thumb|300px|The [[keel-billed toucan is native to Belize.]]
Belize is a country with a rich variety of wildlife, due to its unique position between North and South America, and a wide range of climates and habitats for plant and animal life. Belize's low human population, and approximately of undistributed land, provides an ideal home for more than 5000 species of plants, and vast numbers of animal species — with several hundred vertebrates including armadillos, snakes, and monkeys.
Non-vertebrates
The vast majority of Belizean animals are from diverse lineages that are 'non-vertebrates', with many arthropods, molluscs, annelida, nematodes and often countless others often poorly studied.
Vertebrates
Mammals
Birds
The avifauna of Belize include a total of 590 species, of which two are globally endangered and four have been introduced by humans.
Amphibians
There are many species of salamanders, toads, and frogs found in the tropical forests of Belize such as the rufescent salamander, red-eyed tree frog, Maya rain frog, marine toad, and Mexican burrowing toad. Out of 450 species of salamanders found in the world, only six types are found in Belize, all of which belong to the family Plethodontidae. This group of salamanders are the lungless salamanders, meaning they do not breathe through lungs, but instead through the pores of their moist skin. There are three species of toads living in Belize, out of more than 300. The largest known toad can be found in Belize, the marine toad. It can grow up to 20 cm (8 in), and weight as much as 1.2 kg (2.5 lb.). These toads are more commonly found in human settlements rather than in the wild, so they are easily seen by tourists. They have adapted to human settlements, so they will eat cat or dog food left out for house pets.
There are more than 800 species of rain frogs that exist, and eight of them are found in Belize. They vary in size, from the Maya rain frog, which is about 2.5–3.5 cm (1–1.4 in) cm (1 in), to the Central American rain frog which can be 9 cm (3.5 in) long. Rain frogs are usually terrestrial, so they can be found on the forest floors, in or near pools, ponds, and streams. They are different from tree frogs in their color; usually having more earth tones with dark markings on their backs and legs. Out of more than 700 species of tree frogs, 12 of them can be found in Belize. Unlike rain frogs, they have more bright colors such as orange, blue, red and yellow to warn predators that they are poisonous. Tree frogs, like their name, are most commonly found in trees. Despite their skinny legs, they are very good jumpers and climbers.
Belize has many species and types of turtles. There are three species of hard-shelled sea turtles such as the loggerhead, which on average is 2.3 m (7.5 ft) long and 540 kg (1190 lb.). They are found in the open oceans and coastal waters of Belize. Another is the green sea turtle which on average is 1.5 m (5 ft) and can weigh up to 100 kg (220 lb.). Green sea turtles migrate across open seas but are primarily found in shallow coastal waters. The third type of hard-shelled sea turtle that can be found in Belize is the hawksbill turtle. This sea turtle is only about 1 m (3.3 ft) and does not exceed 50 kg (110 lb.), and they are usually found near coral reefs or rocky areas of the sea. In addition, they have several rows of teeth on the roof of their mouth, as well as single row of teeth on the bottom jaw, but they do not have elongated, hollow fangs in the upper jaw as some of the venomous snakes often do. A dwarf form, Belizean boa constrictors can reach up to a maximum length of but typically only reach a length of . Their patterns typically consists of brown or black squarish markings on a grey or brown background that become progressively rounder, larger, and darker towards the tail, and this pattern helps them to camouflage in their surroundings, often in leaf litter, bushes, and tree canopies, to remain hidden from both prey and predators.