The Isla del Caño lies 17 km. due west of Marenco. The island and its environs invite study from several points of view. It is Costa Rica's largest concentration of coral-building organisms along the Pacific. Schools of tangs, jacks and needlefish present an ever-changing panorama to those who venture below the surface. Boring sponges, Diadema sea urchins, sea cucumbers, many crustaceans and calcareous alga mats and balls add to the variety of life found among the Porites and Pocillopora corals of these reefs.
Marine life is abundant in the general vicinity of the island. Fishing boats take tuna, shrimp, shark, mackerel, snapper, and sardines in quantity. Manta rays are often seen breaching. Dolphins are encountered daily, and Olive Ridley sea turtles ( Lepidochelys olivacea) are commonly observed swimming and even mating as they travel to and from the sandy beaches of the peninsula where they lay their eggs. Humpback whales are seasonally present and often sighted from Marenco Beach & Rain Forest Lodge, and the Sierpe River. Although rich in marine resources, the area is little studied apart from the reefs of the Isla del Caño.
The island's forest and its inhabitants are in stark contrast to those on the mainland less than 11 miles away. The island has a resident insect fauna that is perhaps one percent as rich as that of the mainland. Moreover, the forest on this island is a curiously impoverished version of that on the mainland. The central plateau is a nearly nonspecific stand of Brosimum utile, the white latex, fruits, and seeds of which are readily edible to humans. Stone spheres and Indian graves found all over the island suggest that this was an ancient cemetery. The obviously heavy usage of the island by the aboriginal population, and the fact that Brosimum utile is never found in monospecific stands on the mainland indicate that the island may have been used as an orientation by the Indians, a plantation free of mainland herbivores and seed predators, such as agoutis, pacas, and insects. Whatever the origin of the present flora and fauna, the low species diversity if the island throws the richness of the peninsular plant and animal life into sharp relief. If you like to visit this beautiful place visit: Punta Marenco Lodge there you can find all the facilities and accomodations.
