Wild mammals of Merida and environs

by Beryl Gorbman, www.yucatanyenta.com

Just beyond our civilized islands of household bliss, lurks a world of wild animals.

Of course there are the insects – the millions of mosquitoes, cockroaches, wasps, bees, flies, and those amazing ants. And the reptiles, including various snakes, iguanas and adorable singing geckos. We all hear the varied calls of grackles and other wild birds. Cardinals are especially melodious and my favorites are the chattering flocks of wild parrots. The zopilotes (vultures) circle above us, waiting for us and for smaller creatures to breathe their last. That’s got to be the world’s ugliest bird.
Then there are the warm-blooded furry creatures. Some are pests, all are interesting. Some nocturnal, some diurnal. Some you almost never see, and some are downright pushy.

Dogs
There are wild dogs everywhere, especially in the beach communities. I haven’t seen too many in Merida the last couple of years, and I shudder to think why that is. They are pitiful things, most of them, half mad from hunger, thirst, pain and fear. If one is lurking by your house, at least give him/her a bowl of water. Take injured dogs to the vet, or one of the shelters – Evolucion or AFAD. With some love and care, many of them transform into stellar pets. The dogs take on a certain look after several generations, and meld into a mix called “Mulix.”  For more information on shelters and for a thorough discourse on Yucatan dogs, please see the excellent article on Yucatan Living. The dog situation is a huge issue in Merida.

Malix pup

Possums (zorros)

These omnivorous, nocturnal marsupials are here because their natural habitats have been taken away. They are ubiquitous, and you can often hear them galloping around the rooftops at night. When I surprised one in the back yard recently, he looked at me with contempt, and continued his slow survey of the property. His rat-like tail was as long as his body and his sharp little nose didn’t miss a trick. I hoped he didn’t like cats.

Rats
Rats immigrated to Yucatan on ships from Europe, starting in the 11th century. There are brown and black rats of many species here. They live where there are sewers and where there is garbage, in the city. Some can reach two feet long. I don’t care what anyone says – they can’t match the rats of my native NYC, where they are as big as dogs and just as bold. They like to burrow.

Mice
It’s hard to define the species of mice here in Merida. Mostly, they are small, grey, cute, and love fruit. However, they’ll happily eat bread and other leftovers.

Yucatan Squirrel (Sciurius yucatanensis)
I’ve never seen one. Have any of you? They are arboreal, according to Wikipedia, and eat fruits and nuts.

Bats
When I first moved to Merida, I was sitting in Santa Ana square one night with a friend and became aware of lots of birds flying around. What kind of bird flies at night, I asked. Of course, they were bats. I was a little startled, but enjoyed watching them dip and whirl. They are all over the place here. Certain trees attract them (like the Ramon) and they love to hang themselves up in quiet buildings in the daytime. One evening at Uxmal, looking at the Temple of the Dwarf at dusk, I saw flocks of swallows entering the large doorway on top of the pyramid at the same time as flocks of bats exited. They had a cooperative arrangement in this ancient hotel. I don’t know what species these are – fruit bats, brown bats, or some of each. They are harmless marsupials, not aggressive to humans. Jim Conrad, on his website, Backyard Nature site, says that fruit bats are critical to the dispersal of fruit seeds. He says these bats smell deliciously of the huge amount of fruits they consume. Check out Jim’s website – it is unique and fascinating, created by a unique and fascinating person.

Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcintus)
You used to be able to see these at some of the ruins, and I have bought them from people selling them, all trussed up, along the road. Apparently, they make good tacos. These nocturnal prehistoric looking creatures have nine bands of flexible armor that completely covers and protects them. To me, they are one of the more amazingly constructed animals. They are gentle, slow-moving creatures with a diet of insects and butterflies and can burrow quickly to completely bury themselves in the daytime. I had one in my yard for a time (until I released him into the wild) and only Fifa, aka “the nose,” a dachsund, could locate him when he was burrowed into the garden.

Armadillo - from goodoldgirls.com

Coatamundi (Coati) Nasua narica

The white-nosed coatamundi is a diurnal relative of the north American raccoon. They look adorable but aren’t. People try to domesticate them, but they are known to be cranky and also have huge canine teeth, a bad combination. They look like a cuddly cousin of the raccoon and are grey, with black and white circled tails that always stand right up, perpendicular to their bodies. I’m told that the reason the tails stick up like this is so that they can locate each other in high grasses. They’re the size of large cats. They are ground dwellers, but sleep in trees. I saw two of these in an empty lot in Centro recently and when they spotted me (I was on a rooftop), they made a beeline for a pile of rocks. They are extremely shy, omnivorous and will eat your garbage if they can. I had never seen coatamundis in person before and felt privileged to have this sighting. However, it’s sad that they have to resort to household garbage because their natural habitats are being destroyed.

Coatamundi

Although they are adorable, it is possible to run into too many Coatamundis. If you’ve ever been to Tikal, perhaps you have experienced this. Hundreds of them wander through the site, looking for tidbits and handouts. Kind of overwhelming.

Collared Anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla)

I saw one of these black and white mid-size-dog sized beasts on the Rio Lagartos road about twenty years ago. They live in trees and feed on insect nests, termites, and ants. From a distance, I thought it was indeed, a dog, but as I drove slowly closer, I saw the long snout and prehensile tale. I was thrilled to have seen him then and haven’t spotted one since. Their main defensive weapon is their powerful and sharp claws.

Capybaras
Capybaras are the biggest rodents, the size of a small pig. Ugly as shit. They are furry and have pig-like snouts. They reach a height of two feet. Some people claim to have seen them here in Merida, but maybe it’s an urban legend. I hope so. They live in groups of 20 to 40 animals. They eat fruit and like to gnaw on hard objects, like nuts or your wooden furniture. They sound totally disgusting. From http://library.thinkquest.org, “Capybaras have white bumpy glands on the top of their snouts. Their glands ooze out white, oily fluid. When they mate, the male rubs the fluid from his glands onto plants. and then rubs the smell onto his own body to show who is boss.”

Capybara - from johnnyslick@wordpress.com

Other Wild Animals
Outside the metropolitan area, the Yucatan hosts white-tailed deer, jaguars, spider monkeys and other fast-disappearing species. As the forest areas are decimated by development gone wild and by hunters continuing to kill the animals, these creatures are loosing their habitats and are seriously endangered, as are many of the animals on the list above. Pronatura Yucatan works to conserve the delicate ecosystems of our area and has succeeded in establishing protected zones here and in other parts of the country.

Last, but not at all least,

Merida’s Feral Cats

Ever been to Rome? An estimated 300,000 feral cats rule the entire city, eating garbage, rodents, and whatever they’re fed by cat-loving citizens. The city council of Rome has decided that the cats are a positive element, and points out their ancient heritage.

Here in Merida we have a rich and varied feral cat population. These cats are not cuddly and cute, even though they look like they might be. I and my friend Louise, who lives nearby, have observed that generations of cats of the same color and type inhabit the same territory for years at a time. Louise, for instance, introduced orange cats to our area about fifteen years ago, and they’re still here. In the cooler weather, if you go up on the roofs of houses in Centro, you can often see the family groups lying around in the cool dusk, taking in the sunset. The families are proprietary about their turf and fight outside cats.

There is a group of cats who own our roof and back yard, outside the gate. Sometimes one emerges as halfway friendly and allows me to pet him/her. Right now, all my cats are intensely feral and stand-offish. I just have to admire them from afar.  I call them my Unrewarding Pets, as indeed they are. Not everyone has this experience. Deb, in Santiago, has adopted no less than six of these creatures, which are all happily lazy and domesticated in her house. The cats in her neighborhood are double the size of mine, a different strain, perhaps.

We average seven and a half cats at a time at our house. We’ve had as many as 13 and as few as 5 in the past few years. I feed them out in the back, beyond the gate, twice per day and they’re always ravenous. I also put out water. Life expectancy of these cats varies from kittenhood to about two years. At that point, they disappear and are presumed dead. I’m guessing they either have fatal encounters with other cats or other creatures, get run over, or get poisoned. The ones who remain are here at literally every meal, so if one is missing for more than a day, I know we’ve seen the last of him.

A few times a year, there are kittens. The cat named Stupid, in particular, is prolific. I know I should trap them and take them to Planned Pethood for sterilization, but I haven’t as yet.

Most of my cats have names. Stupid, the eldest one, earned her name by giving birth to her kittens in a hanging planter. When I heard frantic squeals, I went out and found a tiny kitten dangling from the planter by his umbilicus, which was tangled in the plant. I cut the cord. His name is Gus and he isn’t grateful. Here are some pictures of our Unrewarding Pets, aka The Dreadful Kitties.

I welcome additions and corrections to this article.