Costa Rica's Rainforests: The Natural History of the Plants and Animals of La Selva

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The most comprehensive and richly illustrated guide to Costa Rica's rainforests and their plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and fishes

The lowland rainforest of Costa Rica is one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet. This lavishly illustrated book provides a fascinating, up-to-date, and accessible introduction to the natural history of this forest and its flowering plants, ferns, fungi, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, fishes, and insects. The book focuses on La Selva Research Station, one of the best-studied tropical forests in the world, but it applies to all of Costa Rica's lowland rainforests and the species it covers are common throughout much of Central America and the Neotropics.

More than an identification guide, the book tells the stories of the many plants and animal species of the rainforest, explains how they interact with each other, and describes how and where to find and observe them in the forest. A comprehensive account of how plants and animals sustain the rainforest ecosystem, Costa Rica's Rainforests is the perfect companion for anyone visiting these spectacular natural wonders.

• Features more than 800 stunning color photographs
• Covers flowering plants, ferns, fungi, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, fishes, and insects
• Essential for anyone visiting the Costa Rican rainforest
• Accessible to ecotourists, students, and scientists alike

Author Bio

Scott Wesley Shumway is an authority on Costa Rica's rainforests and has visited the country more than thirty times over three decades to study and teach tropical ecology. He is professor emeritus of biology at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and the author of A Naturalist's Guide to the Atlantic Seashore.