COSTA RICA		July 2003
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The Talamanca highlands of central Costa Rica

On our first trip to Costa Rica, in April 2002, my brother Ron and I spent all of our time in the Caribbean versant, mostly in lowland rainforest. It was the end of the dry season, so we concentrated on the wetter, eastern side of the country, where herps were more likely to be active at that time of year. Since the July 2003 trip would be during the rainy season, we planned to explore the western side this time, from the steep jungles of the Osa Peninsula in the south to the flat dry forests of Guanacaste in the north. New terrain filled with new species --- we were looking forward to a lot of first-time finds!

Our first destination was near Dominical along the coast of the southern Pacific zone. We left San Jose and drove south, climbing into the mountains to cross the Talamanca cordillera. Driving along the crest it was clear, windy, and surprisingly cold due to the high elevation. Not very promising conditions for finding reptiles, but we had been advised to keep our eyes open for sheets of tin scattered by the roadside. These highlands are home to a beautiful species of montane Alligator Lizard, and in cool temperatures they might be found warming up under sections of scrap metal exposed to the sun.

We came upon the ruins of an abandoned building and began to poke around. I was having a hard time reconciling the chill wind with traditional notions of the tropics --- where was the sultry summer promised by July? Surely no self-respecting heat-loving herp would be out in these conditions. Went through the motions of turning everything I could, but each unsuccessful flip of cold metal reinforced my skepticism. I was preparing to leave when Ron calls out “Got one!” Virtually the last unturned piece of rusty tin, and he uncovers this variegated jewel.

Mountain Alligator Lizard Mesaspis monticola

We continued towards the Pacific coast to meet up with Quetzal and Monica, our gracious and accommodating guides for the week. They're Americans who moved to Costa Rica and built Parque Reptilandia, a very professional and impressive serpentarium near Dominical, and who also lead rainforest hikes in search of reptiles and amphibians.

Serpentarium under construction (Quetzal, left, talking with one of his crew)

Even before construction was completed, the local herps were moving in. Marine Toads wandered the grounds at night, trilling in the dark and feeding beneath the lights, while Red-eyed Tree Frogs established breeding colonies in the aquatic enclosures reserved for Caiman and Crocodiles.

Red-eyed Tree Frog Agallychnis callidryus

That night the four of us went for a hike on some nearby jungle trails. It wasn’t raining but the forest was completely wet from the warm, humid air (now this is the tropics!). Leaves were shiny and slick, and everything (including us) was dripping with moisture.

First critters we spotted were creepy-crawlers like tailless whip scorpions and tarantulas, and giant cocoons hung hidden from the rain, plastered on the underside of sheltering leaves.

This slender snake was found foraging for lizards that might be sleeping on the fronds and leaves that comprise the thick layer of understory plants.

Brown Blunt-Headed Snake Imantodes cenchoa

One species we had hoped to find on our last trip, but never did, was the unusually shaped Casque-Headed Lizard. Consequently, it was high on our target list this time around, so we were thrilled when Monica cries out, “Corytophanes!” We ran over to where she was pointing to a light brown lizard with a serrated crest, asleep on a small tree trunk. Shortly afterwards, another one was spotted, this time larger and more colorful. It was turning into a good night of herping.

Casque-Headed Lizard Corytophanes cristus

Growing up in south Florida, Ron and I were accustomed to cockroaches, including big ones the size of your thumb (the sight of them always accompanied by the shrieks of our mother --- who we came to think of as a sort of walking cockroach alarm --- followed by the swift, crunchy squish from our father’s shoe). In the forests of Costa Rica, where roaches are nearly the size of your hand, we revised our definition of “big” (while hearing the wail of our mother’s cockroach siren going off in our heads).

Herping at night is kind of magical. There’s this sense of being surrounded by living things hidden in the dark, waiting, watching, moving, and sometimes revealing themselves when a random glance happens to catch them in the sweep of your headlamp. During the day you can see animals slowly, a vague image that gradually sharpens into identification, a suggestive profile or pattern that is confirmed after staring, or a hint of motion that first attracts the eye then resolves into recognition. But at night every find is a surprise, the sudden appearance of something alive in your spotlight. Even the smallest or most common creatures provide a rush of excitement when silently, unexpectedly, they’re just “there”.

Slim-fingered Rain Frog (?) Eleutherodactylus crassidigitus	Wet Forest Toad Bufo melanochlorus	Brown Blunt-Headed Snake Imantodes cenchoa

Unlike the frogs, toads, and snakes which were actively awake at night, the lizards we spotted were all asleep, lying on leaves or clinging to trees. One of the prettiest we came across (found once again by Monica the Lizard Queen) was this large Anole with a striking pattern and an unusually blunt face.

Pug-nosed Anole Norops capito

Our final find of the night was barely noticeable because of its small size, a tiny tangle up in a tree. Something on a distant twig looked slightly out of place to me, so we moved closer for a better look, and sure enough, it was a neonate Eye-lash Viper knotted on the stem of a leaf.

Eye-lash Viper Bothriechis schlegelli

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