Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Skimpy, but useful May 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
When I bought this, I was expecting something a bit more substantial. It is literally a small laminated pamphlet. However, I think it is useful to have (in addition to a more extensive field guide-type wildlife book). It's much more convenient to use for quick identification than trying to whip out a big book on a hike. I also like that it's durable and laminated. I do plan to use this on my trip, but this would also be a good resource for kids to use also.
 Average usefulness May 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Pros: waterproof, highlights the most often seen wildlife, nice to have a basic guide to refer to, lightweight
Cons: Not comprehensive enough.
We used this guide on our recent trip with an organized tour group to Costa Rica. We didn't want anything too heavy to carry and wanted something we could easily slip in a day pack. It is somewhat useful; we saw wildlife that wasn't included in the guide, but we saw a lot of wildlife that was included.
 Great for Its Intended Purpose February 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The guide is intended to be a quick reference guide to some of the more common and most interesting creatures of Costa Rica, as indicated on the back summary above the UPC symbol. This waterproof pamplet accomplishes this goal just fine. Pamphlet is VERY sturdy (no worries in ALL weather) and pictures 1 inch square. Captions list Latin name, size in inches and centimeters and, for some, a short phrase describing an interesting feature. Opens to be 8 1/4 inches by 24 inches, double-sided.
I can only think of a couple minor things it doesn't list but should:
1. Region where animal is found
2. Indicator to mark rare species (so you won't expect to see them)
Great for children but very basic.... February 10, 2008
As a biologist I found this pamphlet good but very basic and limited.
I would recommend it for children as it is durable, easily handled and does cover some of the more common species in Costa Rica.
If you really want to identify more species in Costa Rica than I suggest that you try another source.
 Neither very complete nor very well illustrated December 5, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This fold-out pamphlet offers tiny pictures, scant details and more birds than anything else. It also emphasizes what tourists want to see (including very rare species) at the expense of what they are likely to see, so calling it a guide to "familiar species" is rather optimistic. This publication is not really very useful. Better to have separate guides: one for birds (there's one available in this same series, but I'd recommend a proper field guide to Costa Rica's 900+ species of birds) and one or more higher-quality, expanded guides covering other wildlife (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects).
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