This is Rex writing our first blogpost of the EarthSc 5242 study abroad to the Bahamas. On March 8th we arrived in Nassau and had a few hours to explore the island. We split into a few groups with most people going to the beach to explore the coastline. Ethan, Lucas and I decided to explore and search for some of the native terrestrial and freshwater wildlife of the island. We decided to head to the a nearby green space to look for reptiles. On the way, we observed a few brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) and bark anoles (Anolis distichus) in trees and bushes on the hotel grounds that were hunting for potential prey items. Anoles are the quintessential Caribbean reptiles. Much of the world’s diversity of these fascinating lizards is found in the Caribbean, and the various islands often have an impressive array of species that niche partition in extraordinary ways. In Nassau there are four native anole species. The brown anole is a generalist that hunts terrestrially and in arboreal habitats, particularly tree trunks. The bark anole is usually found on tree trunks and walls themselves and rarely touches the ground. The West Indes anole (which we unfortunately did not encounter) mainly utilizes twigs and other small branches. The Bahamas green anole (which we did not encounter as well) is often found hunting among the dense foliage in the canopy, using its bright green coloration to hide.
One of the ditches on the way had two Jamaican sliders (Trachemys terrapen) which was a particularly exciting find. Jamaican sliders were long thought to have evolved in Jamaica and were spread to the Bahamas by the native Taíno people. However, recent fossil evidence from San Salvador and other islands suggests the Jamaican slider actually evolved in the Bahamas and may have been spread around by people to other islands instead. This was the first large reptile we had seen since arriving as well, and the species had once been found on San Salvador. Additionally, it was the first described member of the genus Trachemys and one of the first turtles described by western naturalists back in 1789.
When we finally arrived at the green space, we observed that the habitat was heavily wooded and surrounded by tropical forest, primarily composed of native flora. We saw large numbers of the bark and brown anoles and the endemic red legged thrushes. Bahamian mockingbirds (Mimus gundlachii) and white crowned pigeons were abundant in the trees as they foraged for various fruits and insects. Yellow throated and palm warblers were foraging in the trees, fattening up and getting energy to continue the final push on their migration to the eastern United States. These tiny songbirds make one of the longest and most impressive migrations of any bird species, migrating from the Amazon rainforest to the boreal of forests of Canada. They cross over miles of open water, often going multiple days without food on their migration northwards.
As we circled around to the backside of the woods I spotted one of the animals I had been hoping to see most, the endemic Bahamian racer (Cubophis vudii vudii). It was probably out and about hunting for lizards. Bahamian racers are primarily reptile predators and use their exceptional speed to run potential prey items down. Unfortunately, it escaped before I could get a photo. We decided to keep walking and made a couple passes trying to spot them again to no avail. On one of the passes we also saw a native Cope’s least gecko (Sphaerodactylus copei) that ran down into a crevice. Sphaerodactylus is an unusual genus of tiny, diurnal geckos that are widespread in the Caribbean and have diversified into a myriad of forms. Additionally, Lucas spotted a Caribbean giant centipede (Scolopendra alternans) under a rock. On our last pass looking for the Bahamian racer, we got incredibly lucky. A group of wildlife officials came out with a bag and put it on the ground. I saw something moving out of it and approached to see what it was. It was the rare and threatened Bahamian boa (Chilabothrus strigilatus), the only true boa on Nassau and the largest native carnivore still found on the islands. The people were relocating them into the woodland as it had gotten into something it shouldn’t have on the grounds. I was able to snap some photos quickly before we had to leave and get back to the hotel and the boa slithered off back into the trees as we were leaving. The Bahamian boa had personally been the animal I most hoped to see, but did not expect to as the species is heavily threatened by persecution and development. Boas and other Bahamian snakes are harmless to people and extremely beneficial as they hunt the invasive rodents and birds and keep populations of lizards and other potential prey items in check. The Caribbean boas (genus Chilabothrus) have a fascinating evolutionary history, as they evolved from a single dispersal event to Cuba from South America around 30 million years ago. Most Greater Antillean and Bahamian islands have their own endemic boa species that are usually only found in one or two other islands and represent an impressive adaptive radiation of the lineage across their range. The Bahamian boa proper (Chilabothrus strigilatus strigilatus), along with the Bimini boa, is the largest of the Bahamian snakes, reaching over two meters in length and is found on Grand Bahama, Andros Island, Eleuthera Island, Long Island, Rose Island, Exuma Cay, and New Providence. Among the Caribbean boas, only the Hispaniolan boa and Cuban boa grow larger.
After we returned to the hotel grounds and ate dinner, I continued to search for wildlife on the hotel grounds. My classmates and I spotted some bark and brown anoles roaming around after dark. The lights of the hotel allowed these normally diurnal lizards to hunt for insects around the pool and buildings. Additionally, Isabel pointed out a little tropical house gecko that had been roaming around one of the lights, picking off insects that landed around it. In my first pass looking for animals on the backside of the hotel, I stumbled across a large group of greenhouse frogs foraging amongst the introduced banana trees. Greenhouse frogs, like other members of their genus, are unusual in that they do not have a tadpole stage. Instead they start off life as miniature versions of the adults. As I continued to walk around, I observed a Cuban tree frog sitting on one of the electrical boxes. Despite their name, Cuban tree frogs are also native to the Bahamas. These tree frogs are some of the largest native tree frogs in North America, reaching over of 12 cm in length. Like other frogs, they eat whatever they can fit in their mouth such as insects, arachnids, other frogs and small lizards.
Here is a complete herp list of the day:
1. Brown anole (Anolis sagrei)
2. Bark anole (Anolis distichus)
3. Jamaican slider (Trachemys terrapen)
4. Bahaman racer (Cubophis vudii vudii)
5. Cope’s least gecko (Sphaerodactylus copei)
6. Bahaman boa (Chilabothrus strigilatus strigilatus)
7. Tropical house gecko (I) (Hemidactylus mabouia)
8. Greenhouse frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris)
9. Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis)
-Contributed by Rex
Photo credit: Rex
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