Continuing with our series of Costarrican banknotes, the blue 2,000 colones features Mauro Fernández Acuña. On the reverse side are contributions from the Coral Reef: the Bull shark, Red Cushion Sea Star, and the Slimy Sea Plume! The 2,000 colones note is slightly larger than the 1,000.

Mauro Fernández Acuña studied law at the University of Santo Tomás. He held the Supreme Court of Justice position, taught at the College of Lawyers and was a delegate in the Costa Rican Constituent Assembly for several years. He was President of the Congress, Minister of Property and Commerce, advisor of State, and Director of the National Bank of Costa Rica.  

He was also, the head of the Secretariat of Public Instruction and enabled more funding toward Secondary Education with the first secondary school for women, the “Colegio Superior de Senoritas.”

Posthumous, he was declared Benemérito a la Patria (Worthy of the Homeland), a title given to honorable Costa Ricans.

The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), also known as the “Zambezi shark” (informally “zambi”) in Africa, and “Lake Nicaragua shark” in Nicaragua, is a Requiem shark commonly found worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and rivers. It is known for its aggressive nature and presence in warm, shallow brackish and freshwater systems. Bull sharks can thrive in both salt and fresh water and can travel far up rivers. They have traveled up the Mississippi River as far as the State of Illinois, about 700 miles (1100 km) from the ocean.

Similar to soft corals, Sea Fans differ by living in up to 8 inches of sand. Most are nocturnal. They are usually a violet color but can also be yellow and mainly live in the Caribbean Sea.

The red cushion star also lives in the Caribbean Sea. Adults are usually found on sandy bottoms and coral rubble while the babies live in the seagrass as their coloring provides camouflage. In the winter, the red cushion star migrates to offshore locations to seek calmer waters.

Our next issue about Costarrican banknotes will feature the yellow 5,000 banknote, which is slightly larger and features Alfredo González Flores and the Mangrove swamp’s attributes!