Wildlife of Mexico

The Monarch (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer. In Europe it is resident in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira, and is found as an occasional migrant in Western Europe. Its wings feature an easily recognizable... less ↑

The Chiapas catfish, Lacantunia enigmatica, is an unusual species of catfish (order Siluriformes) newly described in 2005 from the Lacantún River in the Mexican state of Chiapas. While discovery of an undescribed species of catfish is not uncommon, discovery of a new family-level taxon of any vertebrate group is a rare event. The Chiapas catfish mainly feeds on crabs, prawns, small fish, and large, tough plant seeds. This catfish is commonly fished in its natural habitat,... less ↑

The great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached or exceeded 6 m (20 ft) in length, and 2,268 kg (5,000 lb) in weight. This shark reaches maturity at around 15 years of age and can have a life span of over... less ↑

The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is a slow moving filter feeding shark that is the largest living fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 12.65 metres (41.50 ft) and a weight of more than 21.5 tonnes (47,000 lb), but there are unconfirmed claims of considerably larger whale sharks. This distinctively-marked shark is the only member of its genus Rhincodon and its family, Rhincodontidae (called Rhinodontes before 1984), which is grouped into the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class... less ↑

The smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata), also known as the wide sawfish, is a sawfish of the family Pristidae, found in shallow tropical and subtropical waters in coastal parts of the Atlantic, including the Mediterranean. Reports from elsewhere are now believed to be misidentifications of other species of sawfish. This critically endangered species reaches a length of up to 7.6 metres (25 ft). less ↑

The common sawfish, Pristis pristis, is a sawfish of the family Pristidae, found in tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, Mediterranean, eastern Pacific and in northern Australia. As suggested by its name, it was once plentiful, but has now declined drastically leading to it being considered a critically endangered species by the IUCN. Its maximum length is 7.5 metres (25 ft), though 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) is more common. Reproduction is ovoviviparous. Its taxonomy remains unresolved, and... less ↑

The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second largest living fish, after the whale shark. It is a cosmopolitan migratory species, found in all the world's temperate oceans. It is a slow moving and generally harmless filter feeder and has anatomical adaptations to filter feeding, such as a greatly enlarged mouth and highly developed gill rakers. The shape of its snout is conical and the gill slits extend around the top and bottom of its head.... less ↑

The Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) is a sea turtle and the only member of the genus Caretta. The genus name "Caretta" is a latinization of the French "caret", meaning turtle, tortoise, or sea turtle. A loggerhead sea turtle reportedly grows up to 363 kilograms (800 lb) and 1.07 metres (3.5 ft) long. Their shell color is a reddish brown color, and the color of their skin is brown yellow. They are named for their disproportionately large head. They are... less ↑

The Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), also known as green turtle, black (sea) turtle, or Pacific green turtle, is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Their common name derives from the usually green fat found beneath their carapace (upper shell). less ↑

The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest of all living sea turtles and the fourth largest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh. Dermochelys coriacea is the only extant member of the family Dermochelyidae. Instead of teeth, the leatherback turtle... less ↑

The Short-billed Pigeon, Patagioenas nigrirostris (see Johnson et al. 2001), is a largish pigeon which breeds from southern Mexico south to northwestern Colombia. It is a member of a clade of Patagioenas that contains the smaller and rather plain species with characteristic calls (Johnson et al. 2001) that constitute the subgenus Oenoenas (Mahler & Tubaro 2001). less ↑

The Horned Guan, Oreophasis derbianus is a large, approximately 85cm long, turkey-like bird with glossed black upperparts plumage, red legs, white iris, yellow bill and a red horn on top of head. The breast and upper belly are white, and its long tail feathers are black with white band near base. Both sexes are similar. The young is duller with smaller horn, and has brown tail and wings. less ↑

The Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata) is a species of turkey residing primarily in the Yucatán Peninsula. A relative of the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), it was sometimes previously treated in a genus of its own (Agriocharis), but the differences between the two turkeys are currently considered too small to justify generic segregation. It is relatively large bird, at around 70–122 cm (28–48 in) long and an average weight of 3 kg (6.6 lbs) in females and 5 kg (11 lbs) in males. less ↑

The Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills in the American midwest. This is the most important stopover area for the Lesser Sandhill Crane, (Grus canadensis canadensis), with up to 450,000 of these birds migrating through annually. less ↑

The Rose-bellied Bunting (Passerina rositae) is a species of bird in the Cardinalidae family. It is also known as Rosita's Bunting. It is endemic to a tiny strip of hills along the Pacific slope of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, where it occurs in arid to semiarid thornforest and gallery woodlands. It is threatened by habitat loss. less ↑

The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a North American species of bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae and the largest North American land bird. Currently, this condor inhabits only the Grand Canyon area, Zion National Park, and western coastal mountains of California and northern Baja California. Although other fossil members are known, it is the only surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps. less ↑

The Black Brant or Pacific Brent Goose, Branta bernicla nigricans, is a sub-species of the Brent Goose that breeds in Alaska and winters in Baja California. There are an estimated 115,000 black brant in the world and about 14,000 are taken each year by hunters. Fox predation of eggs is thought to be significant and, in 2006, the U.S. began a 5-year fox removal program. The population has been as high as 200,000; in 1981, and... less ↑

The Green Parakeet (Aratinga holochlora), is a medium-sized parrot that is native to Central America, from Mexico south to northern Nicaragua. These birds have established self-sustaining populations in some cities in southeast Texas in the United States. It is unclear if the US population are feral released birds or may be some wild vagrants which have moved north from Mexico. The Green Parakeet is usually nonmigratory, but will move sometimes to take advantage of food supplies. less ↑

The Olive-throated Parakeet (Aratinga nana), also known as the Olive-throated Conure in aviculture, is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is found in forest and woodland in two widely disjunct population, with the nominate subspecies restricted to Jamaica and the astec group (including subspecies vicinalis) occurring from north-eastern Mexico, through the Yucatan Peninsula and along the Caribbean slope of Central America as far south as north-western Panama. The two are very similar and... less ↑

The Orange-chinned Parakeet (Brotogeris jugularis), also known as the Tovi Parakeet, is a small mainly green parrot of the Brotogeris genus. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest. Its name comes from a small clump of bright orange feathers located under the lower beak. Like other parrots,... less ↑

The Brown-hooded Parrot (Pyrilia haematotis) is a small parrot which is a resident breeding species from southeastern Mexico to north-western Colombia. Until recently, it was placed in the genus Pionopsitta, which now is restricted to the type species, the Pileated Parrot. It is sometimes considered conspecific with the Rose-faced Parrot (P. pulchra). This species has been adversely affected by deforestation. less ↑

The American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is a large species of flamingo closely related to the Greater Flamingo and Chilean Flamingo. It was formerly considered conspecific with the Greater Flamingo, but that treatment is now widely viewed (e.g. by the American and British Ornithologists' Unions) as incorrect due to a lack of evidence. It has also been known as the Caribbean Flamingo, but the species' presence in the Galápagos makes that name problematic. less ↑

The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is a deer whose habitat is in the western half of North America. It gets its name from its large mule-like ears. Adult male mule deer are called bucks, adult females are called does, and young of both sexes are called fawns. The black-tailed deer is considered by some a distinct species though it is classified as a subspecies of the Mule Deer. Unlike its cousin, the white-tailed deer, mule deer... less ↑