Isla Nublar | Jurassic Field Guide

Home of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, the flashpoint of many key events in the grand timeline of Jurassic. Isla Nublar is a Costa Rican tropical Island located nearby the Las Cinco Muertes Archipelago, acquired by Ingen back in the 90s and eventually by Masrani Global, it used to be the main home of the Dinosaurs.

Ecosystems

Located in:

Costa Rica

Coordinates:

9°48'11.4"N 88°36'42.9"W

Predominant Biome:

Tropical Rainforest

Seen in:

Jurassic Park (1993)
Evolution of Claire (2005)
Jurassic World (2015)
Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2016)
Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom (2018)

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Description and Discovery:

Isla Nublar is a Tropical Island which lies within the off shore of the Costa Rica Country, located in Central America. It is approximately 193 kilometers (120 miles) west of Costa Rica. Isla Nublar is a volcanic Island, with a long dormant Volcano called "Mount Sibo" or simply Mt. Sibo.

Isla Nublar was officially discovered in 1525 by the Spanish Navigator Diego Fernandez. The naming of the Island is credited to the Cartographer Nicolas de Huelva who, on the Spanish carrack La Estrella (The Star) described seeing a "cloud island" while mapping the western coast of Costa Rica.

The Spaniards learned the existance of a local indigenous tribe to the island, known as the Bribri tribe. The natives referred to the island locally as Guá-Si (Water House, or, House beyond Water) and themselves as Tun-Si (Water Men).

Four centuries of history displaced many of the local inhabitants, and in 1987 those few remaining were resettled off the island.

Biomes and Landscape:

Isla Nublar's Landscapes and Environments seem to be very reminiscent of those of the Hawaiian Islands, a lush and Tropical Woodland environment, with predominant Rainforest Trees and Plants covering the forest floor. While the majority of the Island is covered in lush jungle, some areas of the Island, primarily in the Northern and Eastern regions, form vast Shrub and Grasslands, extensive Valleys with open plains leading to scenic views.

Gallery Forests also form across various Rivers that originate from Isla Nublar, such as the Northeast River, known to extend itself nearby some of the tallest mountains of the Island. The largest river formation however is located further South, more specifically at the Southeast of the Island, the mountainous elevations are lower at that region, although still present. The river channel develops further into the Island, forming Fjord regions with the Mountains. A particular river also originates and connects to the Southeast Rivers, that being a small strait that originates from what we know as the Mountain range of the Jurassic Park's Helipad!

Over 20 Beaches are known to be present on Isla nublar, some of which extend over various kilometers! Some of these were key locations to the Construction of Jurassic Park, leading into the settlement of the Docks where Park Staff and eventually Visitors would be entering and leaving the Island.

Grasslands

Tropical Rainforest

Mountain Ridges

Highlands

Shrublands

Beaches

Lakes & Rivers

Fauna:

Over the course of nearly 30 years, Isla Nublar has been the home of a wide array of Prehistoric Fauna, most predominant group being the Dinosaurs. The oldest recorded Cloned Dinosaur in Isla Nublar dates back to the 80s, during the construction of John Hammond's Jurassic Park. It is unclear which species exactly was the first brought in here, or even the first cloned on the Island, considering that Isla Nublar was simply "Something for the tourists" as Hammond himself would say.

That is not to say that Nublar consists only of De-Extinct Animals though, Extant Species of Animals, native to Nublar's jungles exist in various shapes and forms, one predominant Species being the Elaphodus cephalophus nublarus, also known as the Nublar Tufted Deer, Migratory Birds such as the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) periodically visit Isla Nublar as a resting stop during their long migrations.

From the early 2000s and forward, with the acquisition of Isla Nublar by Masrani Global, an even wider range of Prehistoric Species would be brought back from Extinction for the construction of the coming Jurassic World Resort, over 20 different Species of Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs and Marine Reptiles would be cloned for the various Jurassic World Attractions. However, during the catastrophic incident in 2015, the Park would come to an end, abandoned for the next 3 years with the Dinosaurs to fend for themselves. The awakening of the long dormant Volcano Mt. Sibo in 2018 would bring a series of events that would unfold in the introduction of many Species, once limited to living on Isla Nublar, now roaming free in the Mainland...

Jurassic Park Era Fauna (1981-1993):

Greater

Brachiosaurus

Compsognathus

Dilophosaurus

White-Footed

Gallimimus

Herrerasaurus

Metriacanthosaurus

Blueback

Parasaurolophus

Clouded

Triceratops

Troodon

Tylosaurus

Tyrannosaurus

Lowland

Velociraptor

Isla Nublar's Native Fauna:

Collared Aracari

Common

Northern Boa

Kookaburra

Nublar's Tufted Deer

Flora:

With the vast extension of Tropical Rainforests, Shrublands and Grassfields, Isla Nublar holds a huge variety of Flora Taxons of all shapes and sizes. Both Extinct and Extant Plants can be found growing nearby the now abandoned Jurassic Park Facilities or Paddocks. And even during the operational days of Jurassic World, dedicated areas to study the plants such as the Botanical Gardens' Greenhouses, ended up introducing various species.

Many of the Plants found on Isla Nublar are native to the Island's ancient environments, those of which are reminiscent to typical Central American landscapes such as Costa Rica itself. Isla Nublar also shares great similarity with the Hawaiian Islands further northwest, off the coast of the United States. Despite that, after its acquisition by Ingen in the early 80s, the construction of Jurassic Park led to the introduction of various Species into the Island, some notable examples are the Heliconia (A species of Flower native to Countries such as Colombia, Puerto Rico and Cuba), which was used primarily for decorative purposes. The Shrub West Indian Lilac (Known from Florida primarily), which did lead to issues with the Animals. Or the Prehistoric Plant "Veriforman" (An Elephant Ear-like Plant from the Cretaceous Period).

With that in mind, it is clear that Isla Nublar sadly doesn't retain its natural array of Vegetation and, due mankind's interference, led to invasive Species finding their way into the landscape. With the Eruption of the long dormant Mt. Sibo in 2018, the destruction of most of the Island could have led to the extinction or high decrease in population of various Plants. It's unknown what's the ecological state of the Island at the moment, nor the status of its niches that are under the process of regrowth.

Some of the various Plant Species in Isla Nublar: