Animals in Nicaragua
Turquoise browed Motmot
Eumomota superciliosa
The national bird of Nicaragua is the turquoise browed motmot, known in the country as guardabarranco, which means ravine guardian. It was declared the national bird by law in 2012. It has green and chestnut feathers, a bright turquoise stripe over the eye and a long tail that ends in two racket shaped tips, which it swings from side to side like a clock pendulum. It lives mainly in the dry forests and farmland of the Pacific side, where it digs its nest in earthen banks and ravines. The guardabarranco appears in songs, poems and school books, and many Nicaraguans see it as a symbol of freedom.
Wildlife in Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, about 130,000 square kilometers, and home to Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in the region, big enough to hold an island with two volcanoes. Most of its roughly 7 million people live on the Pacific side, in Managua, León and Granada, between a chain of active volcanoes and the two great lakes, while the eastern half, along the Caribbean, is a land of rainforest, rivers, lagoons and pine savanna with few roads and few towns. From dry forest that loses its leaves in the dry season to cloud forest in the northern mountains, rainforest in the east and mangroves on both coasts, each part of the country gives animals a different home. The rainy season runs from about May to November, the dry season from December to April, and the Caribbean side gets rain almost all year.
The land shaped how people live. Cattle ranches and farms cover much of the Pacific plains, coffee grows in the cool hills of the north, and fishing towns line both coasts and the lakes. Conservation began with Masaya Volcano National Park in 1979, and two huge reserves now hold most of the country's wild forest: Bosawás in the north, a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1997, and the Río San Juan reserve in the southeast, which includes Indio Maíz and joined the list in 2003. Together with forests in Honduras and Costa Rica they form one of the largest blocks of rainforest left in Central America, but cattle and farming keep pushing into them.
Most visitors come for the colonial towns of Granada and León, the volcanoes, Ometepe Island and the surf beaches of the south Pacific, and fewer travel by boat down the San Juan River or fly to the Corn Islands. The wildlife follows the same contrasts as the land: big cats, monkeys and macaws in the eastern rainforest, colorful birds in the dry forests of the west, and sea turtles, dolphins and sharks along both coasts and even in the great lake.
Most Dangerous Animals in Nicaragua
Most visitors to Nicaragua never have a problem with wild animals, but a few groups deserve respect. Venomous snakes are the main real risk. Pit vipers live in humid forests, riverbanks and farmland, especially on the Caribbean side, where they cause most serious bites, and others live in the drier lowlands of the Pacific. Bites happen mostly to farm workers, so boots, a flashlight at night and care where you step and put your hands greatly reduce the risk, and any bite needs fast hospital care with antivenom.
Big cats are powerful but avoid people, so attacks are extremely rare, and caimans rest in rivers, lagoons and wetlands and are best watched from a distance. In the water, the animal people ask about most is the shark that swims up the San Juan River into Lake Nicaragua, although it is much rarer in the lake today than in the past and attacks there are very uncommon. Large sharks and barracudas also live off both coasts, and the reef sharks that divers meet around the Corn Islands are usually calm. On the Pacific surf beaches, strong waves and rip currents are a much bigger danger to swimmers than any animal.
Top 10 Animals in Nicaragua
Nicaragua's best known animals are split between the rainforests of the east and the dry country of the Pacific side. The jaguar is the great cat of Bosawás and Indio Maíz, where the forest is still large and wild enough for it, and the cougar shares those forests and also ranges into the hills and dry forests of the west. Both are very hard to see, as are the spotted ocelot and margay, which hunt at night, and the plain jaguarundi, which is out by day along forest edges and fields. The easiest place for many visitors is the San Juan River: boat trips between El Castillo and the Caribbean often pass sloths resting high in the trees on the riverbanks and groups of white faced capuchins moving through the branches, and capuchins also live in the forests of Ometepe Island. On the Pacific side, white tailed deer feed in the dry forests and fields, often in refuges such as Chacocente, while coyotes hunt the open farmland at night. Rattlesnakes live in the same dry lowlands, hiding in the shade during the heat of the day.
Ocelot
Leopardus pardalis
Ocelots live in Nicaragua's Caribbean lowland forests and in what remains of the forests of the Pacific slope. The Bosawás Biosphere Reserve and the Indio Maíz reserve, among the largest tropical forests in Central America, are critical habitat for the species. Ocelots here feed on small mammals, reptiles and birds, hunting at night. The advance of cattle ranching into these forests is the primary threat. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Sloth
Folivora
In Nicaragua the brown throated three toed sloth and Hoffmann's two toed sloth live mainly in the humid forests of the Caribbean side, from the Bosawás reserve in the north to the Indio Maíz reserve along the Río San Juan in the south. These forests are part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, which links wildlife habitat across Central America, but cattle ranching and farming are clearing them quickly. IUCN status: varies by species.
Spider Monkey
Ateles spp. (7 species)
In Nicaragua, Geoffroy's spider monkey lives in the Caribbean rainforests of the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve and the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve, two of the largest forest blocks in Central America. The black handed form found here and in Costa Rica is listed by the IUCN as a Vulnerable subspecies. Their numbers have fallen sharply with the advance of cattle ranching into these reserves, and hunting adds more pressure. IUCN status: Endangered.
White tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
In Nicaragua the white tailed deer lives mainly in the dry forests and farmland of the Pacific lowlands and in the pine and oak forests of the north. It often comes out to feed at the edge of fields at dawn and dusk. Clearing for cattle ranching has taken much of its habitat, and hunting is common in rural areas, so it is most easily seen in protected dry forests. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Cougar
Puma concolor
Nicaragua's cougar population is spread across the forests of the Caribbean coast, the central highlands and protected areas such as Bosawás Biosphere Reserve, one of the largest tropical forests in the Americas. The cougar preys on deer, peccaries and other native mammals. Deforestation for agriculture is the biggest threat to its survival here, shrinking the connected forest areas the species depends on.
Coyote
Canis latrans
In Nicaragua, the coyote lives mainly on the Pacific side and in the northern and central highlands, where dry forest has given way to cattle pastures, farmland and scrub. Like elsewhere in Central America, it spread here as forests were cleared, and it is absent from the large rainforests of the Caribbean side. It hunts rodents, rabbits, lizards and birds, eats fruit, and sometimes takes poultry. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Raccoon
Procyon lotor
The raccoon is found across Nicaragua, in dry and wet forests, wetlands and along the many rivers that drain to the Pacific and the Caribbean. On the Caribbean coast it is especially common near waterways and lagoons rich in fish and crabs, and it also enters farms and towns at night. Deforestation affects many animals in Nicaragua, but the raccoon adapts well to changed landscapes. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla
In Nicaragua the giant anteater survives in very low numbers in the forests and savannas of the Caribbean side, in areas such as the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve, where records were reported in 2008. It is rarely seen and little studied. Hunters sometimes kill anteaters to protect their dogs, and the fast loss of forest in eastern Nicaragua is a growing threat to its last populations. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus (complex of four species)
In Nicaragua, the northern nine banded armadillo, Dasypus mexicanus, is widespread in forest, grassland and farmland from the Pacific lowlands to the Caribbean coast. It forages at night, relying on its excellent sense of smell to find insects and grubs underground. The large forests of the Caribbean region, such as Bosawás and Indio Maíz, support healthy populations, while in the more densely settled Pacific side hunting, road deaths and habitat fragmentation put pressure on it. IUCN status: not yet evaluated as a separate species.
Jaguar
Panthera onca
Nicaragua's jaguars live mainly in the large forests of the Caribbean side, in the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve in the north and the Indio Maíz reserve in the south, two of the biggest rainforests in Central America. Forest clearing for cattle has advanced fast inside both reserves. Corridors through these forests connect Nicaragua's jaguars with those of Honduras and Costa Rica. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Opossum
Didelphis spp. (6 species)
In Nicaragua, the common opossum and the Virginia opossum live across the Caribbean lowlands, the Pacific region and the forested hills in between. They tolerate disturbed land well and turn up on the edges of towns, in coffee plantations and along the shores of Lake Nicaragua. Nocturnal and opportunistic, they eat almost anything and remain among the most successful wild mammals in the country. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Tapir
Tapirus spp.
In Nicaragua, Baird's tapir lives in the Caribbean lowlands, particularly in the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve in the north, one of the largest tropical forest blocks in Central America, and the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve in the south. Both areas are under growing pressure from cattle ranching and settlement, which is leaving tapir populations more fragmented every year. IUCN status: Endangered.
Gray Fox
Urocyon cinereoargenteus
The gray fox moves through Nicaragua's dry forests, scrub and farmland, from the Pacific lowlands to the hills and pine forests of the north and the interior. It hunts small mammals, birds and insects at night and eats fruit when it is in season. It is the only canid in Nicaragua that can climb trees, which helps it escape danger and reach food. It is still a fairly common animal in the country. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Jaguarundi
Herpailurus yagouaroundi
The jaguarundi lives across Nicaragua, from the Caribbean rainforests of the Bosawás and Indio Maíz reserves to the drier Pacific lowlands and the gallery forests along rivers. It hunts by day for rodents, birds, small reptiles and insects. Rapid forest clearing for cattle in recent decades has put pressure on it and on the corridors it uses. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
White faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator and Cebus capucinus
In Nicaragua, the Panamanian white faced capuchin is listed by the IUCN, but it has vanished from much of the country as forests were turned into farms and pasture, and few surveys have studied it. The surviving groups live in forest patches, and the large remote reserves of the southeast, such as the Indio Maíz area along the Río San Juan, are probably its best refuge. Deforestation is the main threat. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Margay
Leopardus wiedii
Nicaragua's Caribbean lowland forests and the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve are key habitat for the margay. This agile cat spends its nights hunting birds, frogs and small mammals among the branches, and it can hang from its hind feet and run headfirst down trunks, skills almost unique among wild cats. It shares these forests with the ocelot and the jaguar. Deforestation is a growing threat. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Iguana
Iguana iguana
The green iguana is native to Nicaragua and widespread in the Pacific lowlands, on the Caribbean coast and the Corn Islands, and around Lake Nicaragua. It is highly valued as food, especially during Holy Week, when iguana soup and eggs are traditional, which has created heavy hunting pressure. Iguana farms in the country raise young iguanas for food and release. It remains common in the warm lowlands. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas
Nicaragua's Miskito Cays and the shallow seagrass beds of the Caribbean coast form one of the largest green turtle feeding grounds in the Caribbean, where many of the turtles that nest at Tortuguero in Costa Rica spend their lives. Indigenous Miskito communities have long hunted green turtles here for food, and the harvest remains one of the main pressures on the population. On the Pacific, black turtles forage too. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Caiman
Caiman spp.
Nicaragua's Caribbean lowlands and the wetlands around Lake Nicaragua are important habitat for the spectacled caiman. It is common along the San Juan River, in the Los Guatuzos refuge and in the lagoons and rivers that drain to the Caribbean, and also lives in Pacific mangroves. The Indio Maíz Biological Reserve, one of the largest rainforests in Central America, supports healthy populations. Illegal hunting and wetland degradation from farm runoff remain concerns. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Rattlesnake
Crotalus and Sistrurus (about 40–50 species)
Rattlesnakes in Nicaragua live mainly in the dry Pacific lowlands and open grasslands, where the Central American rattlesnake (Crotalus simus) is the only species. It hunts rodents and other small animals using the heat sensing pits on its face. Though feared by rural communities, it rarely strikes unless threatened, and its rattle gives a clear warning. Habitat loss to agriculture is the biggest pressure here. IUCN status: varies by species.
Lancehead
Bothrops asper
In Nicaragua, the barba amarilla is most common in the humid Caribbean lowlands and the forests of the north and center, including the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve and the Indio Maíz reserve in the southeast. It hunts rodents at night and often lives near farms at the forest edge. Snakebite is a serious public health concern in remote communities with limited access to antivenom. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
The barn owl is found across Nicaragua in open farmland, pastures, and the outskirts of towns and villages throughout the country. It nests in old buildings, church towers, cliff faces, and hollow trees, and hunts rodents and other small prey at night. It is present from the Pacific lowlands and the central highlands to the Caribbean coast. In farming communities it is valued as a natural rodent controller. Its eerie shrieking call is a familiar sound in rural areas after dark across much of the country.
Resplendent Quetzal
Pharomachrus mocinno
In Nicaragua, the resplendent quetzal lives in the cloud forests of the northern and central highlands, including the Peñas Blancas massif in Jinotega. Its presence in the country is limited and closely tied to the survival of these mountain forests. The male's crimson and green plumage and long streamers make it one of the most spectacular birds in the region. Deforestation remains a serious concern for its future here. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Scarlet Macaw
Ara macao
In Nicaragua, scarlet macaws inhabit the tropical forests along the Caribbean coast, particularly in the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve, one of the largest remaining rainforests in Central America. They nest in tall trees and visit clay licks along riverbanks to obtain minerals. Habitat loss from agricultural expansion remains a serious pressure on local populations. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Turquoise browed Motmot
Eumomota superciliosa
Nicaragua shares with El Salvador the distinction of naming the turquoise browed motmot its national bird, known locally as the guardabarranco. It is widespread across the Pacific lowlands and dry forests of the west, where it nests in earthen banks and hunts from open perches. Its striking chestnut, green, and turquoise plumage, paired with that iconic swinging tail, make it a beloved symbol of Nicaraguan natural heritage.
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
Nicaragua serves as an important stopover and wintering area for peregrine falcons migrating along the Pacific flyway between North and South America. Individuals can be seen hunting shorebirds and waders along the Pacific coast and around Lake Nicaragua during the northern winter months. The species does not breed in the country but is a regular seasonal visitor. It is rated Least Concern by the IUCN.
Harpy Eagle
Harpia harpyja
In Nicaragua, the harpy eagle inhabits the dense rainforests of the Caribbean lowlands, particularly in the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region. Its population is small and under pressure from ongoing habitat loss. This bird needs vast stretches of intact forest to hunt and raise its young, so its survival here depends on protecting the country's remaining old growth forest. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Southern Lapwing
Vanellus chilensis
Nicaragua is the newest country in the southern lapwing's range. After spreading north from Panama through Costa Rica, the species has begun to appear in pastures and open wetlands in the south of Nicaragua, and it is expected to keep advancing as forest is cleared for cattle. For now it is still scarce here, but its loud alarm calls make any newcomer easy to notice. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
Nicaragua's Pacific coast is part of the wintering area of the Central American humpbacks, a small population that feeds off California and Oregon in summer. From about December to April, with the peak in February and March, they are the most common whale off San Juan del Sur, where sailing and fishing boats take visitors to see mothers, calves and singing males. This population is listed as endangered in the United States. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Manatee
Trichechus manatus
Nicaragua's manatees live on the Caribbean coast, in the lagoons, estuaries and rivers of the two autonomous regions, such as Pearl Lagoon, and along the Río San Juan and the wetlands of the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve near the Costa Rican border. Miskito and other coastal communities have a long history with the manatee, which was hunted for its meat. Today the population is small, and community protection is key. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Nicaragua has bottlenose dolphins on both its coasts. On the Pacific they are seen on boat trips from San Juan del Sur, often together with spotted dolphins and, in winter, humpback whales. On the Caribbean side they live around the Pearl Cays and the Corn Islands and enter coastal lagoons and river mouths. Bycatch in fishing nets and boat traffic in busy tourist areas are the main pressures on them. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
In Nicaragua the great barracuda lives on the Caribbean side, around the Corn Islands and over the reefs and seagrass beds of the Miskito Cays, one of the largest shallow marine areas in the Caribbean. Divers at Little Corn Island see it hovering over the reef, and Miskito fishers catch it along the coast. Juveniles shelter in coastal lagoons and mangroves. It does not live on the Pacific coast, where the species is absent. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Tiger Shark
Galeocerdo cuvier
In Nicaragua the tiger shark lives in the warm Caribbean waters around the coast, over reefs, seagrass beds and deep channels, and it often hunts sea turtles around the Corn Islands and the Miskito Cays. It also lives along the Pacific coast, where young sharks are caught in coastal fisheries. Like other large sharks in the Caribbean, it has become scarcer because of fishing, and divers see it far less often than in the Bahamas. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Reef Shark
Several species (Carcharhinus melanopterus, C. perezi, C. amblyrhynchos, Triaenodon obesus)
In Nicaragua the Caribbean reef shark lives on the Caribbean side, around the Corn Islands and on the reefs of the Miskito Cays, one of the largest shallow marine areas of the Caribbean. Divers at Little Corn Island sometimes meet it on the outer reef. Sharks are caught by local fishers along the coast, and little is known about how many remain on the remote reefs of the Miskito Cays. IUCN status: Endangered.
Bull Shark
Carcharhinus leucas
Nicaragua is famous for its bull sharks. They swim about 190 kilometers up the San Juan River from the Caribbean, jumping rapids like salmon, to reach Lake Nicaragua, where scientists once thought they were a separate freshwater species. Commercial fishing in the 1960s and 1970s greatly reduced the lake population. Bull sharks also live along the Caribbean coast and in the estuaries of the Pacific side. IUCN status: Vulnerable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What animals live in Nicaragua?
Nicaragua is home to jaguars, cougars, ocelots, margays, jaguarundis, tapirs, white tailed deer, spider monkeys, white faced capuchins, sloths, anteaters, armadillos, raccoons, opossums, coyotes and gray foxes. Its birds include the turquoise browed motmot, the national bird, scarlet macaws, resplendent quetzals, harpy eagles, peregrine falcons, southern lapwings and barn owls. Reptiles include iguanas, caimans, sea turtles, rattlesnakes and lanceheads. In its waters live manatees, humpback whales, bottlenose dolphins, barracudas and tiger, reef and bull sharks, including the famous bull sharks of Lake Nicaragua.
Are there sharks in Lake Nicaragua?
Yes. Lake Nicaragua is one of the few freshwater lakes in the world with sharks. They are bull sharks, which can live in both salt and fresh water. For many years people thought they were a separate species trapped in the lake, but between 1966 and 1972 scientists tagged more than 2,800 of them and proved that they travel up and down the San Juan River between the lake and the Caribbean, a journey of about 190 kilometers that includes several rapids. Heavy fishing in those years greatly reduced their numbers, and today sharks in the lake are rare, although they have not disappeared.
What is the national animal of Nicaragua?
Nicaragua's best known national animal is the turquoise browed motmot, called guardabarranco, which was declared the national bird by law in 2012. Its name means ravine guardian, because it digs its nest in earthen banks and ravines. It is easy to recognize by its turquoise eyebrow and its long tail with two racket shaped tips, which it swings like a pendulum. It is common in the dry forests and farmland of western Nicaragua, and it is also the national bird of El Salvador, where it is called torogoz.
Where can you see sea turtles in Nicaragua?
The best places are La Flor and Chacocente, two wildlife refuges on the Pacific coast. There, olive ridley turtles nest in arribadas, mass arrivals in which thousands of females come ashore over a few nights to lay their eggs. The season runs from about July to January, with the biggest arribadas usually between August and November. Other sea turtles nest on Nicaraguan beaches too, in smaller numbers. Visits are at night with local rangers or guides, and visitors should not use white lights or touch the turtles.
Are there sloths in Nicaragua?
Yes. Sloths live in the humid forests of Nicaragua, mainly in the Caribbean lowlands and the rainforests of the southeast, such as the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve and the forests along the San Juan River. Boat trips on the San Juan are one of the best ways to see them, resting high in the trees along the riverbanks. They move very slowly and spend most of the day sleeping, so a local guide helps a lot to find them. Forest loss is the main threat to sloths in Nicaragua.
Researched and written by Juan Pablo. Sources: IUCN Red List, scientific literature and regional field guides. Last updated: .