Allons-y

Adventure travel for regular people

Allons-y > Destination Guides > Things to See in Belize: Animals

By

Things to See in Belize: Animals

This last post on things to see in Belize is all about the animals, and some good places to find them. As well as a bunch of photos of the animals of course.

Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary

Great egrets and roseate spoonbills enjoying the lagoon.
Great egrets and roseate spoonbills enjoying the lagoon.

Crooked Tree is a protected wetland area which makes it great for spotting wildlife, especially birds. One of our guides told us that he even saw a jaguar crossing the road in the middle of the day. Unfortunately we weren’t that lucky (still haven’t seen a wild cat yet), but we did get to see lots of other animals so that makes up for it. The little village of Crooked Tree is surrounded by lagoons and creeks which are full of birds. You can follow the trails along the shoreline, but by far the best way to see the animals is to take a boat ride deep into the protected area where you’ll see birds (and iguanas and caimans) everywhere you look. Here’s some of the animals we were able to spot at Crooked Tree.

A huge jabiru, they're a little bit like a giant stork.
A huge jabiru, they’re a little bit like a giant stork.
A jacana (Jesus Christ bird) in a lagoon of water lillies. They get their name from the fact that they look like they can walk on water.
A jacana (Jesus Christ bird) in a lagoon of water lillies. They get their name from the fact that they look like they can walk on water.
A basilisk lizard, or Jesus Christ lizard. They get their nickname from the fact that they can run on water to escape predators. Plus they also look like dinosaurs.
A basilisk lizard, or Jesus Christ lizard. They get their nickname from the fact that they can run on water to escape predators. Plus they also look like dinosaurs.
A tiger heron enjoying the morning sunshine.
A tiger heron enjoying the morning sunshine.
A snail kite taking off. I like the fact that you have these big powerful birds of prey, with fast reflexes and sharp senses. And they catch snails.
A snail kite taking off. I like the fact that you have these big powerful birds of prey, with fast reflexes and sharp senses. And they catch snails.
A vermillion flycatcher. You can see lots of these little birds zooming around all over the place catching flies.
A vermillion flycatcher. You can see lots of these little birds zooming around all over the place catching flies.
A great blue heron flying across the lagoon.
A great blue heron flying across the lagoon.
A yucatan jay getting up close to the intruders (us) to try and scare them away from the babies.
A yucatan jay getting up close to the intruders (us) to try and scare them away from the babies.
A baby yucatan jay. Big enough to leave the nest, but not yet able to fly.
A baby yucatan jay. Big enough to leave the nest, but not yet able to fly.
Roseate spoonbills have pretty colours, but they're a pretty goofy looking bird.
Roseate spoonbills have pretty colours, but they’re a pretty goofy looking bird.
Look Ma, I can do this with my eyes closed!
Look Ma, I can do this with my eyes closed!

Belize Zoo

At the Belize Zoo all the animals are native to Belize and have been rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, orphaned, injured or born at the zoo. The zoo is more like a rescue centre for local wildlife than your typical zoo. And it’s located in a natural setting, which makes it a much nicer place for the animals. (If you go, don’t forget to bring some insect repellant. The mosquitos there are vicious.)

The coati seems to be a bit of a cross between a racoon and a fox, but they're very playful and pretty damn adorable.
The coati seems to be a bit of a cross between a racoon and a fox, but they’re very playful and pretty damn adorable.
A pair of coatis play-wrestling. These guys were super active when we visited. They're a bit like a cross between a cat and raccoon.
A pair of coatis play-wrestling. These guys were super active when we visited. They’re a bit like a cross between a fox and raccoon.
This poor pelican injured his wing so badly that they had to amputate it. But he looks like he's doing well after getting a second chance at the zoo.
This poor pelican injured his wing so badly that they had to amputate it. But he looks like he’s doing well after getting a second chance at the zoo.
One of the jaguars sleeps on the cage that they put people inside doing the jaguar experience. If you want to get up close with the jaguars, this is how close you can get.
One of the jaguars sleeps on the cage that they put people inside doing the jaguar experience. If you want to get up close with the jaguars, this is how close you can get.

Mayan Ruins

Belize has some cool Mayan ruins to check out, and while you’re there you have a good chance of spotting animals. Most Mayan sites have only a small part of them that’s been uncovered by archaeologists. While the rest of them is still hidden in the thick jungle. But because the whole area is protected it means that it’s a haven for wildlife. So you can see animals like howler monkeys, toucans, parrots and crocodiles.

One of the black howler monkeys hanging out next to the ruins at Lamanai.
One of the black howler monkeys hanging out next to the ruins at Lamanai.

Sealife

The reefs of Belize are filled with all sorts of sea life like huge soft corals, friendly fish, big crabs and lobsters as well as plenty of turtles and (harmless) sharks. Going diving or snorkelling on the reef is one of the most amazing things you can do in Belize. Not long after our trip to Belize, in June 2018 UNESCO announced that the Belize reef had been taken off the “in danger” list because of improvements by the Belizean government to protect it. So now’s a great time to go see the reef.

Ridiculously photogenic, you can't go past Lighthouse Reef in Belize for that perfect tropical island.
Ridiculously photogenic, you can’t go past Lighthouse Reef in Belize for that perfect tropical island.
Amanda up close with one of the chilled out reef sharks.
Amanda up close with one of the chilled out reef sharks.

Belize City

It’s going to sound crazy, but I swear I saw a jaguarundi (wild cat) in Belize City. (Juguarundis look like domestic cats, but are a bit bigger, have long bodies and are usually all one colour.) The one I saw was too big and long to be a regular cat, and it was sitting next to an abandoned building next to our hotel. Of course I don’t have any photos to prove it, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. 😉

Belize City, the natural habitat of the Jaguarundi...
Belize City, the natural habitat of the Jaguarundi…
The Highlands of Guatemala
Things to See in Belize: Mayan Ruins

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • I wish! A job as a professional photographer would be a good reason to keep travelling around the world.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.