Ecology of Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago has some of the richest natural communities in the Caribbean. Unlike most of the islands of the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago supports a primarily South American flora and fauna. As a result, Trinidad and Tobago is richer in plant and animal species than is the rest of the Caribbean. However, rates of endemism are lower than in the rest of the Caribbean because most of the species in Trinidad and Tobago are also found on the South American mainland.

Plant communities

The standard description of plant communities follows John Beard’s work (Beard, 1946). He classified natural vegetation in a hierarchical fashion on the basis of the physiognomy of the dominant trees.
Seasonal Formations
Evergreen Seasonal Forest
Semi-Deciduous Seasonal Forest
Deciduous Seasonal Forest
Dry Evergreen Formations
Littoral Woodland
Montane Formations
Lower Montane Forest
Montane Forest
Elfin Woodland
Edaphic Formations
Mangrove Forest
Palm Swamp
Seasonal Swamp Forest
Seasonal Swamp Savanna
Herbaceous Swamp

Terrestrial animal communities

Mammals

Trinidad and Tobago is home to a little over 100 species of mammals, a large percentage of them being bats (one of them being a fishing bat). Another of the bat species, the Vampire Bat, does not deserve it’s notorious reputation, as it feeds almost exclusively on non-human blood. Carnivorous mammals include the Ocelot, the Tayra, the Crab-eating Raccoon and the Neotropical Otter.

Large herbivores include the Red Brocket Deer, the Collared Peccary and the highly endangered West Indian Manatee (a few of which persist in the ecologically diverse Nariva Swamp on Trinidad’s east coast). The Red Howler Monkey and the White-Fronted Capuchin Monkey are the country’s two native primate species. The Silky Anteater and it’s relative the Tamandua are two of the most bizarre creatures of Trinidad’s forests.

Other small mammals present include the agouti, the paca, the prehensile-tailed porcupine, the nine-banded armadillo and a few species of opossum. A number of small rodents including a species of squirrel are native to the islands. A few Cetacean species (whales and dolphins) including Pilot Whales and Orcas have been known to occur in the seas around Trinidad. The Indian Mongoose was introduced during colonial times to help to control the population of snakes found on the Trinidad’s Sugar Cane plantations.