp is assumed to sting with its tail. Nevertheless, they can not do that and are fully innocent.
4. Helmeted Iguana
Scientific Title: Corytophanes cristatus
Geographic Vary: Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama
Conservation Standing: Least Concern
Subsequent on our checklist of Costa Rican reptiles, we now have the helmeted iguana. Helmeted iguanas are medium-sized lizards with lengthy slim legs and lengthy toes. Their colours can embrace varied blotches of gray, olive, brown, black, or reddish brown. Their most defining function is the massive crest on their heads, which tapers to a saw-tooth ridge on their backs. Each female and male helmeted iguanas have this crest, nevertheless, in males, the crest tends to be bigger. Their species title cristatus in Latin means tufted/crested and refers to those crests on their heads.
They’re usually present in main and secondary forests of lowland rainforests and premontane moist forests. Helmeted iguanas are a non-heliothermic species, which means that they don’t use the solar to extend their physique temperature as different reptiles do. They preserve a physique temperature of round 26°C (79°F), which is near the temperature of the forests they dwell in.
5. Painted Wooden Turtle
Scientific Title: Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima
Geographic Vary: Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica
Conservation Standing: Not Listed
Painted wooden turtles are a colourful species with varied pink on their legs, heads, and shell. In reality, their species title pulcherrima is derived from the Latin phrase pulcherrimus which implies prettiest and refers back to the additional colourful shells and legs of juveniles. They are often present in scrublands, moist woodlands, and infrequently gallery forests near streams. Ofen having fun with moist areas, they’ve been noticed wading and swimming in streams and rain swimming pools. There are 4 subspecies of the painted wooden turtle, with the Central American Wooden Turtle (Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima manni) being the most typical of the subspecies present in Costa Rica.
A enjoyable reality concerning the painted wooden turtle is that the intercourse of the infants, once they hatch, is set by the temperature of the eggs once they incubate (when they’re rising within the eggs). If they’re in a cooler space then a lot of the hatchlings will probably be male, and in hotter temperatures, there will probably be primarily feminine hatchlings.
6. Inexperienced Basilisk
Scientific Title: Basiliscus plumifrons
Geographic Vary: Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama
Conservation Standing: Least Concern
If you wish to study extra concerning the inexperienced (or plumed) basilisk try our article 10 Amazing Facts About The Water Walking Plumed Basilisk.
Inexperienced basilisks might be present in massive numbers within the Pacific lowland forests of Central America. They’re probably the most generally seen massive lizards in western Costa Rica. Most frequently they are often noticed on the bottom, nevertheless, at night time they’ll usually be noticed on varied perches. Inexperienced basilisks have a complete physique size of 80cm (31.5 inches), with 70 – 75% of that size being their lengthy slender tails. Their shade ranges from shiny inexperienced to olive brown, and males have massive crests on their heads and tails. When startled, these attention-grabbing lizards will “arise” on their hind legs and run away, usually working in the direction of and even ON the water earlier than finally sinking and swimming/working away. Due to their skill to run on water for brief distances, they’ve earned themselves the nickname “Jesus Christ Lizards.”
7. Talamancan Palm Pit Viper
Scientific Title: Bothriechis nubestris
Geographic Vary: Costa Rica
Conservation Standing: Not Listed
Talamancan palm pit vipers are arboreal, medium-sized, slender snakes which can be often discovered within the transition zone between cloud forests and montane rainforests. They’ve prehensile tails that assist them within the timber they’re usually present in. In shade, they’re inexperienced with black mottling and black-ish coloured eyes. They’re ovoviviparous which means that eggs are grown and hatched contained in the mom’s physique and are then birthed by her. Initially, these snakes had been considered the identical because the black-speckled palm pitviper, nevertheless, extra just lately they had been found to be their very own species.
Their species title nubestris is made up of the 2 Latin nouns nubes (which means cloud) and estris (which means belonging to) and refers to the truth that the Talamancan palm pit viper can usually be present in or close to cloud forests.
8. Berthold’s Monkey Lizard
Scientific Title: Polychrus gutturosus
Geographic Vary: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama
Conservation Standing: Least Concern
Berthold’s monkey lizards have a complete size of 70cm (2.3 ft), with a large chunk of that size being their lengthy, slender semi-prehensile tail. In shade, they’ve a lime inexperienced physique, with varied blotches or markings of yellow, darkish inexperienced, and gray. Whereas they’re often shiny in shade when extraordinarily confused they are going to flip principally brown or darkish gray.
These arboreal lizards primarily dwell within the timber of old-growth to reasonably disturbed rainforests. They’re additionally present in swamps, plantations, gardens, and concrete areas close to the forest’s edge. Berthold’s monkey lizards are diurnal, which means they spend their days awake, often excessive up within the timber, and sleep at night time – often nearer to the bottom.
9. Central American Banded Gecko
Scientific Title: Coleonyx mitratus
Geographic Vary: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua
Conservation Standing: Least Concern
Central American banded geckos are incessantly present in quite a lot of dry areas, nevertheless, it’s not exceptional to seek out them in moist and moist forests as nicely. These terrestrial geckos spend their time on the bottom, usually in burrows underground or beneath different particles. Like many several types of geckos, they eat bugs and are in a position to drop their tails when threatened. The tails will develop again, however usually don’t look the identical.
Whereas they aren’t overly widespread, Central American banded geckos might be discovered within the pet commerce. They’re comparable in look to leopard geckos, nevertheless, they’re barely smaller in dimension and never as tame as leopard geckos are typically.
10. Costa Rican Tropical Evening Lizard
Scientific Title: Lepidophyma reticulatum
Geographic Vary: Costa Rica, Panama
Conservation Standing: Least Concern
Final however not least on our checklist of Costa Rican reptiles we now have the Costa Rican tropical night time lizard. This attention-grabbing lizard lives in moist lowland and premontane forest areas. They like areas with fallen timber, small caves, and different types of cowl for them. They common in size round 10cm (4 inches) not together with their tail. Black with yellow and white spots down their again, they undoubtedly have a putting look. Their species title reticulatum is Latin and means net-like or reticulated, and refers back to the patterns down their again.
One of the vital attention-grabbing issues concerning the Costa Rican tropical night time lizard is that they’re an all-female species. They’re parthenogenetic, which means they’ll produce younger without having a male.
—
Did your favourite make it to the checklist? If not tell us within the feedback which Costa Rican reptile is your favourite, and why you’re keen on them a lot! Get pleasure from this text? Share it with your pals utilizing the hyperlinks beneath! Thanks for studying!
Source link