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Costa Rica
Book Categories
guidebooks
field guides
birding
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leisure/fiction
natural history
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Costa
Rica Field Guides & Nature Books
wildlife | birds | plants | amphibians
& reptiles | marine life | general
| Wildlife |
Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica
Color photos, species accounts, and
distribution maps, for almost three hundred species of
birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, moths,
and other invertebrates are complimented by general introductions
to each group, the ecology of Costa Rica, and how to travel
to see wildlife. by Carrol L. Henderson (Author), Steve
Adams (Illustrator), Paperback, 559 pages, Publisher: Univ
of Texas Press; 1st edition, (2002), ISBN: 029273459X
From Amazon $US 27.97 -or-
Barnes&Nobel
members $US 30.36
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Costa Rica: Traveler's Wildlife Guides
The Traveler's Wildlife Guide to Costa
Rica is a wonderful book that fully deserves its endorsement
by the Wildlife Conservation Society. Beletsky’s
understanding and extensive experience of tropical ecology
result in a clear, interesting, and useable guide. This
tiny country has more diverse habitats and wildlife than
almost any other place in the world, which makes the Guide’s
accessible descriptions of them and their interactions
all the more impressive.
by Les Beletsky, John Myers (Illustrator), Priscilla Barrett (Illustrator),
Paperback, 440 pages, Publisher: Interlink Pub Group, (2003), ISBN:
1566565294
Not yet released, but you can preorder
($US 17.47 from Amazon),
or there is an earlier version (1998) of this book with a slightly
different title, Costa Rica: The Ecotravelers' Wildlife Guide;
(ISBN 0120848104) that is sometimes available
used for around $US 5.
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The Natural History of Costa Rican
Mammals
Over 400 illustration of the mammals,
their tracks, scats, dens, and anatomical details combined
with identification keys, range maps, vocalization descriptions,
sexual behavior, derivations of common and scientific names,
evolutionary history, local folklore and mythology give
a complete picture for Costa Rica's common and more elusive
mammals. Excellent introductions to the natural history
and conservation of this region make this much more than
a source to identify what you just saw.
by Mark Wainwright, Paperback, 384 pages, Publisher: Distribuidores Zona
Tropical, S.A., (2003), ISBN: 0970567812
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A
Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America & Southeast
Mexico
by Fiona A. Reid, Paperback: 456 pages,
Publisher: Oxford University Press, (1998), ISBN: 0195064011
Standard
format field guide with 49 high
quality color plates and ~8 mammals per plate. Detailed
and accurate, but it's mammals only.. lots of rats and bats
as
well as the monkeys, felines, and marine mammals.
$US 39.50 from Amazon -or-
Barnes&Noble member
price $US 33.25 |
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Costa Rican Wildlife
Convenient laminated folding pocket
guide packs a lot of information into a little space. Designed
as an introduction and quick reference there are full color
illustrations and a wealth of general information. by Waterford Press, Paperback, 12 foldout
pages, Publisher: Waterford Press, (2001), ISBN: 1583550739
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| Birds (see more
field guides for birding) |
A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica
An excellent field guide to one of the
most diverse bird populations anywhere with 52 beautiful
color plates, detailed species accounts, descriptions of
birding localities. If you're already hooked on birding
you know from your friends that this is the book you need,
and if you're a novice, this is a perfect place to start. by F. Gary Stiles, Alexander F. Skutch
(Contributor), Dana Gardner (Illustrator), Paperback, Publisher:
Cornell Univ Pr, (1990), ISBN: 0801496004
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| Amphibians
and Reptiles (see more in Natural History) |
A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles
of Costa Rica
The guide to Costa RIca's amphibians,
herpatofauna, and reptiles with 86 color pages and 100
black-and-white plates, a complete species list, exhaustive
bibliography, and an especially helpful illustrated glossary.
by Twan Leenders, Paperback, 305 pages, Publisher: Distribuidores Zona
Tropical, S.A., (2001), ISBN: 0970567804
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| Plants |
Field Guide to the Orchids of Costa
Rica and Panama
by Robert L. Dressler, Paperback, 374
pages, Publisher: Cornell Univ Press, (1993), ISBN: 0801481392
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Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas
Beautiful color plates complimented
by species accounts and ecology. by Andrew Henderson, Gloria Galeano,
Rodrigo Bernal, Paperback, 363 pages, Publisher: Princeton
Univ Press, (1997), ISBN: 0691016003
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| Marine
Life |
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National
Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes :
Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Bahamas, Bermuda
by
National Audubon Society, Flexible binding, 720 pages,
Publisher: Knopf, (September 1997), ISBN: 067944601X
An excellent guide that isn't specific
to Costa Rica, but should cover anything you'll encounter
on the Caribbean and Cahuita
National Park.
$US 13.97 from Amazon -or-
Barnes&Noble member
price $US 15.16
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Snorkeling
Guide to Marine Life: Florida Caribbean Bahamas
by Paul
Humann, Ned Deloach, Paperback (spiral-binding), 80 pages,
Publisher: New World Publications, (April 1995), ISBN:
1878348108
A brief reference to the Marine life of
the Caribbean. Not specific to Costa Rica, but should cover
anything you'll encounter on the Caribbean and Cahuita
National Park.
$US 10.47 from Amazon -or-
Barnes&Noble member
price $US 11.07
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Smithsonian
Handbooks: Whales Dolphins and Porpoises
by Mark Carwardine,
Martin Camm (Illustrator), Paperback: 256 pages, Publisher:
DK Publishing, (August 2002), ISBN: 0789489902 not yet reviewed
$US 14.00 from Amazon -or-
Barnes&Noble member
price $US 19.00
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National
Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World
As usual the National Audubon Society has published a target
for everyone else to reach for.
by
Pieter Folkens (Illustrator), Randall R. Reeves (Contributor),
Brent S. Stewart (Contributor), Paperback: 528 pages, Publisher:
Knopf, (April 2002), ISBN: 0375411410
$US 18.87 from Amazon -or-
Barnes&Noble member
price $US 20.48
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| General
Interest |
A Neotropical Companion
Not a filed guide per se, but a good
introduction to the field.
Readable and accessible for tourists,
students and scientists, this introduction to the American
tropics, their rainforests and other ecosystems, and the
creatures that live there is the most comprehensive one-volume
guide to the Neotropics available today.
Highly recommended by Scientific American. by William E. Davis (Illustrator), John
C. Kricher, Mark J. Plotkin, Paperback, 504 pages, Publisher:
Princeton Univ Pr; 2nd Revision edition, (1999), ISBN:
0691009740
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Costa Rica's National Parks and Preserves:
A Visitor's Guide
Not a field guide, but a guide on how
to get to, and get the most out of the field.
by Joseph Franke, Paperback: 224 pages, Publisher: Mountaineers Books,
2nd edition, (1999), ISBN: 0898865603
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