Belize and Northern Guatemala (Traveller's Wildlife Guides)

by Les Beletsky, David et al Dennis

Overview

Most travellers to Belize and Northern Guatemala want to experience lush tropical forests and other stunning habitats and catch glimpses of exotic wildlife: toucans and parrots, hummingbirds and hawks, monkeys and big cats, frogs and toads, crocodiles and snakes. In this book is all the information you need to find, identify, and learn about the region's magnificent animal life. — Identifying and location information on the most frequently spotted animals. — Full-color illustrations of more than 500 of Belize’s most common insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. — Up-to-date information on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of the families of profiled animals, and on conservation in Belize and Guatemala. — Information on habitats of Belize and Northern Guatemala and on the most common plants visitors encounter. — A section on Belize's famous coral reef and on the underwater animals most divers and snorkelers actually see. — Brief descriptions of the region's most frequently visited parks and reserves. Easy-to-carry, entertainingly written, beautifully illustrated – you will want to have this book as constant companion on your journey.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781566565684
Publisher:	Interlink Publishing Group, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/28/2010
Series:	Travellers' Wildlife Guides
Pages:	520
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Les Beletsky is a professional wildlife biologist and university zoology teacher. Prior to taking up writing wildlife guides he conducted many years of field research on the ecology and behavior of birds. He is the author of numerous books, including Costa Rica, Belize, Ecuador, and Peru in this series.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
Chapter 1	Ecotourism: Travel for the Environmentally Concerned	1
	What Ecotourism Is and Why It's Important	1
	The History of Ecotourism	2
	How Ecotourism Helps; Ecotravel Ethics	3
Chapter 2	Belize and Northern Guatemala: Ecotourism, Geography, Habitats, Parks, and Reserves	6
	A Brief Eco-history of Belize and Northern Guatemala	6
	Belize	6
	Guatemala	11
	Geography and Climate	14
	Belize	14
	Guatemala	15
	Habitats	16
	Tropical Forest: General Characteristics	16
	Forest Habitats and Common Vegetation	20
	Belize	20
	Guatemala	34
	Parks, Reserves, and Other Eco-sites: Brief Descriptions and Getting
	Around	36
	Belize	36
	Guatemala	44
Chapter 3	Environmental Threats and Conservation	46
	Belize	46
	Major Threats and Conservation Record	46
	Conservation Programs and Ecotourism	47
	Northern Guatemala - Peten District	49
	History of the Peten	49
	Major Threats	50
	Conservation Programs and Ecotourism	50
Chapter 4	How To Use This Book: Ecology and Natural History	54
	What Is Natural History?	54
	What Is Ecology and What Are Ecological Interactions?	54
	How To Use This Book	56
	Information Given in the Family Profiles	56
	Information Given in the Color Plate Sections	60
Chapter 5	Amphibians	63
	General Characteristics and Natural History	63
	Seeing Amphibians in Belize and Guatemala	65
	Family Profiles
1	Salamanders	66
2	Toads	67
3	Rainfrogs	70
4	Treefrogs	71
5	Other Frogs	74
Environmental Close-up 1	Frog Population Declines: Amphibian Armageddon or Alarmist Absurdity?	77
Chapter 6	Reptiles	80
	General Characteristics and Natural History	80
	Seeing Reptiles in Belize and Guatemala	82
	Family Profiles
1	Crocodilians	83
2	Turtles	86
3	Columbrids: Your Regular, Everyday Snakes	89
4	Dangerous Snakes and Boas	93
5	Geckos	97
6	Iguanids	99
7	Skinks and Whiptails	102
Environmental Close-up 2	Poisons and Potions in Snakes and Frogs	105
Chapter 7	Birds	108
	Introduction	108
	General Characteristics of Birds	109
	Classification of Birds	109
	Features of Tropical Birds	110
	Seeing Birds in Belize and Guatemala	111
	Family Profiles
1	Seabirds	112
2	Waterbirds	114
3	Herons and Egrets	117
4	Marsh and Stream Birds	119
5	Ducks	121
6	Shorebirds	123
7	Currasows, Quail, and Turkey	125
8	Tinamous	127
9	Vultures	129
10	Raptors	132
11	Pigeons and Doves	135
12	Parrots	138
13	Cuckoos and Anis	141
14	Owls	143
15	Goatsuckers	145
16	Swifts and Swallows	146
17	Hummingbirds	148
18	Trogons	152
19	Jacamars and Puffbirds	154
20	Kingfishers	156
21	Motmots	157
22	Woodpeckers	159
23	Toucans	161
24	Woodcreepers	163
25	Antbirds	165
26	Manakins	167
27	Cotingas	169
28	American Flycatchers	171
29	Wrens	173
30	Thrushes and Mockingbirds	175
31	Jays	176
32	Warblers and other small, flitting birds	178
33	Blackbirds and Orioles	180
34	Tanagers	183
35	Sparrows and Grosbeaks	186
Environmental Close-up 3	Coffee Crops and Conservation	188
Chapter 8	Mammals	191
	Introduction	191
	General characteristics	192
	Classification of mammals	192
	Features of Tropical Mammals	193
	Seeing Mammals in Belize and Guatemala	194
	Family Profiles
1	Opossums	195
2	Bats	197
3	Primates	202
4	Anteaters and Armadillos	206
5	Rodents	209
6	Carnivores	212
7	Peccaries and Deer	217
8	Tapir	219
9	Marine Mammals	221
Environmental Close-up 4	The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center	224
Chapter 9	Marine Life	226
	The Barrier Reef Ecosystem	226
	Coral Reef Communities	227
	Coral Biology	228
	Common Reef Animals	229
	Mangrove Swamps	231
	Diving in Belize	231
	Identification Plates 1-104	233
	Habitat Photos	443
	References	453
	Species Index	455
	General Index	469