Page 60 - World of Animals - Issue #36

Explore the Earth

Hike through

the most

“biologically

intense” place

on Earth

That’s how National Geographic
describe the Osa Peninsula – a large
expanse of land jutting out into the
Pacific Ocean, consisting of beautiful
beaches, unblemished rainforest and
mangrove swamps. It is a contender
for the most biologically diverse place
in the world, containing 2.5 per cent
of all known species worldwide.
Corcovado National Park takes up the
majority of the peninsula and cannot
be entered without a certified guide.
Hosting over 15,000 species, the
highlights are too numerous to list, but
how about Central America’s largest
colony of scarlet macaws, for starters?

Go monkey-

spotting where

beach and

rainforest collide

Manual Antonio may be the smallest national
park in Costa Rica, but it absolutely teems with
life, with over 100 species of mammals sharing
a little over three square miles of coastal
rainforest. Along with Corcovado National
Park to the south, it is the last stronghold of
the endangered Central American squirrel
monkey, a social, tree-dwelling species
distinguished by the park’s more common
white-headed capuchin and mantled howler
monkeys by its striking ruddy fur. You’ll
encounter different sub-species of this rare
monkey in both parks – the variant found
in Manual Antonio has a grey crown, while
Corcovado’s population boast a black cap.

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