The symphony of our frogs

On the banks of the lagoon Mother of God in North Pacuare Limón, I heard the most perfect concert without paying high prices for a spot, VIP area or wrestle with the crowds. Just 4 hours from San José took me to be a witness, with a boat transportation included you can enjoy the concert; a phenomenon under study, some biological process for others, but music for me. In this short story, I am going to try to describe a truly wonderful event: the sonic perfection produced by anurans at Lirio Lodge and its natural harmony around there.


Solitary and poisonous tenors, baritones of sticky feet, rhythmic duets with huge eyes, choirs of sopranos and countertenor horny colors with impressive power make their presentation every night. Music in the lagoon, on the ground and above the trees. The human mind is not capable of processing too much wild data at the same time, many species manifesting such impressive  sounds and adaptations to hide these frog species transmit information to their peers. It is known by researchers that these sounds, mainly emitted by males, provide information about the identity (species, sex), quality (fitness, body size), motivation (announcement, threat) or location of the individual,
Also, we know from science that its vocalizations are often used to attract mates, reject the coupling or defend territory. But we do not know yet how to enjoy its sounds and transfer them to our musical readings. Frogs and toads sing naked through the virgin forest of Boca Pacuare: no feathers like birds, hairless like monkeys, no scales like alligator or snakes ... naked singers of the jungle. Singers that are activated at night and camouflage during the day. Coordinated in sound show, envy of any national band and irresistible to any lover of the animal surprise.

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These ecological interactions that I call, natural music, have the advantage that they are quickly transferred over considerable distances without visual contact between sender and receiver, so communication can be performed even in the dense forest and darkness. In the area you will find:  red-eyed leaf frog (Agalychnis callidryas), Bufo toad (Bufo haematiticus), common tink frog (Elatherobctylus haylaeformis), swamp frog (Tlalocohyla loquax), Caribbean striped poison dart frog (Phyllobatus vittatus), spaufferi frog (Scinax spaufferi), hourglass tree frog (Dendropsophus
ebraccata).

Hosted at the Lirio Lodge you can enjoy this magnificent concert, it's easy to get yourself insignificant as a human compared with the Nature’s perfection, the immensity of its lush green landscape, located in a strategic position, surrounded by natural canals, lagoons, beaches and rainforest, the lodge boasts activity naturally at every moment: the area is breathtaking, rich in biodiversity, both aquatic and terrestrial, hundreds of species can be seen (and heard) without any effort. The frogs sing free without being interrupted by an always annoying man's voice.

Boca del Rio Pacuare offers a wide variety of educational travel programs and volunteer opportunities for people of all ages.

An excellent destination for sustainable travel in Costa Rica is Lirio Lodge by Boca del Rio Pacuare in Limon,Costa Rica.

The environmentally-friendly Costa Rica Eco Tend Camp offers two-day-one-night, with boat and hiking tours, lodging, all meals and roundtrip transport from San Jose.
Article by Jorge Duarte