Biodiversity of Trinidad

and Tobago

Presented By
David Boodoo
2009 July 31

Red Howler Monkey.Courtenay Roo

Trinidad and Tobagos

Mammalian Species

Approx. 100 species recorded including marine

mammals

32 terrestrial species
65 bats (Chiroptera)

Species also typical of South America just like the

avifauna and the wider neotropics
Nine orders and about 27 families are represented
Bats and rodents predominate
Rest of the mammalian group includes the
marsupials, edentates, a single armadillo, several
rodents, primates, a few carnivores, deer and
manatee.

Their Distribution

Most can be found distributed throughout the

island

Some owing to their habits have specific distribution e.g.

partially aquatic mammals frequent swamps or large
rivers (river otter, crab-eating raccoon)

Totally aquatic manatee frequent Nariva Swamp

Larger mammals in remote forest areas
Smaller mammals esp. rodents common in populated
areas e.g. mongoose, agouti

Conservation

Protection afforded under the Conservation of Wildlife

Act, Chapter 67:01

Protected Species not listed in the Schedules

Game animals Part I, Second Schedule (Oct-Feb open
season)
Vermin Third Schedule (private lands only)

Permit to keep protected mammals in captivity

required
State game licence required to hunt/catch/harvest
game animals
Export permit required under the COWA (WL/FD)
Import permit required under the Animal Diseases
and Health Act (Veterinary Division)
International trade regulated under the CITES
Convention via permits.

VB

False
VB

Game Animals

Agouti Dasyprocta leporina

Tatoo Dasypus novemcinctus
Deer Mazama americana
Lappe Agouti paca
Quenk Tayassu tajacu

Vermin

Noctilio leporinus
Bats (Chiroptera)
Mice and rats (Muridae & Cricetidae)
Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus)
Squirrels (Sciurus granatensis)
Manicou (Didelphis marsupialis)

Bats are they mammals

too?

Eleven bat species inhabit Trinidad's Tamana Caves.

Courtenay Rooks

Marine Mammals in
Trinidad and TobagoHistorical
Christopher Columbus
in the 15th century,

on entering the Gulf of Paria, called it the

Golfo de La Ballena, due to the number of
humpback whales he saw spouting there.
The Gulf of Paria was noted by whalers in
the late 1800s to be one of the best
locations in the North Atlantic to find
humpback whales esp. Jan to March
Commercial whaling from the 1820s to
early 1900s depleted the humpback whale
populations

Classification of West Indian

Manatee

Class Mammalia
Order Sirenia (Sea Cows)
Family Sirenidae
Genus Trichechus
Species manatus

Name: Trichechus manatus

Humpback Whale

Marine Mammals in
Trinidad and TobagoCurrent

Eleven species of cetacean have previously been reported from

Trinidad and Tobagos waters: (Romero et al 2002)

Brydes whale
Humpback whale
Gervais beaked whale
Orca
Shortfinned pilot whale
False killer whale
Tucuxi (Sotalia), bottlenose, rough-toothed, Atlantic and Pan-tropical
spotted dolphins

Sightings and acoustic detections of humpbacks off Trinidad and

Tobago in 2000, although there have been no records of large
whales in the Gulf of Paria in the 20th century
Bottlenose, pan-tropical spotted and spinner dolphins (Song of
the Whale:Jan March 2006)

Strandings

Strandings occur when marine mammals

swim or float into shore and become
"beached" or stuck in shallow water
Some identified causes have included
disease, parasite infestation, harmful
algal blooms, injuries due to ship strikes
or fishery entanglements, pollution
exposure, trauma, and starvation

Stranding Incidents in
Trinidad

At least 7 recorded strandings in Trinidad and 2 recorded

strandings in Tobago between 1987 and 2005
October 13, 1999 - 26 short-finned pilot whales stranded
on the Manzanilla Beach

14 made it back to sea

2004 40 ft. Brydes whale in La Brea

2004 - 3 rough-toothed dolphins at Culloden Bay, Tobago
200? 2 short-finned pilot whales stranded in Caroni
Swamp
Prior to this in the 70s humpback at Manzanilla and
other isolated cases.

Trinidad and Tobagos Avian

Species

A total of 433 species recorded

Range from the many (18) species of

hummingbird to the cave-dwelling Oilbird
(which uses echo-location to fly in the dark) and
the spectacular Scarlet Ibis
Species typical of South America

411 species in Trinidad (247 breeding; 140 migrants; 24

dubious)
210 species in Tobago (92 breeding; 97 migrants; 22 dubious)

The islands are within a few miles (10) of Venezuela

Trinidad geologically separated only recently from SA

Wide range of ecosystems: tropical forests,

savannas, swamps, coastal areas, mudflats,
secondary forests, offshore islands

Tobagos Birds
White-tailed Sabrewing

Tobago has only about half the

species of Trinidad, but 22 birds have
occurred only on the smaller island,
including 12 breeding species.

Probably connected to Trinidad a few

million years ago

Some of the smaller islands off

Tobago, such as Little Tobago , have
important seabird breeding colonies.
Red-billed tropicbird

Blue-winged Teal

Migrants

The resident breeding birds are augmented in the

northern winter by migrants from North America
e.g. Blue-winged Teal, Ruddy Turnstone

Trinidad situated on the main route of migrants

travelling south from NA via the chain of the Antilles

Some migrants also come north from southern SA

to escape the austral winter (spill over) e.g.
Greater Flamingo
Some species migrate out of T&T, leaving some
numbers behind e.g. Scarlet Ibis

Conservation

Protection afforded under the Conservation of Wildlife

Act, Chapter 67:01

Protected Species not listed in the Schedules

Waterfowl Part II, Second Schedule (Nov-Feb open season)
Cage Birds Part III, Second schedule (Oct-Feb) open season)
Vermin Third Schedule (private lands only)

Permit to keep protected birds in captivity required

State game licence required to hunt/catch/harvest
waterfowl & cage birds
Export permit required under the COWA (WL/FD)
Import permit required under the Animal Diseases
and Health Act (Veterinary Division)
International trade regulated under the CITES
Convention via permits.

Great Blue Heron

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Scarlet Ibis

West Indian Flamingos

Blue-crowned Motmot

Orange-winged Parrot
Red-capped Cardinal

Violaceous Trogon

Some Waterfowl Species

Black-bellied whistling duck

Fulvous whistling duck
Blue-winged teal
Common Moorhen Anhinga
Little Blue Heron
Plovers
Sandpipers

Cage Birds & Vermin

Bullfinch
Picoplat
Cravat
Ringneck
Chat/Nun
Parakeet
Semp
Cravat

Yellowtail/Cornbird

Green Parrot/Orangewinged Parrot

Classification of Southern
Lapwing

Class Aves (Birds)

Order Chadriiformes
Family Charadriidae (Plovers)
Genus Vanellus
Species chilensis

Name: Vanellus chilensis

Trinidad and Tobagos

Reptilian Species

Approx. 93 species recorded

including marine turtles
7 Families of Snakes

44 species of snakes in Trinidad

21 species of snakes in Tobago (3 only in
Tobago)

5 Families of Lizards

25 species in T&T

Trinidads Signature Species!

Leatherback Turtle Dermochelys coriacea

Conservation

Protection afforded under the Conservation of Wildlife

Act, Chapter 67:01

Protected Species not listed in the Schedules

Game animals Part I, Second Schedule (Oct-Feb open
season)
Vermin Third Schedule (private lands only)

Permit to keep protected species in captivity required

State game licence required to hunt/catch/harvest
game animals
Export permit required under the COWA (WL/FD)
Import permit required under the Animal Diseases
and Health Act (Veterinary Division)
International trade regulated under the CITES
Convention via permits e.g. boas

Eretmochelys imbricata

Geochelone denticulata

Game Animals

Iguana Iguana iguana

Matte Tupinambus negropunctatus
Caiman Caiman crocodilus

Vermin

2 species of coral snakes (red and yellow kill a

fellow)

Micrurus lemniscatus common coral snake

Micrurus circinalis large coral snake

2 species of mapipire snakes

Bothrops atrox - Mapepire balsain or Fer-delance

Lachesis muta muta - Mapepire zanana or
Bushmaster

Classification of Green
Iguana

Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Family Iguanidae
Genus Iguana
Species iguana

Name: Iguana iguana

Acknowledgements

Images from Internet sources

Researched by Nadra Nathai-Gyan

(Conservation Adviser, ZSTT)
Channel-billed Toucan

Thank you
Brydes whale