Sunday 23 December 2012

Manzanillo

Night 1 with the camera trap - nothing showed up. Night 2 - Ocelot showed up! Despite this wild cat being found throughout Central and South America; it is extremely elusive and rarely sighted. The Costa Rican name for Ocelot is 'Mano Gordo', which means 'Fat Hand', because of the disproportionately large size of its paws. Fortunately for us this Mano Gordo was very obliging and held up its paw for the photo which enabled us to make a positive identification.




An Agouti wanders past up the same trail as the Ocelot - a perfect source of food for the small wild cat! Agoutis are squat, guinea pig-like rodents which are often sighted in the undergrowth. They eat nuts and seeds which fall from the canopy and are known for being one of only two animals which can open the Mountain Almond - reputedly the hardest nut in the world. (The other species is the Great Green Macaw - the species which we were reintroducing to the area.
A tiny Forest Rabbit hops by! They are much smaller than their European Cousins that we are used to and their ears are so small it is not obvious that it is a rabbit. This photo was taken in the same evening and position as the Ocelot photo, so you can see the difference in size. Like the Agouti, this bunny would make a tasty meal for the Ocelot!