The world today asks for help, many species are disappearing in all national territories destroying the ecosystem and biodiversity that characterize the world, we invite you to continue reading to discover the endangered animals in Guatemala.
Variety of animals in danger of extinction in Guatemala
Throughout the world there are species, both fauna and Flora, which are in critical danger of extinction, global warming, pollution, a large part of the products generated by human beings have caused the migration of many species to habitats that are not their own, invading, to other latitudes that are affected by the presence of new species.
It is necessary to believe Environmental awareness as soon as possible, thus avoiding a catastrophe that cannot be reversed and which the human species may regret, since it could be the end of its existence. It must be remembered that each species fulfills a specific function within the food cycle and that if one of them fails, the rest will also fail.
In Guatemala, as in many other countries in the region and on other continents, the protection of animals both in danger of extinction and those that are safe is considered an essential action and even more so it is a great challenge that the States and the specialists in the area.
Guatemala is classified as the country number nineteen with the greatest biodiversity on the planet, so it must take care of and maintain that position and even go down. It is a country that currently has 2276 species in critical danger of extinction, both in flora and fauna.
However, this figure is not static, with the passing of the years it is increasing, as a result of many factors such as; the felling of trees, deforestation in general, the contamination of various types of habitats, the buying and selling of many of the species and their merciless hunting.
In the case of Guatemala, its government through various agencies makes great efforts to have protected areas, however, all this effort will not have greater scope if each of the people is not aware of it, stopping participating in the different Types of animal abuse, and educating the youngest to create a new generation aware of the importance of environmental conservation.
If these personal measures are not put into practice, multiple species, specimens and others will end up disappearing without there being any possibility of returning to the past.
In this article you will discover some of the endangered species in Guatemala, which increase each year due to the various factors mentioned above, as will be seen throughout the article.
The quetzal
This bird in 1871 was declared in Guatemala as a national bird, so every year on September XNUMX its day is celebrated. This can be seen reflected both in the flag and in the national coat of arms. It is even worth noting that the Mayans considered it the God of the air, since they saw it as the representation of light and goodness.
Only people belonging to the government in ancient civilizations had permission to carry the feathers of these birds and it was totally forbidden to kill them to obtain their plumage, only those that the bird naturally released were taken.
Within the diversity of Mesoamerican languages, the word quetzal means precious or sacred, so the esteem for this bird is quite high. Scientifically it is known as Pharomacrus mocinno. It can reach lengths from thirty-six to forty centimeters, however, the male has a fairly long tail of even more than sixty centimeters in length.
It has a beautiful green plumage and sometimes you can see golden, violet or blue areas and on its belly you can see a strong and very bright red color. The dimorphism of this species is noticeable in that the male has a bristly crest on his head while the female does not have this, in addition its beak is of a different color in the case of females it is black and in males it is black. yellow.
The endangered quetzal was cataloged by the IUCN, and the decline of its species is increasing every day quite quickly, it is even considered that it could soon be cataloged as extinct animals in Guatemala if something is not done soon that benefits and protects them.
Their current status is due to the fact that their natural predators are quickly destroying their members, in addition to the fact that they are hunted for human trade to be taken as pets, many of the people are unaware that when they are captured they will not eat and will finally die.
In addition, the ecosystem has been degenerating, adding to this another cause of the possible extinction of this beautiful bird, because the places where they placed their nests have disappeared. All this makes it difficult to conserve, in addition to the fact that it is a bird that constantly migrates.
Jaguar
In all of America, this is the largest feline, which since ancient times has been considered an important part of the culture of Guatemala, a country inhabited by the Mayans who call it Balam.
However, even though it was considered so important from the sixties of the last century, this was forgotten, due to the great importance that its skin was acquiring for trade, highly demanded on the black market to manufacture extremely valuable items. expensive as jaguar fur coats or jaguar rugs.
Due to this market, which was making its way with increasing emphasis, indiscriminate hunting was increasing, which is why it began its disappearance and decrease in its population at that time.
Currently the data reflects the great loss of this species since its habitat has been destroyed by thirty-seven percent, in addition the species is distributed by fifty-eight percent and the most important thing about this figure is that forty and seven percent is in protected areas.
The data also reveals that there are about three hundred and forty-five jaguars, which breed with jaguars from other states such as Mexico and Belize.
Physically it has certain characteristics that are very attractive and are reasons why it is so coveted in the world, its skin can range from red-brown to light yellow and has white spots, this animal can weigh at least one hundred and thirty kilograms and its measurement exceeds two meters.
They have a life expectancy of two decades, they normally act at night and they are always seen very alone because they do not walk in a herd. It is important to note that although it is threatened in this country, there are others in which the danger index is higher, such as in Ecuador and Argentina.
Crocodile Moreletti
This does not have a large size, but could reach three meters in length and can be obtained in Mexico and Belize as well as Guatemala.
It can be seen in the different swamps in the area and usually feeds on the meat of other animals; It is a species that is continuously married for its skin since it is used to make accessories such as clothing, handbags, boots or others.
It was discovered more than one hundred and seventy years ago and its name is due to the naturalist who discovered it; Its characteristics are very similar to those of the Cuban and the American, so they used to be confused with each other, they only distinguished themselves from the year 1920.
It prefers desolate places and is always in fresh water, in addition to rivers it can also be seen in lakes. Its current status is according to the IUCN of minor concern, however its population has decreased considerably due to indiscriminate hunting and the destruction of its habitat.
Spider monkey
This is an animal that is also classified as Animals in danger of extinction in Chile, so its threat expands to other latitudes; This scientifically is called Ateless Geoffroy which can weigh up to nine kilos.
It is a monkey considered tall since it reaches one fifty-eight centimeters in length, but its most remarkable characteristic is not that but its tail, which is so long that it can reach almost eighty centimeters and is very useful to them since They even use it as a fifth limb from which they can completely depend.
Unlike the previous species, these do live in herds, even quite large, since there may be up to five hundred in the surrounding area, however this varies at night since at that time they separate to go in search of their food, the which is made up of a great variety of fruits.
There are several factors that influence whether your status is currently threatened, such as:
- Continued destruction of their habitat
- The indiscriminate hunting of its members for consumption since its meat is highly demanded.
- Primary forests are in continuous deforestation, so their food is diminishing, making their survival even more difficult.
- Their offspring are highly commercialized, but not for consumption, rather they are in demand to keep them as pets, so they kill their parents in order to obtain their babies.
In the latter case, a double problem is generated because they kill adults and babies do not survive long periods without them, so they finally die at an early age due to loneliness, sadness and hunger; so it is a double attack against the species and biodiversity.
If you want to know more about it, we recommend you see this article about the Spider monkey.
Ocellated Turkey
This is a bird that belongs to the family called Phasianidae, it has various names such as:
- ocellated turkey
- bush turkey
When compared to others of the same species, it is considered to be one of the largest, since it could reach ninety centimeters in length, while in terms of its weight it can be around three and four kilograms, in this sense. It should be noted that the male is the one with the largest wingspan.
This is originally from Yucatan and it is very common to find one of them towards the northern part of this Central American country. Their colors usually attract a lot of attention, having a mixture between gold and fluorescent green, but the most common in the case of the female is that the green varies to a more opaque tone, an essential detail to differentiate the two.
These animals usually feed on insects and worms that they can get at low altitudes, another aspect of these animals is that they usually live in family colonies that do not have many members. At night they move to the high areas of the trees with the intention of protecting themselves from predators that usually go out to hunt at night, such as El Tigre.
In times of gestation, the females hide their nest somewhere on the ground, where there are mostly about fifteen eggs that take approximately thirty days to incubate. The status of this animal currently as an endangered species in Guatemala is due to:
- He is constantly hunted
- Their habitat has been gradually destroyed
white turtle
Scientifically it is called Dermatemys mawii and popularly it is also called Tabasco turtle, its family is the Dermatemydidae.
It is both nocturnal and aquatic, it can be seen in large rivers as well as in lakes from Mexico to Honduras. It is the largest in this region since it reaches sixty-five centimeters in length and weighs more than twenty kilograms.
Formerly it was a species that abounded and due to this they were persecuted by the inhabitants to consume their meat, because it is not aggressive but on the contrary of great docility which facilitates its capture. It can feed on leaves, stems, fruits and flowers, whether they are in the depths of the water or on the surface of the earth.
In Guatemala it is one of the species cataloged in danger of extinction due to its hunting and the continuous destruction of its habitat that does not allow it to reproduce and its population increases.
Whitetail deer
This animal is scientifically called Odocoileus virginianuses but colloquially it can also be called a deer, the length of its body can reach up to one and a half meters while it can weigh sixty kilograms.
His hair is very striking which the color can be brown or gray on the top while the side of the abdomen is white, his name is due to the color of his tail and the length of it, it remains stopped when this animal goes at fast speeds and when it stays that way it shows its white color.
The sexual dimorphism of the white-tailed deer lies in the fact that its horns, those of the male, increase in size and at their tips there are branches which can have up to ten points, however there are some that only reach six branches. This beautiful animal is currently classified as an endangered animal within Guatemalan territory, the causes of this fact lie in the following:
- The hunting of these animals has not been controlled over the years
- Constant destruction of their habitat
For these reasons, the population of this animal is currently quite small and they are only found in some reserves in the country; for which its hunting is prohibited and punished, so thanks to its current protection, life expectancy has been increasing and it is expected that in the coming years its population will increase constantly.
Puma
This beautiful animal is scientifically called Puma concolor and when observing the classification of animals by their food It is observed that this belongs to the carnivorous mammals, of which six subspecies can be found and this is the so-called Central American.
When touring the American continent this can be achieved in almost all areas since there are in Patagonia in Argentina, as well as in Chile in its Andean mountain range and Panama cannot be left forgotten, a territory in which they also live in the Yucón .
It should be noted that in various territories where this animal is found, it has been classified as vulnerable since its population has decreased considerably, there are even places where it is completely extinct, as is the case in the State of Florida in North America.
This happens to the jaguar as the largest feline in America, it does not roar, but purrs very much like cats do. This can have a height of up to eighty-five centimeters when they are young while in adulthood they can reach a meter and a half and a little more, their body weight could reach up to one hundred and twenty kilos.
Their food normally resides in deer or guanaco or other species that are very similar, however when they do not get any of the aforementioned, they can resort to insects and rodents without any inconvenience.
The main cause of its status as an endangered animal is established as the fact of human overpopulation that hunts them without control and kills them because they are considered dangerous, in addition to this their food is often hunted as well, so they look for other places. where to feed migrating to other latitudes.
It should be noted that this animal is protected by an international convention, so marketing it is prohibited and punishable.
yellow-naped parrot
This bird belongs to the psittaciform family, and can be found in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and other areas of Central America, its name is due to the yellow color in the basin while the rest of its body is olive green. , its beak and legs are gray.
It can measure at most about thirty-eight centimeters; This species does not have sexual dimorphism, that is, both females and males are the same, but the youngest do not have that yellow area, but rather it is gray.
Their diet resides in seeds, fruits and nuts; in Guatemala and in other territories it is considered an endangered animal because many times the Parrot It is hunted to sell them as pets, and their habitat has been destroyed, so they migrate to other latitudes, becoming an invasive species.
tapir
This is known by various names such as: Danto, Danta and Central American tapir, in addition to this it has a scientific name which is Tapirus bairdii. His family is called Perissodactyla, being to which the rhinoceroses also belong, the most peculiar characteristic and that attracts the most attention is his upper lip that is in the form of a proboscis, that is, like an elephant's trunk.
At birth it has a reddish color with white areas, which is lost as they become adults, at which time they are brown but on the chest this color is a little faded.
This animal is considered to be the largest herbivorous mammal in all of Central America. Physically it is quite robust, its length can reach two meters while its height could be one and a half meters and in terms of weight it is around three hundred kilos. It can feed on fruits, flowers, young leaves, stems and seeds, so it has a varied diet.
It is noteworthy that this species until the middle of the last century was present in almost the entire territory of Guatemala, however this has varied greatly, because it is hunted without mercy, but not only this but also its habitat has been devastated, damage of man, pollution and more.
Today only some of its members can be seen in the highlands, such as areas over two thousand meters high, such as the following: Baja Verapaz, El Progreso, Petén and others.
chub turkey
This is also called Pavón and scientifically it is called Oreophasis derbianus, members of this animal can be found from southern Mexico to Guatemala in the eastern zone, its family is the Cracidae.
This animal has a very peculiar characteristic which is useful to differentiate it from the rest, on its head it has a shape like a horn which is covered by a thin layer of skin which is bright red, to this it owes its name , this piece can reach a length of at least six centimeters.
The size of this bird can be up to ninety centimeters while its weight can reach two and a half kilos. The sexual dimorphism of this species is not very perceptible since, physically they are extremely similar, they can be differentiated due to their song when they communicate.
These birds can mate mostly in the month of November until the month of May, the female lays her eggs in elevated areas of trees, usually there are only two. Its diet is extensive since it can eat more than fifty-seven different fruits, but it can also feed on green leaves.
As already mentioned, they are animals with a peculiar characteristic and to this fact they owe their current status as animals in danger of extinction, and that usually draws a lot of attention to people and they are hunted, in addition to this it is established that their habitat is constantly being lost. .
The data establishes that there are only XNUMX members of the chub turkey on the entire planet, a fairly small number, so it could disappear completely in a fairly short time.
Tigrillo
The family to which it belongs is the Ocelot, this can be called the tiger leopard, although scientifically it is called Leopardus tigrinus, it is an animal that is very similar to the ocelot, however this is larger than that. Normally it can be found in the forests that are at high altitudes, that is, at about one thousand five hundred meters high, this can be both in South America and in Central America, it is an animal that acts at night.
Its body can have a length of forty centimeters, its tail is quite long reaching forty-five centimeters, it is important to note that the data confirm that this species is a hybrid between a leopard and a cat.
In height it can reach about thirty centimeters while the weight varies from two to three kilograms; The color of these beautiful animals can be from light brown to dark brown but not completely since they have certain spots that make them more beautiful, these are usually black, many of them are on their extremities.
It feeds on rodents and birds, which it hunts mostly at night. It is important to note that this animal is mostly sheltered in the treetops.
The status of this animal is due to the uncontrolled felling of trees, so its habitat is highly modified and damaged, but in addition to this is added the fact of its uncontrolled hunting both for its meat for consumption and for its skin for textile manufacturing.
Humboldt penguin
It is a flightless bird belonging to the Spheniscidae family, it can be found in Chile, Peru, Panama and Guatemala. It feeds on fish and crustaceans; it can be up to seventy-two centimeters long and weigh up to five kilograms.
It has a pinkish spot on its face, a white stripe begins on its head that expands across its abdomen, its beak can measure up to ten centimeters long.
In recent years these animals have decreased their population considerably due to the few areas where they make nests, in addition to the decrease in food supply, they are also persecuted for their gastronomic qualities and climatic changes as strong as the one that occurred a few years ago. called The Child.
Anteater
This is scientifically known as the Mexican tamandua, which is very rare to see in Guatemalan territory, it is classified among the hairy mammals. The most common is that it is found in the jungles of Mexico and to a lesser extent in the humid forests of Guatemala. These animals have four subspecies which can be found in areas of South America.
It is important to note that the species that can be found in Guatemalan territory is medium-sized, its ears and eyes are quite small, with its tail it can press objects, branches or other elements, its snout is quite large and long.
Its body is quite long, since it can reach eighty centimeters without counting its tail, while if you take into account the tail it can be up to one hundred and twenty centimeters long, in terms of its weight it is between a minimum of three kilos and a half up to a maximum of eight kilos and a half.
The color of its fur on the side is usually black as can be seen in the photo while on the rest of the body it is very light yellow or beige. During the night hours, this animal spends its time moving from one place to another, mostly walking alone, protecting itself with the trees.
Their status as a vulnerable animal is due, like the aforementioned species, to the fact that they are hunted and added to this is the continuous destruction of their habitat.
scarlet macaw
These beautiful animals fall in love with everyone who has the opportunity to run into one of them, due to their beautiful colors and their docility, unfortunately in the State of Guatemala it has been declared an endangered species and is only found in the Reserve of the Mayan Biosphere.
The Guatemalan government, together with various NGOs, has carried out work aimed at the recovery of this bird with the intention that it will fly again throughout the national territory very soon. Scientifically it is known as Ara Macao, its family is the psittacines and it is one of the largest birds of this species, parrots and parakeets also belong to this family.
The birds of this family are in general in danger, since they are very beautiful and draw people's attention, so they hunt them to keep them as pets, so that they imitate the voice of their owners and be able to observe them every day. Its name is due to the fact that its feathers are red and it has some yellow ones, in addition, a beautiful blue color can be seen on its tail, the upper part of the beak is flesh-colored while the lower part is opaque black.
These animals only have one partner in their entire lives, and it will be with her that they procreate until one of them dies. One of the biggest problems that this bird has is that only 22% of its females reproduce, a fairly low figure that prevents its population from increasing rapidly, with each incubation they lay one point six eggs.
But this is not the only problem it faces, as it was said they are highly hunted in Guatemala and later sold on the black market; however, they are increasingly protected by the competent authorities.
Wild oryx
Scientifically it is called Oryx dammah which comes from the Bovidae family, it feeds on branches, grasses and other plants, it lives on the slopes where rocks abound, it can also be seen in deserts and arid plains.
A year they only have one litter, their life expectancy is twenty years. Its horns have a rather striking curvature, the color of its skin is mostly white, but they have beige areas. A very curious fact about this animal is that in ancient Egypt it was domesticated even though today it is a totally wild species.
It is an animal that is hunted excessively and that is why in the wild it is extinct, there is a species only in a state of protection, for the year 1996 it was considered that in this state there were about one thousand two hundred and fifty species of this animal.
Tree Dragon Lizard
It is very similar to a lizard made by which it is called that way, however, it has two differences and that is that they have a prehensile tail and long claws with which to climb trees. Within Guatemala there are eight species of this animal that are distributed in areas of great restriction, normally it can be found in cloud forests.
Unlike many of the animals mentioned, this one usually does its activities during the day, since it needs the heat of the sun to regulate its temperature, a fact that helps to be able to achieve it with some of them.
Some species of this animal are considered dangerous, since they have some glands with poison inside their jaw, their size is usually deceiving, because it only reaches thirty centimeters, so you must be alert in their presence.
These feed on the insects found in the trees; their population has been gradually declining due to the fact that their habitat has been invaded and modified, many trees have been felled and the contamination of the environment in which they live. In addition, they are also hunted and traded on the black market; for all these reasons today they are in a vulnerable status within Guatemala.
SeamTurtle cap
This can be called by various names such as:
- broken chest turtle
- tapaculo
- Morrocoy of water
Its family is the kinosternidae, it can be found in Guatemala, Mexico, Argentina and other latitudes, the female lays from two to nine eggs, feeds on insects, fish and molluscs.
Reproduction occurs mostly in the water, when there is a drought they hide in the mud until the water returns to their place; its status as an endangered species is due to the constant destruction of its habitat and the environmental contamination of the areas, rivers and seas that prevent its long stay in the place.
Other endangered animals
As has been seen throughout the article, the list of extinct animals in Guatemala is quite extensive, but those named are not the only ones, the list continues to grow, in this segment they will be cataloged by types of animals, other species may be the following :
Mammals
- Flying squirrel: this is a rodent, which has a fold on the sides of its body which extends and functions as a parachute made by which it is called flying. This can be found in Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and North America.
Birds
- Whistling Quail: it is a very shy bird so it is usually very difficult to meet it, its song is quite powerful, there is a difference between the males and females of this species and that is that in the case of the former the color of its face in tone cinnamon while its body is gray, and in the case of the latter it happens the other way around.
reptiles
- black iguana: It can be found in areas where rocks predominate, as well as in the lowland forest. Its status as an endangered species began in 2010, because its habitat has been destroyed and its species is highly exploited, since its meat is highly demanded for consumption.
- Salamander: these can reach about 18 or 25 centimeters long, although females can reach a little more even up to thirty centimeters, the most common is that their body is black with yellow or red spots, colors that establish that it can be toxic .
How to help animals in danger of extinction in Guatemala?
Each one of the people of the different countries can collaborate with all the species both those that are in danger and those that are in a stable status, not only those of their countries of origin but also those of the countries that they visit, a grain of sand by each one would end up being a whole sandbank that the planet will appreciate.
In the case of Guatemala, one of the main tasks that the rulers and citizens have set for themselves is the care and protection of all animals and even more so those that are critically endangered. Therefore, tourists who visit this country are always promoted as a primary rule to care for the environment and the animals of the territory.
Thus generating a participatory and collective responsibility, everyone is educated about those animals that are threatened with disappearance, since without prior knowledge the possible solution would be futile, for these reasons it is that when entering the national parks and nature reserves of Guatemala awareness is encouraged.
Each of these actions will make it possible in the long term for the high number of endangered species to reverse, gradually decreasing. It is important to note that laws and penalties have been enacted for those who fail to comply with the former affecting Guatemala's flora and fauna in one way or another, and there are local outreach and conservation efforts.