KnowKi

Learn the wildlife of national parks

Learn the wildlife of Palo Verde National Park

Costa Rica

850 species have research-grade observations inside Palo Verde National Park on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you know what you're looking at before you go.

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Āki the kiwi, KnowKi's guide

Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. Northern Jacana Jacana spinosa205
  2. Bare-throated Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma mexicanum165
  3. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis162
  4. Green Heron Butorides virescens112
  5. Great Egret Ardea alba110
  6. Crested Caracara Caracara plancus93
  7. Limpkin Aramus guarauna79
  8. Jabiru Jabiru mycteria79
  9. Double-striped Thick-knee Hesperoburhinus bistriatus78
  10. Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinica77

Plants

  1. Common water hyacinth Pontederia crassipes64
  2. Marshallocereus aragonii36
  3. Alligator flag Thalia geniculata27
  4. Triangle cactus Acanthocereus tetragonus21
  5. Vachellia collinsii18
  6. Gumbo Limbo Bursera simaruba17
  7. Lignum-vitae Guaiacum sanctum17
  8. Bonellia nervosa15
  9. Piñuela Bromelia pinguin14
  10. Gloxinia erinoides14

Mammals

  1. Central American White-faced Capuchin Cebus imitator343
  2. White-nosed Coati Nasua narica236
  3. Mantled Howler Monkey Alouatta palliata131
  4. White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus113
  5. Collared Peccary Pecari tajacu61
  6. Honduran Cottontail Sylvilagus hondurensis58
  7. Variegated Squirrel Sciurus variegatoides46
  8. Central American Agouti Dasyprocta punctata45
  9. Proboscis Bat Rhynchonycteris naso40
  10. Northern Tamandua Tamandua mexicana25

Insects

  1. Great Pondhawk Erythemis vesiculosa115
  2. White Peacock Anartia jatrophae56
  3. Pin-tailed Pondhawk Erythemis plebeja46
  4. Black Witch Ascalapha odorata45
  5. Flame-tailed Pondhawk Erythemis peruviana45
  6. Malachite Siproeta stelenes42
  7. Philophyllia guttulata34
  8. Imperial Moth Eacles imperialis33
  9. Abracris flavolineata31
  10. Fig Tree Borer Neoptychodes trilineatus30

Spiders and kin

  1. Edward's Bark Scorpion Centruroides edwardsii116
  2. Costa Rican Blue Front Tarantula Aphonopelma crinirufum37
  3. Costa Rican Suntiger Tarantula Davus ruficeps24
  4. Phrynus whitei17
  5. Costa Rican Striped-knee Tarantula Aphonopelma seemanni16
  6. Didymocentrus krausi12
  7. Centruroides koesteri11
  8. Selenops mexicanus9
  9. Green Lynx Spider Peucetia viridans7
  10. Sicarius rugosus7

Reptiles

  1. Black Spiny-tailed Iguana Ctenosaura similis627
  2. Green Iguana Iguana iguana87
  3. White-throated Mud Turtle Kinosternon albogulare69
  4. Yellow-headed Gecko Gonatodes albogularis58
  5. Central American Lyresnake Trimorphodon quadruplex51
  6. Asian House Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus48
  7. Central American Boa Boa imperator48
  8. Rhombic Cat-eyed Snake Leptodeira rhombifera45
  9. Copper Anole Anolis cupreus36
  10. Mexican Parrot Snake Leptophis mexicanus25

Amphibians

  1. Stauffer's Tree Frog Scinax staufferi102
  2. Mexican Treefrog Smilisca baudinii91
  3. Giant Toad Rhinella horribilis89
  4. Yellow Toad Incilius luetkenii56
  5. Milk Frog Trachycephalus macrotis50
  6. Yellow Treefrog Dendropsophus microcephalus43
  7. Mexican Burrowing Toad Rhinophrynus dorsalis36
  8. Sheep Frog Hypopachus variolosus35
  9. Túngara Frog Engystomops pustulosus32
  10. Forrer's Grass Frog Lithobates forreri25

Fish

  1. Rainbow Cichlid Herotilapia multispinosa32
  2. Pacific Fat Sleeper Dormitator latifrons12
  3. Shortfin Molly Poecilia mexicana9
  4. Jaguar Guapote Parachromis managuensis5
  5. Marbled Swamp Eel Synbranchus marmoratus3

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. Parks outside the U.S. are from the World Database on Protected Areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, Protected Planet). KnowKi is not affiliated with the National Park Service or any park's managers. Free, with no ads, no account, and no purchases.