Animal Info - Mexico

Contents

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in Mexico and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. 

• Critically Endangered:
  • Chiapan Climbing Rat (Tylomys bullaris). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • False Canyon Mouse (Peromyscus pseudocrinitus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Flat-headed Myotis (Bat) (Myotis planiceps). (Endemic to Mexico.) 
  • Margarita Island Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys margaritae). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Nelson's Spiny Pocket Mouse (Heteromys nelsoni). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Oaxacan Pocket Gopher (Orthogeomys cuniculus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Omiltemi Rabbit (Sylvilagus insonus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Querétaro Pocket Gopher (Pappogeomys neglectus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • San Jose Island Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys insularis). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Slevin's Mouse (Peromyscus slevini). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Tumbala Climbing Rat (Tylomys tumbalensis). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Vaquita (Phocoena sinus).
• Endangered:
  • Allen's Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa alleni). (Endemic to Mexico.) 
  • Anthony's Woodrat (Neotoma anthonyi). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Big Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris nivalis).
  • Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus).
  • Bryant's Woodrat (Neotoma bryanti). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Bunker's Woodrat (Neotoma bunkeri). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Cozumel Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys spectabilis). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Cozumel Island Coati (Nasua nelsoni). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Cozumel Island Raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Dickey's Deer Mouse (Peromyscus dickeyi). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus).
  • Findley's Myotis (Myotis findleyi). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Jico Deer Mouse (Habromys simulatus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Least Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa mira). (Endemic to Mexico.) 
  • Mexican Prairie Dog (Cynomys mexicanus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Michoacan Pocket Gopher (Zygogeomys trichopus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Miller's Myotis (Bat) (Myotis milleri). (Endemic to Mexico.) 
  • Nelson's Woodrat (Neotoma nelsoni). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Northern Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis).
  • Perote Mouse (Peromyscus bullatus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • San Cristobal Shrew (Sorex stizodon). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • San Esteban Island Mouse (Peromyscus stephani). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • San Lorenzo Mouse (Peromyscus interparietalis). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • San Martin Island Woodrat (Neotoma martinensis). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • San Quintin Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys gravipes). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Sclater's Shrew (Sorex sclateri). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris). 
  • Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis).
  • Tehuantepec Jackrabbit (Lepus flavigularis). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Tres Marias Rabbit (Sylvilagus graysoni). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Tres Marias Raccoon (Procyon insularis). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Turner Island Woodrat (Neotoma varia). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Volcano Rabbit (Romerolagus diazi). (Endemic to Mexico.)
• Vulnerable:
  • Alcorn's Pocket Gopher (Pappogeomys alcorni). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • American Manatee (Trichechus manatus).
  • Arizona Shrew (Sorex arizonae).
  • Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii).
  • Banana Bat (Musonycteris harrisoni). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Barbary Sheep (Ammotragus lervia). (Introduced populations.)
  • Black-tailed Mouse (Peromyscus melanurus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Burt's Deer Mouse (Peromyscus caniceps). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • California Leaf-nosed Bat (Macrotus californicus).
  • Carmen Mountain Shrew (Sorex milleri). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Central American Woolly Opossum (Caluromys derbianus).
  • Chiapan Deer Mouse (Peromyscus zarhynchus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Chihuahuan Mouse (Peromyscus polius). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Eastern Pocket Gopher (Geomys tropicalis). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Fishing Bat (Myotis vivesi). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Genoways's Yellow Bat (Rhogeessa genowaysi). (Endemic to Mexico.) 
  • Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi).
  • Hairy Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus hirsutus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena).
  • Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
  • Mexican Vole (Microtus mexicanus).
  • Peninsular Myotis ( Bat) (Myotis peninsularis). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Puebla Deer Mouse (Peromyscus mekisturus). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Southern Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris curasoae).
  • Sperm Whale (Physeter catodon).
  • Townsend's Big-eared Bat (Plecotus townsendii).
  • Tres Marias Island Mouse (Peromyscus madrensis). (Endemic to Mexico.)
  • Van Gelder's Bat (Antrozous dubiaquercus).

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 450 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 140 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 64 (14 of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 73 (16 % of total species) (IUCN 2000)

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

Mexico contains the Southern Mexican Dry Forests, Mexican Highland Lakes, Mexican Mangroves, and Sea of Cortez Global 200 Ecoregions as well as portions of the Mexican Pine-Oak Forests, Sonoran & Baja Deserts, Chihuahuan & Tehuacan Deserts, California Chaparral & Woodlands, Colorado River, Chihuahuan Rivers & Springs, Central American Mangroves, Meso-American Reef, and Californian Current Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)
Mexico contains portions of the Meso-American Forests Global Biodiversity Hotspot (Cons. Intl. 1999a)
Mexico is a Megadiversity Country (Cons. Intl. 1999b)

Population

Population in 1995: 93,674,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 47.8 people/sq km (123.9 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 98,552,776 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 2.0 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 1,958,202 sq km (756,066 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

• Other Coastal Aquatic: 6 %
• Desert and Semi-desert: 15 %
• Grass and Shrub: 28 %
• Crop and Settlements: 13 %
• Interrupted Woods: 11 %
• Major Forests: 27 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 23 %, Medium: 33 %, High: 44 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 100,730 sq km (38,882 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 1.13 % totally protected, 3.98 % partially protected, 5.11 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $2,971 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $8,100 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent of females in secondary education (1989): 53 % (World Bank 1992)
Percent adult literacy: Female: 85 % (1990), 69 % (1970); Male: 90 % (1990), 78 % (1970) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Cons. Intl. 1999a, Cons. Intl. 1999b, Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for Mexico): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles 

Links for Mexico: AMCELA (Mexican Association for the Conservation and Study of Lagomorphs (Rabbits and Hares)) (Spanish), Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (Spanish), Instituto de Biología (Spanish), The Nature Conservancy - Mexico, WWF - Mexico (English and Spanish), WWF Expeditions - The Mesoamerican Reef

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By: Paul Massicot; Last modified: August 2, 2006; © 1999 - 2006 Animal Info