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Flora & Fauna:
Below
are profiles of some of the interesting wildlife and plant
life we encounter traveling in Belize. As our website develops
we look forward to expanding this section and introducing
you to the fascinating and abundant tropical biology of Belize.
West Indian
Manatee
 Known
in Belize as the "sea cow", the West Indian Manatee
is a little-known marine mammal that inhabits the nutrient
rich estuaries, coastal regions and the reefs offshore of
Belize. Adults grow to 12 feet long and can weigh over 1,000
pounds. Classified in the Order Sirenia, manatees are distantly
related to the elephant. Their evolutionary path is thought
to have split some 50 million years ago when a related species
adapted to a marine environment characterized by shallow seas
with extensive underwater sea grass meadows. It is thought
that the origins of the fabled mermaid comes from sailors
encounters (one suspects after a great deal of time at sea)
of the female Manatee which has distinct human-like breasts.
Today,
manatees are endangered in much of their habitat, and Belize
is one of the last strongholds for this marine herbivore.
Sea Turtles
 Sea
turtles range from the tropical seas to the frigid arctic and Antarctic
waters. They can be great oceanic wanderers, with annual migrations
of thousands of miles between feeding grounds. All sea turtles have
a unique reproductive cycle whereby the female returns to lay her
eggs on the same beach where she was born, it is still a mystery
how they are able to find their way back to their natal beaches,
even after absences of 50 years. Of the eight species of sea turtle
that occur worldwide, three are known to nest in Belize:the green
turtle, loggerhead and hawksbill. The hawksbill which feeds amongst
shallow coral reefs is the turtle we most often encounter when sea
kayaking and snorkeling. The hawksbill's name derives from its sharp
hooked beak adapted to feed on sponges hidden in crevasses amongst
the corals. The green turtle, a vegetarian, lives and feeds amongst
the vast underwater sea-grass beds, while the loggerhead with its
massive head and strong beak is thought to feed primarily on crustaceans
and mollusks. Why not join us on a sea kayak and snorkel trip and
have a chance to experience these fascinating reptiles in the wild!
The World
of Bats
 Bats
occur throughout the New World Tropics, and are the most numerous
mammal found in the rainforest. Bats are thought to have evolved
from lemurs over 65 million years ago, and today are the only mammals
that can truly fly. Active at night, most bats use echolocation
( a high pitch sound emitted through the throat and nose that echoes
or rebounds off of solid objects with the returning sound wave providing
an aural profile of the object) to feed on fruits, pollen, insects,
fish and even birds. As highly efficient pollinators bats are vital
for the pollination of many tropical fruits including bananas, figs,
mangoes, and cashews.
Jaguar
 The
scientific name for jaguars, Panthera onca, means "hunter"
and "hook" or "barb," referring to their stealth and their
formidable claws. The jaguar's short muscular limbs make it
perfectly adapted to climbing, swimming, crawling and capturing
prey like peccaries, caimans, and deer. The largest cats in
the Americas, jaguars kill their prey with powerful bites
to the head or neck, unlike most great cats, which usually
suffocate their prey. Jaguars thrive on prey like red brocket
deer ( a small forest deer with adults weighing less than
50 pounds) but they'll make do with much less if they must.
They're known to eat more than 85 species of animals-including
tapir, porcupines, birds, fish, lizards, turtles, armadillos,
and monkeys-as well as the occasional avocado.
For millennia, jaguars have served as potent cultural icons for
many indigenous American people from the Mayans to the Incas. The
Maya believed the jaguar's skin symbolized the night sky, while
the Aztecs fed the hearts of sacrificial victims to the big cats.
Among Amazonian societies, the jaguar's shining, reflective eyes
were thought to connect to the spirit world. Today, jaguars remain
an important symbol in many religious and artistic expressions in
the New World. However, there is a growing conflict between those
that would honor the jaguar for its spiritual, cultural and ecological
significance with those that continue to cause its decline. The
Wildlife Conservation Society categorizes jaguars as a landscape
species meaning that they require more than one habitat for their
survival and are critical to the survival of many other species.
Scarlet Macaw
 The
scarlet macaw is arguably the most magnificent bird of the
parrot family. The term cyanoptera, is Latin for "blue wing",
and refers to the blue feathers located on the bottom end
of the bird's wings that distinguish it from the South American
scarlet macaw, which has green feathers instead. With their
wide strong wings, macaws can reach speeds of 35 miles per
hour. They often fly in pairs or small groups and call to
each other in raucous hoarse voices. Macaws appear to prefer
higher elevations and riparian (riverine) forests. They are
known to have very large territories and prefer to nest in
holes high up in trees where they lay one or two eggs. Scarlet
macaw gather in flocks to sleep at night, but maintain a monogamous
pair bond for life. Mates may show affection by licking each
other's faces. Once paired with a mate, they are rarely found
alone except to feed when one bird must incubate the eggs.
Nests are made in hollowed areas in trees, usually in the
upper canopy of rainforests. There, in the protection of the
thick foliage, they are camouflaged so predators are less
likely to spot them. Typical predators of the macaw are monkeys,
toucans, snakes, and other large mammals Scarlet Macaws, and
parrots in general, frequently use their left foot in handling
food and in grasping other things. The right foot supports
their body when they are utilizing the other leg as an appendage
to aid the beak. Scarlet macaw feed on specific fruits such
as polewood and roam large areas searching for clumps of their
favorite foods. As recent as 1989, the reported Belizean population
of scarlet macaws was a total of 24 birds. In 1996, a new
population of over 100 birds was discovered south of the Cockscomb
Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Unfortunately, over most of its
range, the scarlet macaw is endangered, a victim of human
greed and encroachment as many have been taken as a commodity
in the pet trade, hunted for their feathers, and their habitat
destroyed.
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