What Kinds of Animals Live in Guatemala?
Guatemala has wildlife that includes tapirs, jaguars, deer, ocelots, monkeys, iguanas, crocodiles, snakes, howler, storks, spider monkeys, scarlet macaws and peccaries. Birds of Guatemala include swans, geese, ducks, pelicans, hawks, vultures and eagles. Guatemala also has aquatic wildlife in the form of whales, porpoises and dolphins.
Many Guatemalan animals dwell in the wetlands of the country, but most of the animals are found in lowland forests. The quetzal is a notable bird that is found in Guatemalan forests and is the national bird of the country. Guatemala also has New World vultures, which are birds that find carcasses by smell instead of sight, a trait not found in Old World vultures.
Aside from monkeys, Guatemala also has lemurs and apes. Rodents in the country include the Central American agouti and the lowland paca, and lagomorphs in the nation include rabbits and hares.
Guatemala has a wide variety of parks that contain wildlife. For example, the Tiki National Park has dense jungles that contain such animals as foxes, toucans and jaguars. The Laguna Lachua National Park contains the Laguna Lachua lake, which holds approximately 120 mammal species close to the lake. The region sustains half of the mammals of Guatemala. A special reserve close to Cobain is held for the quetzal.