Mexican Fauna Part 5

Mexico is about more than hot sand beaches and fabulous resort vacations

. That's obvious, of course; there are so many things to see and experience that you'll never be bored. In between visiting ruins, trying new foods, and immersing yourself in the local culture, you may also want to look for a nature hike where you can spot some of these animals in the wild.

Guadalupe Fur Seal

The Guadalupe fur seal is a conservation comeback story; by 1990, the population recovered from a scant few dozen individuals to more than 10,000 after they were hunted to near extinction by sealers in the 19th century. They're found in just a few spots on the Pacific coast of Mexico, including their namesake Guadalupe Island. Males reach about 7 feet in length and weight 400 pounds; the females are much smaller, at 5 feet and 110 pounds in adulthood. They're solitary animals who will form small breeding groups during the summer months. They feed on squid, lantern fish, and mackerel, but little else is known about their habits during the non-breeding seasons.

Mexican Burrowing Toad

It's not often that you get to meet an evolutionarily distinct creature, but the Mexican Burrowing Toad certainly counts! You wouldn't know from looking at it; this amphibian grows to be about three inches long, and has light red spots on its grayish skin. The toad eats ants and termites spends a large part of its life underground (hence its 'Burrowing' title). But the Mexican Burrowing Toad is the only species within the genus Rhinophrynus, which is the only genus within the family Rhinophrynidae. It's been independently evolving for the past 190 million years. According to the EDGE conservation group, a polar bear, killer whale, and kangaroo are more similar to one another than the Burrowing toad is to any other amphibian--amazing!

Mountain Stream Salamander

The mountain stream salamander is a small amphibian, barely larger than 4 inches long. It has a slender tail and a low fin along its back. It is a dark purple-black, with light lavender on its belly and cream coloring on the tips of its lips, limbs, and tail. It lives in the high-elevation streams that flow in and around the Valley of Mexico; it needs to be close to this water source to lay its eggs. As with almost all amphibians, the mountain stream salamander starts its life as a water-dwelling larva, and eventually loses its gills when it reaches sexual maturity. The mountain stream salamander is currently endangered due to loss of habitat; under Mexican national law it has special protection.

by: Robert Nickel

POST COMMENT

Why Learn To Speak Turkish Fleur Rugs What You Need To Know Speed Camera Increase New Very Quiet Compact Vaneaxial Fan Traffic Jams Here To Stay Best Exhaust System M3 E46 Cooking Up A Budget With A Cash Advance To Get The Best Scaffold Hire You Need To Find The Right Company Tips To Impress A Recruiter In The Preliminary Stage Siena The Land Of Hills Hausbau How To Make Office Ambiance Better Importance Of Quality Furniture In Office