Mayan Vegetation and Wildlife

Jungle Creatures at XCaret

      The Mexican Riviera is a very beautiful place to visit.  It is known for its long stretch of sandy beaches, palm trees, and lush jungle.

     One very important feature of this region is The Great Barrier Reef, which is the second largest reef in the world.  It has 65 species of stony coral and 500 species of fish. Unfortunately, some species are endangered, such as: sea turtles, Queen Conch, the Manatee, Elk horn Coral, and Black Coral.

The reef is home to the world’s largest population of manatees.  We saw a gentel manatee at XCaret.  It sort of looks like a sea lion or a hippo and it is a big creature that moves slowly in the water.

Enjoy Colorful Birds Such as Parrots

     There are a variety of animals in this region, and many of them you can see at places like the XCaret Eco Park. There are bats in the many underground caves and underground cenotes, pumas, lizards, squirrels, jaguars, geckos, monkeys, turtles, many colorful birds, crocodile/alligator, dolphins, and ant-eaters. In Xcaret we were able to see some jaguars and pumas in their wildlife exhibits.

Lush Green Vegetation is Everywhere

     The vegetation is very green.  There are natural mangroves by the coast as well as palm and other green tropical plants, vines, and ferns which grow everywhere. Fruits and vegetables, such as banana, corn, cucumber, and squash are also grown in Mexico.