Las Bocas Canyon (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Cañón Las Bocas'') is a steep gorge formed by the Frío River (''Río Frío'') and numerous other creeks, primarily the Hondo River (''Río Hondo'') and the Grande Creek (''Quebrada Grande'') located in the

Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands. Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges: * Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America ** ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

, between the municipalities of

Barranquitas Barranquitas (, ) is a small mountain town and municipality located in the Cordillera Central region of Puerto Rico, south of Corozal and Naranjito; north of Coamo and Aibonito; west of Comerío and Cidra; and east of Orocovis. Barranquita ...

and Comerío. The canyon is notable for its untouched forests and the large population of kapok (''

Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety ''C. pentandr ...

''). The canyon, along with San Cristóbal Canyon, its larger southern neighbor, form part of the La Plata River basin.

Protection

The canyon is protected as Las Bocas Canyon Protected Natural Area and Nature Reserve (''Área Natural Protegida y Reserva Natural Cañón Las Bocas''), a 1,170.98-acre (1,205.68 cuerdas) tract of land created through the Las Bocas Canyon Natural Reserve Committee (''Comité Pro Reserva Natural Cañón Las Bocas'') across the Quebradillas and

Quebrada Grande Quebrada Grande is a barrio in the municipality of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,217. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 a ...

barrios of Barranquitas and the Río Hondo and Palomas barrios of Comerío. Las Bocas is currently threatened geologically by nearby uncontrolled urban and hydrological developments, particularly due to its proximity to Comerío Pueblo, and ecologically by the use of pesticides in the agriculture of nearby Barranquitas. Organizations such as

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who be ...

often offer guided hiking tours into the canyon.

Flora and fauna

The canyon is famous for its ''ceibas'' or kapoks, one of which is ''La Ceiba Acostada'', famous for its F-shape and for its age, estimated to be at least 300 years old. In addition to the famous ''ceibas'', the plant population of the canyon includes those common in both

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

and

secondary forests A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...

of the Cordillera Central such as the moca (''

Andira inermis ''Andira inermis'' is a nitrogen-fixing tree native to the area from southern Mexico through Central America to northern South America (Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil); it has been introduced to the Caribbean, the Antilles, Florida, and Africa. Th ...

''), bucayo (''

Erythrina fusca ''Erythrina fusca'' is a species of flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is known by many common names, including purple coraltree, gallito, bois immortelle, bucayo, and the more ambiguous "bucare" and "coral bean". ''E. fusca'' ...

''), yagrumo macho (''

Didymopanax morototoni ''Schefflera morototoni'' (yagrumo macho; syn. ''Didymopanax morototoni'' ( Aubl.) Decne. & Planch., ''Didymopanax morototoni'' var. ''angustipetalum'' March; ''Panax morototoni'' Aublet; ''Sciadophyllum paniculatum'' Britton ) is a timber tre ...

'') and yagrumo hembra (''

Cecropia peltata ''Cecropia peltata'' is a fast-growing tree in the genus ''Cecropia''. Common names include trumpet tree, trumpet-bush, bacano and snakewood. It is listed as one of the world's 100 worst invasive alien species. Description ''Cecropia peltata'' ...

''). The area is considered a "natural aviary" due to its high diversity of birds, and it also contains one of the highest population densities of the Puerto Rican boa ('' Chilabothrus inornatus''), particularly along the area of ''Piedra Blanca'' and the steeper cliffs of the canyon where they feed on bats and smaller reptiles. Another natural feature of the canyon is its natural bioluminescence, found in the form of

bioluminescent fungi Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some bi ...

and the luminous click beetle or ''cucubano'' (''

Ignelater luminosus ''Ignelater luminosus'', known as the cucubano, is a species of click beetle native to the island of Puerto Rico. Cucubanos are often confused with fireflies, which are in a different family (Lampyridae), as they can also emit light from the thor ...

'').

References

{{coord missing, Puerto Rico Barranquitas, Puerto Rico Canyons and gorges of the United States Comerío, Puerto Rico Geography of Puerto Rico

Protection

Flora and fauna

See also

References