Fauna of Costa Rica - Mammals

Mammals

Costa Rica is home to nearly 250 species of mammal. Medium-sized forest-dwelling mammals are often the most appreciated mammalian fauna of the country. These include four species of monkeys such as the frantic White-headed Capuchin and noisy Mantled Howlers; two species of sloths; the opportunistic White-nosed Coati; and the fierce predator, the Tayra.

Bats comprise more than half of the mammal species in the country, unusually outnumbering rodents twice over. Their bats are adapted to various foraging methods and foods; including nectar, fish, insects and parasitized blood, as the case with the infamous vampire bats. Prominent bats include the tiny, communal-roosting Honduran white bat and the huge, predatory Spectral Bat, the largest new world bat. Large fauna, such as tapir, jaguar, and deer are rarely encountered, being both elusive and tied to now-fragmented undisturbed habitats. Costa Rican mammals range in size from the 3-gram Thumbless Bat of the Furipteridae family to the 250 kg (550 lb) Baird's Tapir.

Anteaters are common in lowland and middle elevation throughout Costa Rica. The most commonly seen of Costa Rica's three anteaters species is the Northern Tamandua. The Giant Anteater is huge and endangered. The other anteater is the Silky Anteater.