Fauna of the United States Virgin Islands

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St Thomas conure
(or brown-throated parakeet) lives throughout the Virgin Islands.

The fauna of the United States Virgin Islands consists of 144 species of birds, 22 species of mammals, 302 species of fish and 7 species of amphibians.

hogs, dogs and cats.[2]
: 302 

Sea mammals includes numerous species of whales, dolphins, orcas, and manatees. The islands’ only species of seal, the Caribbean monk seal, was deemed extinct in the early 1950s. Virgin Islands National Park and the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument are the two largest among many refugees for numerous species of wildlife. Some of the currently endangered animals includes the West Indian manatee, Virgin Islands tree boa (Epicrates monensis monensis), Saint Croix ground lizard, and the green sea turtle.[3]

The

Saint Croix macaw
.

Reptiles

Ruth Cay, Green Cay and Buck Island
.

The

tree lizard.[2]
: 303–304 

The Virgin Islands are also home to several non-venomous snake species, including the

blind snake (Typhlops richardii). While the green- and hawksbill turtles are found throughout the U.S.V.I., the leatherback turtle is mostly observed on Saint Croix, and in large aggregations around Sandy Point. The largest populations of hawksbill turtles however are found on Buck Island and the east end of Saint Croix.[5]
: 72 

Native lizards such as

geckos are easily observed from the Cas Cay Wildlife Sanctuary and Cas Cay Island, a tropical island a few miles south of Red Hook. The Cas Cay Wildlife Sanctuary is a part of the 680-acre Mangrove Lagoon Marine Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a protected area in eastern Saint Thomas with various native species.[5]
: 73–74 

Amphibians

Hispaniolan ditch frog
.

Amphibians in the U.S.V.I. include several species of frogs and toads, including the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Of the sixteen species once recorded on Puerto Rico, it is estimated that three species became extinct in the late 1900s.[5]
: 52 

Most of the amphibians in the U.S.V.I. are residents of freshwater lakes, streams and wetlands, including for instance the Mangrove Lagoon and Benner Bay Pond on Saint Thomas; the 500-acre Great Pond and the Creque Dam on Saint Croix; and the Reef Bay Waterfall- and Pool, Francis Bay Pond and Saltpond Bay on Saint John.

Land mammals

The greater bulldog bat is among the six bats that are native to the islands.

While there is an abundance of sea mammals, the only endemic land mammal found in the U.S.V.I. is the bat, in which there are six different species:

Brazilian free-tailed bat. Three of these are protected under the Virgin Islands Endangered and Indigenous Species Act of 1990.[2]
: 302–303 

Of the non-native mammals, the

feral hogs and dogs where introduced by natives during the Pre-Columbian era. European settlers later introduced domesticated species such as donkeys, sheep, goats, horses, chickens, cats, and also local pests such as the rat and the small Asian mongoose.[2]
: 302–303 

The small Asian mongoose has been blamed for numerous native extinctions and has reached a density of two animals per acre across the U.S. Virgin Islands.[5]: 92  While the small Asian mongoose was introduced in the 1800s to control rat populations, the white-tailed deer was imported for deer hunting purposes in the late 1700s and again through the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937.

Marine life

A Queen angelfish.

The waters off the United States Virgin Islands are among the most productive in the world and host a variety of marine mammals, fish, sea turtles, corals, seabirds and invertebrates. More than 500 fish species have been recorded in the waters surrounding the archipelago, including for instance

French grunt, filefish, goby, wahoo, Atlantic blue marlin, and hundreds of others.[2]
: 300–302 

The U.S.V.I is home to 386 square miles of

trumpet fish, angelfish, squid, sea turtles and octopus.[2]
: 300–302 

A Green sea turtle.

Among the larger marine mammals are species such as the endangered West Indian manatee and humpback whale, as well as sixteen other species of whales and dolphins, including the pantropical spotted dolphin, common bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Clymene dolphin, spinner dolphin, striped dolphin, rough-toothed dolphin, Risso's dolphin, melon-headed whale, pygmy killer whale, false killer whale, and the short-finned pilot whale.[5]: 82, 85 

Shark species include the

queen triggerfish and queen angelfish. Another island visited for its tropical fish- and bird life is Buck Island, a 19015-acre marine protected district, which offers great diversity of coral.[5]
: 82, 85 

The rocky Limestone Beach on

moray eels, octopus, parrotfish, palometa and mojarra.[5]: 71 [8]

Avifauna

Hispaniolan amazon.
Main article: List of birds of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Birds of the United States Virgin Islands include at minimum 144 species,

marsh hawk, sharp-shinned hawk and red-tailed hawk, and three species of falcons, including the American kestrel, merlin and peregrine falcon, as well as two species of owls, the Puerto Rican owl and the short-eared owl.[5]
: 75 

Virgin Islands Archipelago with more than 30,000 sooty terns and smaller populations of roseate terns, an endangered species, as well as brown noodies, bridled terns, low-crowned night herons, black-necked stilts and yellow warblers.[5]: 75  Another popular area for bird watching, particularly during winter time, is Francis Bay on Saint John, which is home to more than 160 species of birds.[7]
: 130 

See also

References

  1. U.S. National Park Service. Archived
    from the original on 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  2. ^
    ISBN 9781612383682
    .
  3. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
    . Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  4. ISBN 9781588436047
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 9781560448365
    .
  6. ^ Kman, Teri; Myers, Elizabeth (2008). Virgin Islands National Park, Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument: A Resource Assessment (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: National Parks Conservation Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  7. ^
    ISBN 9781892285126
    .
  8. PMID 36761789
    .
  9. U.S. National Park Service. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
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