Isla de la Juventud is the second-largest Cuban island and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies. The island was called the Isle of Pines until 1978. It has an area 2,200 km2 (850 sq mi) and is 50 km (31 mi) south of the island of Cuba, across the Gulf of Batabanó. The island lies almost directly south of Havana and Pinar del Río and is a Special Municipality, not part of any province and is therefore administered directly by the central government of Cuba. The island has only one municipality, also named Isla de la Juventud.
Amphisbaenia is a group of typically legless lizards, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As many species have a pink body and scales arranged in rings, they have a superficial resemblance to earthworms. While the genus Bipes retains forelimbs, all other genera are limbless. Phylogenetic studies suggest that they are nested within Lacertoidea, closely related to the lizard family Lacertidae. Amphisbaenians are widely distributed, occurring in North America, Europe, Africa, South America, Western Asia and the Caribbean. Most species are less than 6 inches (15 cm) long.
Garrido's hutia is a small, critically endangered, rat-like mammal found in coastal mangrove forests on Cuba and nearby islands. It is rarely seen and may be extinct. It is a member of the hutia subfamily (Capromyinae), a group of rodents native to the Caribbean that are mostly endangered or extinct. The only other species in its genus, the Desmarest's hutia, is also found only on Cuba.
Pinus tropicalis, the tropical pine, is a pine tree endemic to the western highlands of the island of Cuba.
The Caribbean pine is a hard pine species native to Central America and the northern West Indies. It belongs to subsection Australes in subgenus Pinus. It inhabits tropical and subtropical coniferous forests such as Bahamian pineyards, in both lowland savannas and montane forests.
The Cuban nightjar, sometimes also Greater Antillean nightjar, is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is endemic to Cuba.
The great lizard cuckoo is a species of bird in the tribe Phaenicophaeini, subfamily Cuculinae of the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is found in the Bahamas and Cuba.
The western spindalis is a songbird species. It was formerly considered conspecific with the other three species of Spindalis, with the common name stripe-headed tanager.
The yellow-headed warbler is one of two species of bird in the Cuban warbler family Teretistridae. It is endemic to western Cuba.
The Cuban green woodpecker is a species of woodpecker in the family Picidae and tribe Melanerpini, known locally in Cuban Spanish as carpintero verde. It is the only species within the genus Xiphidiopicus and is one of two woodpeckers endemic to Cuba. It is the most widespread and common woodpecker in Cuba, inhabiting primarily woodlands, as well as dry and wet forests, pine forests and mangroves. The population of the Cuban green woodpecker is stable and its status is listed as "Least Concern".
The Cuban trogon or tocororo is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is endemic to Cuba, where it is also the national bird.
The spotted amphisbaena is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Cadeidae. This species is endemic to the island of Cuba.
Cadea is a genus of amphisbaenians, commonly known as Cuban keel-headed worm lizards, in the family Cadeidae. Two species are placed in this genus. Both species are endemic to Cuba.
Mary Cynthia Dickerson was an American herpetologist and the first curator of herpetology at the American Museum of Natural History, as well as the first curator in the now defunct department of Woods and Forestry. For ten years she was the editor of The American Museum Journal, which was renamed Natural History during her editorship. She published two books: Moths and Butterflies (1901) and The Frog Book (1906) as well as numerous popular and scientific articles. She described over 20 species of reptiles and is commemorated in the scientific names of four lizards.
Caraiba is a monotypic genus of snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus contains the sole species Caraiba andreae, also known commonly as the black and white racer or the Cuban lesser racer, which is endemic to Cuba. There are six recognized subspecies.
The Juventud least gecko is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to the West Indies.
Sphaerodactylus storeyae, also known commonly as the Isle of Pines sphaero or the Los Canarreos geckolet, is a small species of gecko, a lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Isla de la Juventud in Cuba.
The Cuban many-ringed amphisbaena, also known commonly as the Cuban many-ringed worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to Cuba.
The Cuban pink amphisbaena is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Amphisbaenidae. The species is endemic to Cuba.
