Not Just a Pretty Face

Rainforest Animals

Angela and Ed arrived on time and are sharing this weeks adventure with us. We have more victims for Mexican Train.
As Angela says no one can sweat this much! The humidity is high and the temperature in the shade is at least 90. Everyone glistens.
We decided to visit a wildlife sanctuary to observe some of the wildlife of the Rainforest. The Osa Wildlife Sanctuary was established by Carol and Earl Crews in 1996.
Originally, the sanctuary was focused only on birds. Then, after Poppy, the spider monkey arrived on October 29, 2003 - the flood gates opened. The sanctuary is now home to a wide variety of orphaned and injured animals (about 70 animals in residence). The sanctuary is situated on the Golfo Dulce coast at Cana Blanca; a 45 minute fast panga ride from Golfito.
There are 4 species of monkeys in Costa Rica. They are the Central American Squirrel, White Face, Spider, and the Howler Monkey. The refuge had 3 of the species to observe and learn about.
The White Face monkeys were kept in cages to protect them from other healthy white face monkeys in the wild. We witnessed a wild one trying to get into the enclosure.
These small primates are widely recognized as the most intelligent New World monkey. White Faced are highly social animals and live in troops of 10 to 30 individuals. The average group has roughly 15 members led by a dominant male. They are arboreal creatures and seldom descend to the forest floor. The monkeys use chatters, shrieks and other sounds to communicate with one another. They are omnivores and eat everything from insects and invertebrates to flowers and fruit. They prefer their fruit ripened and will often smell, squeeze or bite it before consumption.
These primates have also been known to eat bird eggs, crabs and small lizards. They play an invaluable role in seed dispersal as they often discard fruit pits on the forest floor. Although they get moisture from fruit and animals, they have been observed drinking water from tree holes and other sources. White-faced monkeys inhabit diverse areas and can thrive in high-altitude cloud forests as well as wet lowlands along the coast. They are also prevalent in both wet and tropical dry forests
Females mate with several males in the troop and give birth to one offspring every two years. Baby capuchins cling to their mothers’ backs for the first three months while they are still nursing. Infants are weaned by one year of age and reach sexual maturity when they are five to seven years old.
In the wild, white-faced monkeys are preyed upon by boa constrictors, large raptors and jaguars. Their population in Costa Rica is currently considered healthy and stable. The biggest threat to the capuchin species is habitat destruction. With increased development, humans are slowly encroaching on their territory.
It was the two Spider Monkeys however that gave us the most pleasure. They would demand your attention, wanting for you to scratch and play. We got great

pictures of Ed and Angela with their new found friends.

Spider monkeys live in medium-sized, loosely associated groups of about 30 individuals, which fragment into subgroups of varying smaller sizes and composition. Unless there is an abundance of preferred food available, the subgroup size will consist of fewer than 4 animals. These groups will roam independently in the same general area; the only persistent association is that of a female with her offspring.

The refuges birds are helped and released when possible however many are hurt to a point they would only die in the wild. There has been a successful breading of the Scarlet Macaws and released in the area.
The Scarlet Macaw lays two or three white eggs in a tree cavity. The female incubates the eggs for about 28 days, and the chicks flee from the nest about 90 days after hatching and leave their parents about a year later. By the 1960s Scarlet Macaws had been decreasing in numbers due to a combination of factors, particularly hunting, poaching, and the destruction of habitat through deforestation. Further, the spraying of pesticides by companies cultivating and selling bananas for export played a significant role in decreasing Scarlet Macaw populations. Interestingly the Macaws remain in the area they first take their first flight.
I found it very interesting to learn more about the Toucans. The toucan's diet consists of fruits, bird eggs, insects, rodents, reptiles, and other weaker birds. The predators of the toucan are humans, big cats, and its worst enemy is the jaguar. Toucans have three adaptations that help them survive. The first one is that they have bills in order to eat food. They are similar to a saw. Earl mentioned that this bird, while sought after for photos and pets, is often very fierce and should not be trusted. The second adaptation that they have is the claws on each leg. Two claws in the front and two in the back. This helps them stand on trees. The last one is the color of its feathers changed, in order to blend into its surroundings. There are 37 different species of toucans. They are solitary or live with a mate. They are frugivors (animals that eat fruits.)
They sleep in holes that are in trees. If they don't fit, they turn themselves into a feathery ball to make their body smaller.
Our next adventure took us with our driver to Puerto Jimenez. This town seems much more vibrant than Golfito. We walked the streets until the real meaning of Rain Forest came to be known. Within minutes the ditches that were wide and deep were filled and overflowing. The residents whom are accustomed to the weather sat back and enjoyed each others company while drinking their pops and treats, waiting for the storm to pass.
The seas were beginning to add a little height. If you have ever rode on the back of a motorcycle while it was raining you would understand our 45 minute ride back to Golfito. We looked like 4 drowned rats.
Fishing has not been so good. No big ones yet, but I know Ed will get the big one before he leaves.
Tomorrow we will be heading towards another waterfall. Hopefully we will see more monkeys and birds. Time will tell.