The Central Mexican matorral covers much of the southern portion of the plateau, extending from the Valley of Mexico in the southeast to the Bolaños River in the northwest.

The higher mountain ranges of the plateau are home to sky islands of pine-oak forest, isolated by matorral at lower elevations.

[3] In the Valley of Mexico, the dominant matorral plants are Opuntia streptacantha, Zaluzania augusta, Yucca filifera, Schinus molle, and Mimosa biuncifera.

[3][2] Native mammals include white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), coyote (Canis latrans), collared peccary (Pecari tajacu), nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), southern spotted skunk (Spilogale angustifrons), Mexican cottontail (Sylvilagus cunicularius), desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii), and rock squirrel (Otospermophilus variegatus).

[2] Native birds include great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus), mourning dove (Zenaida macroura), Stygian owl (Asio stygius), red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), northern harrier (Circus cyaneus), prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus), Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), barn owl (Tyto alba), hooded oriole (Icterus cucullatus), and common raven (Corvus corax).