Scorpions (‘alacranes’) are common here but, luckily, they are very shy. If you turn over that rock, you may find one. They also like hiding in leaf litter. They don’t like wet places so will often come out of hiding when it rains. If you have the urge to do some gardening or to gather plants or rocks, wear gloves. If you’re out in the boonies, wear shoes and socks.

We have some very robust biting red ants (‘hormigas’). You won’t meet them unless you stand still on something important to them or touch a particular Acacia plant which gives them food and housing in return for the ants’ protection. If you meet with them, move out of the way and brush off the ones still biting you.

Some spiders (‘arañas’) can give a nasty bite. We don’t know which ones they are so we don’t poke at them and just generally ignore them. They’re here, like the lizards, to help keep down the number of insects in our homes and gardens.

Wasps and bees can sting here just like they do up north.

Jellyfish (‘aguamalas’) only appear near the beaches at certain times and are more common when the water is very warm in the summer. The trick is to stay away from their long tentacles which will leave stinging hairs in your skin if you come into contact with them. If you do have contact and don’t have any antihistamines, pee on yourself. It helps to dissolve the spines. Lime juice helps too.

All the above creatures’ stings can be helped with antihistamines. You would be wise to bring some along or to buy some when you get here just in case. If you have an allergic reaction, get to a doctor.

Mosquitoes (‘zancudos’ or ‘mosquitos’) and no-see-ums (‘jejenes’) are mainly active at dawn and dusk. Bring some repellant with DEET in it. I don’t find them too troublesome; they are worse up north.

Stingrays (‘rayas’) cover themselves with a thin layer of sand on the ocean bottom near shore. They are beautiful to watch gliding along beneath the water’s surface and a fantastic sight when they leap out of the water, but you don’t want to step on one. It’s recommended that you shuffle your feet as you wade out past the surfline so that, if you encounter one, it will just move away. If you are stung, the ray’s venom will cause little harm but the wound left by its barbed tail requires a doctor’s attention. During a few years of living here, we’ve only heard of two cases of stings (although there have certainly been others).

A few species of the snakes here (‘serpientes’) are venomous, some extremely so. In case of snakebite, see a doctor immediately. A lot of our snakes are arboreal so you won't see them unless you're looking up at the beautiful flowers, birds, and other wildlife which lives in our trees.

Crocodiles (‘cocodrilos’): yes, we have them, and very large caimans (‘caimanes’) as well. They live in the estuaries and if you’re lucky, you can watch them watching you. Remember, humans taste like chicken and crocs love chicken. Your little dog tastes pretty good too. Cancel that brackish water swim. (But we’ve never heard of anyone actually being bothered by a crocodile.)

Now that I have you scared to leave your rental, don’t worry. Contact with most of these creatures is VERY rare and, apart from the insects and spiders, you probably won’t see any of them during your stay. And if you do see some of our more exotic residents, be happy that you’ve been able to experience more of Nayarit’s natural beauty.