Puerto Rico's Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro, or the Black Bull State Forest, is a 7,000-acre nature reserve located in the central region of the country in the town of Orocovis and its adjacent suburbs. The forest surrounds the Cordillera Central mountain range. This mountainous terrain, lush vegetation, streams and canopied forests make it a perfect home for more than 30 bird species and a variety of amphibians and reptiles. The country does not have any large mammals.
Coqui Frog
Puerto Rico's national mascot is the tiny Eleutherodactylus coqui, commonly known as the coqui, or little, frog. The genus Eleutherodactylus is the most specious of vertebrates, with more than 600 species. However, only 16 different species of Eleutherodactylus are found in Puerto Rico. They vary in size from 1/4 inch to 1 inch.
Puerto Rican Parrot
Visitors may be lucky enough to spot the rare Puerto Rican parrot, of which there are only around 200 captive and in the wild. It is more than 1 foot tall and bright green, with a red forehead and blue primary wing feathers. The U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey and Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources are making efforts to conserve, protect and manage the wild and captive population.
Small Asian Mongoose
This animal was originally introduced to the island to control the rat population, which was decimating sugar crops. Mongooses are the largest mammals on the island. Importers failed to realize that in addition to keeping rat numbers down, mongooses also hunt birds and eat birds eggs, which does not help native bird species. They also breed prolifically, with mature females producing two to five pups per year.
Bats
Bats are important in the forest and mountainous cave ecology and help control the mosquito population. They belong to five families and include 13 species, such as the greater bulldog bat, the Antillean ghost-faced bat and the sooty mustached bat. Dusk will be the best times to spot these creatures as they commence their night time foraging for food.
Reptiles
The Toro Negro is home to 25 amphibian species and 61 reptile species. There are 11 snake species all of which are considered nonvenomous. The Puerto Rican Racer can be found in trees within the forest. It is recognizable by its size and coloration. It measures around 3 feet long and is brown, with each scale edged in dark brown.
Tags: Puerto Rico, more than, Puerto Rican, Toro Negro, bird species
