Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Quintana Roo, Mexico Photograph by Arturo Lopez Ornat   Southern North America: Eastern Mexico Mangroves   1,600 square miles (4,100 square kilometers) -- about one-third the size of Connecticut Relatively Stable/Intact

· Crocs and Crabs
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Crocs and Crabs

The Mayan Corridor mangroves are the most extensive habitat for crocodiles in all of Mexico. They are also home to nearly one hundred different kinds of animals, from manatees to peccaries. More than three hundred species of birds use this mangrove ecoregion, including endangered species such as jabirus and wood storks. This makes the ecoregion one of the most important areas for endangered birds in the country. This diverse bird community feasts on fish, as well as the crabs, shrimp, and other invertebrates that thrive in the mangrove’s waters.

Special Features

This ecoregion is located along the Caribbean coast of Mexico. The climate is very wet, with summer rains and hurricanes that can bring over 50 inches (1,300 mm) of precipitation per year. The location of these mangroves on the Yucatan Peninsula makes them very susceptible to hurricanes. In the last 88 years, the ecoregion has been hit by 11 hurricanes. Two different mangrove habitats grow here. Smaller "pygmy" mangroves have trees no taller than 6.5 feet (2 m), while larger "fringe" mangroves grow on the edges of coastal lagoons and have trees that can reach 40 feet (12 m) in height.

	Damaging mangrove forests can also damage coral reefs. That’s because without the mangroves, nutrients and sediments that are normally filtered out from runoff flows directly onto the reefs. Coral reefs also protect mangroves by providing a buffer against big waves.

Wild Side

In the Mayan Corridor mangroves, 2,000 pound (907 kg) West Indian manatees float gracefully in the warm waters, feeding on sea grasses, algae, and stringy water plants.Magnificent rare cats such as jaguars, pumas, and ocelots hunt along the edges of the mangroves and neighboring coastal forests in search of deer and peccaries (piglike mammals). An amazing diversity of birds, from colorful pink flamingoes and reddish egrets to clapper rails and anhingas, are drawn to the mangroves’ waters, which harbor a great variety of fish and invertebrates. Mangrove warblers, mangrove vireos, and mangrove cuckoos move quietly through the tree canopy. Other birds, such as ocellated turkeys, scratch in the leaf litter on dry ground searching for insects, small invertebrates, and reptiles. Resting on branches high above, lesser yellow-headed vultures scan the landscape for carrion.

Cause for Concern

Together with the coral reefs and coastal rainforest, the Mayan Corridor Mangroves ecoregion constitutes one of the most extensive and intact regions in the Caribbean. This does not mean that the region is free from threats, however. Increasing tourist developments along coastal areas pose a serious threat to the future of this ecoregion. Moreover, native villagers are increasingly exploiting the wildlife in this region for food and pets. Manatees have been hunted in very high numbers, and many reptiles, such as iguanas and turtles, are sold as food.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.