36
VERTEBRATE ANIMALS
Amphibians
Biodiversity
VERTEBRATES
El Yunque harbors 164 vertebrate species, of which 157 are terrestrial and 7 are aquatic. 7
Birds
107
61 resident (54 native & 7 introduced) + 46 migratory
19
1 endemic + 18 natives 11 lizards + 3 geckos (1 introduced) + 5 snakes
Mammals
16
11 native bats + 5 introduced species
Amphibians
15
14 native frogs (13 endemic) + 1 introduced
Reptiles
Fish
Photo by Gary Potts
NUMBER OF DESCRIPTION 3 SPECIES
7
0
5 km
0
10
0
13
0
20
0
69
Mammals
6 native + 1 introduced
El Yunque National Forest is home to many plants and animals, including endangered and endemic species—species only found in Puerto Rico or the Caribbean region. These maps show the species richness of Puerto Rico’s and El Yunque National Forest’s vertebrate land animals. Species richness refers to the number of different kinds of animals or plants that call a place home. The species richness maps were created by modelling the habitats— natural home environment—of 202 vertebrate land animals that live in all of Puerto Rico, including 18 amphibians, 123 birds, 14 mammals, and 47 reptiles. 41
Reptiles
Species richness of vertebrate land animals 41
´
Birds
Number of species El Yunque National Forest
0
90
FOREST FACT: Snakes are common but rarely seen in El Yunque; the largest is the Puerto Rican Boa, which can grow up to 90 inches (2.25 meters). The forest is a wildlife refuge and hunting is not allowed.