Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is a Wildlife refuge
, part of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area
, in the northern part of Costa Rica
twenty kilometers south of Los Chiles
near the border with Nicaragua
in the Alajuela province
. The refuge is a wetland
s site that is home to many migratory
waterfowl
during part of the year, centered on Lake Caño Negro which is fed by the Frío River during the rainy season. There are no public facilities at the refuge, and the area can be explored only by boat.
The forests, grasslands and marshes of the area provide shelter for various endangered species such as cougars, jaguar
s, tapir
s and ocelot
s, peccary
and several species of monkey
(white-headed capuchin
, mantled howler
and Geoffroy's spider monkey
), as well as many others. In the dry season area is reduced to little lagoons, channels and beaches which the gives home to thousands of migratory birds of many species such as stork
s, spoonbill
s, ibis
, anhinga
s, duck
s and cormorant
s.
Wildlife refuge
A wildlife refuge, also called a wildlife sanctuary, may be a naturally occurring sanctuary, such as an island, that provides protection for species from hunting, predation or competition, or it may refer to a protected area, a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected...
, part of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area
Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area
Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the northern part of Costa Rica. It contains a National Park, and number of Wildlife refuges and Forest Reserves...
, in the northern part of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
twenty kilometers south of Los Chiles
Los Chiles
Los Chiles is the capital city of the canton of Los Chiles in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the distrito that includes the city...
near the border with Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
in the Alajuela province
Alajuela Province
Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north, and clockwise the provinces Heredia, San José, Puntarenas and Guanacaste...
. The refuge is a wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s site that is home to many migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
during part of the year, centered on Lake Caño Negro which is fed by the Frío River during the rainy season. There are no public facilities at the refuge, and the area can be explored only by boat.
The forests, grasslands and marshes of the area provide shelter for various endangered species such as cougars, jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
s, tapir
Tapir
A Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
s and ocelot
Ocelot
The ocelot , pronounced /ˈɒsəˌlɒt/, also known as the dwarf leopard or McKenney's wildcat is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Texas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean...
s, peccary
Peccary
A peccary is a medium-sized mammal of the family Tayassuidae, or New World Pigs. Peccaries are members of the artiodactyl suborder Suina, as are the pig family and possibly the hippopotamus family...
and several species of monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
(white-headed capuchin
White-headed Capuchin
The white-headed capuchin , also known as the white-faced capuchin or white-throated capuchin, is a medium-sized New World monkey of the family Cebidae, subfamily Cebinae...
, mantled howler
Mantled Howler
The mantled howler , or golden-mantled howling monkey, is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America...
and Geoffroy's spider monkey
Geoffroy's Spider Monkey
Geoffroy's spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi, also known as black-handed spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a small portion of Colombia. There are at least five subspecies. Some primatologists classify the...
), as well as many others. In the dry season area is reduced to little lagoons, channels and beaches which the gives home to thousands of migratory birds of many species such as stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s, spoonbill
Spoonbill
Spoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side...
s, ibis
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
, anhinga
Anhinga
The Anhinga , sometimes called Snakebird, Darter, American Darter, or Water Turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word "anhinga" comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means devil bird or snake bird.It is a cormorant-like bird with an average body length of , a...
s, duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s and cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s.
External links
- Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge at Costa Rica National Parks