Are There Really Deer in Costa Rica?

Are there deer in Cost Rica? 

Yes, there are deer in Costa Rica, as you can see from the video abov, primarily the white-tailed deer, which is the country’s national symbol since May 2, 1995.  

The deer are smaller than their North American counterparts, with two subspecies found.  They typically weigh around 65 pounds, more like a big dog!, (30 kg) and are most common in the Guanacaste Province, including areas like the Nicoya Peninsula near Los Delfines and the Bay of Tambor,  which is where the cute  video was taken. 

They inhabit various habitats such as tropical rainforests, pine forests, savannas, and swamp lands, often in national parks like Guanacaste National Park, Santa Rosa National Park, and Barra Honda National   Park.  White-tailed deer are crepuscular, meaning they’re most active at dawn and dusk, which aligns well with sunset viewing times at Los Delfines, although the video above as taken in the mid afternoon. 

They are shy due to past poaching by the locals, making sightings less common outside protected areas, .But, Los Delfines is a protected are.

 They’re herbivores, feeding on grasses, leaves, and fruits, and are preyed upon by jaguars, pumas, and caimans, but there are few natural predators here .