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Fascinating and the greatest travelers: meet the shorebirds!
Blog Maya-Ethnozoology

Fascinating and the greatest travelers: meet the shorebirds!

Shorebirds are celebrated each year on September 6th. The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) (a conservation initiative for protecting critical habitats for shorebirds throughout the Americas) created it in 2012. The main goals of this date are to promote conservation of shorebirds and their habitats, to raise public awareness about the need for ongoing…

Guatemala’s wildlife is like no other and we should take care of it.
Blog Flora and fauna research Maya-ethnobotany Maya-Ethnobotany Maya-Ethnozoology

Guatemala’s wildlife is like no other and we should take care of it.

Wildlife in Guatemala is unique, as in few places in the world. To better understand this, it is worth understanding the natural history of this country: Phallus indusiatus at Paso Caballos, PNLT. Photo by: Boris Llamas. August 2021.   Guatemala is located in between two broad continental masses that support almost every kind of ecosystem…

Guatemalan Squirrels
Blog Maya-Ethnozoology

Guatemalan Squirrels

Squirrels are a group of arboreal rodents belonging to the suborder Sciuromorpha, where groundhogs and prairie dogs are also found (Wilson & Reeder, 2005). They belong to a group of Eurasian origin (Laurasiatheria) that through different dispersal events have been able to colonize all continents, except Antarctica and Oceania (Mercer & Roth, 2003). Squirrels can…

Snakes from the lowlands of northern Guatemala
Blog Maya-Ethnozoology

Snakes from the lowlands of northern Guatemala

Snakes are a group of reptiles belonging to the order Squamata, including lizards. Guatemala has more than 273 species of reptiles. Of which 133 species are snakes. The lowlands of northern Guatemala is the area with the most species with around 73 species, being more than half of the species present in the country. In…

The Wonders of Cetaceans
Blog Maya-Ethnozoology

The Wonders of Cetaceans

Cetaceans are divided into two groups: Mysticeti (Mysticeti), which have baleen to filter their food, like the humpback whale and the blue whale; and the Odontocetes (Odontoceti), known as the toothed cetaceans, among them are the dolphins, killer whales and sperm whales.   Characteristics and adaptations of cetaceans Cetaceans evolved fifty million years ago from…

What are the so called in Guatemala “zompopos de Mayo”?
Blog Maya-Ethnozoology MayanToons

What are the so called in Guatemala “zompopos de Mayo”?

The well-known zompopo de mayo in Guatemala is an ant species that belongs to the leafcutter and fungi cultivator ant group in the Atta genus. In that sense, these are the ants that can be frequently seen forming rows and carrying leaf trimmings. The colonies of these ants are conformed by worker ants of different…

Maya-Ethnozoology News

Introduction to Mammals and the 5 Felines of Guatemala

Do you want to know more about the mammals and the five felines of Guatemala? These conferences are what you were looking for. Sign up here to receive the ZOOM link: Sign up We are waiting for you on Wednesday May 25th and Thursday May 26th via Facebook Live or ZOOM at 6:00 pm (Guatemala…

Discovering “El Zotz”: Bats and Mayan culture
Blog Maya-Ethnozoology Mayan Culture

Discovering “El Zotz”: Bats and Mayan culture

In February of this year, we had the opportunity to visit the Biotopo Protegido San Miguel La Palotada El Zotz as part of our ongoing Biodiversity Documentation project in La Reserva de la Biósfera Maya. The Biotope is located in the municipality of San José, Petén, 584 km from Guatemala City and 65 km from…