Pictures of Jamaica
Animals among us

Taking these pictures of Jamaica nearly did me in. I can tell you from first hand experience that hummingbirds are hyperactive, mongooses are a nervous explosion waiting to happen, and blackbirds are ornery and quite antisocial. The most cooperative of the lot were the crocodile and the yellow snake!

You'll notice that some of these animals are endemic to Jamaica, found here and nowhere else.

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge.

Tree Frog - this is almost his actual size	Blackbird a.k.a Cling-cling collecting grass for her nest	Red-billed Doctor Bird - endemic to Jamaica. See his scissors tail?
Nightingale	Pechary (Loggerhead Kingbird)	Jamaican Woodpecker, endemic to Jamaica
Jamaican Oriole	Donkeys, not such a common sight nowadays	The American Crocodile, Crocodylus Acutus is the only species of crocodile found in Jamaica - protected species
Jamaican Ground Iguana - endangered species	Jamaican Boa or Yellow Snake - endemic to Jamaica, a protected species	Mongoose - brought to Jamaica from India to rid the canefields of rats.

Animals are fascinating, but getting them to stay still... let's just say you'd have better luck getting a 2 year old to sit still during an hour long sermon. I've gained a new respect for wildlife photographers.

Still, although it was frustrating, I had fun taking these pictures. Most were taken at home, or close to home. The iguana, mongoose and yellow snake pictures were taken by my kids when they went to the zoo in Kingston. No, I don't keep a crocodile in my backyard!

For more details on these and other Jamaican animals, click here. For other aspects of Jamaican nature, see Jamaican trees, Jamaican flowers and a trip up the Black River.

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