Guatemala: flora and fauna

Guatemala : flora and fauna

Guatemala is a small country which is home to 19 different ecosystems, ranging from the mangrove forests on both Pacific and Caribbean coasts to the pine forests of the mountainous interior, to the cloud forests at higher altitudes and to the sub tropical jungle at lower altitudes. These ecosystems include 250 species of mammals, 600 species of birds and 200 species of reptiles and amphibians, many species of butterflies and other insects... and more than 8,000 species of plants !

Here are some examples of this diversity.

Fauna
Jaguar Puma Ocelot Jaguarundi Oncilla Agouti Coati Kinkajou Paca Peccary Tapir Armadillo Spider monkey Howler monkey	Crocodile Iguana Sea turtle Phyllomedusa Swainson's hawk Scarlet macaw Hummingbirds Quetzal Toucan Montezuma Oropendola Vulture Tarantula Fer-de-lance Coral snake

Jaguar

The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a New World mammal of the Felidae family and one of four "big cats" in the Panthera genus, along with the tiger, the lion and the leopard of the Old World. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and on average the largest and most powerful feline in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Mexico (with occasional sightings in the southwestern United States) across much of Central America and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina.

This spotted cat most closely resembles the leopard physically, although it is of sturdier build and its behavioural and habitat characteristics are closer to those of the tiger.

This spotted cat most closely resembles the leopard physically, although it is of sturdier build and its behavioural and habitat characteristics are closer to those of the tiger. While dense jungle is its preferred habitat, the jaguar will range across a variety of forested and open terrain. It is strongly associated with the presence of water and is notable, along with the tiger, as a feline that enjoys swimming. The jaguar is a largely solitary, stalk-and-ambush predator, and is opportunistic in prey selection. It is also an apex and keystone predator, playing an important role in stabilizing ecosystems and regulating the populations of prey species. The jaguar has developed an exceptionally powerful bite, even relative to the other big cats. This allows it to pierce the shells of armoured reptiles and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of prey between the ears to deliver a fatal blow to the brain.

Parts of this text are from Wkipedia