Costa Rica promotes teamwork in whale watching tourism

Whale watching in the country is promoted in the Pacific coast especially during the months of August and September.

In order to promote one of the most amazing national tourism activities such as whale watching, Costa Rica in conjunction with 12 Latin American countries strengthen alliances to promote this activity as a region.

This Alliance was unveiled at the meeting which was held in Montevideo, Uruguay, from the Group of Buenos Aires, it brings together Latin American countries who are conservation members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

"The Group wants to work on a Latin American plan of whale watching," said Carlos Rodríguez Brianza, representative of Uruguay to the IWC, during the closing of the meeting of the Group and during the launch of the season for whale watching in Uruguay.

In accordance with Bárbara Galletti, the representative of Chile on the group, agreed to "make another meeting to boost further the theme of tourism and seek to make coordinated actions for the conservation of cetaceans in America", so reported it AFP news agency.

"We want to see what are the best ideas to achieve a responsible tourism, creating a route, and seek to implement regional conservation strategies," he added.

In accordance with Galletti, "has advanced enough to consolidate as a group coordinated policy of the International Whaling Commission" and also emphasized the importance that has been meeting, while there are no meeting of the IWC, which meets every two years in 2013.

In Costa Rica whale watching occurs especially on the Pacific coast, one of the most popular places is the South Pacific near the Osa Peninsula, Playa Matapalo, offer lots of tourist trips to this area, especially during the months of August and September, as it is when mammals come to Costa Rican coasts.

The Group of Buenos Aires is composed by: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Mexico and Dominican Republic.

Posted by Costa Developers

New species of crab found in Costa Rica

Costa Rica contains 5% of the world's biodiversity with thousands of species of all kinds.

Recently discovered a new species of crab in the country, this was scientifically named as Johngarthia cocoenis which was found by a group of researchers from the University of Costa Rica in Cocos Island, one of the most diverse places in species of the Pacific of Costa Rica.

The leader of the research was the taxonomist of crustaceans Rita Vargas, who said in a detailed report, what were the differences with respect to other species of this type, according to the daily crhoy.com.

This new type of crab has a structure much more extreme in parts of his mouth (maxilipios) which are open and form while a lock between Yes, relatives of the same species, are more closed, completely blocked.

Cocos Island climate is tropical and this species has its mouth parts exposed, this because it develops in a very rainy environment and it is not necessary to retain moisture, according to the specialist.

Another significant feature of this new crustacean is the shape of its shell, which turns out to be different from the other types.

During the year 2009 a specialist of the UCR, Luis Lara identified a species of crab in fresh water, which is only known in the southern region of Costa Rica, it is called scientifically Allacanthos yawi.

Is called crabs to the decapods crustaceans characterized by having five pairs of legs, one of which is a clamp used to capture and handling of food, courtship, or the dispute territorial.

As arthropods they are granted an exoskeleton, which often acquires the character of a shell because it tends to be mineralized with calcium carbonate.

There are more than 4,000 species of animals which are called crabs, and most live near or within seas, rivers or lakes, although some only go to the water to breed.

Posted by Costa Developers