Fauna Of Mexico Part 13

If you live in the continental United States, your definition of wildlife is probably fairly small; a coyote here, a jackrabbit or deer there

. Quite a narrow selection compared to Mexico, which has hundreds of different animal species. It's a megadiverse country, one of a handful of nations with an extremely high level of biodiversity. Let's meet some of the animals from Mexico.

Great Curassow

The Great Curassow weighs in at 7-11 pounds, and measures between 31 and 39 inches; it's a large bird, especially for one that's part of the pheasant family. Males have white bellies and sport a bright yellow knob on their bills, while the rest of their bodies are almost entirely black. Females have more variety; their tails and wings vary in color and pattern, although reddish-brown body plumage is standard for them. The Great Curassow is monogamous and mates for life; figs, fruits, and arthropods, are something that they forage for together. They inhabit the rainforest of Eastern Mexico and can also be seen throughout Central America and intro Columbia and Ecuador. Among the few members of the Curassow family indigenous to Mexico, these are the only members.

Roseate Spoonbill

You're used to pink flamingos; they're pretty common. But the Roseate Spoonbill looks like a weird hybrid of flamingo and heron! This wading bird is a member of the ibis family, and breeds in the coastal regions of Mexico. It's usually about three feet long, weighs up to four pounds, and has a 47-52 inch wingspan. Its beak can be up to seven inches long, and widens out at the tip to form a spoon-like shape--hence the 'spoonbill' name. The Roseate Spoonbill has impressive pink plumage, which is derived from its diet; small fish, crustaceans, insects, newts, and frogs are its favorite prey. Roseate Spoonbills feed in shallow waters by swinging their bills from side to side, as their unique bills sift out the mud and sand and leave prey behind. The birds nest in mangroves or shrubs, laying between 2 and 5 eggs each year.

Brant Goose

The Brant is a small goose, measuring between 22 and 26 inches long with a 4-foot wingspan. It weighs less than five pounds, and has dark black or gray-brown plumage all over its body (except for its white under-tail. The brant goose is also known for its stubby beak. There are subspecies in the Americas and Europe; brants typically feed on eel-grass, seaweed, and sea lettuce. While it used to be a strictly coastal bird in the winter, brants have come inland during the last few decades, possibly learning the behavior from other geese. In Mexico, they're often seen in the Sea of Cortez, which separates Baja California from the rest of the country.

Lollipop Catshark

This small bottom-dwelling shark is the only member of its genus, and rarely seen; it inhabits the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortes, around the outer continental shelf deep in the ocean. A narrow body and a large, rounded head, are typical of the shark - with similar characteristics of a tadpole's body. The body of a Lollipop Catshark is extremely soft and gelatinous; it is gray-brown in color and has a fine skin that is covered in small sharpish denticles. It has five pairs of gill slits, and its gills are quite large--likely to adapt to the lower oxygen levels in the deep ocean. The Lollipop Catshark feeds on fishes and small crustaceans. The very best specimens available to scientists have been found in fishing nets; these creatures are rarely seen in the wild because they live so far below the water surface.

by: Robert Nickel

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