Mangroves and monkeys in Manuel Antonio

After SJO, we headed to Manuel Antonio, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica  We stayed in an amazing apartment with an open patio overlooking a small piece of forest that monkeys, giant iguanas, golden orb spiders and toucans hang out in.  Every night, we could hear live flamenco music from a nearby bar.  And there was a new litter of kitties that we got to hang out with every day.   It was pretty idyllic.IMG_2815
We visited Manuel Antonio National Park and saw our first sloths!  They were, however, being a bit, reclusive – you can sort of see the lounging sloth in the picture below.  We also saw the common white-faced monkeys, heard the crazy vocalization of the howler monkeys and encountered the more rare Titi monkeys.
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We visited the mangroves of Damas Island, where we enjoyed a head massage courtesy of some white-faced (capuchin) monkeys.
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We learned about the four species of mangrove trees in the region (red, white, pineapple, and botansilla mangroves).  Check out the crazy seed of the pineapple mangrove!  It floats so the stem and leaf at the center can more easily establish itself in the aquatic ecosystem.
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We spotted a juvenile crocodile!
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We also saw a northern boa constrictor, a black-crowned night heron, basilisk lizards, along with so many other species.  The biodiversity here is just unbelievable! Up next, Nosara!

3 Thoughts.

  1. Please, please, please can you bring the crocodile home with you. I just love the patterns on his tail. And if you had a couple of those darling monkeys you could start a trendy business. MONKEY BUSINESS! I think it would be a hit.
    Love the posts and you.
    More, more, more.
    Mo

  2. Mom said no Christmas presents this year, but I guess we’re going to have to get her a crocodile.

    Have you ever seen the classic 90’s film Monkey Trouble, starring Thora Birch and Harvey Keitel? She befriends a Capuchin monkey in a city park and later discovers that the monkey has been trained to pickpocket. Shenanigans ensue.

    Love you, and post more please!

  3. Love seeing your smiling faces in the monkey head massages pics! Maybe that head massages could be part of your Monkey Business. And thanks for sharing that awesome mangrove seed too!

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