95 reptiles. Breeding site for the white or green and hawksbill turtles. Petenes and mangroves :.
"When the first ships of Spanish conquistadors arrived in the northeastern coast of Yucatan, found the mouth of what they believed was a freshwater river which, in contact with the sea," had become saline ", as have people of that region. with barrels of water for human consumption -for almost exhausted launched cruise from the island of Cuba, the Spaniards ventured deep into the flow, which although was not fresh water salinity level was lower than that of . offshore During the tour of the area of Mayab, the conquerors noted the presence of large reptiles of enormous jaws and long tails they identified as lizards actually it was crocodiles, but in Europe this species was unknown;. the closest thing were lizards, equally feared that early. for that reason, the Spaniards named the place Rio Lagartos ".
Rio Lagartos Actually it is not a river but a "Ria", ie, a flow of seawater that goes between the mainland and a narrow strip of beach and is a vast wetland of international importance: there is the main nesting area in the country, the pink flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber). Protected natural predators and the presence of man, flamingos breed in large numbers to color with pink plumage the murky waters of the swamp, which contrast with the green foliage of mangrove hillocks, the blue sky and amber tones of orange sunrise or sunset.
Rio Lagartos However, that part of Yucatán is much more than a nesting area, because in it about 340 species of birds, 50 mammals and 95 reptiles share every day the spectacle of life. It is such a natural and non-renewable resources owned this area, the June 26, 1979 was declared a Special Biosphere Reserve, which became a protected area by the Federal Government. The decree provides for the protection of 58.824 hectares of forest, dunes, mangroves and beaches, covering the communities of San Felipe, Rio Lagartos, Las Coloradas and El Cuyo. The region as a whole has now a population of nearly seven thousand inhabitants, mostly engaged in fishing or working in the largest and most important of its kind in Yucatan salt industry.
After the area was reclassified as a Special Biosphere Reserve and, therefore, a space that receives funding for its operation, control and surveillance, using resources from non-governmental organizations, associations and international institutions and federal authorities in charge of protecting the environment and natural resources.
Rio Lagartos is estimated that there is currently a population of 22,000 flamingos in the entire coastal region of Yucatán, of which 18,000 are in the nesting area on the outskirts of El Cuyo, towards the border with the state of Quintana Roo. There reproduces the species and the chicks grow to young adulthood, and to take flight to other areas of the central and west where they feed. Also, within 60 kilometers of coastline Ria Lagartos meet their reproductive cycle two species of sea turtle: the white or green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata). To the latter is one of three breeding sites of major importance in the world. The large number of microenvironments formed by different ecosystems generate a large faunal diversity in the biosphere reserve. Hillocks, authentic islands with lush vegetation, emerge amid the savannahs and floodplains. They are, for their contribution of freshwater confluence of spider monkeys, coatis, raccoons and even deer and jaguars.
Rio Lagartos on a large area of the reserve are the important for their contribution of nutrients, being natural refuge for a variety of fish, crustaceans and molluscs and nesting site for different populations of birds mangroves. In the period from November to February is estimated to arrive in the area about 30,000 migratory birds that overwinter in Ria Lagartos, where they find the ideal conditions to survive. The territory which is currently booking was apparently the port of the great Chichen Itza, and from there controlled the Mayan commodity exchange to central Mexico, Guatemala and elsewhere in Central America. The commercial importance lay in controlling the salt produced, for his "unique hypersaline characteristics". There is still the small island of Cerritos, measuring 200 meters in diameter, and was built by the prehispanic Maya, to control from there the entry and exit of vessels. Between scrub and mangrove area you can see a large mound of stones covered with vegetation and it is actually an unexplored pre-Columbian Mayan pyramid in the region known as Emal.
