Herping in Costa Rica: the Dry Lands (Pacific Versant)

Abstract

As explored in a previous issue, a significant selection of the most popular and compelling herpetofauna of Costa Rica can be found along the Caribbean coast — globally recognised as one of the premier destinations for herpetological field observation in the world. A particularly noteworthy aspect of Costa Rica's geography is its compact land area of merely 51,100 km², making it only slightly larger than Switzerland. Yet, relative to its small surface area, it harbors an extraordinary level of herpetological diversity, boasting 253 reptile and 225 amphibian species (a total of 478 species, every year growing). This article shifts focus to the Pacific slope of the country, which is substantially broader than its Caribbean counterpart (1,016 km versus 212 km), and is regionally divided into two primary habitats: the dry forests of the north-west, which form the focus of this article, and the moist rainforests of the south. While the dry forest does not support as high a species richness as the humid rainforest, it does host several endemic species restricted exclusively to this ecosystem. The climate is bimodal, characterised by a dry season prevailing from December to June, followed by a wet season spanning June to November. In the humid southern region, the wet season typically commences earlier, in April or May.