Costa Rica is highly regarded as one of the richest biological places on Earth and more often than not, tourists who come here are bewildered by the kinds of animals and vegetation they see.

Creatures that range from prehistory, to others that look straight out of B sci-fi films roam the country, but fear not, most of these are in the jungles and are usually quite harmless. Still, we wouldn’t recommend you try to pet  that 3-meter long crocodile swimming in the river.

Without further ado, here are the five oddest creatures you will find in Costa Rica:

Kinkajous

If you happen to listen to a strange “weeeeeeeeee” sound in the middle of the jungle, it might be a shy kinkajou. These small mammals avoid the sunlight as much as they can and hide in tree branches until it’s dark and safe for them to come out. Their tail is longer than their bodies and helps them climb trees to find fresh fruit and food. Encountering one of them is truly rare so be sure to have your camera ready just in case.

Agoutis

Agoutis look like taller guinea pigs. They have become extremely rare to find given how they’ve become prey to wild animals in the Nicoya Peninsula. They get scared easily and when they do, they run while they emit a high pitched bark.

Blue-morpho

Costa Rica’s most famous butterfly has wings that can span up to 20 centimeters. Found exclusively in the tropics, this rare butterfly has such beautiful neon colors that at one point they were caught and killed to turn them into exotic jewelry.
The males’ wings are protected by fine ridges that reflect light and give them a metallic look. They are truly one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet.

Rosy Lipped Bat Fish

The lighter-colored cousin of the Galapagos’ Red Lipped Bat Fish, can only be found in the depths of the ocean near Costa Rica’s Cocos Island. These odd looking fish are violent carnivores that hunt for smaller fish.
Since they are found only in the lower ocean depths, their fins have developed  to the point where they resemble tiny legs that help them stick to the ground and surprise their prey.

Crab Spider

These funny looking creatures are actually much more harmless than they look.  They have a relatively short life-span (both females and males die shortly after breeding) and can usually be found in trees and shrubs.

There’s countless more animals in Costa Rica but these are some of the oddest. Have you seen any other you would have liked to see in this list?

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Filed under: Costa Rican Wildlife, Travel on February 14th, 2011