Reports from the Field: More Bahamian Animals

As you can see from the photo above, the kids recently attended another morning of school at Black Point Settlement.

Now that we've returned to the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park, they're back at work learning about the animals of the Bahamas. Here's a look at some of their latest research work.

Nassau Grouper, by Drew
The Nassau Grouper is a very distinct fish. It has a big mouth and gills and dark black stripes on its sides. It ranges in size from about 1-4 feet and about a maximum of 30 pounds. Nassau Groupers live in coral reefs and probably don't live in water deeper than 120 feet. They eat lobster, crabs, shrimp and more.

The threats to the Nassau Grouper is mostly man because man is over fishing them. The Bahamas is helping the Nassau Grouper by restricting fishing seasons and the size you can catch. They also make parks, santuaries and reserves where fishing is illegal.

The Rock Iguana, by Jake
Rock Iguanas are brown and grow up to two-three feet, but in Andros they're 5-6 feet. Young iguanas eat plants and insects, then later eat plants, fruits and flowers - this equals herbivores and they don't drink!

Iguanas are like turtles because they lay eggs in the sand. They like dry places that are sandy and they love dark places like caves and holes in limestone where they can get some shade.

On Andros, wild dogs which are called potcakes are a threat to iguanas and so are hurricanes. One way iguanas protect themselves is that if you grab an iguana, its tail will come off then they grow a new one.

The Loggerhead Turtle, by Emily
A Loggerhead Turtle got its name by fisher men. They thought they were floating logs. They have a heart shaped shell and can weigh up to 230 pounds! They are meat eaters - carnivors.

A mommy turtle can lay 100 eggs then she covers them in sand and leves forever. The eggs on top in warm sand turn into girls and the eggs on the botom (cold sand) turn into boys.

Polution, poachers and sharks, crabs and potcakes (dogs) are threats to turtles. In the Bahamas you can't take turtle eggs, but you can still hunts turtles during a season. I think it is rong to hunt turtles and I wish they did not do this.