Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco

Tabasco is a state located in Southeast Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Veracruz to the west, Chiapas to the south, and Campeche to the north-east. Also, to the east Tabasco borders with the Petén department of Guatemala, and to the north with the Bay of Campeche (part of the Gulf of Mexico). Tabasco is located between the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the Yucatan Peninsula. The state covers nearly 25,000 km2, which is about 1.3% of Mexico’s total area. It has a population just under 2.5 million people. By far the largest city and state capital is Villahermosa whose metropolitan area has almost 1 million inhabitants. It has an international airport. The state’s economy is based on oil and agricultural, the major crops being bananas, corn, cacao and lemons and cattle are the predominant livestock produced.

Tabasco has a hot and humid tropical climate. The average annual temperature is 27C with high temperatures averaging 36C; the hotter months being May and June. The state has abundant year-round precipitation;  receiving an average annual rainfall of 2,550mm – more than 100 inches of rain! It is particularly heavy from June to October. The flat, low-elevational areas of the state are subject to frequent flooding.

Sanchez Magallanes Wetlands – ©AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The state has many different environments, including tropical rainforest, mangrove forests, beaches, lowland savanna, and water in all its forms: lagoons, rivers, marshes and the sea. Originally, most of the territory was covered with tropical rainforest and wetlands. Much of the rainforest has suffered degradation due to over logging and conversion into farmland. There are swampy depressions, which are extremely vulnerable to flooding from both river flow and the excessive rainfall. In the south of the state there are some higher elevations that are part of the central mesa of Chiapas.

Birding Tabasco

Just under 550 bird species have been recorded in the state, roughly half of the species encountered in the whole of Mexico.

Most of the intact rainforest is found in the municipalities of Tenosique, Balancán, Macuspana, Teapa, Tacotalpa, Cárdenas and Huimanguillo. Rainforests tree species include mahogany, cedar, various types of palms, ceiba, willows and many more. There are many types of orchids native to the state. Tabasco still has habitat for the widest variety of wildlife, from birds such as parrots and hummingbirds to various kinds of reptiles, such as iguanas, crocodiles and snakes. Mammal species have declined because of deforestation, but still include spider and howler monkeys, jaguars, pumas, raccoons, anteaters, deer, and wild boar among others.

Tropical savannah is mostly found in the south and in the west part of the state, mixed in with areas of rainforest.

The wetlands are dominated by the most extensive mangrove forests in Mexico. There are four main types of mangroves locally called red, white, black and ‘prieto’. Most of the wetlands of the state are located in the Pantanos de Centla Biosphere Reserve. Major rivers include the Mezcalapa, Grijalva, Pichucalco, Chacamax, Usumacinta, San Pedro y San Pablo and Tonala. The abundance of fresh water in wetlands and river areas supports a wide variety of aquatic life such as freshwater gar, snook, tarpon, tilapia, crocodiles, various species of turtles and frogs, and many species of native and migratory waterfowl. In larger bodies of water manatees can be found. In the brackish and salt water lagoons various ocean species are found along with shellfish and molluscs.

Pantanos de Centla Biosphere Reserve – ©Alfonsobouchot, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Tabasco has 11 state-natural protected areas and two federal ones. Together these areas cover over 17,000 hectares (c.42,000 acres), over 15% of the territory of the state. The most famous protected area is the vast Pantanos de Centla Biosphere Reserve, an area of wooded wetlands along the coast of Tabasco and extending into Campeche of over 17,000 km² (c. 6,500 square miles). 360 species of birds have been recorded in the Biosphere Reserve, of which 63% are permanent residents and 23% winter residents. It is home to many water birds, including Jabiru Stork Jabiru mycteria, Maguari Stork Ciconia maguari, Boat-billed Heron or páspaque Cochlearius cochlearius,  Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata, Black-bellied Whistling Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis, Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps, Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja and White Ibis Eudocimus albus as well as a wide variety of other birds including Ruddy Ground Dove Columbina talpacoti and Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus.