Location
Central America connects
North and South America.
Its tropical climate is ideal
for plants and the animals
that depend on them.
Central
America
Seven countries make up the narrow strip of land
that is Central America. More than 1,500 different
species of birds live here, and many more animals
find food and shelter in its warm rain forests.
GUATEMALA
HONDURAS
EL SALVADOR
NICARAGUA
COSTA RICA
PANAMA
BELIZE
Guatemala City
San Salvador
Tegucigalpa
Managua
San José
Panama City
Resplendent
quetzal
These butterflies are
named for their long
wing tips that look
like swallows’ tails.
Bronzy hermit
hummingbird
This monkey swings
through the rain forest
and can hang from
branches by its tail.
A male quetzal’s twin
tail feathers are more
than twice as
long as its body.
Mexican kite
swallowtail
butterfly
The tayra hunts small
monkeys, rodents, and
birds, but it also eats
Tayra fruit and honey.
Sticky finger pads help
this little frog cling to
twigs and branches.
Red-eyed
tree frog
Geoffroy’s
spider
monkey
This tiny bird’s long,
curved bill lets it sip
nectar from inside
rain-forest flowers.
It may look more like
a pig, but the tapir is
related to horses.
Baird’s tapir
Ocelot
This fast cat’s super
sight and hearing help
it hunt rabbits and
other small animals
at night. During the
day it rests in the
trees, where its
markings blend in
among the leaves.
Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth
Two long claws on its front legs
let this slow-moving sloth get around
the rain forest. It spends almost its entire
life upside down!
PA
CI
FI
C
O
C
EA
N
Caribbean
There are more than 7,000 small islands in
the Caribbean Sea. Not many mammals live
here, but with its rocky areas, beaches, and
about nine percent of the world’s coral reefs,
it is the perfect home for all kinds of reptiles,
birds, and fish.
HABITAT KEY
Mangroves
Mountains
Coniferous
forests
Tropical
forests
Deciduous
forests
SCALE
100 kilometers
0
0
CA 100 miles
R
IB
B
E
A
N
(^) S
EA
N
S
E
W
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