I have lurked here for some time, but living in Alaska, don't have many opportunities to see and photograph herps. I have recently registered to pick some of the brains of Forum members for an upcoming trip to Australia. I thought that I would also take the opportunity to share some of my images of herps (and other creatures) from 4 trips to Costa Rica between 2004 and 2009. In my travels, I am quite happy to find and photograph the common species, and probably spend more time with mammals and birds, but enjoy it all.
Forgive my use of common names and I am open to any corrections on ID.
Travels on the Caribbean coast from Tortuguerro to Manzanillo have perhaps been most productive for my herp hunting. In no particular order:
Neotropical green anole
Brown Basilisk
Strawberry poison dart frog
Green and Black Poison Dart Frog
Red-eyed tree frog
What has to be one of the most spectacular lizards...
Emerald Basilisk
My first snake in Costa Rica was this one. I let it bite me while capturing it and, while not sure if it was related or not, felt achy, especially in my joints, for 12 hours or so???!!!
Brown vine snake
My wife spotted this one from the car
Common boa
And probably the neatest herp I have ever seen.
For a bright yellow snake, it still takes a bit of scanning to spot them in the rainforest
Eyelash vipers
While talking to someone on a trail my wife spotted this one behind us
And while photographing this one:
She found this one:
While looking for the green alligator lizard (unsuccessfully) at 10,000 ft in the Talamanca Range
La Palma Salamander
And just a few from southwest Costa Rica
Spectacled caiman
West-slope form of red-eyed tree frog
Gladiator tree frog
Drab tree frog
And my only Fer de Lance (a neonate)
A spectacular crab in the mangroves of Golfo Dulce (I have not been able to identify this)
And some misc tropical bird and mammal life:
Male Three-toed sloth
Female with young
Baird's tapir
Wrinkle-faced bat eating fruit (spotted by my wife on a night hike)
Common tent making bats
Mantled howler monkeys
Spider monkey
Squirrel monkey
Bi-colored antbird
Chestnut mandibled toucan
On a night hike, the eyeshine from this Common Parauque on a nest at first looked like a huge snake's head!
Emerald toucanette
Groove-billed anis
Sunbittern
Great tinamou
And no trip to Costa Rica would be complete without a Resplendent Quetzal
thanks for looking!
New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Moderator: Scott Waters
- ClosetHerper
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Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Fantastic photos! You (and your wife) found some great stuff in my favorite country in the world! That photo of the anis is spectacular!
Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Whoa, great photos! Whats the focal length on the lens you're using for the monkey and bird shots? Sounds like your wife is a pretty good person to have along with you out there she found alot of stuff for you!
I would imagine that could be related to its venom, it is a rear fanged species. Was it in all your joints or just near the bite site? I was bitten by a Coniophanes and the joint of the finger that was bitten ached for a few hours as well.I let it bite me while capturing it and, while not sure if it was related or not, felt achy, especially in my joints, for 12 hours or so???!!!
Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Milo
Wonderful photography. Those bird photos are outstanding! Also, the schlegelii photos are great. I always have trouble with getting the colors of the oropel phase to come out with my photos, you nailed it!
Matt
Wonderful photography. Those bird photos are outstanding! Also, the schlegelii photos are great. I always have trouble with getting the colors of the oropel phase to come out with my photos, you nailed it!
Matt
Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
That quetzal alone is enough to make me hate you forever!
- Mike VanValen
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Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
I see you've been holding out on us! The boa shot is beautiful, the caiman is wonderful, but the bat holding the fruit is one of the coolest wildlife shots I've seen in a while.
- ClosetHerper
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Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Thanks for the comments.Antonsrkn wrote:Whoa, great photos! Whats the focal length on the lens you're using for the monkey and bird shots?
I shoot Canon gear and the bird and mammal photos were mostly taken with a 600/4 lens, and a few with a 100-400/4.5-5.6. I use the 600 more than anything else, but on some hikes, take the 100-400 for convenience. The herp images were mostly taken with a 180/3.5 macro, although some of them (i.e. a few of the basilisk images) were taken with the 600 or 100-400. I am pretty low tech when it comes to flash: many of these are with natural light, or when using flash, with a single 580EX, often connected by a cord and held flat along the barrel of the macro lens.
Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Glad you came out of the closet!! Fantastic photos sir!
Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Every single photo was amazing, I enjoyed them all. Don't hold out on us ever again, your shots are really great. The Basilisk photos were some of the best I've seen of those guys. Great bird shots too. If you have more Sloth shots don't hold out, I have a special place in my heart for Sloths.
Justin
Justin
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Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
I had forgotten pics of a couple of snakes from the Osa Peninsula. Not pictured from that area are a 6 foot+ neotropical bird snake from our first trip to CR (slide film) and a huge DOR tiger rat snake:(. I'd love to see one of those alive.
Barred forest racer (in situ)
Brown chunk headed snake
Barred forest racer (in situ)
Brown chunk headed snake
As I recall it was all my joints that ached. I have heard varying reports of bites from vine snakes.Antonsrkn wrote:I would imagine that could be related to its venom, it is a rear fanged species. Was it in all your joints or just near the bite site? I was bitten by a Coniophanes and the joint of the finger that was bitten ached for a few hours as well.
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Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Awesome finds and photos. That wrinkle faced bat is a surreal looking critter. I had never heard of one before. The yellow eyelash viper has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. Must've been cool to see those in the wild.
- ratsnakehaven
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Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Great collection of photos. Your trips have sure been productive. Hope to get back to C. R. someday. ..
TC
TC
- Lizardman1988
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Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Fantastic series of images! Makes me itch to get back to Costa Rica.
I think this guy is not Agalychnis callidryas, like your previous photos, but a different species of Agalychnis, most likely Agalychnis saltator. I'll try and confirm it when I get home.
I think this guy is not Agalychnis callidryas, like your previous photos, but a different species of Agalychnis, most likely Agalychnis saltator. I'll try and confirm it when I get home.
Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Great shots! Love the post. I really love the shot of the pumilio, but really you have some amazing shots in here. I can definitely tell you got around to a wide variety of spots. The tapir shot is also one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing.
Roki
Roki
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Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Thanks if you can correct the ID. If it helps, this image was taken in the Golfito areaLizardman1988 wrote:Fantastic series of images! Makes me itch to get back to Costa Rica.
I think this guy is not Agalychnis callidryas, like your previous photos, but a different species of Agalychnis, most likely Agalychnis saltator. I'll try and confirm it when I get home.
- Lizardman1988
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Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Looks like that frog is indeed Agalychnis callidryas.
Re: New to Forum and Costa Rica compilation
Really enjoyed this post a lot. I've been down there 3 times now and am hitting it for a 4th time this upcoming March. I've seen a decent amount of stuff but as I'm always on the Pacific coast near Dominical...I have yet to find an eyelash viper yet. Love seeing the ones on here. I really need to find one somewhere near there.