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Chaguaramas Wildlife - Nine Banded Armadillo
Scientific Name - Dasypus novemcinctus Common Name - Tattoo Class: Mammalia Order: --
Genus: Dasypus
(Omniivore)
The armadillo can reach lengths of, body 15-17inches and tail 14-16inches. They weigh around 8-17lbs. The upperparts are encased in a bony carapace with large shields on the shoulders and rump and nine bands between the front feet, with it's four toes and hind feet, with their five toes.
All of the toes are provided with large strong claws. The tail is long and completely covered with bony rings. Brownish in colour with scattered yellow hairs.
This armored creature basically feeds on insects and other invertebrates, on rare occasions they eat berries and even bird eggs. The bony, scaled shell of the armadillo protects it from predators.
A prolific digger, they dig many burrows, as well as dig for food. The animal does not survive very well in areas which the soil is too hard for digging. Females give birth to four young armadillos in a burrow.
All four young, always the same sex, are identical quadruplets and developed from the same egg. Armadillo are found of water, that is they tend to concentrate in the vicinity of streams and water holes.
However excess water they avoid, for example swamp and marshy areas.
Chaguaramas Wildlife - Agouti
Scientific Name - Dasyprocta punctata Common Name - Agouti Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia
Genus: Dasyprocta
( Herbivore )
The coat varies from a pale orange to several shades of brown. The agouti's fur is course to the touch, yet it's glossy. They have short ears , and their hind feet have three toes with hoof-like claws. They often sit in a erect position, from which they can sprint off at full speed. They can move with remarkable speed and agility. If threaten by danger, they pause almost motionless with one forefoot raised.
Being a herbivore they feed on fruits and spend most of their time seeking out fruit bearing trees in the forest. They carefully bury seeds when food is abundant, so that they can use these buried seeds as food when fruit are scarce or not in season. So in their own way they help the forest with seed dispersal. The agouti's social habits is one that are usually made up of pairs that will mate with one another for life. These pairs occupy territories of approximately 1- 2 hectares which contain fruit trees and a source of water. Territorial defense sometimes includes vicious fighting between intruding agoutis, these fights sometimes result in fatal wounds. When behaving aggressively, they sometimes erect the long hairs of it's rump and thumps the ground with their hind legs.
Chaguaramas Wildlife - Ocelot
Scientific Name - Felis pardalis Common Name - Tiger Cat Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora
Genus: Leopardus
(Carnivore)
The ocelot's slender body can measure up to four feet or more and weighs on a average 9-14 kg. The ocelot is a carnivore. It feeds on other small mammals, birds and reptiles. It's hunting techniques vary and mostly done by night and the early hours of the morning.
Like all small cats an ocelot's eyes close to a slit when there is to much light, this makes him a great hunter at night. The fur patterns are dark brown irregular shape spots and stripes, edged with black on a light-brown/yellow body coat. Ocelots coloration are known to vary with their habitat. They are darker in colour in dense forested environments. The ocelot swims well and is excellent tree climber. They are sometimes found sleeping in the lower branches of trees, male and female cats often share territories which can be up to 3 square miles in area. The Ocelot has been hunted for it's fur, along with deforestation, this distinctive cat is an endangered species.
Chaguaramas Wildlife - Porcupine
Scientific Name - Common Name - Porcupine Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Genus: Coendou
Genus: Coendou
(herbivore)
Porcupines are nocturnal vegetarians, but are sometimes active by day. They eat the inner bark of trees. They will also eat foliage, twigs, bark, leaves, buds, fruits, berries, nuts, flowers, and will sometimes feed in fields.
They move slowly and have poor vision. They climb trees to escape predators, but will use their quills to defend themselves if they have to.
Porcupines do not shoot their quills (as is often shown) . The quills are loosely attached. If attacked, a porcupine slaps the attacker with its tail. The attacker gets a face paw or claw full of detached quills when they struck or if they get too close to a porcupine. A single porcupine may have 30,000 quills. Quills are actually modified hairs that have hollow shafts with solid tips and bases. The quills can reach a length to about five inches long
When on the ground their tracks show four toes on the front foot and five on the hind foot. Marks made by the long claws usually show. The heel pads have a pebbly texture. This acts as a non-slip surface and helps them climb trees. Sometimes, a tail drag mark is visible in the trail.
The underside of the porcupine is soft so if they are soft and lacks quills.
Chaguaramas Wildlife - Red Brocket
Scientific Name - Mazama americana Common Name - Deer / Biche Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla
Genus: mazama
(herbivore)
The Red Brocket browses on vegetation, preferring fruit when it is available. It is generally private and stays in subterranean forest, although in Chaguaramas it has been sighted grazing on the outer boundary of the Chaguaramas Golf Course. When startled, the animal raises its tail to flash the white, and stomps its hoof.
This genus is the largest of the brockets. The Red Brocket, is a species of brocket deer from South America. Its body is mostly chestnut in color, with a lighter brown head and neck. The inner thighs and the underside of the tail are white. The male has small antlers. The shoulder height is 14–30 in; the head and body length 28–53 in; tail length 3–6 in. These deer typical weigh 40-66 lbs, but occasionally males may possibly get as large as 100 lbs.
Chaguaramas Wildlife - Howler Monkey
Scientific Name - Alouatta sp Common Name - Howler Monkey Class: Mammalia Order: Primate
Genus: Alouatta
(Omnivorous)
The adult monkeys are "bronze-ish " brown colouration, where the female of the species are lighter in colour. They can measure to about 2 - 4 feet in length and weigh around 8 - 22 pounds. They have a prehensile tail which is as long as its head and body, a short snout and round nostrils. The skin is black in colour.
The howler is the largest new world monkey. They are social primates that live high in the trees of the forest. This primate is considered to be the loudest monkey and the loudest animal in Chaguaramas. The howler monkey call can be heard up to 3 miles (4.8km) away. Primarily a plant and meat eater, the howler also eats maggots and fruits.
Howler monkeys maintain linear hierarchies, and demonstrate complex interactions within the social group. These groups range from 10 - 20 members. The older males use aggression to drive younger males away.
Chaguaramas Wildlife - Silky Anteater
Scientific Name - Cyclopes didactylus Common Name - Poor 'me' One Class: Mammalia Order: didactyl
Genus: Cyclopes
( Insectivore )
Strictly insectivorous, the silky anteater feeds mostly on arboreal ants and termites. It will eat on an average 100 to 8000 ants per day. Considered an opportunistic feeder that forages among the treetops the anteater invades ants nest with it's long sticky tongue.
The silky anteater is nocturnal and almost never descends to the ground. Slow moving and not offensive in behavior, the anteater has formidable defense. When threaten the silky anteater stands on it's hind legs grasping the limbs of the tree with both it's prehensile tail and hind legs. Then holding it's forefeet close to it's face it's strikes with it's large sharp claws. They are very difficult to find in their natural habitat The silky anteater is arboreal and very rarely descends to the ground.
Chaguaramas Wildlife - Tayra
Scientific Name - Eira barbara Common Name - Swamp Dog Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
( Omnivorous )
The Tayra is about the size of a medium sized dog, with a long bushy tail and long neck ending in robust head. It's body can reach lengths of 600mm to 700mm and it's tail length around 350 to 450mm. The colour varies with geographic location, but generally the tayra has a dark brown with a slightly paler head. Usually it has a white, diamond shape patch on it's throat. They have long claws and pronounced canines.
Mammals are the most abundant part of the Tayra's diet but it also eats significant amounts of fruit, invertebrates and small reptiles. They usually travel alone or in pairs. However they have been sighted in small groups of 3-4 individuals. The tayra are considered to be both terrestrial and arboreal; terrestrial behaviour is composed of erratic, bouncing movements with the back arched and the tail along the ground, while arboreal behaviour are more fluid and the tail is used as a balancing rod. They can leap considerable distances, run up rocky cliffs and bound from branch to branch in the trees. The Tayra gives a short barking call, when it is alarmed and seeks protection in the nearest tree. They are active both day and night.
Chaguaramas Wildlife - White-Fronted Capuchin
Scientific Name - Cebus albifrons Common Name - Capuchin Class: Mammalia Order: Primate
Genus: Celous
( Omnivorous )
With an average length of (head and body) 13 - 22.5 inches and it's tails about the same length, and a weight of 4-8 pounds, the Capuchin features can be described as nimble and slender bodied with thin limbs. It's toes and thumbs are opposable to the other fingers and toes.
A round shape head with short hairs, which are darker than the rest of it's coat and it's partly prehensile tail. Hidden among the dense arboreal vegetation of the Chaguaramas forest, these monkeys dwell in relatively large groups or troops. They descend to the ground when they are looking for water. These monkey troops from a family of 2 to as many as 40 primates move around in search of the most abundant feeding grounds. They stay in contact with their members by calling each other. They leave a scent amount the foliage of the trees by soaking their feet and hands in their urine (urine-washing), this is how they keep a sense of direction as well as mark their territories.
Capuchins feed on fruit, insects, leaves, small birds and on rare occasions on other small mammals. Capuchins
TRAFFIC NOTICE
Please be advised that Tucker Valley Road will be partially closed daily from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, on Friday 25th April to Thursday 9th May, 2025, to facilitate Exercise Tradewinds 2025, conducted by the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.