 The view of this winding river from the plane (left), as we came into San Jose, was a prelude to the rich environment I was about to see. Below is a young iguana on the sidewalk and a turtle in the park. If you click on the photo, you'll see the turtle has a crocodile friend. Also, I was fascinated with the elaborate root system of trees landscaping a front yard. (Click on photos for larger images.)
 Part 1 of 2
Costa Rica: rich coast
¡Buenos Días! Last weekend at Boca de Barranca was awesome. It was my first time swimming in the ocean, and I learned quickly to keep my mouth and eyes shut tight! The waves were great, and my friends got plenty of practice in. Although I didn't get to try surfing, I did manage to teach myself how to skimboard. For those of you who don't know what that is, I can tell you it involves a lot of falling! Basically the object is to run with the small, oval-shaped board after the waves recede and only a thin film of water remains. Once the conditions look ripe, you throw your board down in front of you, and, if it slides, quickly jump on and try to balance yourself for the smooth ride. You can then try your hand at a couple spins or similar tricks. Of course, once the wave recedes all the way, you end up running out of water and the board comes to a screeching halt. Depending on how exhausted you are, you usually then tumble onto the sand. I didn't get to go to Nicoya this weekend, and I've heard it is best to see the turtles in early to mid-October. I'm planning a two or three daylong venture at around that time.
What's hard not to notice here is the incredible abundance of life, both plants and animals. Biking home from class, I often see foot-long iguanas running for cover on the sidewalks and strange yet stunning birds flying low overhead. For this week’s article, I've decided to focus on this fabulous trait of Costa Rica, and hopefully I can shed some light on the subject from what I've learned in class here.
When Columbus coined the term "costa rica" in 1502, he was referring to the gold jewelry that the indigenous people brought to him as gifts. As it turns out his assumption of the presence of rare minerals such as gold in this region were false; the gold was traded to the locals by neighboring tribes, and only minor sources of gold in Costa Rica have been found to date. However, he did hit the nail on the head in terms of biodiversity. Costa Rica truly is a "rich coast" in that it contains an incredible number of unique life forms within its boundaries—many found nowhere else on earth.
In an area roughly the size of W. Virginia, Costa Rica's varied landscapes are classified into twelve ecological "life zones." Each zone is characterized by a distinct combination of terrain, climate and life forms. I'll try to put things into perspective for you.
 Around 5 percent of ALL the species on earth can be found in Costa Rica (the National Institute of Biodiversity estimates there are at least one million species). Although there are only around 200 species of mammals (half of which are bats), there are more than 160 species of amphibians and around 220 or so reptile species. The ubiquitous snakes comprise 162 of these, but only 22 are poisonous. Remarkably, one-tenth of all known bird species in the world inhabit this little patch of land. Of the 850 or so species, at least 600 are permanent residents, including 51 species of hummingbirds and 16 species of parrots.
Costa Rica's insect fauna is incalculably rich. Tens of thousands of specimens await identification. There are more than 1,000 species of butterflies (one-quarter of the world's total), and thousands of species of ants alone. As I've said before, of the remaining seven species of marine turtles five are known to nest on Costa Rica's beaches, including the largest reptile on earth—the Leatherback turtle—which can weigh up to a ton. The tropical waters on either side of the country are home to a wide variety of organisms.
In regards to plants, Costa Rica is truly amazing. For example, its 800 or so species of ferns far outnumbers the whole of North America. There have been 1,400 species of orchids identified so far and in excess of 2,000 bromeliads. The list goes on and on.
Next week I'll tell you how one of my professors explains this incredibly rich diversity. Until then, ¡chao!
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