Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity is one of the many attractions this small country has to offer, the variety of fauna is more evident when it comes to birds, amphibians and insects. There are actually a few species that are endemic to the country, here is the short list of the animals you will only see in Costa Rica:

1) Red Poison Dart Frog or blue jeans frog: Its beautiful red color lets predators know they are wise to stay away, it is commonly found in the rainforest
2) Golfo Dulce Poison Dart Frog: This frog also has a highly potent neurotoxin and its multi-colored body serves as a warning for possible predators. They are considered and endangered species due to the destruction of its habitat. As its name gives away it is commonly found in the South Pacific of Costa Rica.
3) The Great Tinamou (Tinamus Major): a species of ground bird, currently classified as near threatened as a result of deforestation. The Carara National Park is one of the areas recommended to see this bird, but it can also be found in forests of Sarapiquí. There are several species of this bird usually differentiated by their color and the area where they live, some prefer the cloud forest while others are happy in the dry forest.
4) Mangrove Hummingbird: Hummingbirds are beautiful and of the more than 340 different types in the world, you can find over 40 of them in Costa Rica; the Mangrove Hummingbird is endemic to this country. Bronze and green colored this bird is considered as a threatened species. Their natural habitat is of course the mangrove.
5) Coppery-Headed Emerald Hummingbird: A tiny and beautiful hummingbird; it is found at middle elevations in the Caribbean and sometimes in areas of Guanacaste such as Tilarán.
6) Cocos Flycatcher and Cocos Finch: These two birds are only find in Cocos Island in Costa Rica. The Flycatcher is a small grey bird. While the Cocos Finch is the only of the 14 species of Finches studied by Charles Darwin that is not native of the Galápagos Island; the male is entirely black while the female is a heavily streaked brown with a paler underside; it’s the most abundant landbird on Cocos Island.
7) Black-cheeked Ant-tanager: Endemic to the Osa Península, this species of bird is listed as endangered.
8) Underwood’s Pocket Gopher, Cherrie’s Pocket Gopher and Variable Pocket Gopher: All species of rodent endemic to Costa Rica.
9) Black-headed Bushmaster: Snakes. A venomous pitviper very common in the areas of Puntarenas.
10) Los Diamantes Worm Salamander: A species of salamander only found near Guapiles, Limón and threatened by habitat loss
11) Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri Oerstedii): Also known as red-backed squirrel monkey it is found in the central and south Pacific of Costa Rica however it has also been seen in Panama. It is estimated that the remaining population of this monkey is of only 1300-1800 individuals.

Costa Rica is also home to several endemic butterflies and an estimated 600 plants species.