Native Animals & Plants in Honduras

 Honduras, set in the Central American isthmus between Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, still lays claim to relatively large tracts of undeveloped landscape, from tropical rain forests to lagoon mangroves. This makes it is an excellent destination for ecotourists wishing to explore the wild side of this biologically rich region.

 

Vegetation Zones

 The native vegetation profile of Honduras is diverse. A variety of tropical forests once flourished across broad areas, trending from lowland rain forest with massive buttressed trees to mist-socked cloud forests in the highlands. Among the latter ecosystems, the Central American montane forests -- an ecoregion defined by the World Wildlife Fund -- are distinctive with their blend of northern and southern plant families: Conifers like Guatemalan fir intermingle with tropical broadleafs. Patches of tropical dry forest persist in the coastal lowlands, while savanna abuts swamp and rain forest in Mosquitia. Rich pine-oak forests cover portions of the Honduran highlands. Remnant tracts of mangrove forest stud both the Pacific and Caribbean margins, especially in the Mosquito Coast.

 

 

Mammals

 The remaining wild redoubts of Honduras still harbor some large mammals. Two large cats reign as top predators: the jaguar, a burly spotted feline with stocky limbs and powerful jaws; and the puma or cougar, a lithe tawny hunter that ranges from the Yukon south to Patagonia. Smaller cats include ocelots and margays. Two large mammals exceedingly common in North America also inhabit Honduras: the white-tailed deer and coyote. The country's largest terrestrial mammal is the Baird's tapir. Non-human primates include howler, capuchin and spider monkeys.

 

 

Reptiles

 Among Honduras's most unique reptiles is the basilisk, a long-legged, crested lizard renowned for its ability to skate across water in bipedal fashion. More than 100 snakes inhabit the country; venomous kinds include the fer-de-lance. The country's heftiest reptile is the American crocodile, which in rare cases reaches 20 feet long; this pale-gray saurian is found sparingly across Central America and northern South America, and reaches its northern range in South Florida in the U.S.

 

 

Other Wildlife

 Birdlife is plentiful in Honduras thanks to the country's varied habitats. The huge harpy eagle hunts its rain forests, picking off monkeys and sloths from the treetops. Another massive native bird is the jabiru, a tall, striking stork of thick black neck ringed in red and white feathers. Fish include a rich assortment of both freshwater and marine species, as well as a few, like the bull shark, that transcend both worlds, tracking up coastal rivers from ocean waters.

 

Viewing

 National parks and other protected areas are the best places to see native Honduran vegetation and wildlife in their natural habitat. For example, visitors to the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve can sample the wildness of a Mosquitia watershed, that of the Plátano River, a location designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An impressive suite of habitats ranges from mangroves and coastal savanna to one of the region's greatest remaining swaths of tropical moist forest. Wildlife includes everything from manatees, sea turtles and American crocodiles to jaguars, giant anteaters and great curassows.