The flora and fauna of

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

reflects the country's geographical location inside the

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

. This has allowed for diverse species of plants and animals to be adapted, but some of them are now in danger of

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. This has posed the Honduran government, offices and nature organizations to look after the protection of the local environment, like the creation of

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

Flora

The

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

of Honduras is varied. Pluvioselva, classified a tropical rain forest, is one of its most impressive vegetal populations. Ecologists designated it "Hygrophilous Megatherm Type", for corresponding to regions of high humidity and constant high temperatures, with a single dominant species, like pines or firs, covering big areas. The eastern part of the country, ''

La Mosquitia The Mosquito Coast, also known as the Mosquitia or Mosquito Shore, historically included the area along the eastern coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras. It formed part of the Western Caribbean Zone. It was named after the local Miski ...

'', has many creeper and climbing plants, such as lianas. There is a great variety of epiphytes, most strikingly the orchids. Adapted to the humid environment, trees are enormous and do not possess deep roots, but are supported thanks to large buttress roots, while the leaves are large and many. The tree trunks are straight and smooth and their first branches are high above the forest floor. The rainforest corresponds to parts of the northern region below 600 meters in elevation where there is no fully defined dry season, and covers 29% of the total area of the country. Among the more typical plant species in this biogeographical region: Spanish cedar (''

Cedrela odorata ''Cedrela odorata'' is a commercially important species of tree in the chinaberry family, Meliaceae, commonly known as Spanish cedar or Cuban cedar; it is also known as cedro in Spanish. Classification The genus ''Cedrela'' has undergone two m ...

''), American mahogany ('' Swietenia mahagoni''), St Mary's tree (''

Calophyllum brasiliense ''Calophyllum brasiliense'' (guanandi) is a species of plant in the family ''Calophyllaceae''. It is native to subtropical and tropical regions of Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Description It is an evergreen tree grow ...

''), guayacan (''Tabebuia guayacan''), wild cashew (''

Anacardium excelsum ''Anacardium excelsum'', the wild cashew or ''espavé'', is a tree in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The tree is common in the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests of Pacific and Atlantic watersheds of Central and South Amer ...

''), guayabo ('' Terminalia amazonia'') and many others. Numerous palm trees exist near the coasts, as well as tropical fruit trees and multicolored

flowering plants Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

. It is very common to find textile plants like

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

or the pacaya palm (''

Chamaedorea tepejilote ''Chamaedorea tepejilote'', also known as the pacaya palm, is a species of ''Chamaedorea'' palm tree found in the understory of the forests of southern Mexico, Central America, and northern Colombia. Uses The immature male inflorescences of ...

''). Also there are many medicinal plants like chicory, Mexican-tea and

tolu balsam Tolu balsam or balsam of Tolu is a balsam that originates from South America (Colombia, Peru, Venezuela). It is similar to (and frequently confounded with) the balsam of Peru. It is tapped from the living trunks of ''Myroxylon balsamum var. balsa ...

. Used as producing trees of rubber (''

Ficus elastica ''Ficus elastica'', the rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush, Indian rubber tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to eastern parts of South and Southeast Asia. It has become nat ...

'') and

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on natu ...

, the white hawthorn, and the castor oil plant (''

Ricinus communis ''Ricinus communis'', the castor bean or castor oil plant, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus, ''Ricinus'', and subtribe, Ricininae. The evolution of ca ...

'').

Fauna

Honduras fauna is very rich and varied, the most common of those being arboreal, or living in flowing rivers and lake waters. Big animals are not very numerous but there are hundreds of species of reptiles, amphibians and birds; lizards and many varieties of fish in the rivers. Monkeys, bats and numerous birds abound in the trees. Since there is no cold season, thousands of species of insects swarm constantly: wasps, ants, mosquitoes, gnats and others. Among the mammals, Baird's tapir (''

Tapirus bairdii The Baird's tapir (''Tapirus bairdii''), also known as the Central American tapir, is a species of tapir native to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America. It is the largest of the three species of tapir native to the Americas, as ...

''), white-lipped peccary ('' Tayassu pecari''), collared peccary (''

Dicotyles tajacu The collared peccary (''Dicotyles tajacu'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed) mammal in the family Tayassuidae found in North, Central, and South America. It is the only member of the genus ''Dicotyles''. They are commonly referred to as ' ...

''),

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

(''Pathera onca''),

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...

(''Puma concolor''),

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...

(''Leopardus pardalis''),

margay The margay (''Leopardus wiedii'') is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal cat, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest. Until the 1990s, margays were hunted illegally for the wildlife ...

(''Leopardus wiedii''),

jaguarundi The jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi'') is a wild cat native to the Americas. Its range extends from central Argentina in the south to northern Mexico, through Central and South America east of the Andes. The jaguarundi is a medium-sized ...

(''Herpailurus yaguaroundi''),

spectral bat The spectral bat (''Vampyrum spectrum''), also called the great false vampire bat or Linnaeus's false vampire bat, is a large, carnivorous leaf-nosed bat found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. It is the only member of the genus '' ...

(''Vampyrum spectrum''),

Wagner's bonneted bat Wagner's bonneted bat or Wagner's mastiff batBest, T. L., et al. (1997)''Eumops glaucinus''. ''Mammalian Species'' 551, 1-6. (''Eumops glaucinus''), is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in the Americas from Argentina and Peru ...

(''Eumops glaucinus''),

white-nosed coati The white-nosed coati (''Nasua narica''), also known as the coatimundi (), is a species of coati and a member of the family Procyonidae (raccoons and their relatives). Local Spanish names for the species include ''pizote'', ''antoon'', and ''te ...

(''Nasua narica''), raccoon (''Procyon lotor''), giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') can be found. Bird species are also varied and abundant. Some of them are: hummingbirds (more than 20 species);

black-throated trogon The black-throated trogon, also known as yellow-bellied trogon, (''Trogon rufus'') is a near passerine bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. Although it is also called "yellow-bellied trogon" it is not the only trogon with a yellow belly. It b ...

(''Trogon rufus''), pale-billed woodpecker ('' Campephilus guatemalensis''),

spectacled owl The spectacled owl (''Pulsatrix perspicillata'') is a large tropical owl native to the neotropics. It is a resident breeder in forests from southern Mexico and Trinidad, through Central America, south to southern Brazil, Paraguay and northwestern ...

(''Pulsatrix perspicillata''),

mottled owl The mottled owl (''Strix virgata'') is a medium-sized owl found in Central and South America from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. The head and back are mottled brown and the underparts whitish, with vertical bars on the chest and throat. The eyes ...

(''Strix virgata''),

keel-billed toucan The keel-billed toucan (''Ramphastos sulfuratus''), also known as sulfur-breasted toucan or rainbow-billed toucan, is a colorful Latin American member of the toucan family. It is the national bird of Belize. The species is found in tropical jungl ...

(''Ramphastos sulfuratus''),

collared aracari The collared aracari or collared araçari (''Pteroglossus torquatus'') is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found from Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics The collared aracari was originally ...

(''Pteroglossus torquatus''), yellow-crowned amazon (''Amazona ochrocephala''),

Finsch's parakeet The crimson-fronted parakeet (''Psittacara finschi''), also known as Finsch's parakeet or Finsch's conure, is a small green Neotropical parrot. It is found in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and western Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or trop ...

(''Aratinga finschi'') and king vulture (''Sarcoramphus papa''). Among the reptiles are the terciopelo (aka yellow-beard, '' Bothrops asper''), rainforest hognosed pitviper (''

Porthidium nasutum :''Common names: hognosed pitviper, hognosed pit viper, rainforest hognosed pitviper,Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. 2 volumes. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ...

''), northern boa ('' Boa imperator''), Middle American rattlesnake ('' Crotalus simus''),

green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

(''Chelonia mydas''), spectacled caiman (''Caiman crocodilus''), American crocodile (''Crocodylus acutus''), coral snakes ('' Micrurus'' species) and the

brown basilisk The brown basilisk (''Basiliscus vittatus''), also commonly referred to as the striped basilisk or in some areas as the common basilisk, is a species of basilisk lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is native to Mexico, Central Ameri ...

(''Basiliscus vittatus''). Other reptiles are the

iguana ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his bo ...

s which mimic the varied tones of the forest and freshwater turtles. Among the abundant amphibians are toads and tree-climbing frogs of varied species. The coasts of Honduras are bathed to the north and east by the Caribbean Sea and in the south by the Pacific Ocean at the

Gulf of Fonseca The Gulf of Fonseca ( es, Golfo de Fonseca; ), a part of the Pacific Ocean, is a gulf in Central America, bordering El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. History Fonseca Bay was discovered for Europeans in 1522 by Gil González de Ávila, ...

. The turquoise waters of the Caribbean can be appreciated by means of diving on coral reefs with a big diversity of calcareous seaweeds, red seaweeds (

Rhodophyta Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), are one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta also comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 currently recognized species with taxonomic revisions ongoing. The majority ...

), and marine meadows, among other aquatic plants that form a natural ecosystem. Among the fauna can be found along Honduran coasts,

whale shark The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of .McClain CR, Balk MA, Benfield MC, Branch TA, Chen C, Cosgrove J, D ...

(''Rhyncodon typus''),

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

s, and a big variety of tropical fish, shrimps ( Caridea) and many more can be found

Mammals

Among the

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s: * Baird's tapir ( ''Tapirus bairdii'') * White-lipped peccary ('' Tayassu pecari'') * Collared peccary (''

'') *

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

(''Panthera onca'') *

Cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...

(''Puma concolor'') *

Ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...

(''Leopardus pardalis'') *

Margay The margay (''Leopardus wiedii'') is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal cat, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest. Until the 1990s, margays were hunted illegally for the wildlife ...

(''Leopardus wiedii'') *

Jaguarundi The jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi'') is a wild cat native to the Americas. Its range extends from central Argentina in the south to northern Mexico, through Central and South America east of the Andes. The jaguarundi is a medium-sized ...

(''Herpailurus yagouaroundi'') *

Spectral bat The spectral bat (''Vampyrum spectrum''), also called the great false vampire bat or Linnaeus's false vampire bat, is a large, carnivorous leaf-nosed bat found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. It is the only member of the genus '' ...

(''Vampyrum spectrum'') *

(''Eumops glaucinus'') *

White-nosed coati The white-nosed coati (''Nasua narica''), also known as the coatimundi (), is a species of coati and a member of the family Procyonidae (raccoons and their relatives). Local Spanish names for the species include ''pizote'', ''antoon'', and ''te ...

(''Nasua narica'') * Raccoon (''Procyon lotor'') * Giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'')

Birds

Honduran_Emerald_(Amazilia_luciae)_(2495402213)

Birds are varied and very abundant, among which: * More than 20 species of

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...

s including the Honduran emerald (''Amazilia luciae''), an

endemic species Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

. * The

(''Trogon rufus'') * The bird carpenter ('' Campephilus guatemalensis'') * The

(''Pulsatrix perspicillata'') * The

(''Strix virgata'') * The

(''Ramphastos sulfuratus'' and

(''Pteroglossus torquatus'') * The yellow-crowned amazon (''Amazona ochrocephala'') * The

(''Aratinga finschi'') * The king vulture (''Sarcoramphus papa'')

Reptiles

There are 264 species of

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s known from Honduras, including 59 species that are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the country. These include

crocodilia Crocodilia (or Crocodylia, both ) is an order of mostly large, predatory, semiaquatic reptiles, known as crocodilians. They first appeared 95 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period ( Cenomanian stage) and are the closest living ...

ns (two species, the spectacled caiman ''Caiman crocodilus'' and the American crocodile ''Crocodylus acutus''), lizards (103 species), snakes (142 species), and turtles (17 species). The reptiles include the following: * Terciopela (Central American lancehead), '' Bothrops asper'' * Rainforest hognosed pitviper, ''

'' * Northern boa, '' Boa imperator'' * Middle American rattlesnake, '' Crotalus simus'' *

Brown basilisk The brown basilisk (''Basiliscus vittatus''), also commonly referred to as the striped basilisk or in some areas as the common basilisk, is a species of basilisk lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is native to Mexico, Central Ameri ...

, ''Basiliscus vittatus'' *

Green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

, ''Chelonia mydas''

Amphibians

There are 137 species of

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

s (frogs, toads, salamanders, and caecilians) known from Honduras, including 52 species that are

to the country. Anurans are the most species-rich group (97 species), followed by

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...

s (38 species) and caecilians (2 species). While new species are still expected to be discovered, chytridiomycosis and deforestation are threats to the amphibian fauna. At least one species, the frog ''

Craugastor chrysozetetes ''Craugastor chrysozetetes'' is a possibly extinct species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is endemic to Honduras where it is only known from near its type locality on the Cerro Búfalo, Cordillera de Nombre de Dios, at the edge of the ...

'', is believed to be

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

Coral

The coasts of Honduras, to the north and east are on the Caribbean and in the south by the

. In the turquoise waters of the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

can appreciate by means of diving the

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. Co ...

s with their diversity of calcareous seaweeds, red seaweeds, (Rhodophyta), like marine meadows, among other aquatic plants that tackle a natural

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

. Among the fauna that can be found on the Honduran coasts, are the

, dolphins, a variety of tropical fish,

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

(Caridea) and many other species.

Gallery

References

Bibliography

* Database biodiversity in Honduras Wild Honduras (consulted 2012

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315131944/http://www.hondurassilvestre.com/ , date=2010-03-15 Fauna of Honduras,