Post 6: Life, Abundant

One of the best things about Costa Rica is the abundance of life here. There are several reasons for the amount of living organisms in this place. Roads and suburbs and shopping malls have not completely eaten up habitat yet so there lots of places for animals to live. Tropical ecosystems also host more plant and animals species than temperate ones partly due to the lack of a dormant season. Living things can grow and evolve year round resulting in a tremendous variety of life at all levels. Since I am curious about animals of most shapes and sizes, it makes for full and interesting days.
If you are fascinated about living things and are surrounded by an abundance that is new to you, it means that everyday life can get delightfully bogged down sometimes. I am forever reaching for my camera or field guide or binoculars as I make dinner, walk to the beach, or try to write this blog. This house is perched on a ridge which gives me fantastic views both close up and far away.
For instance, prehistoric- looking wood storks fly by the house everyday heading to their estuary rookery,

and fierce Caracaras patrol roadside pastures looking for prey.

On the beach, fish occasionally wash up, turtles lay their eggs, and crabs of all sizes and habits inhabit the endless shore. Nearby Corazalito beach is pocked right now by dozens of crab holes and mounds, completely changing the topography of that beach.

These cute yellow ghost crabs skitter away at first sight of a human but the little hermit crabs are too intent of their meal of a treasure from the sea to care about me taking pictures of them.

Geckos and tree frogs move freely in and out of this mostly open air house and anyone who has been to Hawaii would recognize the gecko's barking chirp as they converse to each other in the dark. Considered good luck the world over, they eat dozens of bugs each night, including all of the bitey ones.

I discovered that a tree frog lives in one of the kitchen sink drains when it popped out for a visit last night.

Also moving freely in and out of the kitchen area are bugs which I have previously profiled. Here are two new ones to me: a metallic fig beetle that shone in the early morning sun,

And this scary large-jawed creature that tangled with my silverware the other night.

Even yoga classes are not immune to animal sightings. This is Bud, who lives in the pool area at Rhodeside where I take early morning yoga classes. He posed next to us, sunning himself the entire class while we stretched and posed too.

Not all animals are benign of course. This Greater White Lined bat is a fruit eater, but there are also vampire bats about.

They generally prey on livestock, especially the cattle that are so abundant here. Strictly nocturnal, the vampire laps up the blood from a small incision that it makes on its host’s shoulder or neck. Anticoagulants in its saliva helps the blood keep flowing. This young steer is the unfortunate target of a vampire bat which will return to the same victim repeatedly, night after night.

With so much life, there is also more death evident. I cleaned the pool today and scooped up this little Halloween crab which drowned sometime in the night.

Every direction I look and explore, there are animals. I wasn’t expecting something living when I closed this gate after the cows. As I latched the wire to the post I noticed a long tail protruding from a hole and discovered this young black iguana, staring back at me.

I love living in a place where there are animals everywhere!