Wildlife Indigenous to the DR

[RonS]

I spent four weeks exploring the rainforests of Costa Rica at Corcovado and Manuel Antonio this year and am struck by the awesome beauty of the forests and the beaches and of the diversity of wildlife, both fauna and flora. What was the wildlife indigenous to the DR before deforestation and before the indigenous fauna was eaten? In seven years of visiting the DR the closest to wildlife I've come, aside from the limited amount of birdlife, was a green snake I met on the hill separating Playa Bonita from Las Terranas.

[Mirador]

How much did you fetch for the green snake? Do you know that its oil is used in the local folk pharmacopeia as a remedy for, among other things, arthritis? Have you noticed that there are no buzzards? Just that fact makes a big statement. Did you know that the Spaniard (Colonialist) imported trained ferrets to hunt small game? The ferrets then became wilds and did away with most small wild life. Endemic hunger did away with the rest. Have you seen a cat lately?

[Hlywud]

I posted this info on another forum to answers some ?'s

In the country of Dominican Republic they do have some wild life to speak of. I'm not referring to the human-type of wild life, although this is here in abundance.

The endangered, extinct and the creatures that thrive on this tropical island. Here they have no large animals to speak of. Nothing that is going to eat you alive, except for the mosquitoes in the swampy areas (which I think should be considered as being the new national bird).
There are no really dangerous creatures on our island, other than maybe a rare crock, a scorpion, or a spider. Most tourists in the cities or tourist areas never come across these things. Even the Dominican tarantula known as the Cacata is not an easy crawly to see. They usually don't live in the cities and they usually only come out at night. And in my opinion, the Dominican Cacata is a bit small and spindly as compared to most of the tarantulas you are accustomed to seeing on the TV or in pet shops. The island seems to be inhabited mostly by birds, of all types and colors and lizards, of many sizes and shapes.


Hispainolan Hutia (Capromyidae), a small mammal creature that looks like a mix between a large guinea pig and a small ground hog, with some rat-like looks thrown in for good measure. They are only found on many islands of the Caribbean where they are for the most part the last indigenous living land mammal. Their walk is more or a waddle and they are frightened this slow waddle can change into a fast high hop. Using this hop or their good climbing skills is how they escape their predators. They do have claws. They are mainly vegetarian and live on roots and fruits which they eat when they come out of their burrows, hollow trees, or nesting boxes where they live, after dark. They closely resemble the rabbit with their nesting and eating habits. It is becoming increasingly rare. They have been hunted and has not been able to repopulate as fast as they were being taken. Also with their habitat being taken away slowly they are disappearing from existence. I have seen one in all my travels at the Bavaro Princess.



Manatees range in color from gray to brown. Their 2 small front flippers and their flat, horizontal tails are used to move them along the sea and river bottoms. They have very small eyes and no outer ears yet they are thought to see and hear quite good. The average adult can weigh from 1,500 to 1,800 pounds and can measure ten to 12 feet in length. They can live from 50 to 60 years in the wild and much longer in captivity. They are vegetarians and are quite gentle and slow moving. These can be found in rivers and mangrove swamps near Punta Rucia. They are protected but Haitian poachers are putting them near extinction. It is a rare experience to have a close encounter with these elusive creatures, but it can happen while diving within the sanctuary.



Dominican crocodiles
A large population is present in Lago Enriquillo (Dominican Republic), a landlocked hyper-saline lake. Lago Enriquillo is now four times saltier than the sea Crocodiles in these conditions osmoregulate primarily by drinking available freshwater or converting salt water by a gland in their mouth. Their normal diet of fish, turtles and the occasional dog or goat that may stray to close to the waters edge.

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by RonS

I spent four weeks exploring the rainforests of Costa Rica at Corcovado and Manuel Antonio this year and am struck by the awesome beauty of the forests and the beaches and of the diversity of wildlife, both fauna and flora. What was the wildlife indigenous to the DR before deforestation and before the indigenous fauna was eaten? In seven years of visiting the DR the closest to wildlife I've come, aside from the limited amount of birdlife, was a green snake I met on the hill separating Playa Bonita from Las Terranas.

I'm interested to know the answer to your question, as well.
I once read that there were deer and monkeys, but don't know if it is true.
Hope someone has the answers.

[Mirador]

Originally Posted by Rocky

I'm interested to know the answer to your question, as well.
I once read that there were deer and monkeys, but don't know if it is true.
Hope someone has the answers.

Yes, prior to the Conquest there were monkeys, deer, and plenty of rabbits in the Island. Remember, the Island was 95% forested with hardwood trees (mahogany, ebony, cedar, etc.)...

[Chip00]

Does anybody know if there are crocs in the lake near Janico? Janico is between Santiago and San Jose de la Mata. The lake appears to be fairly large from maps but I have a friend who says the people don't swim there because they think there are crocs because at times it appears that "something" makes large wakes.

[dms3611]

.....that would be a "crock" if you believed that one.....everyone knows those wakes are made by a Lake Ness type sea creature that lives there...............

[RonS]

In Costa Rica, the government has disbanded it's military and re-invested it's military budget in the education of it's people and in purchasing and nationalizing the rainforests, notably at Manuel Antonio and Corcovado. Now, I know that it may be too much to ask for the DR government to follow suit, but has any thought been given to perhaps some group, purchasing land, and re-populated it with indigenous flora and fauna?

[Tordok]

In addition to the indigenous species there are several migratory species that call on the island as zoological tourists, mostly birds but also ocean creatures that need habitat protection. Think of Samaná whales, for example.

Costa Rica in general appears to be the regional leader in conservation efforts. Nature also endowed their territory with much more to preserve in terms of biodiversity than Hispaniola ever had. BTW, Mirador, could you please provide your sources on the Pre-Columbian deers, rabbits, monkeys issue? This is the first time I hear of this and you would have expected the Tainos to have been twice as big if they had access to such a wonderful varied source of valuable proteins. These creatures do not appear -unlike Mesoamerica- in their arts and crafts or mythologies.

Separate issue; historically it is important to know of the role of other non-indigeneous animals that helped reshape the land. Thousands of wild boars and wild cattle roamed along for centuries. Left to pasture in large desolate areas, these were hunted down for their skins rather than their meat. These species are no longer wild with the exception of some 'puercos cimarrones' still around in remote areas. Some people think that they might be worth protecting.

Neither the DR n or CR have signed on to become members of the CMS (see below) which is the international treaty dealing with conservation measures on behalf of migratory wildlife with habitats in many nations.

Introduction to the Convention on Migratory Species

I believe that both the DR and Costa Rica should join Jamaica and Panamá who are until now the only regional signataries of the treaty.

- Tordok

[macocael]

It may surprise all of you to know that DR leads other nations in the rate with which it has expanded its national parklands. There is a huge conflict between the govt bodies responsible for these lands and the locals who live nearby. The lands are created and maintained in a typically authoritarian manner which incenses the locals.

One example of how excessively rigid laws create problems is manifest in the attempt to preserve the caoba tree. Campesinos do not want these trees on their properties -- why? Because the regulations intended to protect this species virtually deprive the landowner of control over his property. So what do they do? They pull up seedlings whenever they find them (the Caoba is apparently a prolific seed spreader and propagates itself like a weed). They also set mature trees alight. Then they claim that some other person accidently set a brushfire when he tried to clear land for his conuco and the tree got in the way. Since the tree is damaged, the landowner is allowed to cut the tree down.