Animals and Plants in Mexico
The biodiversity is particularly great in Mexico. The reason for this are the different climates and habitats in Mexico. More than 200,000 species have been counted in the country. Among the countries with the most reptile species, Mexico even ranks first with more than 700 species. In mammals, it is second with 448 species.
However, deforestation, hunting and the encroachment of people, including tourists, into remote areas, endanger diversity. 2500 species are under protection in Mexico. Numerous national parks and protected areas have also been established.
Which animals live in Mexico?
Mexico’s wildlife is particularly rich in species. The diversity goes back to the different landscapes that exist in Mexico. In Baja California, for example, there are hand-rooting iguanas, side-spotted iguanas, fringed-toe iguanas, crosswind rattlesnakes, the kit fox and the Hoskins pygmy owl. The Lummenalk breeds off the coast and gray whales can be observed. Sea lions and dolphins also live here.
The largest mammal in Mexico is the jaguar. Other predators include the puma, ocelot, coyote, and raccoon. The white-nosed coati searches the ground and cavities for food with its long, flexible snout.
Of the monkeys, it is mainly coat howler monkeys and Guatemala howler monkeys that are native to Mexico.
Do you know peccaries? We also call them umbilical pigs. White-bearded peccaries live in southern Mexico, while collar peccaries live in most of the country. The Central American tapir can be found on the east coast and on the Yucatán.
Reptiles
The country’s many reptiles include crocodile caimans, the pointed crocodile, and the bumpy crocodile, as well as many species of iguana. There are also several species of rattlesnakes and the also poisonous palm lanceolers.
The crustaceans that live in Mexico with their two species are also poisonous. The strangler snake Boa Constrictor also lives in Mexico. It wraps around its prey and then suffocates it.
Howler monkey
Howler monkeys live in small groups of five to 20 animals. They scream loudly, especially in the morning. They want to show the other groups: Here we are, this is our territory. So that’s why they got their name. They live on trees and climb well. For this they also use their tail, which is designed as a gripper arm. They mainly eat leaves, as well as fruits and flowers.
Golden eagle and fishing toucan
Mexico’s national symbol is the golden eagle. It can be seen on the Mexican coat of arms. However, he only lives in one area in the north of the country. Particularly conspicuous birds live in the rainforest, such as the fishing toucan with its colorful beak or the brightly plumed quetzal. To get more information on Mexico and North America, check intershippingrates.
The spectacle of the monarch butterflies
The monarch butterflies offer a special spectacle every year in autumn. Then the orange-black patterned butterflies leave their home in North America and fly south to the Mexican Sierra Nevada in the state of Michoacán, where they winter. You cover more than 3000 kilometers!
Several hundred million moths are then on the move and offer a unique spectacle. While the moths usually only live a month, they take a development break on the migration and then live for seven to eight months. When they arrive in Mexico, they hang in dense clusters on the branches of the trees and thus protect themselves from the cold and wind.
Plants: What is growing there in Mexico?
26,000 species of plants have been counted in Mexico. Cacti grow in a variety of species across the country. In the Sonoran Desert you can see the famous giant cacti. They are also called candelabra cactus because they look like a candlestick with multiple arms. However, the Cardón cactus, the ocotillo, the boojum and the nopal cactus also find the best living conditions here.
The round cactus Echinicactus grusonii is also known to us as the “mother-in-law chair “. It grows on mountain slopes in central Mexico. The Aztecs made human sacrifices on this cactus. However, cacti were also used in many other ways. They were made into jam, used as building material or made into needles, fishhooks and arrowheads. There are also many types of agaves. With their thick-fleshed leaves, they can store water well.
Pine and oak trees grow on the mountain slopes. The Mexican hawthorn is also native here. The Mexican bald cypress is considered the national tree of Mexico. He is also called Ahuehuete.
In the rainforest of the south, however, mahogany trees and the sapote are native. You can eat the fruits of the tree, which we also call the porridge apple tree, but above all chicle is obtained from the milky sap. Chicle can be used to make chewing gum. Today, however, chewing gum is artificially produced here.
Many crops come from Mexico that we like to eat or use today, for example avocado, vanilla, cocoa and sweet potatoes. Yam beans also come from Mexico. They are now also grown in Africa and Asia.
The dahlia, which grows in the plateaus, is one of the national flowers of Mexico. With us it became a popular ornamental plant in the garden. Orchids, Ceiba species and cypress trees also grow in Mexico.
