Flowers, Plants and Animals – Saint Kitts & Nevis Wildlife
Saint Kitts and Nevis are home to a large variety of bird species, including the commonly seen pelican, frigate bird, egret, martin, various thrashers and finches, as well as a few species of bird-of-prey and hummingbirds. Deer and mongoose were brought to the island, and while the deer population is low, they are managing to survive in the wild. Mongoose are thriving in the rainforest. That said, there are still a few small (non venomous) snakes on the island, along with rodents and a number of species of bats. Of course there’s frogs, toads, turtles, geckos and iguanas on St.Kitts as well. The islands are covered with palm, silk, gum and even some pine trees, and in the denser portions of the forests, they are all usually covered in wild orchids, candlewoods, ferns and exotic vines. The Poinciana (Flamboyant) tree provides the national flower of St. Kitts & Nevis. There are a large variety of fruit trees on the island as well. Palmettos, bougainvillea, hibiscus, and tamarind are also common.
The island is well known for its African Green (Vervet) monkeys, which were brought to Saint Kitts in the 17th century. Monkeys are not a common site in the Caribbean, although now the monkey population of St. Kitts and Nevis rivals that of its human counterpart.
There are coral reefs off the shores of the islands, along with shipwrecks that provide an ideal habitant for a large variety and abundance of marine life. There are 18 official dive sites around St. Kitts and Nevis, where you can see a variety of corals, fans and sponges, along with creole wrasse, lizardfish, squirrelfish, triggerfish, angelfish, barracuda, grouper, chub and snapper, along with turtles, lobsters and eels. Whales and dolphins can also be seen not too far from the coast of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
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