Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FLORA & FAUNA
Mammals & Reptiles
The archipelago has only 13 native land mammal species. Twelve of them are bats. All are
endangered. The most common is the leaf-nosed bat, an ugly/cute little thing with a piglet-y
pink nose and enormous ears. Bats consume large amounts of insects, especially mosqui-
toes, and act as important seed dispersers and pollinators for flora.
The only native terrestrial mammal is the endangered hutia, a cat-size brown rodent akin
to a guinea pig. A small population lives on a small cay in the Exumas.
Wild boar roam the backcountry on larger islands, especially Andros, where they're often
hunted for meat. Bahamian raccoons, once considered a distinct species, are now believed to
have been introduced relatively recently from the US. They make quite a pest of themselves
on Grand Bahama.
Many Bahamian islands have unique species of reptiles, such as the Cat Island Turtle.
Great Inagua also has its own terrapin, while Bimini has a unique boa constrictor.
There are frogs, too, including the Cuban tree frog, whose mucus is poisonous.
Rock iguanas are shy and harmless vegetarians that have been virtually eradicated by hu-
mans, feral dogs and cats, and now inhabit some outlying isles. Look for them in the Exuma
Cays.
For most visitors, the most obvious animals are the chickens, who run rampant in many
of the Out Islands, even chichi Harbour Island. If you don't like being woken up at 5am by
a rooster, invest in some earplugs. Horses and donkeys meander the rural island as well, and
Exuma is home to a unique colony of swimming pigs.
WILDLIFE RESERVES IN THE BAHAMAS
PARK
FEATURES
ACTIVITIES LOCATION PAGE
Abaco Na-
tional Park
32 sq miles; endangered Ba-
hama parrot
hiking, bird-
watching
Click
here
Abaco
Black
Sound Cay
National
Reserve
small mangrove island; win-
tering habitat for waterfowl
& avifauna
Abaco; adja-
cent to Green
Turtle Cay
walking, bird-
watching
Click
here
 
 
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