Manuel Antonio National Park is the smallest national park in Costa Rica, but also the second most visited.
Although its the smallest, is has about 109 species of mammals, 184 species of birds, and four beaches.
There were lots of visitors eager to check out the wildlife.
We went with our guide, Miguel. He carries large binoculars and is very good as spotting various critters. We learned a lot. For example, this particular plant is poisonous. If you touch it, you will have a very itchy rash. Even the bugs know not to touch the top so they munch on it from the bottom. Smart.
It get's muddy in some parts.
Here's a sloth. I learned that their stomachs have multiple compartments. They are so lazy that if they get hungry, they just sometimes regurgitate what they ate and swollow is again. Yum. They also poop once a week. They make their way down their tree (verry slowly), dig a hole, then do their business. In a way, their poop help fertilize the tree they live on. It's all ecologically sound.
Pretty plant.
What do you think these ants are carrying? Food to eat, right? Wrong. As our guide explained, these ants actually eat mushrooms. These pieces of leaves and stuff are things the ants use to fertilize their mushrooms. They're like farmer ants. How neat is that?
Jurassic Park-like lizard.
If you look very closely, you'll see tiny bats.
Tiny frog. Are you wondering why some of the pictures are bordered in circles? We're actually taking pictures from Miguel's binoculars' eye piece. Cool huh?
Beautiful beach.
I wanted to go in the water so bad. My mom's just restraining me.
Hermit crab. They're very intersting creatures cuz they can change their houses anytime they want.
A peek of the beach through the forest.
And another.
High tide is coming. Some folks use a boat as a bridge to cross. This area is usually with filled with water.
Coconut juice for refreshment.