Las Oncas

Las Oncas Working for the conservation of jaguars and their habitat in Costa Rica.
🐆🌴🇨🇷

09/09/2026

🐆 JAGUAAAR FLASHBACK! 🚨🇨🇷

Going back to the first time we ever detected Encanto.

This was back in 2023, and until the detection we shared yesterday, this was the ONLY time we had ever seen him.

He appeared in front of our camera trap in broad daylight, and even back then, he was already a big, fully grown male. You could tell he was a powerful animal just by looking at him.

We identified him from his spot pattern and gave him the name Encanto.

Then, nothing. No more detections for three years… until now, Encanto finally showed up again! 🐆🔥

After all this time, seeing the same jaguar come back in front of one of our cameras is pretty incredible. Three years between detections, and he still looks like the same impressive male we first saw in 2023.

This is exactly why keeping detailed records of individual jaguars matters. A single detection can become part of a much bigger story when, years later, that same animal appears again.

As always, we do not share exact locations. This detection took place somewhere on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. 🇨🇷

Welcome back, Encanto. ❤️🐆

08/09/2026

JAGUAAAR ALEEEERT! 🚨🐆🇨🇷

BIG NEWS, AFTER A VERY LONG TIME, WE HAVE FINALLY DETECTED A JAGUAR AGAIN ON THE OSA PENINSULA! 🐆🔥

Jaguars are now incredibly rare in this part of Costa Rica, with very few individuals remaining on the Osa Peninsula. That is why we are so excited to finally share this detection with our community!

Even more special, this is a male jaguar we already know. His name is Encanto, and we detected him once before, three years ago, in another area of the Osa Peninsula. Thanks to his unique spot pattern, we were able to recognize him again. He looks to be in perfect health, and having him back in front of one of our camera traps after all this time is something truly special.

This is exactly why individual monitoring matters. Every jaguar we detect is carefully documented in our database, allowing us to follow individuals through time and space. These records help us better understand how jaguars move, behave and use their habitat, and give us a rare glimpse into the lives of animals that remain so difficult to study.

As always, we do not share exact locations. Just know that this detection took place somewhere on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. 🇨🇷

Huge thanks to Copa de Arbol for sponsoring the camera trap that captured this incredible encounter! 🎥🐆

Want to support our work even further? You can adopt Encanto or any other jaguar we monitor and directly contribute to jaguar conservation. Just send us a DM and we will explain how it works. You will receive updates every time your jaguar is detected. 🫶🏼🐆🇨🇷

Follow Las Oncas and help us protect jaguars and the ecosystems they depend on 🌳🐆🇨🇷

08/09/2026

JAGUAAAR ALEEEERT! 🚨🐆

BIG NEWS, AFTER A VERY LONG TIME, WE HAVE FINALLY DETECTED A JAGUAR AGAIN ON THE OSA PENINSULA! 🐆🔥

Jaguars are now incredibly rare in this part of Costa Rica, with very few individuals remaining on the Osa Peninsula. That is why we are so excited to finally share this detection with our community!

Even more special, this is a male jaguar we already know. His name is Encanto, and we detected him once before, three years ago, in another area of the Osa Peninsula. Thanks to his unique spot pattern, we were able to recognize him again. He looks to be in perfect health, and having him back in front of one of our camera traps after all this time is something truly special.

This is exactly why individual monitoring matters. Every jaguar we detect is carefully documented in our database, allowing us to follow individuals through time and space. These records help us better understand how jaguars move, behave and use their habitat, and give us a rare glimpse into the lives of animals that remain so difficult to study.

As always, we do not share exact locations. Just know that this detection took place somewhere on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. 🇨🇷

Huge thanks to for sponsoring the camera trap that captured this incredible encounter! 🎥🐆

Want to support our work even further? You can adopt Encanto or any other jaguar we monitor and directly contribute to jaguar conservation. Just send us a DM and we will explain how it works. You will receive updates every time your jaguar is detected. 🫶🏼🐆🇨🇷

Follow and help us protect jaguars and the ecosystems they depend on 🌳🐆🇨🇷

06/09/2026

BIG PUMA ALEEEEEERT! 🚨😱🎥🐆

LOOK AT THAT BELLY! 😂

This puma (Puma concolor) clearly wasn’t in any hurry to go anywhere…

When this beautiful male appeared in front of our camera, the first thing we noticed was his enormous belly. He looked like he had just enjoyed a very generous meal, and judging by the size of him, it seems he had absolutely no reason to keep moving!

So instead, he decided to make a little stop right in front of our camera.

And then came the best part: a daytime nap. 😴🐆

This gave us an incredible opportunity to simply sit back and admire him in broad daylight, with the light revealing all the different shades of his coat and the incredible forest he calls home.

There’s something pretty special about seeing a puma like this, completely relaxed and undisturbed, taking a well-deserved break after what was probably a very successful hunt.

As always, we do not share exact locations. Just know that this detection took place on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica 🇨🇷

Huge thanks to Luna Lodge Costa Rica for sponsoring the camera trap that captured this incredible encounter! 🎥🐆

Follow Las Oncas and help us protect wildlife and the ecosystems they depend on 🌳🐆🇨🇷

THE THIRD NATIONAL REPTILE & AMPHIBIAN COUNT 🐍🐸🌿A glimpse at some of the species we came across during the third Nationa...
05/09/2026

THE THIRD NATIONAL REPTILE & AMPHIBIAN COUNT 🐍🐸🌿

A glimpse at some of the species we came across during the third National Reptile and Amphibian Count in Costa Rica, held simultaneously along survey routes across the country, including the Las Oncas Conservation Reserve.

While the main focus of the night was, of course, herpetofauna, you never quite know what else might cross your path when walking through the forest after dark. Along the way, we also encountered a variety of insects, arachnids and other invertebrates, adding even more diversity to the night’s observations.

This is one of the things we love about these monitoring nights. You set out looking for a particular group of animals, but the forest always has a few surprises waiting for you. 🐍🕷️🦋

A huge thank you to the team for organizing this initiative and bringing people together to explore and document Costa Rica’s incredible biodiversity. 🫶🏼

01/09/2026

WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS? 👀🦝🎥🇨🇷

At first glance, the answer might seem obvious. But there is a good chance that many of you would be wrong about the identification of this animal.

This curious visitor was captured by one of our camera traps in our lands at Las Oncas Conservation Reserve, and we want to know if you can figure out what it is.

So, take a good look at the way it moves, its body shape, and those unmistakable facial markings.

Here is your first clue: it is mainly nocturnal, generally solitary, and spends a lot of time on the ground.

Think you have recognized it?

Tell us your answer in the comments before reading what others have guessed! 👇🏼

Huge thanks to Botánika Osa Peninsula for sponsoring the camera trap that captured this incredible encounter! 🎥🐆

EXPEDITION IN THE TALAMANCA MOUNTAIN RANGE! ⛰️🎥🐆🇨🇷A few days in the Talamanca Mountain Range, checking our camera traps ...
31/08/2026

EXPEDITION IN THE TALAMANCA MOUNTAIN RANGE! ⛰️🎥🐆🇨🇷

A few days in the Talamanca Mountain Range, checking our camera traps and continuing our jaguar monitoring work.

This was one of those trips where the landscapes alone make the whole journey worth it. Mountains, endless ridges, changing weather and an incredible sunset at the end of a long day in the field. 🌄

We also had a great team with us for this expedition, and it was a real pleasure having them out there with us. Good company, long days in the field, plenty of walking and, of course, a lot of cameras to check!

And this time, the cameras had some amazing surprises waiting for us. We came back with some really exciting footage, and I honestly can’t wait to share it with you and show you what we found. 🎥🐆

This is what our monitoring work is all about: getting out there, checking the cameras, collecting information and slowly building a better picture of the jaguars living across these incredible landscapes.

And after spending the days out in the mountains, we got to spend one night in a wood cabin under one of the clearest and most incredible starry skies I’ve seen in a long time. 🌌

A big thank you to everyone who supports our work and helps us keep this monitoring program going. 🙌🏼🐆🇨🇷

30/08/2026

BLACK JAGUAAAARRRR ALERRRT! 🚨😱🎥🐆🖤🇨🇷

JAGI IS BACK, AND THIS TIME HE HAS A SCAR RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS FACE!

Jagi is back in front of our camera, and this detection is a very special one for us. Since the beginning of our jaguar monitoring project in Costa Rica, he is only the SECOND melanistic male jaguar we have ever detected in the Talamanca Mountain Range.

And there was a little surprise waiting for us this time…

Jagi now has a scar right in the middle of his face. Honestly, if we had to choose a new name for him, Scarface would probably be the perfect one. But no matter how perfect the name would be, he will always be Jagi to us.

What made this detection even better is that Jagi decided to lie down right in front of our camera and groom himself. We got an unusually good look at his face, his intense yellow eyes contrasting with his black coat. 🖤💛

He looks to be in perfect shape, and seeing him again after all this time is pretty incredible. Melanistic jaguars are already an uncommon sight, and having now detected only two melanistic males throughout our entire monitoring project makes every encounter with one of them truly special.

As always, we do not share exact locations. Just know that this detection took place in the Talamanca Mountain Range, Costa Rica 🇨🇷

Huge thanks to for sponsoring the camera trap that captured this incredible encounter! 🎥🐆

Want to support our work even further? You can adopt Jagi or any other jaguar we monitor and directly contribute to jaguar conservation. Just send us a DM and we will explain how it works. You will receive updates every time your jaguar is detected. 🫶🏼🐆🇨🇷

Follow and help us protect jaguars and the ecosystems they depend on 🌳🐆🇨🇷

28/08/2026

WE NEVER KNOW WHAT A CAMERA TRAP IS GOING TO FIND! 😍🎥🐦🇨🇷

We mainly use our camera traps to monitor jaguars, but they are an incredible tool for detecting all kinds of wildlife. Mammals, birds, reptiles and plenty of other species can show up in front of a camera, often when we least expect it.

That is one of the things we love most about camera trapping. You can install a camera with one species in mind and end up discovering something completely different.

And this time, we got three Acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) right in front of the camera! 🐦🐦🐦

The three birds spent some time together, moving around the ground, looking for food and seemingly communicating with each other. A small glimpse into the everyday life of a species we were not expecting to record at all.

As always, we do not share exact locations. Just know that this detection took place in the Talamanca Mountain Range, Costa Rica 🇨🇷

Huge thanks to .zamzam for sponsoring this camera trap and making this detection possible! 🎥🐆

Follow Las Oncas and help us protect wild cats and the ecosystems they depend on 🌳🐆🇨🇷

10/02/2026

NEW CAMERA TRAPS DEPLOYED! 🎥🐆🇨🇷

During a major expedition deep into the heart of the Talamanca Mountain Range in Costa Rica, we were finally able to deploy two new camera traps in a completely new area. 🎥🎥

Camera traps are the only reliable way to detect jaguars, and of course all the other elusive wildlife living in these dense forests, species that are extremely difficult to observe directly. Every new camera allows us to explore unknown zones and better understand how jaguars use these landscapes.

These new camera traps were sponsored by and . We are very grateful for their support, which allows us to continue deploying long-term monitoring equipment in remote areas of the Talamanca Mountain Range. Thanks to this support, we can expand our research, explore new zones, and improve our understanding of jaguars and the wildlife living in these forests. ⛰️🌴

We also sincerely thank for granting us the research permits and for facilitating all the legal processes that made this work possible in this remote part of the country. 💪🏼

This is a truly magical forest, and we are incredibly excited about the results that may come from this new monitoring effort.

If you or your company would like to sponsor a camera trap, simply send a private message to and we will explain how it works. Each new camera helps us explore new areas and potentially detect new jaguars! 🎥🐆🙌🏼

Follow and help us protect jaguars and the ecosystems they depend on. 🌳🐆🇨🇷

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