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Flora and FaunaCosta Rica is one of the biologically wealthiest nations in the world. About 850 species of birds have been identified here, which are more than are found in the United States and Canada mixed. This nation is also habitat for 205 species of mammals, 376 species of reptiles and amphibians and about 10 percent of the world's butterfly species. All the protected zones are right for ecotourism, hiking, rafting, bird watching, camping, or just enjoying the numerous rivers, beaches, jungles, mountain forests, and other archaeological zones in the country. Fauna: There were many more mammal species. Even today all large- and many small-mammal populations are subject to extreme pressure from hunting or habitat destruction. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times for wildlife viewing, especially around water holes. The birds of Costa Rica are so rich and so varied and often so elusive,that at times it seems as if Rima herself is calling. With approximately 850 recorded bird species, the country boasts one-tenth of the world's total. More than 630 are resident species; the others are travelers who fly in for the winter. Birds that have all but disappeared in other areas still find tenuous safety in protected lands in Costa Rica, though many species face extinction from deforestation. The nation offers hope for such rare jewels of the bird world as the quetzal and the scarlet macaw, both endangered species, yet commonly seen in protected reserves. Costa Rica is home to about 160 species of amphibians and more than 200 species of reptiles, half of them snakes. And the rainforest in costa rica has enabled countless butterflies, moths, ants, termites, wasps, bees, and other tropical insects to evolve in astounding profusion. Flora The forests and grasslands flare with color, some flamboyantly so, as plants advertise the delights and rewards they offer, including the ultimate bribe, nectar. Costa Rica gives an great abundance of flora, including more than 9,000 species of higher plants. It has many more species of ferns, about 800 than the whole of North America and Mexico. Plants counton light to power the chemical process by which they synthesize their body substances from simple elements. When an old tree falls, the strong, unaccustomed light triggers seeds that have lain dormant, and banana palms and ginger plants, heliconias and cecropias. Plants that live in the sunshine on riverbanks or in rainforest clearings burst into life and put out big broad leaves to soak up the sun, to flower and to fruit.
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