Isla del Caño

Caño Island Biological Reserve
Reserva Biológica Isla del Caño
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
View from Caño Island
Location	Costa Rica
Coordinates	8.709°N 83.874°W / 8.709; -83.874
Area	3.26 square kilometres (1.26 sq mi) (terrestrial), 52.01 square kilometres (20.08 sq mi) (marine)
Established	30 September 1976
Governing body	National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC)
Caño Island Native name: Isla del Caño Geography Area 3.2 km^2 (1.2 sq mi) Highest elevation 110 m (360 ft) Administration  Costa Rica Province Puntarenas Canton Osa District Bahía Drake Demographics Population 0

Isla del Caño Lighthouse

Location	Isla del Caño Osa Costa Rica
Coordinates	8°42′22.1″N 83°53′23.1″W
Tower
Constructed	1940 (first)
Construction	steel skeletal tower
Height	22 metres (72 ft)
Shape	square pyramidal skeletal tower
Markings	red lantern
Power source	solar power
Operator	Reserva Biológica Isla del Caño[1][2]
Light
Focal height	63 metres (207 ft)
Range	12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 4s.

Caño Island (Spanish: Isla del Caño) is a small island and biological reserve in the Bahia de Corcovado (Corcovado Bay) in Osa, Costa Rica. It is on the Pacific Ocean side of Costa Rica, 10 miles (16 km) west of Punta Llorona on Península de Osa. It rises steeply to a flat top of 123 metres (404 ft) in height.

Biological reserve

Caño Island Biological Reserve (Spanish: Reserva Biológica Isla del Caño), is a protected area in Costa Rica, managed under the Osa Conservation Area, it was created in 1976 by decree 6385-A.[3][4]

The island and surrounding marine area of 52.01 square kilometres (20.08 sq mi) has been established as a biological reserve, with a permanent ranger station on the island. It is a popular tourist destination for ecotourism such as whale watching, attracting visitors for its beaches, coral beds, and sea life. Researchers currently use the coral beds to study the factors surrounding coral death and recolonization. Marine life includes manta rays, dolphins, false killer whales,[5] sea turtles, whales, a wide variety of fish, and possibly manatees as well. The nudibranch Mexichromis tica was described from here and Darwin Island on the Galápagos Islands in 2004. The limited diversity of terrestrial fauna, however, is noticeable, with the island having less than one percent of the insect diversity of the peninsula and an absence of numerous animals native to the nearby mainland.

Archaeology

Evidence of pre-Columbian human activity on the island is substantial, with some of the most interesting artifacts being stone spheres evidently carved by early civilizations.

See also

• Corcovado National Park
• Bahía Drake
• List of lighthouses in Costa Rica

References

1. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Costa Rica". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
2. List of Lights, Buoys and Fog Signals Pacific Coast. Retrieved 7 September 2016
3. "Reserva Biológica Isla del Caño Map". SINAC. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
4. "Reserva Biológica Isla del Caño". Protected Planet. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
5. ANNIE. 2012. False Killer Whales. Costa Rica Scuba.com. Retrieved on August 25, 2017

External links

• Photos of Caño Island