Located in Eastern Central America, Belize shares borders with Guatemala and Mexico. From the crystal blue ocean waters and inland to the nearby mountains, it is amazingly diverse. Wildlife along the Southern coast, and nearby rivers, includes magnificent tiger herons, fast flyers like the cinnamon hummingbird and the peregrine falcon, and large swimmers like manatees and crocodiles. Traveling inland to the rainforest brings sightings of spectacular butterflies, birds, like the black headed trogon, but also mammals like the elusive jaguar and bands of coatimundi.

Joy from The Joys of Nature has loved animals from the time she was a child growing up in New England and she would always take advantage of any outdoor time to explore nature. Now, she still loves to explore, but also to share her knowledge about wildlife, wildlife photography and nature in general. In addition to a BA in Biology, she has been doing a variety of animal-related education programs in her professional life for over 20 years. One of her favorite things to do is break people’s misconceptions about many animals that people fear, such as predators including sharks, reptiles and spiders.

Photo credit: The Joys of Nature