Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Marine Life
Different sources claim that the Bahamas has between 900 and 2700 sq miles of coral reef.
What is certain is that there are thousands of species of marine life inhabiting these coasts,
such as bonito, inflatable porcupine fish, three species of stingrays, moray eels, lobsters,
parrotfish, sharks, kingfish, groupers, barracudas, jewelfish and deep-blue Creole wrasse.
Each summer, swarms of giant Androsian land crabs scuttle hither and
thither in a mating frenzy. Many of them will wind up on a dinner plate,
caught by quick-reflexed crabbers carrying flashlights and net bags.
Many dive outfitters offer trips to encounter wild stingrays. Up to 5ft across, stingrays
are quite gentle and will take food from your hand.
Humpback whales pass through the waters windward of the Bahamas and blue whales
are also frequently sighted. Atlantic bottlenose dolphins frequent these waters, as do the
less-often-seen Atlantic spotted dolphins.
Three species of marine turtles - green, loggerhead and, more rarely, hawksbill - use the
islands' beaches as nest sites. Turtles migrate thousands of miles to nest and lay their eggs
here, as they have for at least 150 million years. Unfortunately, these gentle creatures are
endangered, though a recent ban on turtle-hunting shows promise.
Plants
Beware the poisonwood tree. Endemic across the Bahamas, it causes
rashes similar to poison ivy in susceptible individuals. You'll recognize
the tree by its scaly reddish bark and glossy green teardrop-shaped
leaves.
The Bahamas' thin, rocky soil, underlain by limestone, is not conducive to lush vegetation.
Nonetheless, the islands together boast more than 1370 species of plants, including 121 en-
demics, such as Bahamian mahogany and Bahamian pine.
Perhaps the Bahamas' least welcome creature, the sand flea, AKA the
no-see-um, comes out at dusk to nip the flesh of unsuspecting beachgo-
ers. Though not painful or poisonous, its bite is highly irritating. Bring
bug spray. Always.
Lignum vitae
(also known as Ironwood), the national tree - which you may recognize by
its clusters of dark-blue blooms - has the heaviest timber of all known woods and is much
in demand among carvers (its bark, gum, fruit, leaves and blossoms also serve useful pur-
poses, including medicines for gout and syphilis).
