15 Popular Species In Guatemala

Guatemala is a place with many beautiful destinations which are also filled with and amazing amount of exotic species of animals. I have made a list of the most commonly seen ones:

1. Quetzal: Quetzals are beautiful exotic birds and one of many Guatemala's treasures. This bird is so important in this country that they named their currency after it. But because of all the illegal hunting and the destruction of their habitat they are in the list of the to be extinct animals.

2. Spider Monkey: Spider Monkeys are curious animals that live mainly in the tropical forests. But again the destruction of their habitat is reducing its population rapidly and in some places they are almost extinct.

3. Toucan: The Toucans are these colorful and abundant tropical birds that can be found in Guatemala's forests especially the tropical forests up north.

4. Montezuma Oropendola: If you are coming to Central America this magnificent bird called Montezuma Oropendola is something you can't miss. This is a small, colorful and common bird.

5. Olive Ridley Sea Turtle: They love open oceans so you will never see them near reefs. All Sea turtles are on their way to be extinct. Even the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles known for having the largest population around the globe.

6. Armadillo: Armadillo's habitat is moist soil near the creeks, streams, and arroyos near which it generally lives and feeds. These armored little guys can be found from northern Argentina to the southern United States.

7. Vampire Bats: When we think of bats the first thing that comes to our mind is an image from Hollywood's monsters. But the real vampires are a lot different and have nothing to do with Dracula. Vampire Bats live in a range that covers Mexico, Central America and part of South America.

8. Ocelot: Many people confuses these cute felines with domestic cats because of their tiny bodies, they are tiny jaguars but a bit darker. They focus on prays of their same size.

9. Rat: They are the second most successful mammal in the world. Brown rats are one of the best known and most common animals in the world.

10. Capuchin Monkey: They can be found in forest and mangrove habitats up to 2,100m elevation. They are always around jumping from tree to tree. These small and inquisitive monkeys are the easiest to observe in the wild, they are super friendly.

11. White Lipped Peccary: White lipped Peccaries are the big and aggressive brothers of the collared peccary and is widely considered the most dangerous peccary. They have even killed jaguars when trying to defend themselves.

12. Brown Basilisk: Brown Basilisk have the nickname "Jesus Lizard" because when fleeing from a predator, they are very fast and can even run on top of the water. They are native to Panama, Belize, northwestern Colombia and Costa Rica. This species can be found in tropical and subtropical wet, moist, and dry forest habitats.

13. Spectacled Caimans: Al though they are one of the smallest crocodilian species these guys are fierce predators. It can be found in much of Central and South America. It lives in a range of lowland wetland and riverside habitat and can tolerate salt water as well as fresh.

14. Black Hawk: Generally these birds are found lowland habitats, with a source of water nearby. These are successful predatory birds with a mysterious touch. They inhabit from the Southwestern United States through Central America to Venezuela, Peru.

15. Black Necked Stilt: The Black-necked Stilt is an abundant shorebird of American wetlands and coastlines. It is found in estuaries, salt ponds and emergent wetland habitats. It is found through Central America and the Caribbean.