Snakes of Costa Rica Update -- Actualización de Serpientes de Costa Rica

Most people say..."What is it?" as they stare at the mythical looking cat-like creature.  Certain features look familiar and certain features look oddly out place.  Perhaps it was even photo shopped. What is it and where did the image originate? The image is of a not very well known wild cat called a Jaguarundi.  Officially, Puma yagouaroundi, Jaguarundi have been in the news lately when an Argentine teenage girl rescued a pair of feral cats from their road killed mother.   She named them Tito and Dani and they both turned out to be adorable Jaguarundi  kittens.  Read more about Dani and Tito here. Jaguarundi are just a bit larger than a large domestic house cat.  Their colors can vary from black to gray to tan or buff to an almost red fur coloration.  The Jaguarundi populations appear to be stable in most of their range. One of the reasons is that they lack a desirable pelt.  Their closest relative is the Cougar or Mountain Lio...

I found more of these Blunt Head Tree Snakes(Imantodes cenchoa) on this trip than any other species. The onset of the dry season usually signifies that snakes are more difficult to find.  The beginning of 2018 seemed to be an exception for us. We were in the Southern Zone of Costa Rica from January 4, until  February 19.  I walked the forest numerous times during the day placing the checking on and servicing the Camera Traps.  I also would spend 2-3 hours a night slowly walking trails near the house, observing what I could. Below is a breakdown of the snakes encountered. Vine snake(Oxybelis aenus) Parrot Snake(Leptophis ahaetulla) -juvenile Salmon belly racer (Mastigodryas melanlomus)X3 Blunt Headed Snake(Imantodes cenchoa)X7 Red Eye Tree Snake(Siphlophis compressus)X2 Garden Tree Boa(Corallus ruschenbergerii) Terceopelo(Bothrops asper)X4 Cloudy Snail Eater(Sibon nebulatus)X3 Cat Eye Snakes(Leptodeira septentrionalis)4+1 Coffee Sna...