INDEX | Friday December 17, 2021 | |
Wildlife in the Caribbean
You may think of the Caymans as a tax haven but it is really a wildlife paradise. There is something amazing in every crevice, crawling along walls or flying just out of reach. If Narnia exists on Earth it is here. Yesterday I saw a Green Anole lizard, which is an amazing thing since it appears to be able to change its skin colours, enhancing the spots on its back. I didn't know lizards could do that. | ||
Geckos and lizards are not uncommon here and it is probably impossible to walk a few yards away from the flat without coming across two or three.
But the Green Anole is something special since it has a large red pouch on its throat which it can expand, presumably to warn off predators. In addition to the lizards I also saw a frigate bird flying over George Town. These are genuinely amazing. When they fly they look like those models of Archaeopteryx you sometimes see on documentaries. I have also seen a frog (on the beach), lots of terrapins, loads of snakes (most impressively the Caymans Racing Snake), hermit crabs, a green Iguana (considered a pest round here) and, of course, this rather exotic snail. I have only photographed the snail, despite the fact that the frigate bird flew above my head seemingly begging me to photograph it, since I have no telephoto lens. But I could get the snail. | ||
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Friday December 17, 2021 Jonathan Brind |