Fauna of Puerto Rico

We profile several types of animals found in Puerto Rico. Not your typical biology lesson! 
Learn about the Coquí, the tiny beloved frog who serves as the island's unofficial national symbol.
Hear the colorful story the Taínos told to explain why owls are nocturnal.
Listen to Yovany, the arachnophobe, discuss the tarantula in great and gory detail!

Hablamos de varios tipos de animales encontrados en Puerto Rico. ¡Esta no es su típica lección de biología!
Aprende sobre el Coquí, la pequeña amada rana que sirve como símbolo nacional no oficial de la isla.
Escuche el cuento bonito que los Taínos compartian para explicar por qué los múcaros son nocturnos.
¡Escuche a Yovany, la aracnofóbica, hablar sobre la tarántula con gran y sangriento detalle!

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Big thanks to Santos Cornier for composing our intro and outro music. Check out his music here: / Muchas gracias a Santos Cornier por componer nuestra música de intro and outro. Escuche su musica aqui:

https://www.reverbnation.com/santoscornier?fbclid=IwAR1_flS4Dy8i9t6JFhrCkzW220URLKJMVPfndmi0wl7idlA82ECx6Q-wW2Q

Thanks also to the following sites for music and sound effects:
https://pixabay.com/users/dmassaiii-42247146/
https://freepd.com/
https://pixabay.com/
https://freesound.org/
https://www.fesliyanstudios.com/

Transcript

There are many kinds of animals in Puerto Rico, some native or endemic, some introduced by outside parties one way or another through the centuries, such as either from the European settlers bringing animals on their ships, to travelers accidentally bringing something in their luggage. As for endemic species, those appear to be mostly spiders, birds and frogs, with some snakes and lizards. We’re just gonna highlight a few of the critters that call PR home regardless of how they arrived, because you might see them on a trip! Don’t worry, if you’ve listened to us before, you know this isn’t going to be an overly intellectual lecture or anything! 

First, here’s a little interesting geographic history of the island. Borinquen (Puerto Rico) was formed over 200 million years ago during the Triassic period (the Triassic period began after planet Earth’s worst extinction event, known as “The Great Dying.”).  Anyway, Volcanic activity at the time caused the island to just “thrust” out of the Caribbean Sea.  Since there was no land bridge, no connection if you will, to get to any other land, any animals that arrived on the island got there either by swimming, floating or flying.  These animals, then, tended to be smaller than ones found on other continents. 

Amphibians: 
Coqui

Giant Toad (aka Bufo Marinus). This thing can grow to 6.8 inches long.  It is a brownish olive color and is covered in warts.  It is not endemic to Puerto Rico; Giant Toads are native to South and Central America and were brought to the sugar cane plantations in the 1930s to help control beetle pests.  They now hang out near still or slow-moving water. Here are some interesting facts about Giant Toads: 
*Besides beetles, they eat ants, earwigs, dragonflies, grasshoppers, truebugs, crustaceans, gastropods, plant matter and even dog and cat food.
*They possess a poison, called bufotoxins, that they can shoot out in self-defense. Probably won’t kill a human, but still…venom. Don’t try to kiss one or anything. 
*Male toads reproduce year-round and spend a lot of their free time calling for mates. Sound familiar? Males are able to reproduce as both a male and a female toad because they have a - quote: “rudimentary ovary that becomes operative if their testes are removed or damaged.”  

Birds (the following are all endemic to Puerto Rico):
Iguaca (pronounced ee-gua-KA): the Puerto Rican Parrot, aka Puerto Rican Amazon. This colorful bird, which is the only native parrot in the US, is unfortunately endangered, and conservation efforts have been underway since the 1970s.  It is green with red and blue accents and measures about a foot long,
Zumbadorcito – that sounds like a little dancing bird! The Puerto Rican Emerald: a tiny hummingbird with bright green feathers.  They’re 3 and a half to 4 inches long and weigh 0.1 ounces.  They eat insects and they love to eat the nectar inside of red flowers. They’re also very territorial. 
Green Mango – Latin name, Anthracothorax viridis.  This is a species of hummingbird found in the mountains, especially around coffee plantations. Their feathers are gorgeous: they can be dark green, dark blue, purple and black.  So we were curious as to why it’s called a “mango” bird. Turns out it has nothing to do with mangoes.  Very long story short: it was mislabeled by an alleged bird expert in the 1700s.  He mixed up our bird with a bird from India which actually WAS associated with mangoes.  If you’re curious as to the full details, the links to the articles will be in the show notes! 
Carpintero: Puerto Rican woodpecker:  this bird is black and white with red feathers and is around 9-10 inches long. It has quite a diverse palette, eating fruits, insects, larvae, spiders, frogs, and lizards. They fly in a roller coaster type pattern (known as “undulating”).  It’s also loud, in bird terms. Link to a brief video in the show notes!
Puerto Rican Owl:  SQUEEEEEEE!! In Spanish, this is called a múcaro, which means “eagle of the night” in the Taino native language. Another common name is the Puerto Rican bare-legged owl, because it does not have feathers on its legs, which is unusual for an owl. This adorable little nocturnal predator is 9 to 10 inches long, weighs between 3 ½ to 6 ounces and has a wingspan between 61 and 67 inches (over 5 feet!!).  It is grayish brown in color, with some white, and, notably, has no ear tufts. It has brown eyes and a greenish-yellow beak, and feasts on insects and small mammals. Its hoot sounds like a phone ringing (we will link to that in the show notes!).  After the breeding period, the female lays 2 to 3 white eggs. During the incubation period, the male owl feeds the female owl that he knocked up.  As a good partner should. 
Owls have fascinated people around the world for centuries, and as a result there’s a lot of folklore and myths around owls.  One belief was that eating the freshly cooked heart of the Puerto Rican owl would cure asthma. Taínos (and other cultures) believed that the owl was bad luck and seeing one nearby meant death. For the Taínos, the múcaro symbolized a god called Maquetaurie Guayaba, the god of death and the divine world (for more on Taíno culture, check out episode 2, “The Taínos”).  They also gave the owl mythical and otherworldly attributes. For example, the behiques, who were the witch doctors or medicine men, would follow the “cosmic flight” of the owl, which would allow them to enter the realm of the deceased, communicate with the spirits, and rescue the soul of an ailing person.  
We also came across an old Taíno story about the owl and why it comes out only at night while other birds are sleeping.  Once upon a time in Puerto Rico, the animal kingdom would regularly throw huge parties for themselves in the forest.  They took turns organizing and divvying up responsibilities.  When it was the birds’ turn, the red-tailed hawk – called guaraguao in native language – went around to everyone’s lair personally delivering the party invites (this was before Eventbrite. Ahem. Sorry.).  When she got to the owl’s abode, she was shocked to find him naked.  She tried to act natural but then couldn’t help herself and pointed out the obvious.  He was all sad and dejected and said he didn’t own one piece of clothing and therefore could not go to the party.  The guaraguao politely left, then called an emergency bird meeting to figure out how to help their friend.  They decided each one would pluck one feather from their chest and then lend them all to the owl so he could make a nice outfit out of all those colorful feathers and show up styling at the party.  The only condition was he had to return the feathers at the end of the party. 
The owl was overjoyed and made himself a beautiful jacket.  He looked very snazzy and was a huge hit at the party and had the best night ever! At the end of the evening, he didn’t wanna give it up, so when no one was looking, he snuck out and flew far away, deep into the forest.  Of course, soon enough the other birds started to notice the owl – and their feathers – were gone.  They gave him the benefit of the doubt.  But time passed and he did not return.  Some birds went looking for him but never found him. To this day the owl with the bright beautiful stolen jacket has never been found.  

Reptiles:
Puerto Rican Boa Constrictor, nicknamed culebrón, is the biggest snake native to the island. Its average size is 6 to 7 feet long. They are tan to dark brown in color, and their cuisine, which they do not bother to chew, consists of lizards, birds, rats, mice, and bats.  They do not need to be poisonous as their sheer size and strength allows them to simply choke their prey to death.
Puerto Rican Racer snake is the 2nd largest snake native to PR.  In Spanish it’s called the Culebra Corredora.  It’s 3 feet long and mainly brown. It’s aggressive and poisonous and enjoys dining on small lizards and coquis (sorry!!!).  
Emerald Anole (rhymes with “cannoli”):  This is a tiny, bright green lizard that hangs out on palm tree trunks and bamboo stems. It is also food for the Puerto Rican Racer snake. They’re only 2.75 inches long. And, you know that skin that lizards have that hangs under the jaw or neck? That is called a dewlap (word of the day!) and in emerald anoles it is yellow and brown and is extended when they’re defending their territory. Also, anoles can change their color from green to dark brown when excited. 
Mona Ground Iguana:  these are endemic to Mona Island, Puerto Rico. Just in case you didn’t know - which is OK! - Puerto Rico is an archipelago made up of the main island and 143 other smaller islands. Mona Island is the 3rd largest of all these. OK so the MGI is the largest native terrestrial lizard in Puerto Rico. It sounds like a hippy:  it lives underground, like in caves, eats mostly fruits and plants, and likes to bask in the sunlight. 

Mammals:
Bats:  murciélago in Spanish: Per puertoricoactivities.com, bats are the only native land mammals that survive in Puerto Rico today.  The names of some of the local bats are creative:
Antillean fruit bat
Antillean ghost-faced bat
Big brown bat
Brazilian free-tailed bat
Greater Antillean long-tongued bat
Red bat
Red fig-eating at
Sooty mustached bat
Velvety free-tailed bat
Not surprisingly, the bats live in caves and sleep during the day. They eat insects, fruits, and nectar. No, they will not fly into your hair. And while we’re at it, we’ll dispel a few more myths:  most bats do not have rabies, bad eyesight, or a thirst for blood.  
Small Indian Mongoose:  pequeña mangosta india in Spanish: This creature is grayish brown, skinny with a long tail, and can weigh up to 30 pounds. Its face looks kind of like a rat. It eats insects, snakes, frogs (watch out, giant toad!), birds, smaller mammals, and fruit. Unlike bats, most mongooses DO have rabies. Fun fact: the mongoose was brought to Puerto Rico in 1877, from Asia actually, from the Malay Peninsula, in order to get rid of the Black rat population, which was destroying the sugar cane plantations.  Ironically, the rats themselves were not native to Puerto Rico either.  They came with Columbus and all the other Spanish ships during the Age of Exploration! 
Dogs: There are many dogs in Puerto Rico, from wild to domesticated, but the Puerto Rican Mastiff – in Spanish the Gran Mastin de Borinquen - is the only breed native to Puerto Rico. Other names for this extremely strong but rare dog are Mastín Borincano, Becerillo de Borinquen and Perro Barsino de Hacienda.  They came about in the 1500s after native and Spanish dogs were crossbred.  They are fighters and hunters and have always made good guard dogs.  They even seem Puerto Rican!  They’re strong, intelligent, their coat can be black, white or brownish, and they have brown eyes.  They definitely look like they can kick your ass. Unfortunately, the Spanish took advantage of their loyal and fierce nature to use them not just to protect their estates, but to attack and kill runaway slaves. Anyone looking to own a Mastín Borincano should know that because of their loyal and aggressive nature, they have a propensity to attack without warning anyone they perceive as a threat to their master.  

Crustaceans:
Puerto Rican Sand Crab is native to PR:  they’re tiny, they live at the beach, they blend in with the sand (they’re like brownish yellowish grayish). They eat plankton and not much else, some other marine stuff.  

Invertebrates:
Tree snail:  I didn’t think I’d have much to say about a snail but apparently that’s not the case. This is your average-looking yet larger snail, with a shell that’s 3 to 4 inches in diameter. It has 2 pairs of tentacles on its head.  The longer pair is for seeing, and the smaller ones are for feeling and smelling. Snails eat both live and dead leaves, fungi, algae and flowers.  Its favorite food is the heliconia plant. This species of snail is “hermaphroditic” – meaning, of course, that it is both male and female, and we will leave it at that.  
Flannel moths: plumilla in Spanish. These rare, winged creatures are stout-bodied, brown or cream-colored, and very hairy.  They like to hang out around the plants and flowers by the Palo Colorado Visitors Center in El Yunque.  I add this as a warning. If they sting you, you’ll feel it for a couple days. It can cause skin irritation and nausea.  
The Common Puerto Rican Brown Tarantula, aka Puerto Rican Pygmy Tarantula, Araña Pelúa (Puerto Rican slang), or, more scientifically the Latin Cyrtopholis portoricae. This spider is native to La Isla Del Encanto. They produce silk, but not for web-making. They use it to “line their lairs and create egg-sacs.”   So, what do they look like?  They are dark brown, between 3 and 5 inches long (including the leg span), and weigh between 1 and 1.5 ounces. They are covered with 2 types of hair: body hair, called setae, which is short and shiny; and irritating, barbed abdomen hairs which they use for self-defense. They can actually launch these hairs into the air using their legs. Also, because they are nearly blind, they have another type of hair that helps them sense the location of a nearby victim just from the vibrations of its movement.  The piece de resistance is their long, black fangs which they use to inject venom into their prey – typically insects and occasionally small animals such as frogs.  Just stay away. They’re nocturnal anyway but still, just…stay away. 

SOURCES:
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Amphibians/Puerto-Rican-Coqui#:~:text=Its%20scientific%20genus%20name%E2%80%94Eleutherodactylus,cling%20to%20trees%20and%20leaves.
Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore by The Mars Volta:  https://youtu.be/1ekQWISrSxE
Todo Me Recuerda a Ti by Pedro Capó:  https://youtu.be/vu2KZ-2RF4A
Coqui calling:  https://youtu.be/5eFvjgMP-LU
Coqui: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coqu%C3%AD
https://www.callalookids.com/callaloo-the-legend-of-the-golden-coqui/
https://puertoricoactivities.com/blog/el-yunque-national-forest-animals/
Carpintero (Woodpecker) sound: https://youtu.be/wYJ8ihnE_rc
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/elyunque/learning/nature-science/?cid=fsbdev3_042978
https://wagwalking.com/breed/gran-mastin-de-borinquen
https://batwatch.ca/bat-myths#:~:text=Bats%20will%20fly%20into%20your,in%20flying%20into%20your%20hair. 
http://www.tracyaviaryconservation.org/s/Cuentos-Folkloricos-Mucaro-English-Transcript.pdf
https://tainomuseum.org/portfolio-view/wood-container/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rican_owl
https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/184/Puerto-Rican-Owl
https://youtu.be/0j5HY92LPBo (hooting owl)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rican_sand_crab
https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/92/Green-Mango
https://medium.com/creatures/why-some-hummingbirds-are-mangos-fa6c3aecb220
https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/21899
vz_Jamaican_mango.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_ground_iguana
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Was_an_Old_Lady_Who_Swallowed_a_Fly