Trinidad and Tobago

América del Norte

222

Documented species

Parks and reserves

Dive sites

Explore on the map

Interactive map

Trinidad and Tobago are continental islands: they were joined to South America until very recently in geological terms, and for that reason their fauna is not the typical Caribbean island fauna but a reduced version of the mainland's, with almost a hundred mammal species and more than four hundred and eighty birds in a very small territory. The Northern Range of Trinidad keeps rainforest and cloud forest, and the Caroni swamp, a maze of mangroves beside Port of Spain, serves as a roost for the scarlet ibis. Tobago, smaller and of different origin, holds the oldest protected forest reserve in the western hemisphere, created in 1776, and well-preserved coral reefs. Grande Riviere beach is one of the densest leatherback turtle nesting sites in the world.

The nature of Trinidad and Tobago

National animal: The scarlet ibis and the cocrico are the two national birds, both represented on the country's coat of arms

Did you know?

In Dunston cave, in the Arima valley, lives a colony of oilbirds, nocturnal fruit-eating birds that nest in caverns and find their way in total darkness by echolocation, emitting clicks audible to the human ear. They are the only birds in the world that combine a fruit diet, nocturnal habits and echolocation, a rarity that makes them a permanent case study.

Biodiversity profile

Caribe (Antillas Menores, extremo sur, plataforma continental sudamericana)Dato no disponible con precision agregada nacional en fuentes verificadas consultadas; la Reserva Main Ridge en Tobago es la reserva forestal protegida mas antigua del hemisferio occidental (declarada en 1776)

Climate

•Tropical con estacion seca (Aw), con estaciones humeda y seca bien diferenciadas, lluvia anual entre 1.200 y 3.500 mm

Main biomes

•Bosque tropical siempreverde estacional y semisiempreverde (biota similar a la de Sudamerica equatorial, a diferencia de otras islas de Barlovento)
•Bosque montano y elfin en las montañas del norte de Trinidad
•Sabanas y pantanos (Caroni, Nariva)
•Selva húmeda continental
•Manglar y pantano costero
•Bosque nuboso de montaña
•Arrecife de coral
•Playa de puesta de tortugas
•Bosque seco de Tobago
•Lago de asfalto

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•Pantano de Caroni (habitat clave del ibis escarlata)
•Pantano y zona costera de Nariva (sitio Ramsar)
•Arrecifes de coral y praderas marinas en el noreste de Tobago

Flagship wildlife

•Ibis escarlata (ave nacional)
•Guacharaca de Trinidad (pauji piping-guan, endemica)
•Colibri ermitaño
•Tití de cabeza blanca
•Guácharo
•Tortuga laúd
•Cocrico
•Mono capuchino
•Oso hormiguero sedoso
•Manatí del Caribe
•Boa constrictor
•Ocelote

Notable endemic species

•110 de aprox. 2.160 especies de plantas con flor son endemicas
•Guacharaca de Trinidad (Pipile pipile), ave endemica y en peligro, protegida en la Reserva Main Ridge
•Cotorra de Trinidad
•Rana dorada de Trinidad
•Colibrí de Tobago

Notable threatened species

•Guacharaca de Trinidad (En Peligro)
•Aprox. 63% del territorio de Trinidad esta cubierto de bosque, aunque con perdidas notables por tala de bosques de plantacion

Notable protected areas

•Main Ridge Forest Reserve (Tobago, reserva forestal mas antigua del hemisferio occidental)
•Pantano de Caroni (sitio de anidacion del ibis escarlata)
•Pantano y Zona Costera de Nariva (Ramsar)
•Reserva Forestal Principal de Tobago
•Playa de Grande Riviere
•Cueva de Dunston en Asa Wright
•Pantano de Nariva
•Arrecife de Buccoo

Main conservation threats

•Desarrollo urbano y costero acelerado en ambas islas
•Tala de bosques de plantacion dentro de la red de areas protegidas
•Cambio climatico, con estudios especificos que modelan su impacto sobre especies arboreas de alto valor de conservacion

Notable natural phenomena

•Trinidad se separo del continente sudamericano hace solo unos 1.500 años (geologicamente reciente), por lo que su biota refleja la de la Sudamerica equatorial mas que la de otras islas caribeñas

Conservation

The Tobago forest reserve, declared in 1776 to protect the island's rainfall, is regarded as the first protected area in the western hemisphere created on an explicitly ecological argument. Grande Riviere concentrates hundreds of leatherback turtles a night on a few hundred metres of beach at the peak of the season.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Caroni at dusk for the scarlet ibis coming in to roost. Grande Riviere between March and August for leatherback turtles. Asa Wright year-round for hummingbirds and oilbirds.

Sources: biodiversity.gov.tt - Trinidad and Tobago Biodiversity | BioDB.com - Trinidad & Tobago | ScienceDirect - Assessing protected area effectiveness Trinidad

Savanna Rainforest Mountain Grassland Ocean