With over 900 bird species, Costa Rica is a popular destination for birdwatchers. Birds that you are most likely to see are the beautiful scarlet and great green macaws, toucans, and hummingbirds. Costa Rica is home to over 50 species of hummingbirds that hover around flowers, feeding on nectar. The most famous bird of Costa Rica is most likely the quetzal, a beautiful bird with green feathers, a red belly, and a long colorful tail. It is found in the cloud forests of Costa Rica and is considered a symbol of the country's wildlife. 

Costa Rica is home to over 250 species of mammals of which sloths, monkeys, wild cats, tapirs, anteaters and bats. Slow moving sloths can often been seen hanging from tree branches. Howler monkeys wake you up in the morning with loud guttural calls in large parts of the country, while curious capuchin monkeys are often seen in forest and near accommodations. Note that although they might look cute, monkeys (or any animal for that matter) are wild animals and should not be fed or approached too closely. The other species of monkeys found in Costa Rica are spider monkeys and squirrel monkey. The animal that everyone hopes to see is the jaguar. The jaguar is the largest wild cat in Costa Rica and can be found in the rainforests. Although rare, sightings of jaguars have been reported in several national parks and reserves, don’t get your hopes up though. Other smaller wild cats that roam the Costa Rican forests are the ocelot, margay, puma and jaguarundi. If you’re not able to spot some of these animals in the wild, you might get lucky when visiting an animal rescue center, which are located throughout the country. 

Costa Rica is home to approximately 225 species of reptiles of which sun bathing iguanas and other lizards like geckos and the basilisk lizard which can run over water, tortoises, crocodiles and sea turtles. Several species of sea turtles, including green turtles, hawksbill turtles, and leatherback turtles, nest on various beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Famous places for spotting nesting turtles are Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean side and Ostional in Guanacaste on the Pacific side. Costa Rica is home to about 135 species of snakes, of which 22 species are venomous. The fer-de-lance is highly venomous and responsible for most snakebite fatalities in the country, although the most lethal one is the bushmaster. Other venomous snakes are the coral snake and the eyelash viper. Be precautious, wear closed sturdy shoes when hiking and be aware of your surroundings, however no need to get over concerned while snakes usually only bite humans when they are provoked or feel threatened. Interesting non-venomous snakes are the boa constrictor and the vine snake. The vine snake is a slender green snake that can mimic a vine to avoid predators. 

Costa Rica is home to over 200 species of amphibians, of which many that are unique to the region. Poison dart frogs are probably the most well-known amphibians that most tourists are wishing to see. Poison dart frogs are brightly colored, toxic frogs found in the rainforest. They are known for their toxic skin secretions, which are used by indigenous peoples for hunting and medicine. Other interesting amphibians are the glass frogs, known for their distinctive, glass-like skin, red-eyed tree frogs and harlequin toads. 

Costa Rica has a rich and diverse insect population, with estimated over 500,000 species of insects. One of the most famous insects is the blue morpho butterfly, which is hard to miss as it is one of the largest butterflies in the world with distinctive blue wings. When it comes to beetles, there is also one that stands out above all the others. The Hercules beetle is one of the largest beetles in the world. There are also numerous species of ants, including leaf-cutter ants and bullet ants, which are known for their painful bite, apparently the bite feels like as if you were hit by a bullet, hence the name. Spiders are also common in Costa Rica and some of them are venomous, like the black widow spider. The female black widow has a distinctive black body with a red hourglass-shaped marking. Another spider to be aware of is the brown recluse spider, which can be identified by its brown color and a distinctive violin-shaped marking. Fortunately, bites are rare.  

Due to its geographical location along both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Costa Rica is home to a diverse range of marine life. Turtles are already mentioned and probably the most famous creatures regarding marine life in Costa Rica, but whale and dolphin watching is also very popular. One of the most common dolphin species in Costa Rica is the Pacific bottle nose dolphin, which can be spotted year-round around the Osa Peninsula. Other species are migratory and can be seen in different parts of the country. When it comes to whales, one of the most famous species is the humpback whale, which migrates along the Pacific coast every year. Costa Rica's waters are also home to a lot of fish species like yellow fin tuna, marlin, and sailfish, making fishing a popular activity in Costa Rica. Sharks are also commonly found and especially Isla del Coco National Park is famous for their shark populations. 

Costa Rica is a small country, but it is extremely rich in biodiversity and has a wide variety of ecosystems, like various types of tropical and subtropical forests, montane forests, cloud forests, mangroves and wetlands. You can imagine that Costa Rica has a verse flora, including many unique and exotic species. The national flower of Costa Rica is a purple orchid named the guaria morada (Guarianthe skinneri). The guaria morada is a symbol of the country's natural beauty and biodiversity. There are over 1300 orchids species, making it one of the most orchid-rich countries in the world. The Coconut palm is probably one of the first things you think of the tropics, so yes these are widely available in Costa Rica. The country is also known for its coffee and cacao among other agricultural products like pineapples, mangos and bananas. Coffee is a major crop in Costa Rica, and the country is known for producing some of the world's best coffee beans. Coffee plantations can be found throughout the country. Cacao is the plant that is used to make chocolate, and Costa Rica is known for producing high-quality cacao beans.