Mammals

 

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Bats are the only native terrestrial mammals extant in the country today, and as is the case throughout the Lesser Antilles, they constitute the largest mammalian group - Click here for details .  However there are a number of introduced mammalian species...

Mammalian introductions to St. Kitts & Nevis include:
 

  • Agouti (Dasyprocta agouti): believed to be an Amerindian introduction, but extirpated within historical times.

  • White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus): introduced from Puerto Rico (originally from North America) in 1931 to the Lodge Estate in St. Kitts. When the herd reached seven animals it was released at Frigate Bay.

  • Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus): introduced in the late 1800s to control rats that infested sugar cane plantations.

  • Rats (Rattus rattus and R. norvegicus) and Mouse (Mus muscalus) have been inadvertently introduced since the 1600s, or earlier.

  • African Green (or Vervet) monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops): Introduced from West Africa approximately 300 years ago as a pet, escaped and naturalized.

This species occurs on both St. Kitts and Nevis, and otherwise only in Barbados within the West Indies (a con-generic, C. mona occurs in Grenada). Population estimates for St. Kitts vary widely. Sade and Hildrich (1965) estimated 1,200, based on their assumptions of 15 individuals/troop, 2 troops occupying each of the 40 major ravines, plus 300 more individuals on the Southeast Peninsula. Poirier (1972) estimated 5,600–8,400, based on his assumption of 20-30 individuals/troop, 4 troops occupying each of the 40 major ravines and another 110 troops in the minor ravines and in the areas outside of the ravines, plus 200-300 individuals in the Southeast Peninsula. Young (pers. comm. cited in CCA/IRF, 1991) estimated the Nevis population to be 2,000 based on 100 troops mostly located in ravines around the island’s central mountain.
Primarily fruit and leaf eaters, but known to be generalists that eat insects as well. McGuire (1974) stated that the vervet did not seem to impact wildlife, but some researchers hold it responsible for the extinction of the St. Kitts endemic subspecies of the Puerto Rican Bullfinch (but see notes for Loxigilla portoricensis grandis in the “Birds” sub-section of this website).

Biodiversity Implications
As noted above, bats are the only native mammals and the only mammalian group of biodiversity conservation concern. The three-month investigation of Morton and Courts (1999) resulted in detailed information on each of the species encountered, a field identification guide, and excellent recommendations regarding conservation.

Agouti (Dasyprocta agouti)

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus)

African Green (or Vervet) monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops)

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