Animal Info - Costa Rica

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in Costa Rica and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

Critically Endangered:
- Harris's Rice Water Rat (Sigmodontomys aphrastus). (Endemic to Costa Rica.)
Endangered:
- Dice's Cottontail (Sylvilagus dicei).
- Harris's Olingo (Bassaricyon lasius). (Endemic to Costa Rica.)
- Red-backed Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii).
Vulnerable:
- American Manatee (Trichechus manatus).
- Central American Tapir (Tapirus bairdii).
- Central American Woolly Opossum (Caluromys derbianus).
- Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla).
- Lemurine Night Monkey (Aotus lemurinus).
- Rodriguez's Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys rodriguezi). (Endemic to Costa Rica.)
- Sperm Whale (Physeter catodon).
- Tacarcuna Bat (Lasiurus castaneus).
- Talamancan Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis gracilis).
- Van Gelder's Bat (Antrozous dubiaquercus).

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 205 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 6 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996 and 2000: 14 (7 % of total species) (IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000)

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

Costa Rica contains portions of the Talamancan & Isthmian Pacific Forests and the Central American Mangroves Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)
Costa Rica contains portions of the Meso-American Forests Global Biodiversity Hotspot (Cons. Intl. 1999a)

Population

Population in 1995: 3,347,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 65.5 people/sq km (169.6 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 3,604,642 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 2.4 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 51,100 sq km (19,730 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

Other Coastal Aquatic: 33 %
Crop and Settlements: 17 %
Interrupted Woods: 17 %
Major Forests: 33 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 12 %; Medium: 18 %; High: 71 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 6,230 sq km (2,405 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 9.5 % totally protected; 2.74 % partially protected; 12.2 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $1,814 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $5,500 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent of females in secondary education (1989): 42 % (World Bank 1992)
Percent adult literacy: Female: 93 % (1990), 87 % (1970); Male: 93 % (1990), 88 % (1970) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Cons. Intl. 1999a, Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for Costa Rica): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles; Links for Costa Rica: Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (Natl. Inst. of Biodiversity) (Spanish and English), Tne Nature Conservancy - Costa Rica

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Last modified: November 4, 2005;