Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park
🇲🇽 Mexico
🦝 Coatis and Spiny-tailed IguanasCozumel protects the reef along the island's southwest shore, and the land behind it carries the animals a visitor actually walks up to. Spiny-tailed iguanas hold every wall and path on nine visits in ten, and white-nosed coatis work the coastal scrub on nearly as many.
20.276° N 87.019° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
White-nosed Coati
Nasua narica
★ 
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ctenosaura similis
★ 
Pygmy Raccoon
Procyon pygmaeus
★ 
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
📊 Most Spotted
Tropical Mockingbird
Mimus gilvus
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Southern Stingray
Hypanus americanus
Black Catbird
Melanoptila glabrirostris
Yellow Warbler
Setophaga petechia
Nurse Shark
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Yellow stingray
Urobatis jamaicensis
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Cozumel Emerald
Cynanthus forficatus
⭐ Iconic Species
★ White-nosed Coati
Nasua narica
★ Pygmy Raccoon
Procyon pygmaeus
★ White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
📊 Most Spotted
Collared Peccary
Pecari tajacu
Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat
Artibeus jamaicensis
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Spotted Paca
Cuniculus paca
Central American Spider Monkey
Ateles geoffroyi
Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Virginia Opossum
Didelphis virginiana
Southern Yellow Bat
Dasypterus ega
Margay
Leopardus wiedii
Black mastiff bat
Molossus nigricans
Common Big-eared Bat
Micronycteris microtis
Northern Hairy-legged Myotis
Myotis pilosatibialis
📊 Most Spotted
Tropical Mockingbird
Mimus gilvus
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Black Catbird
Melanoptila glabrirostris
Yellow Warbler
Setophaga petechia
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Cozumel Emerald
Cynanthus forficatus
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Yucatán Woodpecker
Melanerpes pygmaeus
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Tiaris olivaceus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Brown Anole
Anolis sagrei
Green Iguana
Iguana iguana
American Crocodile
Crocodylus acutus
Furrowed Wood Turtle
Rhinoclemmys areolata
Brown Basilisk
Basiliscus vittatus
Cozumel Racerunner
Aspidoscelis cozumela
Green Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas
Western Ribbon Snake
Thamnophis proximus
Hawksbill
Eretmochelys imbricata
Rainforest Cat-eyed Snake
Leptodeira frenata
Common House Gecko
Hemidactylus frenatus
Saint George Island Gecko
Aristelliger georgeensis
📊 Most Spotted
Mexican Smilisca
Smilisca baudinii
Stauffer's Tree Frog
Scinax staufferi
Central American Gulf Coast Toad
Incilius valliceps
Greenhouse Frog
Eleutherodactylus planirostris
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Sheep Frog
Hypopachus variolosus
Elegant Narrow-mouthed Toad
Gastrophryne elegans
Recent sightings in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Coatis and Tree Frogs in the Rains
White-nosed coati bands move through the coastal scrub and Mexican tree frogs call after dark.
2Iguanas in the Dry Months
Spiny-tailed and green iguanas bask on the walls and open ground at their most visible of the year.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Coatis and Tree Frogs in the Rains
- 2Iguanas in the Dry Months
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
We started our day with a dive at Palancar Gardens, where we saw a variety of marine life including colorful fish, sea turtles, and even a school of barracudas.
We set off in hopes of seeing the Splendid Toadfish, which is endemic to Cozumel, but along the way, we also met sea turtles, sea horses, nurse sharks, spotted eagle rays, sting rays, green moray & spotted moray eels, puffer fish, scorpion fish, and so much more!
It was fun to watch the divers from up above and I got to see a Spotted Eagle Ray AND a nurse shark....that is my first shark!
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park?
The most likely sightings are Tropical Mockingbird (seen by about 90% of wildlife watchers), Bananaquit (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Black Spiny-tailed Iguana (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Great-tailed Grackle (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Southern Stingray (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers) — among 509 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park for wildlife?
February has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see White-nosed Coati in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a White-nosed Coati sighting in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park, based on 233 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Black Spiny-tailed Iguana in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Black Spiny-tailed Iguana sighting in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park, based on 455 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Pygmy Raccoon in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Pygmy Raccoon sighting in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park, based on 104 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see White-tailed Deer in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park?
Yes — about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-tailed Deer sighting in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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