Mexico Guide

Flora & Fauna of Mexico

Nature Overview

Flora

Banana

Bougainvillea

Cashews

Cirian

Coconut

Habilla

Mangos

Papaya

Tamarindo

A Tropical Garden

Fauna

Birds

Insects

Mammals

Reptiles

Sea Life

Books on Nature in Mexico

Mexico's Sealife

A little bit about some of the sealife found along the coasts of Mexico

Here are some fresh lobster brought into a local restaurant at Majahua Beach, just north of Troncones on the coast of Guerrero.

Lobsters are inhabitants of the sea bottom and rocky shores. The lobster's diet can consist of anything from crabs and clams to worms and sea urchins. They are classed as shellfish or Crustaceans, which includes other creatures such as barnacles, shrimps and crabs.

Click here for Crustacea information

We spotted this Skate washed up on the beach. Skates are a part of the family that include Rays and Sharks - sea creatures that do not have any real bone structure, but rather their skeletons are made of cartilage. You can learn more about Rays and their characteristics here

Dorado make for some good fishing on the Pacific coast of Mexico.... and great eating, with moist and tender white meat. The golden color of the Dorado flashes in the sun when you're reeling one in, but it fades quickly once they're out of the water. Dorado are also called Dolphin Fish (no relation to Dolphins, though) or Mahi-Mahi.

Here's a good site for dorado (also called mahi-mahi or dolphin fish) facts and for identification characteristics

This long, skinny barracuda that was brought up on the shore by fishermen.
Read about the Great Barracuda here.

In December, January and February, whales are often seen offshore along the Pacific coast, making their way north. Plenty of dolphin, too, can be spotted both in the Gulf and on the Pacific.

• All about whales - The Marine Mammal Center
• Gray Whales
• The Friendly Whales of Mexico

The Orca is another type of whale often seen along the shores of Mexico. This one was spotted with a whole pod of smaller pod members off Barra de Navidad, Jalisco on Mexico's Pacific coast

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This huge tuna (right) isn't going to fit into any can... Sportfishers bring up these gigantic fish with some of the tastiest fish meat to be had...

• Yellowfin Tuna
• Skipjack Tuna
• Greenpeace Tuna information
• Information on Tuna

Colorful tropical fish abound in the warm Mexican coastal waters. Snorkeling and diving allows a close-up view of the enormous variety of underwater life that frequent coral reefs and rocky oucroppings.

Some of the favorite areas for these activities are on the Mexican Caribbean coast (the Riviera Maya, including the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres), the Sea of Cortes (Gulf of California) and many areas along the Pacific Mexican coastline.