strombus gigas

When you're travel across the Yucatan aside from the road kill on the Cancun highway you might not be aware of the many protected species in our seas and forrest. I first became aware of Pronatura through the owners of the Hacienda Santo Domingo de Yunku who come each year to study the spider monkeys in Punta Laguna. They work to preserve the flora and fauna of the Yucatan from the whale sharks who come to Holbox each fall to the Hawksbill sea turtles that lay their eggs each summer on our beaches. Whether you're going to see the Flamingo's of Celestun and Ria Lagartos or just to the zoo at Centenario chances are you owe a debt of gratitude to Pronatura for their work to preserve the coast wetlands and the Mayan Forests.

Pronatura's gallery of photos of protected species in the Yucatan can be seen here

They are solitary animals that communicate by hissing sounds and a very potent odor produced from the anal gland. As a result, they are sometimes referred to as "stinker of the forest."

Good to know!

While googling for whale sharks I came upon Yucatan Wild Life, a website that documents all the mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish with lots of links and articles and lists of what fish your likely to see when diving in cozumel or eating in Progresso.

Or you can swim with the whale sharks each spring inHolbox or Cozumel

You'll find these guys wandering around the ruins and in the soup if you're invited to lunch in a Mayan home.

If you're planning to drive from Tulum to Merida then you'll pass by Punta Laguna. Here is a spider monkey reserve that you can visit near the ruins of Coba.

phrynohyas venulosa



We once thought these were UFO's landing at the hacienda in Yunku. Turns out they weren't landing after all.

leafcutter ants

ants