December 14, 2010 - Iguana in Tortuguero National Park.
On a boat tour in TNP, we spotted
spider monkeys,
howler monkeys,
caiman,
herons,
egrets,
kingfishers,
toucans,
turtles,
and yes, iguanas.

The fauna allow close access & can be captured with a 70-200mm with an SB-800 flash. The boatman gave a bit of Tico history, how they evolved from turtle eating to logging to eco-tourism lodges, all in the last 15 years. Now tourism is the biggest contributor to the economy, turtles are a preserved species, and logging is illegal.

Spider monkeys are tiny black monkeys with long forearms, longer than the legs, and a tail so strong they can hang upside down by the tails. Caimans are mean-looking smaller sort of crocs. Iguanas blend in very well atop coconut trees and are hard to spot.

costa ricaiguanatortuguero national parktortuguero