Animals in Mexico     look here for photo's

Plant and animal life Mexico is one of the world’s more biologically diverse countries, encompassing vast deserts, tropical rainforests, mangrove swamps, and alpine ecosystems and supporting a wide range of reptiles and mammals, as well as myriad other types of animals. The country sits astride the commonly accepted boundary dividing the Nearctic (North American) and Neotropical (Middle American and South American) biogeographic realms.

The Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts of northern and north-central Mexico are characterized by sparse desert scrub vegetation, although at higher elevations distinctive ecosystems including short grasses, scattered shrubs, and a variety of cacti and other succulents have evolved. A similar process has also occurred in much of the states of Coahuila and Tamaulipas. One of the more unusual species is the boojum tree; found only in a small area of Sonora and Baja California, it resembles an enormous upside-down carrot standing up to 50 feet (15 metres) above the desert soil.

Forests of coniferous and deciduous trees originally covered most of the Sierra Madre Occidental, large parts of the Mesa Central, and the Southern Highlands. However, long periods of human occupation in these regions have decimated most of the natural vegetation. In the early 21st century the government declared that it had significantly slowed the rate of deforestation, but its statistics were disputed by many environmentalists. The vast majority of Mexican forests are under local control, and impoverished or overcrowded communities contribute to higher local rates of deforestation. Extensive coniferous forests are still found at higher elevations in the Sierra Madre Occidental. The semiarid Balsas Depression has tropical scrub vegetation composed of shrubs, low deciduous trees, and scattered cacti. The high-precipitation zones of the Gulf Coastal Plain, the adjacent east-facing mountain slopes, the Chiapas Highlands, and the southern part of the Yucatán Peninsula are dominated by tropical rainforests (selvas). The dense, layered stands of broadleaf evergreen trees are among the most luxuriant and diversified in the world. Tropical hardwoods, ferns, epiphytes, and a variety of palms are commonly found there. But Mexico’s rainforests, like those elsewhere in the tropics, continue to be degraded through farming, logging, ranching, and mining. Satellite images have indicated a particularly high loss of forest in Chiapas from the 1970s to the early 21st century. A large portion of the Pacific coastal area, from Mazatlán to the Guatemalan border, is covered by tropical deciduous or semi-deciduous forests, which lack the variety and density of tropical rainforests.

Mexico’s diverse array of fauna is especially notable in its southern selvas. The rainforests of the Gulf Coast and Chiapas Highlands and the semi-deciduous forests of the Pacific coast provide habitat for monkeys, parrots, jaguars, tapirs, anteaters, and other tropical species. In contrast, the natural wildlife of northern Mexico was severely affected by the introduction of European grazing animals more than 400 years ago. While rabbits, snakes, and armadillos abound in the deserts and steppes, larger animals such as deer, pumas, and coyotes are found mainly in isolated or mountainous areas. Numerous marine species live along Mexico’s coastlines. In parts of the Gulf of Mexico and off the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, clear waters teem with tropical fish.

Mexico is central to the migratory patterns of many species. Countless ducks and geese fly annually into the northern part of the Sierra Madre Occidental. In addition, millions of endangered monarch butterflies  migrate annually between regions of the United States and Mexico’s western Mesa Central to overwinter on about a dozen forested peaks, particularly in eastern Michoacán state. That state’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was designated a UNESCOWorld Heritage site in 2008. However, smog from the Mexico City metropolitan area and extensive logging activities threaten the butterflies and their roosting trees.