 Considerable biodiversity is found within the Macal River catchment basin, including megafauna, avafauna, fish, reptiles, amphibians, as well as smaller mammals, arthropods and plants.The Macal watershed is habitat to over a dozen rare and endangered species.Two Important threatened megafauna found here are the jaguar, "Panthera onca", and Belize's largest land animal, Baird's tapir, "Tapirus bairdii", which is also the national animal of Belize.