Punta Mita is, no doubt, a top vacation destination. The beautiful beaches, fun activities, and unique culture attract visitors from all over the world. Its natural beauty is breathtaking and easily enjoyed. Among its natural attributes is the variety of wildlife that resides within the peninsula. Located along the Sierra Madres Mountains and Central Pacific Coast of Mexico, Punta Mita is a hub for many different wildlife taxonomies. The climate enables a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and sea life. Punta Mita has comfortable temperature and weather year round similar to the Hawaiian Islands, since both locations fall along the same latitude.
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle is a fascinating sea animal that resides within the coastal bay where Punta Mita lies. These turtles are approximately 2 to 2 ½ feet in length and can weigh up to 100 pounds. The adult turtles exhibit a dark grey green color while the adolescents are charcoal grey. Their diet mostly consists of smaller sea life such as shrimp, fish, and mollusks. The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle is currently listed as threatened on the endangered species list.
Blue-footed Booby
The Blue footed Booby is a unique seabird that lives in tropical or subtropical regions, which makes the Pacific coast a wonderful climate for a comfortable habitat. The blue footed booby is a comical seabird with large blue feet, brown wings, a white underbelly, and long beak it uses to catch fish for food. The blue color of its webbed feet is largely due to the marine bird’s fresh fish diet. The brightness of their feet can easily determine is level of health. If their feet are duller in color, the blue footed booby has not eaten as much fish to be in a healthier state, which gives the feet their brightness.
Green Iguana
Among reptiles that are prominently found in Punta Mita are the green iguanas. The green iguanas generally are herbivores- meaning, they eat fruit, vegetables, or flora; but, occasionally, they will consume insects. The iguana tends to have a bright colored exterior and is calm in nature. Some grow as large as 6ft. while others remain at about 4ft; they usually weigh over 20 lbs. Many green Iguanas are found natively in central and south America, but you can also find some in southern coastal states or Hawaii.
Brown Pelican
The Brown Pelican is another interesting marine bird you can find in Punta Mita year round. They generally live along the southern west coast. The Brown pelican is a larger bird of sorts with gray brown feathers on the body, yellow heads and white necks. Their bills are large and have a deep pouch they use for catching fish by diving into the coastal waters.
Spotted Dolphin
The spotted dolphin is popular marine mammal found in tropical or subtropical regions. At birth, they are usually about 31in. to 35 in. but once they fully grow into adults (females at 10 years, males at 12 years), they grow to about 8 ft and weigh about 265 lbs. These incredible creatures usually live to about 40 years old along the coast. Their diet mainly consists of smaller fish. The beautiful spotted patterns appear on the dolphins once they mature into adulthood whereas the juveniles tend to exhibit a solid dark grey color. The adult males are generally larger than the females, both have white nose, unlike the spotted calves. Spotted dolphins are active a playful, often leaping out of the water up to a couple seconds.
During your vacation in Punta Mita, do not miss out on seeing the unique wildlife native to the area. In addition to the animals above, Punta Mita is home to a vast variety of other fauna, flora, reptiles, birds, and mammals. It is a luxurious paradise for the respective nature lover.
