FLORA AND FAUNA OF NAYARIT: MOST REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES - BIOLOGY - 2025

The flora and fauna of Nayarit is represented by species such as the agave tequila, the cardenche, the guayabera amazon and the blue-footed gannet, among others. Nayarit is a state of Mexico, located to the west of that country.

Geographically it has a large extension of coastline, belonging to the Pacific Ocean, where the Marietas and Marías islands are included. From this coast, the Sierra Madre Occidental rises, thus dividing the land into narrow valleys. To the northeast there are extensive plains, irrigated by the Rio Grande de Santiago.

Cardenche. Source: Philmarin Amazonia Guayabera. Source: Amazona_finschi_-perching_on_branch-8.jpg: Cédric Allier derivative work: Snowmanradio

The valley of this river has fertile lands, where corn, sugar cane, coffee and cotton are produced, among others. Fishing is also an important economic activity of the state.

Flora of Nayarit

Agave tequila (

This plant belongs to the Agavoideae subfamily. It is native to the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Colima and Aguascalientes. Agave tequila grows in sandy soils, over 1,500 meters high.

As for the size of this species, it ranges between 5 and 7 centimeters in length. The body is ocher yellow in color, although it may occasionally be reddish brown.

In general, it has two dark longitudinal stripes on plates I - IV of the abdomen. The carapace that forms the cephalothorax has a dark spot in the anteocular area.

Males have an abdominal V segment that is longer than it is wide. In addition, they have 20 to 24 pectineal teeth, while the number of these structures in females ranges from 21 to 26.

This species is generalist, due to which it could be found under various surfaces where they feel protected, for example, on rocks and logs. They can also be found in some settlements inhabited by man.

Guayabera Amazon (

This bird, which belongs to the Psittacidae family, lives in various areas of the Mexican Pacific. Its habitat is mountains and forested hills, from the lowlands of deciduous forests to the highlands of oak forests.

It is an animal that measures 30.5 to 34.5 centimeters, with a medium-sized tail. As for the beak, it is opaque white and the legs are light gray. In the young, the iris is dark brown, while the adult is red.

The plumage of the purple-crowned amazon, as this species is also known, is bright green. Some of the feathers on the back and scapulars have black borders.

On the secondary feathers it has an intense red patch. In relation to the crown, the nape and the sides of the neck the tone is gray-lilac. As for the wings, the ends of the primary and secondary feathers are intense blue-violet. The tail is green, with the tips in a yellowish green tone.

Blue-footed Alcatraz (Sula nebouxii)

This bird is part of the Sulidae family. It is native to the American Pacific, extending from the coasts of Peru to the Gulf of California. Also, it usually lives in the Galapagos Islands, where it shares with its close relative, the red-legged booby (Sula sula).

As an adult, this species is 81 to 90 centimeters tall and has a wingspan that ranges from 150 to 160 centimeters. Their weight can be around 3 or 4 kilograms, with the female being larger than the male. However, the difference may be small.

The distinction between male and female is usually made on the basis of the sounds they make. Thus, the females croak and the males make a kind of whistle.

The camanay booby, as the Sula nebouxii is also known, has one of the longest tails of its species. This helps the bird to dive quickly into the sea, in search of food.

Its diet is based on fish and marine invertebrate animals, which it hunts in the water. To do this, it could dive up to 25 meters deep, at a speed of 110 km / h.

Coloration

Regarding the coloration, the head is light cinnamon brown, with white spots. At the back of the neck, where it joins the mantle, it has a white patch. The wings are long, pointed and brown.

The ventral area, including the lower part of the chest and the tips of the tail feathers, are white. It has a conical blue beak, with serrated edges, thus allowing it to hold on to its prey tightly.

The characteristic blue tone of its legs is due to the carotenoid pigments it ingests through its diet. These cannot be processed by the bird, thus accumulating in the limbs.

The blue legs play a very important role in mating, as the male performs a kind of courtship dance, thus displaying them to the female.

References

1. Encyclopedia britannica (2019). Nayarit, state Mexico. Recovered from britannica.com.
2. (2019). Nayarit. Recovered from en.wikipedia.org.
3. M, Bautista-Justo, López L, García, Corona, José E., Negrete LA, Parra. (2001). Weber tequilana agave and tequila production. Recovered from researchgate.net.
4. Hernández, HM, Cházaro, M., Gómez-Hinostrosa, C. (2017). Cylindropuntia imbricata (amended version of 2013 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017. Recovered from iucnredlist.org.
5. Ortega Guzmán, Larissa. (2011). Abundance of the Lilac-crowned Parrot (Amazona finschi) and the Orange-fronted Parakeet (Aratinga canicularis) in a gradient of forest cover on the Michoacan Coast. Recovered from researchgate.net.