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

Paca

The paca has coarse fur without underfur, dark brown to black on the upper body and white or yellowish on the underbelly. It usually has three to five rows of white spots along its sides, against a dark grey background. It has thick strong legs, with four digits in the forefeet and five in the hind feet (the first and fifth are reduced); the nails function as hooves. The tail is short and hairless. The zygomatic arch is expanded laterally and dorsally and is used as a resonating chamber - a unique feature among mammals.

An adult paca weighs between 6 and 12 kg. It has two litters per year, each having usually one young, sometimes two; gestation lasts 115–120 days. Pacas are sexually mature at about 1 year.

Parts of this text are from Wkipedia