The islands are home to a variety of lizard species, including the depicted Saint Croix ground lizard, which is found on the four islands Protestant Cay, Ruth Cay, Green Cay, and Buck Island.
The Virgin Islands are also home to several non-venomous snake species, including the ground snake, Mona boaVirgin Islands tree boa and blind snake (Typhlops richardii). While the green- and hawksbill turtles are found throughout the U.S.V.I., the leatherback turtle is mostly observed on Saint Croix, and in large aggregations around Sandy Point. The largest populations of hawksbill turtles however are found on Buck Island and the east end of Saint Croix.[5]:72
Native lizards such as anole, ameiva and geckos are easily observed from the Cas Cay Wildlife Sanctuary and Cas Cay Island, a tropical island a few miles south of Red Hook. The Cas Cay Wildlife Sanctuary is a part of the 680-acre Mangrove Lagoon Marine Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a protected area in eastern Saint Thomas with various native species.[5]:73–74
Most of the amphibians in the U.S.V.I. are residents of freshwater lakes, streams and wetlands, including for instance the Mangrove Lagoon and Benner Bay Pond on Saint Thomas; the 500-acre Great Pond and the Creque Dam on Saint Croix; and the Reef Bay Waterfall- and Pool, Francis Bay Pond and Saltpond Bay on Saint John.
Land mammals
The greater bulldog bat is among the seven bats that are native to the islands.
Of the non-native mammals, the white-tailed deer was introduced to the islands during the 1700s, while feral hogs and dogs where introduced by natives during the Pre-Columbian era. European settlers later introduced domesticated species such as donkeys, sheep, goats, horses, chickens, cats, and also local pests such as the rat and the small Asian mongoose.[2]:302–303
The small Asian mongoose has been blamed for numerous native extinctions and has reached a density of two animals per acre across the U.S. Virgin Islands.[5]:92 While the small Asian mongoose was introduced in the 1800s to control rat populations, the white-tailed deer was imported for deer hunting purposes in the late 1700s and again through the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937.
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1 2 Acheson, Pamela; Myers, Richard B. (2007). The Best of St. Thomas and St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands (3rded.). New Smyrna Beach, Florida: Two Thousand Three Associates. ISBN9781892285126.
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