Wildlife · Country Guide

Costa Rica

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Wildlife In Costa Rica

Browse the full species list linked to approved dive spots across Costa Rica.

sharks

Whitetip Reef Shark

Triaenodon obesus

33 linked spots

rays

Moray Eel

29 linked spots

rays

Stingrays

23 linked spots

Gestreifter Adlerrochen ( Pteromylaeus bovinus )

rays

Eagle Ray

22 linked spots

molluscs

Octopus

22 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Jackfish

14 linked spots

Green sea turtle ( Chelonia mydas ), Moorea, French Polynesia

turtles

Green Turtle

Chelonia mydas

13 linked spots

rays

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

Mobula birostris

10 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Snapper

9 linked spots

turtles

Hawksbill Turtle

Eretmochelys imbricata

8 linked spots

molluscs

Nudibranch

8 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Pufferfish

Tetraodontidae

8 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Angelfish

7 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Scorpionfish

Scorpaenidae

7 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Barracuda

6 linked spots

whales

Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

6 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Scalloped Hammerhead

Sphyrna lewini

6 linked spots

sharks

Bull Shark

Carcharhinus leucas

5 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Grouper/Basslets

5 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Sweetlips and Grunts

5 linked spots

dolphins

Bottlenose Dolphin

4 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Tuna

4 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Butterfly Fish

3 linked spots

seahorses-and-pipefishes

Common Seahorse

Hippocampus kuda

3 linked spots

a close up of a sea anemone on the ocean floor

saltwater-fishes

Frogfish

3 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Lionfish

3 linked spots

sharks

Nurse Shark

Ginglymostoma cirratum

3 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Surgeonfish

Acanthuridae

3 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Triggerfish

3 linked spots

sharks

Blacktip Reef Shark

Carcharhinus melanopterus

2 linked spots

a yellow and black spotted fish in an aquarium

saltwater-fishes

Boxfish

Ostraciidae (family)

2 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Goatfish

2 linked spots

turtles

Olive Ridley Turtle

Lepidochelys olivacea

2 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Parrotfish

2 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Porcupinefish

2 linked spots

rays

Reef Manta Ray

Mobula alfredi

2 linked spots

freshwater-fishes

Bass

1 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Damselfish

1 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Flounder

1 linked spots

jellyfish

Portuguese Man o'War

Physalia physalis

1 linked spots

rays

Ribbon Moray Eel (Ghost Eel)

Rhinomuraena quaesita

1 linked spots

other-mammals

Sea Lion

1 linked spots

crustaceans

Shrimp

1 linked spots

sharks

Silky Shark

Carcharhinus falciformis

1 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Snake Eel

Ophichthidae

1 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Soldierfish

Myripristinae

1 linked spots

dolphins

Spinner Dolphin

Stenella longirostris

1 linked spots

molluscs

Squid

1 linked spots

a whale swimming in the ocean with a lot of fish around it

sharks

Whale Shark

Rhincodon typus

1 linked spots

saltwater-fishes

Wrasse

1 linked spots