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Costa Rica is a small country. Many compare it to West Virginia in the United States. But for such a small country, one thing is certain- Costa Rica has wildlife, an abundance of wildlife. Many people writing about Costa Rica never fail to mention it is one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet. Environmentalists, biologists, naturalists, and tourists alike, feel compelled to visit and explore beautiful Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is home to an enormous variety of wildlife, due mainly to its geographical location between the North and South American continents, its neotropical climate, and its wide variety of habitats. The geographic position of Costa Rica is perhaps the primary source of this biodiversity. Costa Rica along with the land now considered Panama, formed a bridge connecting the North and South American continents approximately three to five million years ago. This bridge made possible the very different flora and fauna of the two continents to mix, and presto- biodiversity.
The nation’s 12 distinct ecological zones are home to an astonishing array of flora and fauna—approximately 5 percent of all known species on earth in a country that occupies less than 0.003 percent of its land area—including more butterfly species than in the whole of Africa, and more than twice the number of bird species than in the whole of the United States.
Life in the waters around Costa Rica is just as diverse, especially around the picturesque, Coco’s Island. The marine life in Costa Rica includes various corals, tropical fish, sharks, manatees, dolphins, whales and of course the sea turtles such as, the leatherback, hawksbill, olive ridley, and pacific green.
I guess Costa Rica really is one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet.
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