The coral reef
Surrounded by the third longest barrier reef in the world, the Bahamas has a breathtaking diversity of coral species. As barrier reefs, natural breakwaters that protect the coasts from the onslaught of offshore waves, limestone buildings built over thousands of years by tiny animals - polyps - coral reefs form a complex and extremely fragile ecosystem. A simple contact with their living parts is enough to injure or kill them. However, they are a crucial part of our natural heritage and of the planet's biological diversity. Their calcareous skeletons form reefs of astonishing shapes, sometimes weaving long jagged walls with complex ramifications, sometimes huge chubby potatoes.
Among the species most frequently found in Bahamian waters are the brain coral of Neptune(Platygira), whose surface is reminiscent of cerebral convolutions; deer horns, elk horns, or elephant horns, forming large fans with their horns covering several square meters; the millepore or fire coral, growing in a fan and taking on a bright yellow or orange colour; the lettuce or chubby coral, extremely common; or the pillar coral, standing up like marine stalagmites. The decorations of blooming gorgonians are also fascinating. The gorgonian gorgonian, or sea fan, which takes its name from the Greek deities wearing snakes, is like coral, made up of polyps that secrete a flexible skeleton. Gorgon-feathers have silky branches that undulate in the currents, while spirographers unfold their arms and colourful anemones cover the sea bed beautifully.Reef fish
Coral reefs are home to a wide variety of tropical fish, each more colourful and amazing than the next. More than 500 species of fish and invertebrates live in these reefs. The diurnal, herbivorous, grazers, planktophagous and carnivorous species live during the day and spend the night hidden in the cavities of the coral reefs or buried in the sediments, while the nocturnal species, all carnivorous, lie in wait or go hunting.
Fish have camouflage strategies that allow them to blend in with their environment and escape from predators. For example, the scorpion fish, also called zebra fish or lion fish or fire fish, which lives on the sand or in the rocks, has chosen a dark coat that allows it to blend in with the scenery.
Some of the most beautiful and common fish found in the Bahamas include the parrot fish, blue surgeon fish with yellow tail, balloon fish, trumpet fish, clown fish, angel fish, emperor fish, box fish, butterfly fish, puffer fish, yellow bullhead fish, and the most frightening moray eels.
Large fish and marine mammals
As far as big fish are concerned, the amateurs will be served, because the most beautiful species, whose weight can exceed 100 kg, navigate in deep waters.
The rays, first of all, are numerous. The American stingray is armed with a venomous spine on its tail, which it uses like a whip when it feels threatened; it raises clouds of sand in search of food. Less impressive is the small yellow spotted ray. As for the majestic manta ray, its encounter is rare, but most impressive since it can reach up to 6 meters of span! Its pectoral fins undulate gracefully like wings.
Swordfish and marlin, belonging to the rostrum fish family (characterized by their pointed snout, extension of their upper jaw), are also numerous in the Bahamas. They are very powerful, fast and agile fish; the blue marlin with its long circular beak, which can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h, is a favorite among fishermen. Other popular species for big game fishing are the king mackerel, a migratory species that abounds in Caribbean waters; the wahoo, one of the fastest fish in the sea thanks to its slender and elongated body; the tuna, which can weigh up to 950 kg; the barracuda, which is impressive but not dangerous; or the lazy grouper of Nassau, which can be caught and eaten here, identifiable by its fleshy lips and its zebra lines The dolphin fish, usually called " dolphin fish
", mahi-mahi or dorado, also populates Bahamian waters; its meat is one of the most delicious available.As for sharks, they are omnipresent, but harmless. More than 50 species are known in the Bahamas alone, which became a shark sanctuary in 2011. They are distinguished from other fish by their cartilaginous skeleton, the absence of scales, their dentition and the mechanism of their jaws. They have an incredible ability to detect the presence of blood in the sea and to locate its source. The grey reef shark, with its white belly and black fins and tail, is very common in the waters of the archipelago. Sleeping sharks spend their days sleeping on the sand and are harmless, feeding on crustaceans and mollusks. Bull sharks haunt the reef drop-offs, while hammerheads, with their heads enlarged by two protrusions at the end of which are nostrils and eyes, live around 50 meters deep. If you visit Bimini, don't miss a visit to the World Shark Research Center
.As for marine mammals, Atlantic and spotted dolphins live along the coastal areas and are the main representatives of marine mammals in the Bahamas. Blue and humpback whales are also found in Bahamian waters, but more rarely.
As for sea turtles, they are common here. Green turtles and sedge turtles are common and all are protected.Shellfish and crustaceans..
Numerous shells adorn the seabed. The conch (Strombus gigas), an enormous orange shell that was used by the Lucayans to communicate, moves in successive jumps, feeds on algae and can live up to 20 years. Highly prized by Bahamians, who appreciate its flesh, its species is not far from being threatened; some neighbouring islands have already banned fishing during the breeding season, an example that makes the Bahamian government think. For the time being, conch in the Bahamas is cooked and eaten in all its forms: in a conch salad with red peppers, onions, celery, coriander, all marinated in lime; in a conch chowder with tomatoes, bacon, carrots, sweet peppers, potatoes, onions, thyme; in conch fritters; in a cracked conch; or in a papillote on a grill, often barbecued with a sweet potato loaf.
Strombes, turritelles, reticulated olives will also delight collectors (provided, of course, that they are harvested empty). Echinoderms (starfish and sea urchins) are also very present. The sand dollar is a flat sea urchin with a perforated shell that washes up on beaches. Black sea urchins with long, venomous quills, and polar sea urchins with their popular gonads are common. Crabs huddle under the fan-shaped gorgonians to escape their predators; lobsters of good size, finally, can be found in profusion.Sponges
Many species of colourful sponges with exuberant shapes have colonized reefs and wrecks. By filtering the seawater they then discharge, they help to maintain the clarity of coastal waters.
Many varieties are represented in the Bahamas, forming a beautiful colourful collection: ochre tube sponges, yellow sponges, mauve sponges with generous shapes, orange sponges with pink shades, they form strange compositions that invade the coral and cover the rocks with red and orange patches. Some, such as elephant ears, reach up to 2 m in wingspan, but they grow only 2 cm per year. Sponges provide hiding places and shelter for a complex fauna, from spider crabs to starfish.
Sponge fishing, orchestrated by the Greeks, contributed to the wealth of the country between the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. But a fungus put a stop to this industry and fishing was stopped; their population has since kindly redeveloped.A rather poor terrestrial fauna
If its underwater fauna is extremely diversified, the terrestrial fauna of the archipelago, on the contrary, is rather poor and does not conceal extraordinary curiosities. In spite of some originalities, the isolation of the islands has interrupted animal evolution and has only allowed the introduction of a few species. On the other hand, this same isolation has allowed the birth of some endemic species.
Thus, there are 13 species of mammals native to the Bahamas, mainly bats! The larger islands are also home to some rare specimens of wild boar, while on the southern islands, donkeys and wild horses, whose ancestors were once domesticated, can be found. On the Exuma Cays, the "swimming pig" is a local star: these wild pigs gladly come to swim with the excursionists. Curiously, there is also a population of raccoons which, introduced by poachers in the early 20th century during Prohibition, have proliferated.
Reptiles are much better represented, with 44 species counted, including one endemic to the island of Grand Bahama: the curled-tailed lizard, small but spectacular, which likes to bask in the sun on the rocks. Geckos, small green and agile lizards typical of warm regions, are frequently found on the inside walls of houses; they feed on mosquitoes at nightfall. Blue-tailed lizards are also relatively common. A few species of snakes, including three species of Bahamian boas constrictors, have been recorded, but their populations are declining, which herpetologists complain. Finally, the iguana, a saurian reptile with an ugly ridge of sharp spines on its back, is very present, especially in the southern islands. It lazily walks its meter and a half lazily and is willingly curious and not very shy. In spite of its antediluvian monster appearance, it only nibbles on plants and loves fruit, for which it is even ready to approach visitors. There are three species and seven subspecies on the islands of the Bahamas.
Birders' paradise
As for the amateur ornithologist, he will be delighted, because birds are very present on the islands! In addition to the species specific to the Caribbean region, there are many species of migratory birds that return each winter to enjoy the warmth of the tropical sun. In total, some 230 species of birds are recorded in the Bahamas.
The delicate hummingbirds, commonly known as hummingbirds, gather nectar from flowers by inserting their long beaks into the corollae with their wings beating so fast that they can fly around. There is also a species of hummingbird endemic to the Bahamas, the "Bahama woodstar hummingbird", and there are 163 species of hummingbirds in all on the archipelago!
As for the multicoloured todiers, they feed on insects caught in flight and nest in small caves that they dig out of the ground. The yellow-feathered sylvette lives in the mangrove swamps, as do the ducks. Pelicans, pigeons, swallows, turtle doves, mockingbirds, woodpeckers, cuckoos and others will also delight observers. Endemic species include the protected Bahamian Swallow and the green-feathered, red-throated Bahamian Parrot. The Abacos National Park was created to preserve the latter species. The pink flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), the national bird of which the country has a reserve of 60,000 individuals - the largest in the world - appear on the country's coat of arms. Their magnificent orange-pink colour comes from the carotene contained in the shells of shrimp and the larvae they feed on. On the Exumas Islands, you can also find frigate birds, water fowl, and red-legged thrushes.Other small animals
As for budding entomologists, they will be able to observe many insects including mosquitoes, sand flies locally called "sandflies" (avoiding their terrible bites if possible), grasshoppers, ants, and spiders. The only really dangerous insect on the islands belongs to the latter family; it is the dreaded black widow spider, a poisonous spider whose bite can be fatal. Fortunately, this encounter is extremely rare. To finish on a happier note, let's not forget the cicadas that brighten up the great pine forests with the song of their wings rubbing.
An exuberant tropical flora
While the terrestrial fauna is relatively poor, the Bahamas has an excessively rich tropical flora, with no less than 1,370 plant species! Among them are 120 indigenous species, including Bahamian mahogany, Bahamian pine, and many species of orchids.
On the northern and western islands there are pine forests with a rich undergrowth of dwarf palms and ferns. The frangipani, a stocky deciduous tree, has flowers that rise up in a shaggy feather at the end of its branches. The flamboyant, native to Madagascar, blooms in summer and displays a magnificent and imposing bough of phosphorescent red flowers. The more southern the islands are, the more their vegetation becomes scarce, consisting mainly of shrubs and thorny plants such as cacti.
The Australian pines or casuarinas have invaded the Bahamian coasts under the wind. Initially introduced to stabilize the dunes, they can grow uncontrollably at high speed, and their gigantic roots gradually nibble away at the beaches, destroying the islands' heritage in the process. Their development is now being monitored.
Many plants and trees are also known for their domestic use. Thus the coconut tree, in addition to its fruits, provides the raw material for palm roofs ("thatch"). This tree is a real blessing for the locals. Its nut nourishes and cares, its palms are woven into baskets, hats, ropes, mattresses, roofs, its trunks serve as beams... Other plants also find interesting domestic uses. For example, the black mangrove is used to dye leather. Many plants are also known for their medicinal virtues, bush medicine, an ancestral science, is still widely practiced on the islands. Wild guava, for example, cures diabetes, while white sage cures chicken pox.
Tropical flowers grow in abundance and throughout the year, both in the wild and in gardens. Parrot heliconias, elegant anthuriums, delicately shaped orchids, water apples, insolent birds of paradise, yellow or red hibiscus, fragrant jasmines, red clusters of alpinia, graceful creepers, green and yellow croton beds, rigid spikes of balisier... The range of tropical flowers is as wide as a painter's palette is full of colour! There are a total of 3,500 species of orchids, 60 of which are endemic to the islands of the Bahamas. The national flower, the yellow elder is a delicate yellow tubular flower, some with fine red stripes on its petals.The mangrove
Located between land and sea, the mangrove is a plant formation that evolves in a saline environment. It is a particular ecosystem where four types of trees can be found: red, black, white and grey mangroves.
The red mangrove or red mangle (Rhizophora mangle) is the main tree of the mangrove. Its aerial roots hang down in an arch from the tall branches like a tangled hair; they form an impenetrable tangle and allow it to breathe and settle firmly in the salty, unstable and muddy soil. Under the shelter of the roots, a rich fauna develops, as the mangrove filters the sediments; the fry and larvae of young fish take advantage of the rich plankton in the environment.
Mangrove oysters, molluscs and sponges develop in colonies on the roots of the red mangle. Crabs and many birds also proliferate there, sheltered from predators that cannot penetrate this dense intertwining of branches. Another interest of the mangrove: it ensures the protection and stabilization of the coasts, the purification of the air and water, and constitutes an unparalleled refuge for the fauna which finds in it a privileged place of reproduction and feeding.
