3-Toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

(210 views)
by Terry Costales

I know this is a male 3-toed sloth because I also got some photos of his back which had the distinctive male marking. We were very lucky on this day and saw several sloths fairly close up and most were actually moving. By contrast, in Costa Rica we saw a few sloths but each one looked like a large ball of moss.

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

(204 views)
by Terry Costales

Everyone's favorite rodent, the Capybara! I have wanted to see one in the wild since I was 10 years old and first read about them in a library book. I saw a large family group of about 5 adults and many young ones. Looking like guinea pigs on steroids they still managed to be adorable.

Ruddy Ground Dove (Columbina talpacoti)

(203 views)
by Terry Costales

Even the doves on the grounds of the hotel seemed exotic.

Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica)

(202 views)
by Terry Costales

If only our north american cities were populated with flocks of these beautiful Nicobar pigeons. I wouldn't object to them at all.

Mute Swan

(201 views)
by Terry Costales

The swan may look graceful and elegant, but his raised wings actually tell onlookers that this is his territory and don't even think about coming any closer.

Zebra (Equus quagga)

(201 views)
by Terry Costales

The only Zebra we saw was this one, who hadn't been raised with other zebras so instead hung out with a group of Roan antelope. The rest of the Safari West zebras had found a "private" place on the property that was not visible from tour cars. As a consequence those other Zebra were rarely seen.

Great Egret

(201 views)
by Terry Costales

A bird in flight against an overcast sky framed by jungle trees. A memorable moment. Angela Beske, Tuesday 5 January 2010 I just wanted you to know that I chose this most wonderful photo as the background of my work desk top: I looked at a lot of your photos in the past half hour.. it was not an easy choice!! This one worked best because I can see my short cuts on the dark back ground on the bottom-. Thank YOU!!!!!

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

(201 views)
by Terry Costales

As the boat approached the little cove where we going to snorkle, a brown pelican in juvenile plumage greeted us with wary boredom.

Macaws

(200 views)
by Terry Costales

Here are two Blue-and-yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna) and a scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) perched on top of their outdoor aviary on the hotel grounds. They were free to come and go as they pleased and a couple of them were high overhead in the trees.

Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus)

(199 views)
by Terry Costales

I forgot to ask why the Red River Hog was not on display. It was in a pen in the staff-only area. Fortunately, we passed that pen as we came back from our morning hike and I grabbed this shot over a rather high fence.

3-Toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

(198 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo shows the distinctive markings on the backs of all male 3-toed sloths.

African Spurred Tortoise (Geochelone sulcata)

(197 views)
by Terry Costales

This tortoise was only about a foot long but may grow to be three feet long and a couple of hundred pounds. He seemed alert and happy and was savagely attacking his lawn.

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

(197 views)
by Terry Costales

Another capybara from the same family group as yesterday's posting. The staff from the Camp put out piles of leaves near the shore of a lake on their property. This tempted the capybaras to come close enough to be seen from the little boats we were in.

3-Toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

(197 views)
by Terry Costales

This photo was taken about a half an hour after we first saw this wet sloth. He was still climbing which was not surprising because he was a sloth after all.

3-Toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)

(197 views)
by Terry Costales

We were in our skiff and someone spotted this soaking wet sloth climbing a tree. In the wet season the water goes much farther inland and the sloths must swim from tree to tree instead of walk.

Long-nosed bat (Rhynchonycteris naso)

(196 views)
by Terry Costales

We saw a few of these little bats in Tortuguero at the beginning of our trip. After that we journeyed to the Arenal region and signed up for another boat tour in Cáno Negro during which we saw many more of them. The guide on the second trip told us these little bats lined up to resemble a poisonous snake. They remain motionless until threatened, then wiggle their bodies and that motion re-inforces their masquerade act. As our boat drifted close to observe them that was exactly what the . . .

Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)

(195 views)
by Terry Costales

Unlike the show stopping color of the Scarlet Ibis, the Sacred Ibis shuns the glamour for the sophisticated black and white look.

Butterfly

(194 views)
by Terry Costales

I found these two small blue butterflies in a screened outdoor butterfly exhibit. I can't identify them, but I believe these are called "pretty".

Black-necked Swan (Cygnus melancoryphus)

(194 views)
by Terry Costales

The male swan, or cobb, in this photo was swimming endlessly in the moat surrounding the ring-tailed lemurs. His mate was nesting on the island in her own little house. Black-necked swans are not from Africa, but South America. Sadly, Africa does not have any indigenous species of swans at all.

White-faced Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata)

(194 views)
by Terry Costales

The whistling duck does just that. He emits a series of short whistling sounds instead of the expected quacks.

Ring-tailed Lemur

(194 views)
by Terry Costales

The lemur has a very, very long tail and is officially one of the cutest animals in the world.

Nubian Ibex (Capra nubiana)

(194 views)
by Terry Costales

According to our guide, as soon as Safari West got their first few ibex they disappeared from the barn where they were being kept. The ibex couldn't be found anywhere. Then someone remembered how high ibex could jump and went back to the barn to look again. Sure enough, there they were high up in the rafters!

Giraffe

(194 views)
by Terry Costales

The Giraffes at Safari West were accustomed to people ogling them. This giraffe ogled right back. What a goofy ogle! Safari West held two kinds of giraffes, the reticulated and the masai. Reticulated giraffes have almost-white lines between large blocks of color. Masai giraffes have more leafy shaped spots and the space between them is light tan.

Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota)

(194 views)
by Terry Costales

I only saw this Motmot once and briefly. It flew away right after this photo was taken. I originally thought it was the same type of Motmot I had seen in Arenal but in later research found it was unique.

Cream-colored Woodpecker

(194 views)
by Terry Costales

I had never seen a woodpecker in colors other than black and white and red. So it was quite a surprise to see this gorgeous "blonde"!