Wildlife in cenotes

In the water

• Small fish such as mollies and tetras
• Catfish in some cenotes
• Freshwater turtles in open cenotes

Around the cenote

• Turquoise-browed motmot (toh bird)
• Swallows and bats nesting in walls
• Tree roots hanging into the water

Deep in the caves

Blind fish and translucent cave shrimp live in total darkness and exist nowhere else.

Common fish

Researchers report 23 native freshwater fish species in Yucatán state, seven of them endemic, found nowhere else (Yucatán Today, citing Chumba Segura and Barrientos Medina). The ones you'll see most are the cenote catfish (Rhamdia guatemalensis, 'bagre' in Spanish, 'boox' in Maya) and small mosquito fish or guppies (Gambusia yucatana), which nibble dead skin off your feet like a free fish spa.

Turtles, reptiles and amphibians

The Meso-American slider turtle (Trachemys scripta venusta) basks on rocks in many open cenotes, especially early in the morning. Iguanas, lizards and frogs live on the walls and in the surrounding jungle.

Birds and bats

The turquoise-browed motmot, called the toh bird or 'bird of the cenotes', nests in holes in cenote walls and is easy to spot by its racket-shaped tail. Swallows dart over the water, and bats roost in cave ceilings, leaving at dusk.

Cave-adapted species

In the dark parts of the aquifer live animals adapted to total darkness, such as the blind cave fish known as the 'Blind White Lady' and the Yucatán blind eel, both reported as endangered and found only in the Mexican Yucatán, plus translucent cave shrimp and isopods.

Coastal cenotes

Cenotes near the coast that connect with the sea can host saltwater visitors such as tarpon, snappers and sometimes small crocodiles, as reported by local dive centres.

How to protect cenote wildlife

• Do not feed fish or turtles.
• Skip sunscreen and repellent before swimming.
• Do not touch walls, roots or formations where animals live.
• Keep noise down near nesting birds and roosting bats.

Fish you may see

The Yucatán has about two dozen native freshwater fish. Snorkelers often see mollies, small cichlids, guppy-like mosquito fish and the pale cenote catfish. In some cenotes small fish nibble at your feet.

Blind cave animals

Deep in the dark caves live blind fish and pale cave shrimp and isopods with no eyes or color. Several are found only in the Yucatán and are endangered, which is one reason sunscreen is banned.

Turtles, crabs and crocodiles

Slider turtles are common in open cenotes. Blue crabs and eels live where cenotes connect to the sea. Small crocodiles can live in some mangrove-connected cenotes; follow staff advice.

Around the edge

Bats roost in cave ceilings, and motmot birds nest in the walls. Iguanas, frogs, butterflies and, at quiet times, coatis and other mammals come to drink.