LA SELVA-BRAULIO CARRILLO MAMMALS 



139 



Lutra longicaudis 

 Southern River Otter, Perro de Agua or Nutria 



Southern river otters are found from northwestern Mexico south through Central 

 America to Peru and Uruguay. All otters in Costa Rica are now considered as 

 belonging to the subspecies Lutra longicaudis annectens; however, there are few 

 actual records for the country. A specimen collected by C. Underwood from Rio 

 Grande, Villa Col5n, San Jos^ Province, was described by Cabrera (1924) as a 

 distinct species, L. mesopetes. River otters are included on Costa Rica's listing 

 of Rare and Endangered Species. 



We found fresh otter scat on a rock in the Rio Cantarrana at 300 m; it con- 

 tained the remains of crustaceans. Otters have been seen regularly at La Selva, 

 primarily along the Rio Puerto Viejo, Rio Sarapiqui, and Quebrada El Salto. The 

 36 separate recordings of otters at La Selva (all but 5 have been of lone animals) 

 include every month of the year. On several occasions in January 1987 and August 

 1988 we sighted two adult-sized individuals from the bridge over the Rio Puerto 

 Viejo. There is an otter den in the bluff of the Rio Puerto Viejo about 300 m 

 upstream from the station landing at La Selva. 



Mustela frenata 

 Long-tailed Weasel, Comadreja 



Long-tailed weasels are found from southern Canada through Central America 

 to northern South America and along the Andes south to Bolivia (Fig. 108). The 

 subspecies Mustela frenata costaricensis was described from San Jose, Costa Rica, 

 and is now considered the subspecies that occurs throughout the country. There 

 is little known about the distribution or ecology of weasels in Costa Rica. Long- 

 tailed weasels are abundant at middle and high elevations including the Monteverde 

 area. The taxonomy of this weasel was last reviewed by Hall (1951). 



Long-tailed weasels have been sighted on only three occasions at La Selva. 

 In 1970, Wilson and Janzen captured one just west of Braulio Carrillo; Janzen kept 

 it in captivity for several months. Near the city of Heredia we have observed long- 

 tailed weasels crossing roads between abandoned fields and in coffee plantations. 



Family Felidae 



Fells concolor 

 Mountain Lion, Puma or Leon de Montana 



Mountain lions are one of the most widely distributed mammals, originally 

 found from Alaska across most of North America and throughout Central America 

 and South America to Tierra del Fuego (Fig. 109). The subspecies Felts concolor 

 costaricensis is distributed throughout Costa Rica but in reduced numbers because 

 of hunting pressure. Mountain lions are rare in Costa Rica, although they are found 

 in a variety of habitats from sea level to 3,300 m. Mountain lions are included 

 on both the Costa Rican and U.S. Rare and Endangered Species lists. The ecology 

 of mountain lions, primarily based on studies in North America, was reviewed 

 recently by Currier (1983). 



