Animal Life
Cuba is home to more than 13,000 different species
of land animals. The crocodiles have become almost completely extinct
and are mainly confined to a special farm on the Zapata peninsula.
Ornithologists have counted 300 species of birds on the island. The
white heron, which lives in symbiosis with cattle, can be found everywhere
on the island. In the countryside you can also come across the black
heron, a scavenger that is a protected species.
The tocororo, whose plumage shows the colors of the Cuban flag: red,
white and blue, is regarded as the national bird of Cuba. It is a symbol
of the desire for freedom because it dies in captivity.
In Cuba, the smallest members of a number of species can be found. Among
these are the Cuban dwarf frog, the almiqui, an insectivore with a long
snout, which is the smallest known mammal in the world, and the zunzunzito,
the smallest bird in the world and a distant relative of our canary.
There are no poisonous snakes or spiders. Annoying, however, are the
myriad mosquitoes in the swamps.
Sea life seems to be just as diverse as life ashore. Apart from corals,
mussels, and snails, divers can admire some 900 species of fish, half
of which are edible.
The lack of industrialisation has the advantage that pollution is not
as severe as in other countries. However, the introduction of milk cartons
and coke and beer cans has led to a modern waste problem in Cuba as
well.
History
