Jungle

12 photos · 2019

12 photographs tagged Jungle, 2019.

A moss-covered fallen log lies on a dirt trail through the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica. — The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve sits along the Cordillera de Tilarán in northwestern Costa Rica, straddling the Continental Divide between the Pacific and Caribbean watersheds. Established in 1972 by the Tropical Science Center, the reserve protects roughly 10,500 hectares of forest across six distinct ecological zones. Elevations within the reserve range from about 1,400 to 1,800 meters, keeping the canopy wrapped in moisture-laden clouds for much of the year. That constant humidity supports one of the densest concentrations of epiphytes in Central America, with orchids, bromeliads, and mosses covering tree trunks and exposed roots along the trail network.

A suspension bridge crosses through dense rainforest canopy near Arenal Observatory Lodge in Costa Rica. — Arenal Observatory Lodge sits on the lower slopes of Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica's Alajuela province, and its trail network includes several hanging bridges that cross the surrounding rainforest. The lodge opened to the public in the 1980s after operating as a research station for volcanologists studying Arenal's activity, which continued from 1968 until it quieted in 2010. The trails connect patches of primary and secondary forest once used to monitor the volcano, and the property sits within view of Lake Arenal, Costa Rica's largest artificial reservoir.

A trail winds through dense moss-covered vegetation and trees in Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Costa Rica. — The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve sits along the Continental Divide in Costa Rica's Tilarán Mountains, roughly 1,440 meters above sea level. Established in 1972 and now managed by the Tropical Science Center, it protects more than 10,500 hectares of habitat spanning several life zones. Over 400 bird species and 2,500 plant species have been recorded here, including hundreds of orchid varieties and abundant epiphytes that thrive in the near-constant moisture. A network of marked trails, originally developed for researchers, now gives visitors access to the forest while limiting impact on the surrounding ecosystem.

Arenal Volcano rises above dense rainforest canopy under stormy skies near La Fortuna, Costa Rica. — Arenal Volcano rises 1,657 meters above the plains of northern Costa Rica, near the town of La Fortuna in Alajuela Province. The stratovolcano stayed dormant for centuries before an eruption in 1968 destroyed the nearby village of Tabacón and reshaped its slopes with the lava flows still visible today. It erupted continuously from 1968 until activity ceased in 2010, making it one of the youngest active volcanoes in Central America during that period. The surrounding land was designated Arenal Volcano National Park in 1991, protecting the rainforest that now covers much of the mountain's lower flanks.

A swimmer floats in the turquoise pool beneath La Fortuna Waterfall in Costa Rica's tropical forest. — La Fortuna Waterfall drops roughly 70 meters into a pool fed by the Río Fortuna, near the base of Arenal Volcano in northern Costa Rica. The site sits within a privately protected reserve of tropical forest reached by a steep trail from the parking area. Swimming is permitted in the plunge pool, though park rules keep visitors a set distance back from the base of the falls due to falling rock and strong currents. The waterfall formed where the river cuts through a lava terrace tied to the Arenal volcanic system, which has shaped much of the surrounding landscape over the past several thousand years.

An armadillo forages through dense undergrowth in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve, Costa Rica. — The nine-banded armadillo is the species most likely to turn up along the forest floor at Monteverde, foraging through leaf litter for insects, grubs, and small invertebrates. It's the only armadillo species found as far north as the United States, but in Costa Rica it ranges through both lowland and highland forest, including the cloud forest habitat around Monteverde. The animal's banded armor is made of bony plates called osteoderms, covered in keratin, which allow it to flex while it digs and burrows. Mostly nocturnal or active at dawn and dusk, it relies on a strong sense of smell rather than eyesight to locate food, since armadillos see poorly.

Dense canopy of tree ferns, epiphytes, and moss-covered trees in Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, Costa Rica. — Monteverde's cloud forest sits along the Cordillera de Tilarán at elevations between roughly 1,400 and 1,800 meters, where moisture-laden trade winds condense into near-constant mist. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, established in 1972 by the Tropical Science Center, protects about 10,500 hectares of this habitat. Scientists have cataloged more than 2,500 plant species here, including over 400 types of orchids and some 200 fern species, many of them epiphytes that grow on host trees rather than in soil. The reserve's elevation and humidity support six distinct ecological zones, making it one of the most biologically dense forest systems in Central America.

Dense tropical vegetation with banana plants and tall trees in Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica. — Monteverde's cloud forest sits along the Tilarán Mountains, where trade winds pushing moisture off the Caribbean condense into near-constant mist across the ridge. The reserve protects roughly 10,500 hectares and spans six distinct ecological zones, a range that produces the dense, layered plant growth found at different elevations. Wild banana relatives, tree ferns, and epiphytes common in the understory thrive here due to the reserve's high humidity, which stays above 90 percent for much of the year. Scientists have catalogued more than 2,500 plant species within the reserve, including over 400 types of orchids.

Two sloths rest in moss-covered tree branches surrounded by dense vegetation in Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica. — Hoffmann's two-toed sloths are among the mammals found in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, a protected area that spans roughly 10,500 hectares across Costa Rica's Tilarán mountain range. Unlike Costa Rica's other common sloth species, the brown-throated three-toed sloth, Hoffmann's two-toed sloths are primarily nocturnal and spend much of the day curled into dense foliage or epiphyte clusters high in the canopy. Females often carry and nurse a single offspring for up to a year, with young sloths clinging to the mother's fur until they're large enough to forage independently. The reserve's constant moisture and cloud cover support the thick moss and epiphyte growth that gives sloths cover and camouflage from predators like harpy eagles.

A howler monkey perches in dense canopy branches and foliage in Costa Rica's rainforest. — The mantled howler (Alouatta palliata) is among the loudest land animals on Earth, with males producing calls audible up to three miles away through a specialized, enlarged hyoid bone in the throat. Troops in Costa Rica's cloud forests typically number between six and fifteen and rarely descend to the ground, spending nearly their entire lives in the upper canopy. Their diet consists mainly of leaves supplemented with fruit and flowers, and slow, deliberate movement helps them conserve energy from this low-calorie food source. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with habitat fragmentation posing the primary threat to populations in Costa Rica's forest reserves.

A black howler monkey rests on moss-covered branches in the canopy of a Costa Rican cloud forest. — This is a mantled howler monkey, Alouatta palliata, the species found in Costa Rica's cloud forests rather than the black howler, which ranges farther south. Adult males can weigh up to 9 kilograms and are among the loudest land animals, with calls audible up to five kilometers through dense canopy via an enlarged hyoid bone that amplifies sound. Mantled howlers spend most of their lives in the forest canopy, rarely descending to the ground, and rely on a prehensile tail that can support their full body weight on branches. Their diet is mostly leaves supplemented with fruit and flowers, an adaptation that requires long rest periods to digest tough, low-calorie foliage. The species is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, with habitat fragmentation from deforestation posing its main threat across Central America.

A green mesh suspension bridge stretches through dense canopy vegetation in Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica. — The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve maintains a network of suspension bridges designed to let visitors cross ravines and move through the forest canopy rather than only along the ground. The reserve itself protects roughly 10,500 hectares of primary forest across the Tilarán mountain range, land set aside since 1972 largely through the efforts of Quaker settlers and conservation groups. Elevations within the reserve range from about 1,400 to over 1,800 meters, conditions that keep the forest in near-constant mist and support the dense epiphyte growth seen along the trail corridors. The bridges give researchers and tourists alike access to the upper forest strata, where much of the reserve's biodiversity — including many of its orchid and bird species — is concentrated.

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