Fauna of the DR

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IslandDreaming

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May 5, 2007
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I was just following the thread about protection of the giant sea turtle in DR and got thinking; What animals have people actually seen in the DR? Not bugs, but reptiles, amphibians and mammals

Wiki lists a pitiful few for the entire country and I was interested in what members have actually encountered

About the only thing specific I have encountered is the Giant Iguanas and American Crocodiles in south west
 
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william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Flamingos - at la Entrada last year after a huge storm.... very orange.

Sea turtles are on many menus - last I heard.
Turtle soup is big in Philadelphia... maybe they're the slimy pond variety
 
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Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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There are very few native mammals - the solenodon and the hut?a. The huron (ferret) is an introduced species.
 
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Sam Wilson

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Nov 3, 2012
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Here out east, I see a few birds.. not much.... The small swallow looking birds that live in the thatch roofs.. Grouse that U see on the resort golf courses....The Mocking looking birds, but brown.... But like you , I am surprised to see no animals etc. around.... Well Feral cats....
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i have encountered two turtles in costambar.
countless huron.
lots of really pretty birds, we have few nests on our coconut trees.
iguana in tres ojos.
lots of different lizards.

that's about it. the rest is a variety of bugs.
 
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PeterInBrat

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May 29, 2006
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The DR is actually a hot spot for ecologists because of the little Anole lizards you can see on almost every tree. There are around 30 species on the island altogether with as many as 7 species in one tree. Cuba has about the same number of anole species, but they came to Cuba from the Yucatan while the Dominican lizards came up by "island hopping" from the lesser Antilles. So there was one founder species in the DR and another in Cuba, but they evolved into many species that are alike because the environments are alike.

89690984.jpg


Anolis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
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dv8

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yeah, we have those ones too. occasionally i find one of them dead inside my shoe, and offering from fatso, our cat.

and i forgot frogs and toads, plenty of them, inside and outside the house.
 
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Expat13

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Jun 7, 2008
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Good question, Im always surprised when I go to Costa Rica then back. The vast difference of animal life they have, and the DR not so much. Example;

CR- Parrots, Toucans, Monkeys, crocodiles, amazing varieties of tropical birds.

Then the DR A "TROPICAL PARADISE"- Pigeons, crows, rats, street dogs, geckos, sankies,.....

When I asked the question years ago why cant monkeys survive on this island. A Dominican told me that caught, cooked and ate them a long time ago.
 
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PeterInBrat

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May 29, 2006
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The DR is also home to the world's smallest gecko. I found one in my bathroom once hunting gnats and swishing its tail like a cat about to get a mouse.

_1689313_gecko300.jpg
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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island, i do not think there were any large animals here ever.

and yeah, anything that can be eaten has been wiped out. i do not even see many stray cats, apart from the two we partially adopted: mother cat who lives with us following birth and father cat who hangs around but he lost one eye already... usually cats, if they can be caught, are eaten as well. and occasionally dogs as well.
 
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dv8

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PeterInBrat said:
The DR is also home to the world's smallest gecko. I found one in my bathroom once hunting gnats and swishing its tail like a cat about to get a mouse.
Click to expand...

here's one from our kitchen, you can see he has shed his tail and grew it back.

292tlcx.jpg


the small ones are pretty cook but the larger ones bite. when i see fatso try to hunt them i join the chase, catch the bugger and release. have been bitten countless times :)
 
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PeterInBrat

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May 29, 2006
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As for birds, I've seen plenty of hummingbirds, a "nectar thief" bird, Dominican Woodpecker, various egrets and herons, and cute little parrots. This little guy was in a beach bar in Sosua:


6300_1210034528511_5071573_n.jpg
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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there is lots of birds in costambar. unfortunately i do not know what kind, they all have beaks and wings and look kinda similar. a dude next door to us has fat white pigeons. we make bird rescue team. whenever we walk dogs and find a sick bird i bring it over the that guy and he nurses then back to health. four saved birdies so far :)
 
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CocoBoy

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Feb 23, 2012
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Fauna Around Our Property

At our place:

Birds:
Many species of birds. Those that I have been able to identify are- hummingbirds of many sizes, Hispaniolan Woodpeckers, Hispaniolan Lizard- Cuckoos, Broad-billed Todys, Guineafowl, egrets, ground doves, to very occasional small groups of parrots

Reptiles and amphibians:
Many frogs, lizards and geckos. Snakes including small black snakes, green tree snakes and Hispaniolan boas both brown and rosy pink which are beautiful.

Mammals:
On rare occasions a mongoose darting across the road.

We are happy with the fauna that has surrounded us for the years spent here.
 
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