Mesoamerican Reef

Horse-eye jack school above coral reef - Belize.
© WWF-Canon /Anthony B. RATH

The Mesoamerican Reef is a rich tapestry of fringing reefs, atolls, patch reefs, sea grass beds and mangrove forests. It provides shelter for species such as the mammoth whale shark and the endangered salt water crocodile. It is also home to one of the world’s largest populations of manatees - an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 of these fascinating creatures. 

Among the most diverse coral reefs in the western Atlantic, the Mesoamerican Reef system has nearly 60 coral species. The reef's outer edges are characterized by deep water corals, sponges and soft corals, above which grow the more delicate finger and palmate corals. Marine grasses flourish on the sheltered side of the reef with their roots in broken corals and accumulated sediments.

Other animals in the Mesoamerican Reef include

• Loggerhead, hawksbill and green sea turtles that feed on inshore sea grasses and sponges and nest on offshore cays and along the shoreline
• The endangered American crocodile and Morelet's crocodile which are found along some parts of the coast and on some offshore cays
• Several dolphin species, including the bottlenosed dolphin, the spotted dolphin and the rough-toothed dolphin that are found in the reef's coastal waters
• More than 500 species of fish, including several beautiful tropical fish such as the queen angelfish, bluehead wrass and the queen triggerfish
• Commercially exploited fish species, including the spiny lobster, queen conch, shrimp, grouper and snapper
• Bird species, including the magnificent frigate bird, red-footed booby, brown pelican, sooty tern and brown noddy