For those of you who travel for the express purpose of exploration, learning new things and seeing the rare and beautiful of the world, Cozumel has something truly remarkable to share with you.
Well, actually it has several remarkable secrets to share with you, seven mammals, three birds, and one toadfish to be very exact. All of the following creatures are endemic to Cozumel, meaning they cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Bird watching has become a common pastime in Cozumel as more and more people are catching site of the island’s very own species. The Cozumel Emerald is a rare hummingbird with brilliant emerald green feathers. It is often spotted in scrubby tropic woodlands and can only be found in Cozumel. The Cozumel Thrasher is now on the critically endangered list after several hurricanes have demolished its habitat. If you happen to see one, consider yourself very lucky. They have rich, reddish brown body plumes and distinctive white lines across their wings with white feathered chests spotted with brown tips. Also keep your eye out for the Cozumel Vireo, which is still rather common on the island. They have lost most of their natural habitat as well but thrive in abandoned farmland and second growth fairly well. They are a small, round bird with a light tan head and back and striking white belly.
Keeping eyes on the ground gives a different view of the endemic species list. Night and day land tours will be needed to spot all seven mammals: the Cozumel opossum (Didelphis marsupialis cozumelae), Cozumel harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys spectabilis), Cozumel rice rat (Oryzomys couesi cozumelae), Cozumel deer mouse (Peromyscus leucopus cozumelae), pygmy raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus), dwarf coati (Nasua