This is where you can learn all about the plants and animal habitats that we created signs for the trails to inform the tourists and locals. You can also view some of the nature and biodiversity spotted in the protected forests and learn a little bit about them!
Below you will find the signs that the honors college study abroad students created and put up themselves with the help of a local named Wayne. These signs allowed tourists and locals to understand the importance of the nature around them and why we can't cut it down at our leisure and convince.
important for biodiversity. the ocean's nursery and important for fish, rays, and sharks. helps prevent erosion. Some of it's threats include: deforestation and contamination .
Cuanacaste
The national tree of Costa Rica.
It is distributed through Central America.
It is native to tropical regions.
Teca/ Teak
Can grow up to 30 meters tall.
Initially native to the East Indies.
Strangler Tree
This trees seeds are transported by wind or animals, and then are lodged into the bark. The seeds then germinate and send aerial roots that absorb nutrients and water from the air and the host tree.
Magnifier Indica
Commonly known as a mango tree. This species is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is resistant to fire and has antioxidant properties die to the high levels of vitamin C.
Guarumo Tree
representative tree of the American intertropical zone.
presents symbiosis with aggressive arboreal ants.
COCO
Species of palm that can be 30 meters tall
leaves can be 4-6cm large
can be used for carpentry, but coconuts are great for eating.
Leafcutter Ants
Use leaves to carry to cultivate fungi, that they feed on. These ants can carry leaves 50X their weight. They have mouth parts that can cut the leaves and bring them back to the sun hill. Cutting the leaves affects the tree, and will then produce toxins into leaves, so ants can no longer use them. The colony lives for about 12 years.​ The ants live in the wholes found in the picture above.
Nature Among The Protected
Below you will find information on many plants and animals commonly found in the rainforests of Costa Rica. Some talk about medicinal uses and others talk about the adaptations it has acquired in order to live.
The big ones are female and sometimes the guys will be eaten by her.
Croc Tree - "Black Alligator"
Many would use this tree for wood and the sap inside, which is important and can be used as milk for children. It was discovered 15 years ago in Panama.
Apapba Tree
Good oil producers to keep hair healthy and it can also be used to make shampoos.
Grass Hopper -- Esperanza
Esperanza means"hope" as it grows it eats small amounts of leaves, and it can be eat as a good source of protein.
Callitaia
This plant a long time ago was used to mummify the deseast. After a while the persons bones would then be collected from the rainforest and placed in a whole within the home.
Callitaia
At night this plant will stand like as seen above so that bats can't make it their home at night
Sloth
The sloth found in this video is a three fingered sloth.
Cocool-Mecha
Commonly used for anemia. Ir a common vine and the roots were cooked to have tea and give vitamins, minerals and is a square vine. Is the same family of the root beet but root beer is not square but round.
Palm Tree Wood
One of the hardest woods known used to make furniture wine, produced fruit, and used for many other things. There are more than 100 trees in Costa Rica. The coconuts are used for palm oil, sun tan oil, and cooking oil. The wood is commonly white and black.
Palm Tree Wood
Use the Pins with poison tree frog poison, to get animals off of itself. The pins can also be used as blow darts.
Garlic Tree
The wood is very heavy and hard to processes. This tree has been here for about 360 years and the cycle of life is very fast in Costa Rica. Australia has a tree that is about 4000 years old and the US has some about 2000 years old. The trees can communicate through their roots about nutrients and water intake.
Chilamte
Family of the Ficus Tree
Palm Tree
Here is a palm tree growing from a coconut
Seed of Bactris Gasipaes
Used to make wine in the indigenous. It tastes sweet and almost like lemon but not nearly as tart of a taste.
Bactris Gasipaes
Produces the seed of Bactris Gasipaes
Natural Fishing Lure
Many used this as a way to attract fish, and this is how it got its name fishing lure.
Pouteria Fimbriata
Does photosynthesis by bark and grow the fishing lure flowers. the fiber from the wood was used for life jackets as well.
Hickro Tree
Will drop skeletons of leaves once leaves die off of tree and all of the chlorophyll dies out of the leave.
