An omnipresent tropical forest
Jamaica is planted with a rare tropical rainforest (primitive) that occupies about 10% of the land in the Blue Mountains and the central region. It is composed of evergreen trees and grows in areas of high rainfall. It is the most lush forest type in the world! The trees can reach up to 40 m in height and bloom and produce fruit continuously throughout the year. From an altitude of 1,000 m, the forest loses its density and becomes more airy, with fewer species; mosses are more numerous, this is the reign of the high altitude tropical forest
Coasts bordered by savannah and mangrove
The dry savannah of scrub, thorny plants, agaves and cacti covers the arid southern areas of the island. The coastal areas, which account for 25% of the territory, have long since lost their natural vegetation, replaced by food crops, plantations and amenity crops. Only the mangrove forest remains very present along the coasts, in particular in the south and east of the country. Impenetrable, it is composed of three different species of mangrove that cohabit in the mouths of rivers: white, black and red. More precisely, red, black or grey manglars, but also mangrove trees which plunge their roots in the silt of the salt water of the coast. As for the inextricable vegetation of Cockpit Country, it still holds many surprises since no one has yet been able to list all the plant species that grow there. Today, 101 varieties are known to be endemic to the region and specialists are busy studying this vegetation, which is among the wildest and least known in the world
A biodiversity rich in endemic species
Jamaica's rainforests contain some 3,000 varieties of flowering plants, including 800 native species. Among them are no less than 237 species of orchids, 60 of which are endemic, which grow wild, flirting with the trunks of tall trees. Anthuriums are also widely represented as well as bromeliads, of which there are 60 species, and epiphytes. Jamaica has more varieties of ferns (550 endemic species) than any other tropical forest in the world. Here also grows the Tatch Palm Tree, endemic to the island, with the palms of which the roofs are made. The Royal Palm Tree was imported from Cuba, where it is the fetish tree; a huge reserve is dedicated to it in the Great Morass region, towards Negril. The Blue Mahoe, an emblematic tree of the island, is an endemic form of hibiscus with flowers in orange shades. Other hibiscus with delicate hues from Egypt are actively involved in the decoration of the hotels. The wood of life, known as the officinal guaiac, measures 4 to 8 m in height. This twisted tree bears a delicate pale blue flower, which is the national flower, and gives orange-yellow fruits. The Madagascar flamboyants with their bright red flowers, the frangipani and bougainvillea offer a wide range of colours from bright orange to deep purple and fuchsia. Eucalyptus, cedars, balsas, banyan trees, arums, laurels, poisonous mancenilliums, pepper trees and mulberry trees are some of the many species that grow on the island.
A birdwatcher's paradise
In addition to the species unique to the Caribbean region, there are many migratory birds that return each winter to enjoy the warmth of Jamaica. In total, there are about 200 species on the island, 25 of which are endemic, including the Jamaican woodpecker and the Jamaican oriole, a black-tailed bird with yellow plumage. The delicate hummingbirds, better known as hummingbirds, are also numerous and fascinating to observe hovering. The multicolored todiers feed on insects caught in flight and nest in small caves built on the ground. The yellow-plumaged sylvette lives in the mangrove. Pelicans, falcons, flamingos, ibises, finches, nuthatches, tanagers, mockingbirds, tremblers, swallows, pigeons, turtle doves, cranes, pheasants, trogons, woodpeckers, cuckoos... so many species with wonderful multicolored plumage and melodious songs that will delight the observers. Some of them have been baptized with pretty local names that sing to the ear: the white belly, the old man, the insect eater, the mountain witch, the Robin robin, the big Tom, the cling cling, the doctor bird, the golden fringed bird, the blue bird... Entomologists will also have something to do with the 80 endemic species of butterflies and the numerous insects of the tropical forest
Wonderful seabed
Jamaican waters are a veritable kingdom of underwater life, rich in numerous endemic species. Corals of all colours and shapes (stag horns, elk horns or Neptune's brains, among others) weave long, jagged walls with complex ramifications. Feathered gorgonians, whose silky branches undulate under the effect of the currents, spirographs unfolding their arms, coloured anemones and starfish cover the sea bed. The coral reefs are home to a whole population of amazing fish: parrot fish, sumptuously coloured triggerfish, butterfly fish, surgeon fish, flying fish, angelfish (very common in the Caribbean) or even pig-headed captain, moonfish, octopus fish, gorgonian (a small underwater cave animal)... The encounters are not lacking in spice.
As for the big fish, from lazy groupers to blue, nurse, hammerhead or sleeper sharks, not forgetting the threatening barracudas, blue marlin, manta rays and stingrays, let's just say that the deep waters are not lacking in life! Dolphins, porpoises and manatees living along the southern coastal areas are the main representatives of marine mammals. Four species of sea turtles, unfortunately endangered, are also found in Jamaican waters. Numerous shellfish, conchs with orange shells which were used by the Arawak to communicate, sea urchins, large crustaceans, crabs or lobsters are also found in profusion, for the delight of the fine palate
