Mexico has an extremely varied Marine Fauna and above all, very beautiful. In fact, Mexican waters are inhabited by some species of endemic animals, animals that can only be seen in this region of the world. If you want to learn much more about all the Marine Fauna of Mexico, do not think for a single moment about leaving without first having read this great article completely.
Marine Fauna of Mexico
The marine fauna of Mexico is so varied and so rich that it is worth knowing very well about it throughout planet Earth. Below, you will be able to see a detailed list of several of the best known and unique species of all Mexican marine fauna, all with the aim of giving much more visibility to different species that for one reason or another, in the rest of the world they do not. They are usually very well known, not to mention some of these are in danger of extinction.
The Vaquita Marina
The vaquita porpoise, or scientifically better known as Phocoena sinus, is literally the smallest cetacean in the world. This animal can only be found in Mexican waters, making it an endemic species from this same country. Its length usually ranges between 1,4 and 1,6 meters in total, and it can also weigh approximately 50 kilograms.
This species of porpoise is extremely shy, and will almost always prefer to travel alone, or in groups of only two or three other individuals. However, on unique occasions different groups of between eight and ten specimens have been observed. Their diet is based entirely on different demersal fish, that is, fish that inhabit the bottom of the seabed, such as corvinas, trout or squid.
Today, unfortunately, the vaquita porpoise is in serious danger of extinction, however, in 1993, the federal government created a Biosphere Reserve in the upper part of what is the Gulf of California and the Delta of the Colorado River, all this to protect different marine species, but specifically, also the vaquita porpoise.
Despite this, in 1996, the IUCN, or International Union for Conservation of Nature, began to consider the vaquita porpoise as a critically endangered species. And with this, they requested that all the previous efforts that the government and civilians had made be redoubled in order to correctly achieve the conservation of this species that is so beautiful and characteristic of all the marine fauna of this great country.
Unfortunately, in 2015 different studies were carried out where it was indicated that the current number of vaquitas is only 97 existing specimens. It is insinuated that illegal fishing using gill nets to capture totoabas, which is another characteristic species of the Mexican marine fauna and unfortunately, also in danger of extinction, is the main cause of all the threats that vaquitas currently suffer.
the totoaba
The totoaba, or as it is scientifically known, Totoaba macdonaldi. It is a species of fish that usually has a total length that ranges between 1,8 and 2 meters, not counting its weight, which can be between 100 and 150 kilograms. Like the vaquita marina, the totoaba is also an endemic marine species from Mexico. Specifically, totoabas live mainly in the northern Gulf of California and also in the Sea of Cortez. It is well known that their diet is based mainly on fish and shrimp.
To the misfortune of this great species of fish, the totoaba has a ridiculously valuable swim bladder for the great Chinese market, which destroys a large number of animal species with all its mercantile voracity. From the shark, the totoaba, and even passing through the rhinos and another great variety of species distributed throughout the planet.
In 2015, on April 16, the then president of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, would announce a rescue and conservation program for the vaquita marina and also for the totoaba. However, despite all the efforts invested by the Mexican government, it seems that the illegal fishing of the totoaba, which in turn also produces the illegal fishing of the vaquita marina, has not stopped at all. In fact, it is speculated that there are several authorities and people who are part of the country's administration, involved in all this terrorism against the wealth of Mexico.
Unfortunately for this country, no group of Mexican companies has come or has tried to do with totoaba the same thing that the great Balfégo Group did with bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean Sea. The Balfégo Group created model farms, in which the tuna can easily reach adulthood, allowing the entire planet to be supplied with this valuable and sought-after species, without the need to illegally fish this species, or bring different consequences. for the other species of the Mediterranean marine fauna.
A video has been viewed regarding the repopulation of totoabas located in the Upper Gulf of California Reserve, a video in which it is announced that more than 20.000 fingerlings have been released. Apart from the facilities located a few meters from the coast, without counting all the danger of contamination to which they are subjected due to their proximity; The figure of 20.000 if we divide it by the 19 years that the repopulation has lasted, gives an approximate average of 1.052 specimens each year. Unfortunately, this amount is quite low, since there are studies that show that the illegal fishing of adult totoabas has figures of dozens every day.
Hawksbill turtle
The hawksbill turtle, or also known as Eretmochelys imbricata, is a species of sea turtle that currently continues to subsist in the waters of Mexican territory. However, today this beautiful tortoise is critically endangered. The hawksbill turtle enjoys an extremely wide distribution throughout the warm waters of the planet, and specifically, the Gulf of Mexico is one of its favorite places to spawn and carry out its entire reproduction process on Mexican beaches. These beautiful turtles can measure up to 90 centimeters in total length, and also weigh approximately 80 kilograms.
This large and beautiful species of the Sauropsida reptile order feeds on different types of sponges, including many that are quite poisonous. Their spongy diet is supplemented with a large number of jellyfish or other stinging beings, including the well-known and dangerous Portuguese man-of-war, or scientifically known as Physalia physalis. These turtles can feed on these animals without any problem, because their skin is too thick, enough for jellyfish stings to affect them.
In fact, the great decrease in all the specimens of these beautiful sea turtles has consequently caused a very large invasion of different jellyfish on coastlines and beaches around the world. Which, in turn, also causes injuries and stings caused by jellyfish to have grown much more in recent years.
Giant Humboldt Squid
The Dodiscus gigas, or normally known as Giant Humboldt Squid, or also known colloquially by the fishermen of the Sea of Cortez as "the red demon". In the warm waters of the Gulf of California, the voracious and large Humboldt's giant squid is increasingly distributed to the north and also to the south of the coast that borders the Pacific Ocean and also the coasts of both American subcontinents. In fact, different specimens have been found in Alaska, and in turn, it has proliferated much more in Peru.
Unfortunately for humans, these squid are extremely dangerous for all people, in fact, various attacks by these squid against divers have been documented many times. They are even accused of being responsible for the disappearance of some fishermen who did not return from their respective daily fishing day.
These giant Humboldt squids can reach a total length ranging from 1,9 to 2,1 meters, not to mention that these giants usually weigh up to 45 kilograms. Unfortunately, at times when this squid proliferates, as a negative consequence, hake populations begin to drop dramatically and among other different commercial species, that is where this squid begins to colonize new waters.
Sea Casserole
The Limulus polyphemus, colloquially known more as a sea pan. This is an animal in turn, it also receives different names such as bayonet crab or horseshoe crab; this arthropod is really a living fossil, and unfortunately, today it is in serious danger of extinction. Despite the fact that it receives the name of different crabs, the reality is that this animal is not even a crustacean, since the sea pan is, as we mentioned before, an arthropod that is related to spiders.
The physical feature that most characterizes this curious animal is a very long mobile spike that comes out of its body and is also protected by its shell. Sea pans usually measure between one or two kilograms, and can also measure about 60 centimeters in total length. In this species of animal there is evidence of sexual dimorphism, since females are larger than males. The vast majority of their lives are spent buried in the sand, and their entire diet is based on different invertebrates and also worms. These fascinating animals have an approximate life expectancy of about 31 years of age.
Horseshoe crabs, or sea pots, are of paramount importance for the entire pharmaceutical industry, since the blood of these curious animals is blue, and contains cells called amebocytes, cells that secrete a coagulating fluid called LAL. LAL is used in the pharmaceutical industry to detect any type of bacterial contamination in different medical devices, drugs, or as a test for different bacterial diseases.
The horseshoe crabs that are used for this entire industry are "milked" at least once a year in a fully equipped laboratory, then these animals are returned to the exact same place where they were caught in the first place; Over time, they fully recover and can continue their lives without problems. Thanks to different studies and investigations, it has been pleasantly discovered that the blood of these animals can be used to accurately detect meningitis and also cancer.
It should be noted that the main distribution of these animals in Mexican waters is located in the Gulf of Mexico and all that is the Mexican Caribbean.
The Pink Snail
The queen conch, or as it is known in the scientific world, Lobatus gigas, is a large, quite beautiful conch with a very characteristic pink color in its internal region. This feature has made it a highly sought after and highly coveted animal by all those shell collectors. Unfortunately, this same greed of collectors, added to the fact that the meat of these snails is edible, has meant that today this appreciated species is seriously threatened.
In ancient times, the indigenous people came to make different utensils using the solid shell of the pink snail. Among all these utensils and tools you could find axes, hooks, combs, knives and endless utensils that could be made using the shell of this beautiful and unique animal. It is very important to highlight the distribution of this animal; Today, the queen conch is distributed throughout the entire coastline of the Gulf of Mexico and also the entire Mexican Caribbean coast. In fact, we are talking about the largest marine snail that exists in all of North and Central America.
Blue crab
The blue crab, or as its scientific name indicates, Callinectes sapidus, or also known in some regions as blue crab. When referring to this animal, we are talking about a crustacean which has five pairs of legs. The total size of its entire shell ranges between approximately 20 and 23 centimeters; the main physical feature they have is their beautiful and characteristic bluish gray color. However, females are very different from men, because they also have an orange color right at the tips of all their legs.
In the case of its natural habitat, the blue crab today is distributed around the entire Atlantic coast of the two American subcontinents. In the case of Mexico, the largest populations of blue crab are concentrated specifically in the Gulf of Mexico.
These beautiful and unique crustaceans are omnivorous animals, and their diet is based on algae, fish, molluscs, crustaceans and carrion. This is a very voracious crab, and specifically these crabs have an incredibly high commercial value in markets around the entire planet Earth, well, this is because the flavor of this crustacean can be quite reminiscent of that of the precious and well-known lobster. .
If you want to learn much more about all the animals that exist throughout the entire planet Earth, do not hesitate for a moment to leave without first having read one of these three wonderful articles:
Classification of Animals according to their Feed