Wild cats in Costa Rica: The 6 species you can find

Wild cats are one of the most impressive families of mammals that you can see in Costa Rica!
The presence of stable populations of felines indicates that in the ecosystem there are enough prey to feed these carnivores, and a biodiversity associated with the good state of conservation. In Costa Rica there are six species of felines: the ocelot, the caucel, the jaguar, the puma, the jaguarundi and the tigrillo.
With a lot of luck you will be able to see one of them in the wild on your next Costa Rica vacation!

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

day and night active wild cat
inhabits evergreen forests, river forests, mangroves and savannas
mainly terrestrial, but like the long-tailed cat, the jaguar rests on trees
feeds on wild boars, peccaries, deer, monkeys, birds and fish
head-body length between 160 and 180 cm, its body weight varies between 55 and 95 kg

Puma (Puma concolor)

day and night active feline
lives in the dry and rainforests of Costa Rica
mainly terrestrial, but excellent climbers, resting on rocks, trunks and branches
his prey animals include possums, howler and spider monkeys, reptiles, armadillos, peccary and white-tailed deer
head-hull length between 150 and 275 cm and weight between 53 and 72 kg

Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)

third largest wild cat after the jaguar and the puma in Costa Rica
occurs in primary and secondary forests throughout the country
has big claws, which give him the name “big hands” in Spanish
nocturnal feline, during the day it lies on branches in the trees
feeds on rodents, rabbits, anteaters, small reptiles, peccaries and fish
measures between 70 and 90 cm head-hull length and weighs about 11 kg

Margay (Leopardus wiedii)

nocturnal and solitary animal
inhabits dry and rainforests, mainly in primary forests mainly in trees
feeds mainly on tree-dwelling animals such as monkeys, curly bears, sloths, lizards, squirrels, insects and birds
can be confused with the ocelot, but is much smaller
reaches a head-hull length of 40 to 60 cm and an average weight of 3.5 kg

Jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi)

diurnal wild cat
occurs in a variety of habitats, from drylands to rainforests and tolerates the proximity of humans
its prey includes rodents, reptiles, amphibians and small birds
more social than other wildcats
reaches a body-trunk length of 50 to 70 cm and its weight is between 3.5 and 9 kg

Tigrillo (Leopardus tigrinus)

active at night and in the evening
primarily located in primary forests, but tolerates the proximity of humans
moves mostly on the ground, but is like all wild cats a good climber
feeds on small rodents, lizards, birds, eggs and amphibians
his head-hull length varies between 39 and 78 cm and the weight between 2 and 3 kg