Grasslands, including many introduced grasses, and palm groves are found in areas disturbed by human activity and livestock grazing.

[3] It also forms a corridor that connects two major biogeographic region, the Gulf of Mexico on the east and the Pacific in the west.

Native mammals include the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), hooded skunk (Mephitis macroura), and hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus mesoleucos), particularly in isolated sierras and canyons less disturbed by human activity.

[4] Characteristic birds include the plain chachalaca (Ortalis vetula), mottled owl (Strix virgata), lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox), and white-throated magpie-jay (Calocitta formosa).

[4] The ecoregion has been seriously threatened by cattle grazing, which is the main cause of its destruction, along with the effects of logging and the expansion of the agricultural frontier.

[2] Protected areas in the ecoregion include Sumidero Canyon National Park and a portion of La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve.