Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Amphibian sightings in Monteverde

The Puntaneras region of Costa Rica treasures an area of cool and misty cloud forests at high elevations of 4000+ feet above the sea level. Known as Monteverde, it is a region of lush forests teeming with numerous plant, mammal, bird and insect species. Among the various unique wildlife in Monteverde, the frogs deserve a special mention. Ranario's frog pond in Santa Elena - Monteverde houses some of the most interesting frogs from Monteverde and other regions of Costa Rica. There is an entry fee ($9 per adult entry) to visit the frog pond. The entry fee includes a 1 hour guided tour to the numerous terrariums and an additional second entry. The frogs are kept in various Terrariums, where the environment is simulated to be as close as possible to their natural habitat. This provides an opportunity to witness their true behavior and interactions.

The 25+ species of frogs here include the dart frogs, crowned frogs, leopard frogs, marine toads, the red-eyed tree frogs and the rare glass frogs. Certain frogs like the colorful dart frogs are quite poisonous to the predators. The crowned frogs get their name because of the characteristic crown like protrusions on their skull. The red-eyed tree frogs inhabit the high canopy ares of Costa Rica. They have bright-red colored eyes with orange feet and they are considered one of the most beautiful species of frogs.

The glass frogs have very thin transparent skin on their bellies and limbs which almost exposes the internal organs to the naked eye. These bright green tree frogs are mostly found in the rain forests of Central and South America. Most frogs are nocturnal and are very active in the night time. So, its highly recommended that one of the 2 allowed visits per ticket is in the night time. The gift store in the frog pond is a very interesting shop set in a kind of natural surrounding with pebbles and gravels on the ground instead of conventional flooring.

6 comments:

Gayathri said...

so was waiting for this costa rica post and at last....very green and cool....hope u njoyed it....
something unusual....frog pond....

Sameera Ansari said...

Wow!You went there???That's where Jurassic Park was shot,was it not? :)

Cool pics buddy and welcome back!

Weekend Warrior said...

Costa Rica was good Gayathri. Sameera, Jurassic Park plot was set in the Costa Rican Islands (Isla Sorna and Isla Nublar I think). Some portions were indeed shot in Coco islands of Costa Rica. However, most portions were shot in Kauai, Hawaii. But, certain rain forests in Costa Rica give you exactly that feeling.

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