Mammals of Costa Rica

Think of a mammal……
Evolution
 General
Characters of
Mammals:

All Mammals have the

following in common:
Are endothermic
Hair or Fur
Specialized teeth
Mammary Glands
Hair/fur:
• Mammals are the only animals that
have hair.
• Body of mammals is covered by
epidermal hair.
• Helping animals blend into their
surroundings
• For advertising
• Specialized hair serve as a sensory
function: whiskers

• At least some hair is found on all

mammals at some time during their
lives

• Four functions of hair: insulation,

sensory, provides color/pattern,
protection (e.g. from sun,
• from predators [e.g. spines])
Hair

12
 Endothermic
(warm-
blooded)
• Are animals that can
maintain a constant body
temperatura despite the
changes in the
environment
• Endothermy allows
animals to live in
different types of
environments and be
very active
Specialized
Teeth

• Animals eat many types

of food
• Mammals have
specialized teeth that
reflect the difference in
their diets
• Mammals usually only
have two sets of teeth
Diphyodont
• Baby Teeth: the first set
• Permanent Teeth: The
second set (not replaced)
Heterodont
Types of Teeth
 Mammary Glands
• Mammary glands (this is where the name of this class of animals, Mammalia,
comes from):
In monotremes the mammary glands have separate openings (no nipple) and the
young lap milk from tufts of fur rather than suckling as in the marsupials and
placental mammals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHocViqK
bbc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD9h_26
QWGA
Diversity in Costa Rica (2015)

Paper: http://www.scielo.org.ar/pdf/mznt/v21n2/v21n2a08.pdf
A Conservation issue
………………………………A Conservation issue

Combining Red List (IUCN 2017) categories of Extinct (EX), Extinct in the
Wild (EW), Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), and Vulnerable
(VU), 1,219 species of mammals (22.2%) are ranked as Threatened or Extinct.

https://www.iucnredlist.org/about/background-history
20
National Protected Areas
Biological Corridors
Nacional Road Network
90% of all road construction is expected to occur in developing nations, including many regions that sustain
exceptional biodiversity and vital ecosystem services.
One acction..

land colonization habitat disruption

overexploitation of
wildlife and
natural resources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_ywj3w
Ku-g&t=1s
Another reality
 Sibaja, F. Jara, R. Pizarro, A. Fernández, J. Anónimo Anónimo Gamboa, JC

Báez, R. Kathy James Anónimo Tilarán Ahora Díaz, C. Anónimo

Pomareda, E. Anónimo Sánchez, N. Nosara Rant n Rave Granados, P. Aguirre, E. Anónimo

Nickell, K.

Alfaro, R. Aguirre, E. Saul Ruta 1. Campos, S. Anónimo Araya, D.

Carlos Anónimo Bombard, R. Jiménez, C. Gutiérrez, S. Guadamuz, D. Gutiérrez, S.

Gutiérrez, S. Molina, H. Rodriguez, N. Gamboa, J. Anónimo Fonseca, E. Arévalo, E.

Anónimo Anónimo Tami, DK Anónimo Anónimo Anónimo Yaksu. Pomareda, E.

51 Manigordos (Leopardus pardalis) muertos en las carreteras de Costa Rica, 2021

 Oral presentation 3

Make a group of tree or four classmates and choose one of the enviromental problems:
• Deforastation (Crops, monoculture) Jess, Katie, Kirsten and Bentley
• Infraestructure (roads, buildings, electricity) Erin, Eve and Isabell
• Harvest, strikes in shipping lanes, pollution, and depleted levels of food resources
(marine Mammals). Yuri, Angel and Amanda
• Commercial, illegal, or unregulated hunting (terrestrial Mammals) Marissa, Ana and
Quang

• In groups, you must do research on the assigned problem, globally, in their countries and
in Costa Rica. Present an oral presentation with the main results, with a short discussion
about those results and recommendations. Emphasize the main impacts on the ecosystem
and affected mammal species.

• 4 groups (3 y 4)
 Mammals of Costa
Rica

• About 260 species

• 6% of all species in the world
• Costa Rica has one of the most
diverse mammalian fauna of any
country in Central America
Phylogenetic Tree

• Relationship among major

groups of Mammals in CR
Order Didelphimorphia • The only marsupials in

Family Didelphidae (9 sp) Costa Rica

• Opossums and mouse
opossums
• They born
underdeveloped and end
their lactation on the
outside of the mother (true
marsupium or a fold of
skin)
• Forests, altered and semi-
urban areas
• Night arboreal with
prehensile and naked tail
• Omnivores
• Didelphis sp. Plays dead
when it feels threatened

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsUwdsYu
_7I&t=47s
 Order • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=_EIoyPEKj0o&t=1s

Xenarthra
( Anteaters, • Special articulations in their
vertebrae that reinforce the lumbar

sloths & region

• Common urinary and genital tract
armadillos) • Teeth poorly developed or absent
Order Xenarthra
Family Bradypodidae (1sp)
• Three-toed sloth, cucula or perica
ligera
• Neotropical
• Arboreal
• They eat leaves of trees like
Cecropia, Ficus, etc.
• Teeth with continuous growth and
stomach divided into chambers
• They come down only to defecate
• It has an algae in the coat, which
gives them that greenish color
• Bradypus variegatus presents
sexual dimorphism, the male has an
orange spot on his back
Sub Order Pilosa
Family Megalonychidae (1 sp)
• Two-toed sloth, cúcula
• Mainly nocturnal
• Adaptations similar to those of
Bradypus variegatus
• From 0 to 3300 meters above
sea level
• In the country there is only one
species, Choloepus hoffmanni
• More aggressive when
manipulating it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-64U7WoBrqM
Sub Order Cingulata
Family Dasypodidae
• Armadillos or cusucos
• Carapace composed of bone-covered
skin plates, also on the head and tail
• Terrestrial and semiforial, dig burrows
• They eat vertebrates and small
invertebrates
• Nocturnes, loners, with strong claws
• In the country there are two species:
• Dasypus novemcinctus (Nine banded
Armadillo) and Cabassous centralis
(Eleven banded Armadillo )
Order Cingulata
Family Dasypodidae

Cabassous centralis (Eleven banded Armadillo )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SeQDpO
KCBA&t=25s
Order Pilosa
Family Myrmecophagidae
• They do not have teeth
• They feed on ants and termites
• Rounded and small ears
• Elongated snout with small
mouth opening to suck
• Long, sticky tongue
• Large and strong claws for
digging termite mounds
• From Mexico to Argentina
Tamandua mexicana
• Genres Tamandua (anteater)
and Myrmecophaga (“horse
bear”, “giant anteater”)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW3GqFE
uOXw
Order Pilosa
Family Myrmecophagidae

Myrmecophaga tridactyla
Order Pilosa
Family Cyclopedidae
• Silky anteater (Cyclopes
didactylus) is the only species of
the family
• Very small
• Nocturnal and arboreal
• They eat ants and other insects
• Difficult to detect
• Native of Central and South
America
Order Carnivora
Family Canidae (2sp)
• Dog family, wolf, coyote, foxes
• Origin from North America
• Long skull with large nasal cavity
because they have a very
developed nose
• Obvious carnasial complex, they are
usually more carnivorous but they
are omnivores
• Smart, fast in open areas
• If they are social, they have
complex behaviors
• In Costa Rica there are two species
of canids: Urocyon
cinereoargenteus (gray fox), Canis
latrans (coyote), Sphaeotus
venaticus (bush dog)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PRVaPy4
p1g&list=TLPQMDcwMzIwMjPKjF2Nr0j9Rw&in
dex=2
Order Carnivora
Family Procyonidae (6sp)
• Less obvious carnasial complex
because it is more omnivorous
• Social behavior in many species
• They inhabit mainly forests, and
are arboreal
• All but the kinkaju present rings
in the tail
• In Costa Rica there are Procyon
lotor (raccoon), (Procyon
cancrivorus, crab eating
raccoon), Nasua narica (coati,
pizote), Potos flavus (kinkaju),
Bassariscus sumichrasti
(cacomistle) and Bassaricyon
gabbii (olingo)
Procyon lotor

Procyon cancrivorus

Nasua narica
Bassariscus sumichrasti

Bassaricyon gabbii

Potos flavus
 Order Carnivora
Family Mustelidae (4sp)
• Cosmopolitan carnivores with a
long body and short legs
• Small, long skull and flat snout
• Mainly carnivores or piscivores
those who are semi-aquatic
• Advance sense of smell
• The four species present in the
country are: Mustela frenata
(Long tailed weasel), Galictis
vittata (grison), Eira barbara
(tolomuco, tayra) and Lontra
longicaudis (Neotropical river
otter).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpC5nCsg
0Wc
Mustelidae
 Order Carnivora
Family Mephitidae (3sp)

• Skunks
• Highly developed anal glands that emit foul
odors
• Omnivores
• They differ by the patterns of black and white
stripes
• In the country there are three species:
Spilogale angustifrons, Conepatus semistriatus
and Mephitis macroura.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/j2-
Al3MD4VE
Order Carnivora
Family Felidae (6sp)
• Carnivores and predators
• An evident carnasial complex.
• have strong, curved and retractable claws
• Short face, large orbits and binocular vision
• They are very fast, and good climbers
• In CR they are solitary and territorial
• In the country they are Panthera onca (jaguar),
Puma concolor (puma), Leopardus pardalis (ocelot ),
Leopardus wiedii (margay), Leopardus tigrinus
(tigrillo) and Puma yaguarondi (yaguarundi).
• All species in danger of extinction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB1VGu3
7STM
Ocelot
Puma
 Order Primates
Familiies:
Cebidae (2sp) and
Atelidae (2sp)

• Stereoscopic vision, complex social behavior

(troops)

• Diurnal, arboreal and with fingers modified for

that lifestyle

• Mainly herbivores (fruits, leaves, flowers), but

some are omnivores

• The Cebidae family has three species in Costa

Rica: Cebus imitator (white-faced monkey) and
Saimiri oerstedii (squirrel monkey)

• Atelidae contains the spider monkey (Ateles

geoffroyi) and Allouata palliata (howler, congo)
Order Artiodactyla
Family Tayassuidae (2sp)
• Two fingers on the front legs
and three on the hind legs
• Omnivores, long canines
• They have a musk gland on the
back that marks a very strong
smell
• Gregarious and diurnal
• In Costa Rica we find the
peccary Pecari tajacu and the
white-lipped peccary Tayassu
pecari.
Order Perissodactyla
Family Tapiridae (1sp)
• Four fingers on the front legs
• Simple stomach but with
microorganisms that degrade
cellulose (herbivores)
• They inhabit humid forests
• Nocturnal, loners and good
swimmers
• The tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is the
only one in the country
• Bad vision, juveniles with spots
Order Artiodactyla
Family Cervidae (2 sp)
• Four tips with four fingers
• They have antlers that are used for
courtship
• Long legs and short tail
• Solitaires or pack herds
• They eat leaves, flowers and fruits
• Ruminants
• Juveniles with little spots
• In Costa Rica, the species Mazama
temama (red brocket deer) and
Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed
deer) are found
Order Rodentia
Family Sciuridae (5sp)
• Squirrels
• Diurnal and arboreal
• Incisive teeth of continuous
growth
• Long hairy tail
• They make nests in trees with
dry leaves
• Sciurus variegatoides and
S.granatensis are among the
common species
Order Rodentia
Family Erethizontidae (1 sp)
• Porcupines
• Hairs modified as spines,
infectious that can not throw
but if detach
• Nocturnal, usually in pairs or
solitaires
• Arboreal with a prehensile tail
• Herbivores
• In Costa Rica, the species
Coendou mexicanus is found.
 Order Rodentia
Family Dasyproctidae (1 sp)
• Agouti
• Robust legs for terrestrial habit
• Seed dispersers, they forget
where they are buried seeds
• The species found in the country
(Dasyprocta punctata) is
monogamous
Order Rodentia
Family Caniculidae (Agotidae) (1 sp)

• Tepezcuintle, Paca
• Terrestrial, sturdy legs and tail
longer than the Agouti
• Good swimmers
• Herbivores
• They keep the food in burrows
• It could be monogamous
• The species Cuniculus paca is
found in Costa Rica
• Endangered by poachers
Order Lagomorpha
Family Leporidae (3 spp)
• Cosmopolitans
• They use different habitat, in Costa
Rica there are forests and savannas
• Incisor teeth of continuous
development
• They eat their own stools
• The testicles are in front of the
penis
• They do not have fangs
• Very developed ear, and build nests
on the ground
• In Costa Rica there is the genus
Sylvilagus
Order Sirenia
Family Trichechidae (1 sp)
• Manatees
• Herbivores and aquatics
• Fins and tail in the form of paddles
• Without fur, they do not have legs
• Teeth that are constantly replaced
• They dive several minutes
• In Costa Rica there is Trichechus
manatus, only in the Caribbean side
• Solitary or in social groups
• Threatened by boats and
speedboats
Order Chiroptera (117 sp)

• One of the largest orders of

mammals, about 1116 species
• Costa Rica has almost 11% of the
world's species
• It means winged hand
• The species of the country are
nocturnal and crepuscular, with
good sight
• They live in cracks and cavities
• They use echolocation to
communicate, feed and orient
themselves
• They are important to pollinate and
disperse fruits, there are also
carnivores and only three species
are hematophagous
Family Phyllostomidae
Subfamily Sternodermatinae

Centurio senex Glossophaga soricina

Family Phyllostomidae
Subfamily Desmodontinae

Vampiro común : Desmodus rotundus

Continuará…
Order Soricomorpha
Family Soricidae
• Shrews Cryptotis sp.