Lagunas de Chacahua National Park

The Lagunas de Chacahua National Park, created in 1937,cite web |url=http://www.vivanatura.org/Chacahua.html |title=Lagunas de Chacahua |accessdate=2008-02-21 |format= |work= ] is located in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico about 54 km west of Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, near a town called Zapotalito. It can be reach via Federal Highway 200 or by boat from Puerto Escondido. It encompasses 132.73 square kilometres, about 30 km² of which is taken by various lagoons such as the ‘’’Laguna de Chacahua,’’’ ‘’’Laguna de La Pastoria,’’’ and Laguna Las Salinas.cite journal |last= Quintanar Hinojosa |first=Beatriz |year=2007 |month= August |title=Laguna de Chacahua |journal=Guía México Desconocido: Oaxaca |volume= 137 |pages=68 |url= www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx ] There are various smaller lagoons that are connected by narrow channels. cite web |url=http://www.vivanatura.org/Chacahua.html |title=Lagunas de Chacahua |accessdate=2008-02-21 |format= |work= ] The rest of the park consists of dry land.

The park has 10 different types of vegetation: “selva espinosa", swampland, deciduous, sub tropical broadleaf, mangroves, savannah, “bosque de galleria”, “tular”, palm trees, and coastal dune. 246 species of flowers and 189 species of animals have been counted so far in the park. Birds such as storks, herons, wild ducks, blue-winged teals, pelicans, and spoonbills can be found here. 3 (carey , lute(Dermochelys corlacea) and golfino(Lepidochelys olivacea)) species of turtles visit the place to lay their eggs.

There are boat tours to observe the shores, mangroves and the many birds that fish these waters. These tours usually include a stop to sample the local food and to visit a crocodile nursery which as several Mexican Pacific coast crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus).

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