Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas (Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve) is a
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
in Barrio
Canas Canas or Cañas may refer to:
Places
* Canas (Lycia), a town of ancient Lycia, now in Turkey
* Amatlán de Cañas, a municipality in Nayarit, Mexico
* Cañas Canton, in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica
* Cañas, Costa Rica, capital of the Cañas (ca ...
,
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...
. It consists of both a land area component as well as an offshore marine area. The land component has an area of while the marine component has an expanse of , for a total area of . The Reserve consists of mangrove
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...
known as Laguna Las Salinas, open water, and a century-old local community. The lagoon occupies and area of Ecological protection is managed and enforced by the
Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER) is the executive department of the government of Puerto Rico tasked with protecting, conserving, developing, and managing the natural and environmental resources in Pue ...
. Eight activities are allowed at the Reserve: scuba diving, boating, fishing, hiking, sun bathing, photography, bird watching and canoeing. Activities prohibited are: Camping, crabbing/trapping, horseback riding, water crafting, and hunting. Pets, ATVs, and fireplaces are also prohibited.
History
In 2001, the Puerto Rico Ornithology Society started promoting the conservation of the Las Cucharas area and proposed it as an Important Area for the Conservation of Birds. Then, during 2003–2004, the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
hydrology
Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is call ...
study of Laguna Las Salinas. In June 2004, the Integrated Planning Area of the Natural Patrimony Division of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico ( DRNA) issued a report on the natural value of the Punta Cucharas area. In 2008, Amigos de La Laguna (Friends of the Lagoon), a local concerned citizens group, issued a
press release
A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...
showing the impact that construction of the Gasoducto del Norte was to have on the
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...
. In August 2008, the Legislature of Puerto Rico passed Law 227 designating the Punta Cucharas natural area as a nature reserve and creating the Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve using, among others, the June 2004 DRNA report. On 9 August 2008, Punta Cucharas became a protected area under the law.
Location and size
The area is located in the coastal and the subcoastal zones of the southern end of Barrio
Canas Canas or Cañas may refer to:
Places
* Canas (Lycia), a town of ancient Lycia, now in Turkey
* Amatlán de Cañas, a municipality in Nayarit, Mexico
* Cañas Canton, in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica
* Cañas, Costa Rica, capital of the Cañas (ca ...
. The area is bounded in the west by a tourist development, including a hotel, in the north by modern residential compounds, and in the south by the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
. It includes all the land southeast of Road PR-2 in Barrio Canas and the marine component of Isla de Ratones and Isla Cardona. The Caribbean Sea Marine Extent component includes the waters south of points from Punta Cucharas in the west and Rio Matilde in the east, both in the Ponce mainland, and north of points from Isla de Ratones in the west and Isla Cardona in the east, both islands south of Ponce. Isla de Ratones and Isla Cardona are both included in the Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve.
It consists of a salt water
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...
known as Laguna Salinas (Salinas Lagoon) that measures 347,898 square meters, as well as forestland systems of mangroves and other coastal forests, and different types of estuary and marshy wetlands. It also includes extensive areas of sand dunes covered by herbaceous vegetation, part of which are gramineous plants. The Reserve's total area is 698
cuerda
The term "cuerda" (Spanish for ''rope'') refers to a unit of measurement in some Spanish-speaking regions, including Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Cuba, Spain, and Paraguay. In Puerto Rico, the term cuerda (and "Spanish acre"Ponce en Marcha was a $615,000 yet-to-be-built project in the Hacienda La Matilde area programmed to be finished during the 1996-97 of the Government of Puerto Rico fiscal year. However, "recognizing the great ecological value of the Punta Cucharas ecosystem, the Territorial Ordinance Plan of the Municipality of Ponce sought to protect the Punta Cucharas area, identifying it as a "high interest" ecotourism area.
Shoreline geology and habitats
The shoreline habitat consists of exposed
mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...
s, mixed sand and gravel beaches, and fine grained sandy beaches. The Reserve wildlife consists of
wading bird
245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots
Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...
s and shore birds.
Flora and fauna
The Reserve has 148 flora species, 56 bird species (including both resident or migratory species), five mammal species, nine reptile species, five amphibians, and six fish species.
Flora
Critically endangered plant species include
Cordia rupicola
''Varronia rupicola'', synonym ''Cordia rupicola'', commonly known as the Puerto Rico manjack, is a critically endangered species of flowering shrub in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that is native to the islands of Puerto Rico and Anegada.
...
and
Leptocereus quadricostatus
''Leptocereus quadricostatus'' (also called sebucan) is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is found in Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropica ...
(sebucan); Endangered is
Guaiacum officinale
''Guaiacum officinale'', commonly known as roughbark lignum-vitae, guaiacwood or gaïacwood, is a species of tree in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae, that is native to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America.
Description
This sm ...
(guaiac tree) and vulnerable is the Maytenus ponceana. Some of the 147 plant species found at the Punta Cucharas Reserve are listed below.
Fauna
Birds
Fifty-six bird species have been identified in the Reserve. Five of them are
endemic species
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
Todus mexicanus
The Puerto Rican tody (''Todus mexicanus'') is a bird Endemism in birds, endemic to Puerto Rico. It is locally known in Puerto Rican Spanish, Spanish as "San Pedrito" ("little Saint Peter") and "medio peso" ("half-dollar bird").
Taxonomy
Todie ...
Spindalis portoricensis
The Puerto Rican spindalis (''Spindalis portoricensis'') is a bird endemic to the island of Puerto Rico, where it is commonly known as ''reina mora''. The species is widely distributed throughout the island and is an important part of the Puerto ...
). Mariquita (" Agelaius xanthomus") flies into the area but does not reside there. Other bird species are: Zumbador Dorado ( Anthracothorax dominicus), Zumbador Pechiazul ( Eulampis holosericeus), Zorzal Pardo ( Margarops fuscatus) and Jilguero ( Euphonia musica).
There are 56 species identified of which six are endemic, 44 are resident, five are migratory and one is introduced. The following table lists a sampling of them.
Mammals
The following five species of mammals were found in Punta Cuchara.
Sphaerodactylus macrolepis
''Sphaerodactylus macrolepis'', also known as the big-scaled dwarf gecko or the big-scaled least gecko, is a lizard of the ''Sphaerodactylus'' genus. It was first documented in 1859 in the US Virgin Islands, specifically, St. Croix. This diurnal s ...
,
Sphaerodactylus roosevelti
''Sphaerodactylus roosevelti'', also known commonly as Roosevelt's beige sphaero or Roosevelt's least gecko, is a small species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Puerto Rico.
Etymology
The specific name, ''ro ...
,
Anolis cristatellus
''Anolis cristatellus'' is a small species of anole, belonging to the Dactyloidae family of reptiles, which is native to Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, with introduced populations in locations around the Caribbean. The ma ...
Anolis poncensis
''Anolis poncensis'' (commonly known as Ponce small-fanned anole, Ponce anole and dryland grass anole;) is a species of lizard of the family of Dactyloidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Puerto Rico. It was first identified in Ponce, Puert ...
Leptodactylus albilabris
''Leptodactylus albilabris'' is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. Common names
Its local name is ranita de labio blanco or sapito de labio blanco ("white-lipped froglet") and English name either Gunther's white-lipped frog or Hisp ...
. Of the reptile species, the ''lagartijo jardinero del sur'' (
Anolis poncensis
''Anolis poncensis'' (commonly known as Ponce small-fanned anole, Ponce anole and dryland grass anole;) is a species of lizard of the family of Dactyloidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Puerto Rico. It was first identified in Ponce, Puert ...
) is protected under the " vulnerable" classification by Rule 6766 of the "Regulations to Govern Vulnerable and Endangered Species in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" pursuant to Puerto Rico Law 241, commonly known as "The Puerto Rico Wildlife Law." Following is a listing of reptiles found at the Reserve.
Amphibians
Environmental challenges
Clean up
The June 2004 DRNA study warned that due to the lack of surveillance and the easy access that several roads provide to the area, it had become a common practice to use the area as a clandestine junk yard for motor vehicles and other refuse. The report suggested strategies for the management, cleaning, reforestation and conservation of the area. Several groups, including civic, environmental, and church groups, interested in the conservation of the Salinas Lagoon as part of the Punta Cucharas natural area have participated in cleaning campaigns for the removal of junk with the collaboration of the Municipality of Ponce. The DRNA also took steps to reforest the area. In 2013, some vandals used the area for dumping construction refuse, a practice that carries a fine of $5,000.
Legal efforts
As an additional vehicle to preserve the area, the government of Puerto Rico included Punta Cucharas as a natural reserve under the Natural Patrimony Program created by Act No. 150 of August 4, 1988, known as the "Puerto Rico Natural Patrimony Program Act."
Facilities improvements
In October 2012, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources published a 54-page environmental impact evaluation with numerous appendixes. In it, the DRNA proposed relocating the existing main vehicular entrance and building the necessary entryway and signing, making improvements to the existing road, building
gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands.
Etymology
The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries is "Mid 18th c ...
s for group picnics and relaxation plus a gazebo for nature talks, construction a floating dock for kayaks, creation of an additional dock for ondock-fishing, erecting an
observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...
and building a restaurant, a
boat ramp
A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small ...
, and bathroom facilities (
compost toilet
A composting toilet is a type of dry toilet that treats human waste by a biological process called composting. This process leads to the decomposition of organic matter and turns human waste into compost-like material. Composting is carried ou ...
Vachellia farnesiana
''Vachellia farnesiana'', also known as ''Acacia farnesiana'', and previously ''Mimosa farnesiana'', commonly known as sweet acacia, huisache, or needle bush, is a species of shrub or small tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. Its flowers are u ...
'')
File:Achyranthes aspera at Kadavoor.jpg, Rabo de gato ('' Achyranthes aspera'')
File:PondappleFL.jpg, Cayur ('' Annona glabra'')
File:Coral Vine.jpg, Bellísima (''
Antigonon leptopus
''Antigonon leptopus'' is a species of perennial vine in the buckwheat family commonly known as coral vine or queen's wreath. This clambering vine is characterized by showy, usually pink flowers that can bloom throughout the year and large, heart ...
'')
File:Arundo donax 3.jpg, Caña de castilla (''
Arundo donax
''Arundo donax'' is a tall perennial cane. It is one of several so-called reed species. It has several common names including giant cane, elephant grass, carrizo, arundo, Spanish cane, Colorado river reed, wild cane, and giant reed. ''Arundo'' a ...
Avicennia germinans
''Avicennia germinans'', the black mangrove, is a shrub or small tree growing up to 12 meters (39 feet) in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, ...
'')
File:Batis maritima male.jpg, Yerba de sal ('' Batis maritima'')
File:Boerhaavia diffusa.jpg, Mata pavo (''
Boerhavia diffusa
''Boerhaavia diffusa'' is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family which is commonly known as punarnava (meaning that which rejuvenates or renews the body in Ayurveda), red spiderling, spreading hogweed, or tarvine. It is taken in ...
Caesalpinia bonduc
''Guilandina bonduc'', commonly known as grey nicker, nicker bean,Calotropis procera
''Calotropis procera'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae that is native to North Africa, Pakistan, tropical Africa, Western Asia, South Asia, and Indochina. The green fruits contain a toxic milky sap that is extremely b ...
Cassytha filiformis
''Cassytha filiformis'' or love-vine is an orangish, wiry, parasitic vine in the laurel family (Lauraceae), found in warm tropical regions worldwide in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific. It is an obligate parasite, meaning it ...
'')
File:Flore médicale des Antilles, ou, Traité des plantes usuelles (Pl. 348) (7795720252).jpg, Bejuco de caro (''
Cissus trifoliata
''Cissus trifoliata'', known variously as possum-grape, sorrelvine, vine-sorrel, or hierba del buey is a New World plant species in the grape family. It is native to the southern United States, Mexico (Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Michoacán, Oaxaca ...
Coccoloba diversifolia
''Coccoloba diversifolia'', known as pigeonplum or tietongue, is a species of the genus '' Coccoloba'' native to coastal areas of the Caribbean, Central America (Belize, Guatemala), southern Mexico, southern Florida (coastal regions from Cape Ca ...
'')
File:Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) shrub at Playa Lucia, Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.jpg, Uva de playa (''
Coccoloba uvifera
''Coccoloba uvifera'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae, that is native to coastal beaches throughout tropical America and the Caribbean, including southern Florida, the Bahamas, the Greater and Lesser Antille ...
Conocarpus erectus
''Conocarpus erectus'', commonly called buttonwood or button mangrove, is a mangrove shrub in the family Combretaceae. This species grows on shorelines in tropical and subtropical regions around the world.
Range
Locations it is known from inc ...
'')
File:Crescentia cujete (fruit and foilage).jpg, Higüera (''
Crescentia cujete
''Crescentia cujete'', commonly known as the calabash tree, is a species of flowering plant native to the Americas, that is grown in Africa, Central America, South America, the West Indies and extreme southern Florida. It is the national tree ...
'')
File:Cynodon dactylon.jpg, Yerba Bermuda (''
Cynodon dactylon
''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Although it is not native to Bermuda, it is an abundant invasiv ...
'')
File:Dactyloctenium aegyptium 0001.jpg, Yerba egipcia ('' Dactyloctenium aegyptium'')
File:Royal Ponciana.jpg, Flamboyán ('' Delonix regia'')
File:Digitaria eriantha, Krantzkloof Natuurreservaat.jpg, Pangola ('' Digitaria decumbens'')
File:Eleusine indica, closeup.jpg, Yerba dulce ('' Eleusine indica'')
File:Chromolaena odorata by Ashasathees.jpg, Cariaquillo santa maría ('' Eupatorium odoratum'')
File:Euphorbia tirucalli in the wild by tonrulkens.jpg, Esqueleto ('' Eupatorium odoratum'')
File:Ficus citrifolia.jpg, Jagüey (''
Ficus citrifolia
''Ficus citrifolia'', also known as the shortleaf fig, giant bearded fig, Jagüey, wild banyantree and Wimba tree, is a species of banyan native to southern Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America south to Par ...
Guaiacum officinale
''Guaiacum officinale'', commonly known as roughbark lignum-vitae, guaiacwood or gaïacwood, is a species of tree in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae, that is native to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America.
Description
This sm ...
'')
File:Guazuma ulmifolia 2.jpg, Guácima (''
Guazuma ulmifolia
''Guazuma ulmifolia'', commonly known as West Indian elm or bay cedar, is a medium-sized tree normally found in pastures and disturbed forests. This flowering plant from the family Malvaceae grows up to 30m in height and 30–40cm in diameter. I ...
Heteropogon contortus
''Heteropogon contortus'' is a tropical, perennial tussock grass with a native distribution encompassing Southern Africa, southern Asia, Northern Australia, Oceania, and southwestern North America. The species has also become a naturalised weed i ...
Ipomoea pes-caprae
''Ipomoea pes-caprae'', also known as bayhops, bay-hops, beach morning glory or goat's foot, is a common pantropical creeping vine belonging to the family Convolvulaceae. It grows on the upper parts of beaches and endures salted air. It is one ...
'')
File:Bellyache Bush (Jatropha gossipifolia) in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 9473.jpg, Túa-túa ('' Jatropha gossypiifolia'')
File:Krugiodendron ferreum - McKee Botanical Garden - Vero Beach, Florida - DSC03107.jpg, Bariaco (''
Krugiodendron ferreum
''Krugiodendron ferreum'', commonly known as the black ironwood or leadwood, is a species of tree in the family Rhamnaceae. It is found in southern Florida, throughout the Caribbean and from southern Mexico to Honduras. Originally described by M ...
Laguncularia racemosa
''Laguncularia racemosa'', the white mangrove, is a species of flowering plant in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae. It is native to the coasts of western Africa from Senegal to Cameroon, the Atlantic Coast of the Americas from Bermuda an ...
'')
File:Lantana involucrata.jpg, Cariaquillo (''
Lantana involucrata
''Lantana involucrata'', commonly known as buttonsage, is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family. It is native to the American tropics, where it is widespread in well-drained areas. It is also found on the Galapagos Islands and Berm ...
Leucaena leucocephala
''Leucaena leucocephala'' is a small fast-growing mimosoid tree native to southern Mexico and northern Central America (Belize and Guatemala) and is now naturalized throughout the tropics including parts of Asia.
Common names include jumbay, ...
Melicoccus bijugatus
''Melicoccus bijugatus'' is a fruit-bearing tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native or naturalized across the New World tropics including South and Central America, and parts of the Caribbean. Its stone-bearing fruits are edible. It ...
'')
File:Metopium toxiferum.jpg, Papayo (''
Metopium toxiferum
''Metopium toxiferum'', the poisonwood, Florida poisontree, or hog gum, is a species of flowering tree in the cashew or sumac family, Anacardiaceae, that is native to the American Neotropics. It produces the irritant urushiol much like its clo ...
'')
File:ParkinsoniaAculeata.jpg, Palo de rayo (''
Parkinsonia aculeata
''Parkinsonia aculeata'' is a species of perennial flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. Common names include palo verde, Mexican palo verde, Parkinsonia, Jerusalem thorn, jelly bean tree, palo de rayo, and retama.
Etymology
The genus name ...
'')
File:Passiflora suberosa flower.jpg, Flor de pasión (''
Passiflora suberosa
''Passiflora suberosa'' is a species of passionflower that is native to the Americas. It is commonly known as corkystem passionflower due to the corkiness of older stems. Other common names include corky passion vine, cork-bark passion flower, c ...
'')
File:Starr 040217-0077 Pennisetum setaceum.jpg, Yerba ('' Pennisetum setaceum'')
File:Dates on date palm.jpg, Palma de datil (''
Phoenix dactylifera
''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Ea ...
Portulaca oleracea
''Portulaca oleracea'' (common purslane, also known as little hogweed, or pursley) is an annual (actually tropical perennial in USDA growing zones 10–11) succulent in the family Portulacaceae.
Description
The plant may reach in height. It ...
'')
File:Vilaiti Keekar (Prosopis juliflora) W IMG 6935.jpg, Bayahonda (''
Prosopis juliflora
''Prosopis juliflora'' ( es, bayahonda blanca, Cuji Venezuela, Trupillo Colombia, Aippia Wayuunaiki and long-thorn kiawe in Hawaii) is a shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae, a kind of mesquite. It is native to Mexico, South America and th ...
Rhizophora mangle
''Rhizophora mangle'', the red mangrove, is distributed in estuarine ecosystems throughout the tropics. Its viviparous "seeds", in actuality called propagules, become fully mature plants before dropping off the parent tree. These are disperse ...
'')
File:Rivina humilis plant.jpg, Carmín (''
Rivina humilis
''Rivina humilis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Petiveriaceae. It was formerly placed in the pokeweed family, Phytolaccaceae. It can be found in the southern United States, the Caribbean, Central America, and Tropics, tropical S ...
'')
File:(Roystonea borinquena) palmeiras imperiais, sao paulo botanical garden Arboretum J Botanico Sao Paulo Brazil.jpg, Palma real ('' Roystonea borinquena'')
File:Ruppia maritima South Chungcheong, South Korea 27 Jun 2006.jpg, Yerba de zanja (''
Ruppia maritima
''Ruppia maritima'' is an aquatic plant species commonly known as beaked tasselweed, ditch grass, tassel pondweed and widgeon grass. Despite its scientific name, it is not a marine plant; is perhaps best described as a salt-tolerant freshwa ...
Sesuvium portulacastrum
''Sesuvium portulacastrum'' is a sprawling perennial herb that grows in coastal areas throughout much of the world. It is commonly known as shoreline purslane or (ambiguously) "sea purslane," in English, ''dampalit'' in Tagalog and 海马齿sl in ...
Solanum elaeagnifolium
''Solanum elaeagnifolium'', the silverleaf nightshade or silver-leaved nightshade, is a common native plant to parts of the southwestern USA, and sometimes weed of western North America and also found in South America. Other common names includ ...
'')
File:Starr 010202-0207 Sporobolus virginicus.jpg, Matojo de burro (''
Sporobolus virginicus
''Sporobolus virginicus'', known by numerous common names including seashore dropseed, marine couch, sand couch, salt couch grass, saltwater couch, coastal rat-tail grass, and nioaka, is a species of grass with a wide distribution.
Description
...
Tabebuia heterophylla
''Tabebuia heterophylla'' is a species of tree native to the Caribbean, and is also cultivated. It is also known as Roble blanco, pink manjack, pink trumpet tree, white cedar, and whitewood.
Description
''Tabebuia heterophylla'' grows up to 20 ...
'')
File:Starr 070906-8348 Talinum paniculatum.jpg, Lengua de vaca (''
Talinum paniculatum
''Talinum paniculatum'' is a succulent subshrub in the family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the famil ...
Tamarindus indica
Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae.
...
Thespesia populnea
''Thespesia populnea'', commonly known as the portia tree (), Pacific rosewood, Indian tulip tree, or milo, among other names, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a tree found commonly on coasts ar ...
'')
File:Tillandsia recurvata.jpg, Pirigallo ('' Tillandsia recurvata'')
File:Megathyrsus maximus whole4 (7370586296).jpg, Yerba de guinea ('' Urochloa maxima'')
File:Cyanthillium cinereum in Kadavoor.jpg, Yerba socialista ('' Vernonia cinerea'')
Bubulcus ibis
The western cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. Most taxonomic authorities lump this species and the eastern cattle egret together (called the catt ...
Seiurus noveboracensis
The northern waterthrush (''Parkesia noveboracensis'') is a species of ground-feeding migratory New World warbler of the genus ''Parkesia''. It breeds in the northern part of North America in Canada and the northern United States including Alaska ...
Falco peregrinus
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, ...
'')
File:American kestrel (Falco sparverius sparveroides) female white morph.JPG, Falcón común ('' Falco sparverius'')
File:Female magnificent frigatebird.JPG, Tijereta de mar (''
Fregata magnificens
The magnificent frigatebird (''Fregata magnificens'') is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. With a length of and wingspan of it is the largest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters off America, betw ...
Pandion haliaetus
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
Himantopus mexicanus
The black-necked stilt (''Himantopus mexicanus'') is a locally abundant shorebird of Americas, American wetlands and coastlines. It is found from the coastal areas of California through much of the interior western United States and along the Gul ...
Limnodromus griseus
The short-billed dowitcher (''Limnodromus griseus''), like its congener the long-billed dowitcher, is a medium-sized, stocky, long-billed shorebird in the family Scolopacidae.
It is an inhabitant of North America, Central America, the Caribbea ...
'')
File:Lesser Yellowlegs.jpg, Playero guineilla menor ('' Tringa flavipes'')
File:Solitarysandpiper.jpg, Playero solitario ('' Tringa solitaria'')
File:Spindalis portoricensis by Mike's Birds.jpg, Reina mora (''
Spindalis portoricensis
The Puerto Rican spindalis (''Spindalis portoricensis'') is a bird endemic to the island of Puerto Rico, where it is commonly known as ''reina mora''. The species is widely distributed throughout the island and is an important part of the Puerto ...
'')
File:PuertoRicanTodyJG.jpg, San Pedrito (''
Todus mexicanus
The Puerto Rican tody (''Todus mexicanus'') is a bird Endemism in birds, endemic to Puerto Rico. It is locally known in Puerto Rican Spanish, Spanish as "San Pedrito" ("little Saint Peter") and "medio peso" ("half-dollar bird").
Taxonomy
Todie ...
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File:Puerto Rican Flycatcher.jpg, Juí de Puerto Rico ('' Myiarchus antillarum'')
File:Tyrannus dominicensis 103778882 (cropped).jpg, Pitirre ('' Tyrannus dominicensis'')
Non-birds
=Mammals
=
File:Rattus rattus03.jpg, Rata negra (''
Rattus rattus
The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is ...
'')
File:Rattus norvegicus 1.jpg, Rata común (''
Rattus norvegicus
''Rattus'' is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus.
Species and description
The best-known ''Rattus'' species are the black rat (''R. rattus'') ...
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File:House mouse.jpg, Ratón (''
Mus musculus
Mus or MUS may refer to:
Abbreviations
* MUS, the NATO country code for Mauritius
* MUS, the IATA airport code for Minami Torishima Airport
* MUS, abbreviation for the Centre for Modern Urban Studies on Campus The Hague, Leiden University, Net ...
'')
File:Small asian mongoose.jpg, Mangosta (''
Herpestes auropunctatus
The small Indian mongoose (''Urva auropunctata'') is a mongoose species native to Iraq and northern South Asia; it has also been introduced to many regions of the world, such as several Caribbean and Pacific islands.
Taxonomy
''Mangusta auropu ...
'')
File:Stray dogs crosswalk.jpg, Perro sato (''
Canis familiaris
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
'')
=Reptiles
=
File:Brook's House Gecko.png, Salamanquesa ('' Hemidactylus brooki haitianus'')
File:Sphaerodactylus macrolepis (cropped).jpg, Salamanquita de la Virgen (''
Sphaerodactylus macrolepis
''Sphaerodactylus macrolepis'', also known as the big-scaled dwarf gecko or the big-scaled least gecko, is a lizard of the ''Sphaerodactylus'' genus. It was first documented in 1859 in the US Virgin Islands, specifically, St. Croix. This diurnal s ...
'')
File:Large anolis cristatellus.jpg, Lagartijo común (''
Anolis cristatellus
''Anolis cristatellus'' is a small species of anole, belonging to the Dactyloidae family of reptiles, which is native to Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, with introduced populations in locations around the Caribbean. The ma ...
'')
File:Anolis pulchellus.JPG, Lagartijo jardinero ('' Anolis pulchellus'')
File:Lagartijo jardinero del sur (Anolis poncensis), en Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC00434A).jpg, Lagartijo jardinero del sur (''
Anolis poncensis
''Anolis poncensis'' (commonly known as Ponce small-fanned anole, Ponce anole and dryland grass anole;) is a species of lizard of the family of Dactyloidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Puerto Rico. It was first identified in Ponce, Puert ...
=
File:Young Bufo marinus.jpg, Sapo común ('' Bufo marinus'')
File:Common Coquí.jpg, Coquí común ('' Eleutherodactylus coqui'')
File:Leptodactylus albilabris.jpg, Ranita de labio blanco (''
Leptodactylus albilabris
''Leptodactylus albilabris'' is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae. Common names
Its local name is ranita de labio blanco or sapito de labio blanco ("white-lipped froglet") and English name either Gunther's white-lipped frog or Hisp ...
'')
See also
*
Porta Caribe
Porta Caribe is a tourism region in southern Puerto Rico. It was established in 2003 by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, an agency of the Government of Puerto Rico. When created in 2003 it consisted of 14 municipalities in the south central zon ...
Toro Negro State Forest
Toro Negro State Forest (Spanish: ''Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro'') is one of the 21 forests that make up the public forests system in Puerto Rico. It is also Puerto Rico's highest cloud forest. It is in the Cordillera Central region of the is ...
Notes
References
Further reading
* Dávila, D. and Sustache, J. (2004) Informe sobre el valor natural del Área Natural Punta Cucharas, Barrio Canas, Ponce. Informe, Áreas de Planificación Integral, División de Patrimonio Natural, Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, Puerto Rico: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico.
* Hernández-Delgado, E. A. (2010) Baseline biological characterization of coral reefs at Punta Cucharas Natural Reserve, Ponce, Puerto Rico.
* Méndez-Gallardo and Salguero-Faría (2008) Puerto Rico chapter. In: Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean: key sites for conservation. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International. (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 15).
* Vásquez Cruz, R., Carrero Morales, C. J., Ramos García, J., Valdés, A. K., Maldonado Arroyo, A. and Pons Cintrón, G. (2011) Informe final del proyecto de monitoreo socio-económico en las Áreas Protegidas Marinas y costeras de Puerto Rico. Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios del Litoral, Universidad de Puerto Rico en Mayagüez. Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales de Puerto Rico.
''Puerto Rico Statewide Assessment and Strategies for Forest Resources.'' Government of Puerto Rico. Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. (n.d.; ca. 2011) 171 pages.
''Puerto Rico Statewide Assessment and Strategies for Forest Resources.'' Government of Puerto Rico. Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. (n.d.; ca. 2011) 100 pages.
''Guide to the Ecological Systems of Puerto Rico.'' Gary L. Miller and Ariel E. Lugo. United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. International Institute of Tropical Forestry. General Technical Report IITF-GTR-35. June 2009.
* ''Hydrologic, water-quality, and biological assessment of Laguna de Las Salinas, Ponce, Puerto Rico, January 2003-September 2004.'' Luis R Soler-López, Fernando Gómez-Gómez, and Jesús Rodríguez-Martínez. Office of the Mayor of the Municipality of Ponce, PR, and U.S. Geological Survey. Reston, Va. : U.S. Geological Survey. 2005.