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Cenotes biotope, a freshwater habitat in the forests of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico
BIOTOPE AQUARIA
A biotope aquaria is an aquarium that is set-up to simulate a natural habitat. The fish, plants, water chemistry, and furnishings are similar to those that can be found in a specific natural setting.
The Yucatan peninsula has virtually no surface streams due ot its limestone foundation -- a relic of its past life as coral reef on the bottom of the ocean. Ground water sinks through the porous limestone and travels to the sea in underground rivers and caves (formed from millenia of acidified water dissolving conduits in the limestone). To date, almost sixty cave systems with more than 300 miles of passageways have been discovered.
These underwater streams can be accessed through cenotes, sinkholes in the surface limestone. Below you will find pictures from a surface cenote and a cave cenote. Because the water is mineral rich and remarkably clear, plant growth is especially vigorous. The plants you see in these pictures are a Chara, or freshwater macroalgae, species. Chara is also known as "stonewort."
Fish
In the photos below you will find tetras, mollies, and catfish. Cenotes are also home to some of the following species:
Characidae
Astyanax fasciatus
Cichlids
Archocentrus octofasciatus
'Cichlasoma' urophthalmus
'Cichlasoma' synspilum
Parachromis friedrischstahli
Thorichthys meeki
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Cupleidae
Dorosoma sp.
Pimelodidae
Rhamdia guatemalensis
Poecilidae
Gambusia yucatana
Poecilia mexicana
Rivulidae
Rivulus tenuis
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[Other pictures from the Mexican Yucatan: caribbean | reefs | cenotes caves | lagoon | tulum | cancun region]
Except where noted, all images are the property of Rhett A. Butler, copyright 1994-2004. Contact me with questions regarding use, reproduction, or purchase of any of the pictures.
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Other Biotope Resources
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Recent news
Governments, public failing to save world's species
(11/04/2009)
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) 2008 report, released yesterday, 36 percent of the total species evaluated by the organization are threatened with extinction. If one adds the species classified as Near Threatened, the percentage jumps to 44 percent—nearly half.
Atlantic bluefin tuna should be banned internationally: ICCAT scientists
(10/29/2009)
Scientists with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) have said in a new report that a global ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing is justified. ICCAT meets in November to decide if they will follow their scientist's recommendations.
The Yangtze River may have lost another inhabitant: the Chinese paddlefish
(10/22/2009)
In December of 2006 it was announced that the Yangtze River dolphin, commonly known as the baiji, had succumbed to extinction. The dolphin had survived on earth for 20 million years, but the species couldn't survive the combined onslaught of pollution, habitat loss, boat traffic, entanglement in fishing hooks, death from illegal electric fishing, and the construction of several massive dams. Now, another flagship species of the Yangtze River appears to have vanished.
Freshwater species worse off than land or marine
(10/15/2009)
Scientists have announced that freshwater species are likely the most threatened on earth. Extinction rates for freshwater inhabitants are currently four to six times the rates for terrestrial and marine species. Yet, these figures have not lead to action on the ground.
New species of ghostshark discovered off California's coast
(09/22/2009)
The discovery of Eastern Pacific black ghostshark Hydrolagus melanophasma is notable for a number of reasons. It is the first new species of cartilaginous fish—i.e fish whose skeletons are made entirely of cartilage, such as sharks, rays, and skate—to be described in California water since 1947. It is also a representative of an ancient and little-known group of fish.
Photos: new deep sea species discovered off the Canary Islands
(09/21/2009)
Owned by Spain, but located just off the northwest coast of Africa, the Canary Islands sport a wide variety of marine life, including five species of marine turtles, ten species of sharks and rays, and innumerable fish and invertebrates. However, a new expedition has gone beyond the known, sending a robot to depths of 500 meters to discover the secrets of the Canary Island's deep sea.
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