Aquatic Animals

Marine animals in Mexico

Marine animals have endless adaptations for aquatic life, whether for salt or fresh water. In addition, there is an immense variety in terms of sizes, shapes, colors, lifestyles and food. Focusing on the type of food, fish can be herbivores, omnivores, detritivores and carnivores, the latter being some of the most voracious predators that inhabit aquatic ecosystems.

CARNIVOROUS

SEA CARCEROLITA

Also known as the horseshoe crab or bayonet crab, is a true living fossil that is currently in danger of extinction. Although it has various names such as crab, it is not a crab. It's not even a crustacean; It is an arthropod related to spiders.

The main characteristic of this animal is a long mobile spike that protrudes from its body, protected by the shell. With a weight of up to 1,800 gr, it reaches a length of 60 cm. The females are larger than the males. It feeds on worms and invertebrates. It lives buried in the sand. The life of this fascinating animal can reach 31 years.

The main distribution in Mexican waters is located in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Caribbean.

The totoaba:

The totoaba is a fish that measures about 2 meters in length and between 100 and

150 kg in weight. It is an endemic species of Mexican waters. Specifically,
from the Sea of ​​Cortez and the northern Gulf of California. Their diet is
based on shrimp and fish.

Unfortunately, the totoaba has an extremely valuable swim bladder for the predatory Chinese market, which devastates countless species with its mercantile voracity. From sharks, to totoaba, through rhinos and many other animal species on the planet.

OMNIVOROUS

The blue crab:

The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is also known as blue crab. It is a crustacean with five pairs of legs. The size of its shell is around 23 cm. It has a beautiful bluish gray color. The females are distinguished because they have a nice orange color on the tips of their legs.

The distribution of the blue crab is spread throughout the Atlantic coast of both American continents. In Mexico, the most abundant populations are concentrated in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Its diet is omnivorous, as it feeds on algae, crustaceans, molluscs, fish and carrion. It is a voracious crab. This species has a high commercial value because its flavor is reminiscent of the prized lobster.

The pink snail:

The pink snail, Lobatus gigas, is a large shell with a beautiful pink color on the inside. This circumstance causes it to be highly coveted by shell collectors. This factor, together with the fact that its meat is edible and appreciated, means that it is threatened. Another name it holds is: queen conch.

Formerly the indigenous people made utensils with the hard shell of the pink snail. Axes, knives, combs, hooks, and other objects were made from the shell of this enormous mollusk.

The queen conch is distributed throughout the Mexican Caribbean coast and the Gulf of Mexico coastline. It is the largest marine snail in North and Central America.

HERBIVORES

The hawksbill turtle,

The hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, is a species of sea turtle that still survives in Mexican waters. However, unfortunately it is critically endangered.

The hawksbill turtle has a wide distribution throughout the warm waters of the planet, with the Gulf of Mexico being its preferred place to spawn on Mexican beaches. The hawksbill turtle can measure up to 90 cm and weigh up to 80 kg.

This beautiful species of turtle feeds on certain types of sponges, some of which are very poisonous.

Spotted parrot or shiny parrot

This fish of the Scaridae family is. It can live up to more than 70 meters deep, but in general it is found in areas of corals, algae and marine plants, on which it feeds. It is about 30 cm long and has a reddish-bluish color throughout its body, the fins are red and it has a characteristic black spot behind the operculum, although some individuals may not have it. The juveniles, on the other hand, are more brownish brown in color and have a reddish belly.

Zones:

These animals can be found in various regions of Mexico or in the seas such as:

•       Northern Gulf of Mexico,
•       South of the Gulf of Mexico,
•      Caribbean Sea,
•        Central American Pacific,
•        Pacific Mexican Transition,