Handsome herps

In conclusion of this years Costa Rica stay, I want to show some of my favorite reptile & amphibian pictures I took during the last weeks. Starting with an impressive Annulated Tree Boa (Corallus annulatus). In Costa Rica, this boa only occurs in the Caribbean lowlands. The snake was about 150 cm (59 in) long.

Corallus annulatus - Annulated Tree Boa

Annulated Tree Boa, portrait

The Central American Banded Gecko (Coleonyx mitratus) with its beautiful pattern and cute large head and eyes is my favorite Costa Rican gecko. They can be quite common in the right habitats in the northwest of the country, but not easy to find because of their nocturnal and secretive behaviour.

Coleonyx mitratus - Central American Banded Gecko

Another observation that I am very happy about, is this amazing Blue-sided Leaf Frog (Agalychnis annae). It was the first time for me to find this quite rare frog in the wild. After seeing hundreds of his red-eyed "cousins", it was really cool to find this golden-eyed beauty.

Agalychnis annae - Blue-sided Leaf Frog

The Emerald Glass Frog (Espadarana prosoblepon) is more common and I have seen many of them during my night hikes, but for the first time, I was able to take a picture of its transparent belly. The process was very similar to the photography of the Reticulated Glass Frog one year ago.

Espadarana prosoblepon - Emerald Glass Frog

Espadarana prosoblepon - Emerald Glass Frog

Definitley one of my favorite Costa Rican snakes: False Tree Coral (Rhinobothryum bovallii). It is simply amazing to find this stunning and colorful snake climbing in the dark. 

Weevil rock you

When I search for reptiles and amphibians durinig the night hikes in Costa Rica, I have to check the vegetation very carefully (especially when I look for tiny and well camouflaged glass frogs). This way I often discover other small animals that are usually easy to miss. Most of the time I don't bother to take pictures of bugs and I keep searching for herps... luckily I made an exception for these two cool looking weevils.

Exophthalmus jekelianus

Heilipodus sp.

Heilipodus sp.

Diasporus diastema - Common Dink Frog

The Common Dink Frog (Diasporus diastema) occurs in Central America, from Honduras through Nicaragua and Costa Rica to Panama. It is named after the loud metallic "dink" sound that the male frog makes during the night. The tiny males measure only 2 cm (0.79 in) at most. Females are a bit larger and reach up to 2.4 cm (0.94 in) when fully grown. Despite its small size, its call is remarkably loud.

Costa Rica - Birds III

It's time to show some photos of birds again. I will always be focused on herpetofauna, but I have to admit that birding has also become a passion of mine. I don't have the best camera gear for bird photography, but with my 400 mm I can still get nice shots... these are some of my favorites: 

Pyrilia haematotis - Brown-hooded Parrot

Ramphastos sulfuratus - Keel-billed toucan

Crax rubra - Great Curassow

Sarcoramphus papa - King Vulture

Ceratopipra mentalis - Red-capped Manakin

Wide angle herps

I recently bought the LAOWA 15 mm. Now it was about time to try the new lens in the rainforest. It can be difficult to take pictures of wild animals, because you need to get very close to the motive. Also all the settings must be done manually and the live view doesn't really work. It took some practice and patience, but I am very happy with the results. 

Dipsas bicolor - Two-colored Snail-eater

My personal highlight and lifer was this beautiful Two-colored Snail-eater (Dipsas bicolor). With the low angle shot, I want to emphasize their aboreal behaviour.

Dipsas bicolor - Two-colored Snail-eater

The "it's coming right at me" picture shows nicely the giant eyes of this nocturnal snake. Using the LAOWA lens, I mostly set the aperture between f/16 and f/32.

Oophaga pumilio - Strawberry Poison Frog

In some areas the Strawberry Poison Frog is very common. It is still always really cool to encounter these little jumping rubies. Since I have many "regular" macro shots of these frogs, I wanted to include the habitat in this picture.

Oxyrhopus petolarius - Forest Flame Snake

I have seen several specimen of the Forest Flame Snake, also called Calico Snake, but it was the first time I found a juvenile one. The yellowish / white color will turn to red when they grow older. This is a coral mimic rear-fanged snake, completely harmless to humans. 

The Helmeted Iguana has a highly variable coloration. This is the only one I have seen so far with a beautiful blue pattern. They are ambush pretadors and barely move at all, so it can be very hard to spot them.

Imantodes cenchoa - Blunthead Tree Snake

One of the commonly seen snakes during the night hikes in Costa Rica is the Blunthead Tree Snake. I had a picture like this in mind for a long time and thanks to my new lens and some luck, I actually got it now. The snake was climbing down from a palm leaf and I seized the opportunity for this tongue shot.

First frogs of the year

I am back in Costa Rica to work for another two months as a naturalist guide. It's always great to be here and admire the rich biodiversity. The night hikes are mainly focused on frogs... so here are a couple of the first species I found. Beginning with the most famous one: Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas).

Agalychnis callidryas - Red-eyed Tree Frog

This tiny juvenile Dwarf Glass Frog (Teratohyla spinosa) measures around 1 cm (0.39 in). Finding this adorable frog in the rainforest was like finding a needle in a haystack. A very common, still beautiful species is the Masked Tree Frog (Smilisca phaeota). I found one posing nicely on a vine. Another really cool sighting of the first tours was a Reticulated Glass Frog (Hyalinobatrachium valerioi).

 

Teratohyla spinosa - Dwarf Glass Frog

Smilisca phaeota - Masked Tree Frog

Hyalinobatrachium valerioi - Reticulated Glass Frog

The sixth leg

They may not be very popular in general, but I think they are extremely interesting and photogenic: Insects.
Here is a little insight into the insect world of Costa Rica. I took all these pictures with my 100mm f2.8 macro lens.

I will start with the most popular one, a butterfly. The Rosita Patch (Chlosyne rosita). Both pictures show the same animal. I especially like the looks of the underside of the wings.

I am not entirely sure about the ID of this one, but I assume it's a Leafhopper (Paromenia auroguttata). During a night-time search for Glass Frogs along a stream I found this little "false alert" creature underneath a leaf. 

This Lubber Grasshopper (Taeniopoda sp.) can occur in very high numbers. It was a little windy while I took the picture, so it was the best to focus on an individual on the ground, instead of the other ones shaking around in the vegetation.

A very pretty, golden beetle: The Shining Leaf Chafer (Pelidnota strigosa) 

Most katydids are herbivores. The Rhinoceros Katydid (Copiphora rhinoceros) feeds on plants too, but thanks to its mighty jaw, it is able to prey also on animals. The diet includes insects and invertebrates and even small frogs or lizards.

I don't know what species of grasshoppers those are, but they make sure, there will be offspring.

Frog Kindergarten

Shortly after its metamorphosis, the Noble's Robber Frog (Craugastor noblei) has quite different proportions than adult specimens. The head looks way too big for the small body.

The Red-eyed Treefrog (Agalychnis callidryas) will have much more intense colors when fully grown. 

This Green-and-black Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates auratus) already has its beautiful colors, but still the cute baby face.

Maybe it is the first night out of the water for this tiny Masked Treefrog (Smilisca phaeota). Recently it used to swim in the pond as a tadpole.

I also want to present a young Leaf Litter Toad (Rhaebo haematiticus). Because of their size (about 2 cm) and camouflage it is easy to overlook.

Brown-throated Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

Brown-throated Sloth (Bradypus variegatus) moves from a tree trunk to a thin branch. As is usual for these cozy animals, this is done very carefully and slowly. Have fun watching the video:

Variable Viper

I already mentioned it in my post about the Camouflage Viper: Eyelash Vipers (Bothriechis schlegelii) are extremely variable in coloration. Here I want to share some examples of color morphs with you.

This pale green coloration seems to be quite common. I have seen this juvenile Viper near La Fortuna.

When I am searching for gold in the rainforest, I am not talking about precious metals. In spanish this yellow color morph is called "oropel" (tinsel / gold).

This light-brown to salmon colored Eyelash Viper was coiled up on a leaf of a Panama Hat Plant (Carludovica palmata), next to the trail in Cahuita National Park.

I have never seen another viper in this extremely bright color. The camouflage is actually very good, because the snake looked pretty much like the lichens on the branches.

I conclude with my favorite: The "christmas tree" color morph. Such a stunning snake!

King of the Cloud Forest

Cloud forests occur within tropical or subtropical mountainous environments, where the atmospheric conditions allow for a consistent cover of clouds. These forests are very rare and cover only approximately 1% of the world's forests. The rich variety of flora and fauna includes many rare and endemic species.

Probably the most famous representative of the Central American cloud forest is the Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno). This beautiful bird is found in southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, northern Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and western Panama. The population has greatly decreased due to factors such as deforestation, hunting, and capture of these birds for trade. Luckily, in Costa Rica hunting is forbidden by law and national parks have been set up to protect this endangered bird.
My first observation of a male Quetzal during my trip to Monteverde was breathtaking and filled me with awe! Thanks to the 500mm lens, I was able to capture this unforgettable encounter. After cheking my pictures on the camera screen, I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

After I stumbled during the continuing hike, still distracted by the quetzal observation, I laughed and told my friend Andres, who accompanied me on this trip: "I could fall now and break my leg, it would still be a fantastic day".

It is our commitment to protect this amazing bird and its unique habitat. The mystical beauty of the cloud forest and its inhabitants is unprecedented.

https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu
https://animaldiversity.org
https://www.monteverdeinfo.com