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LOCAL Saturday 2 auguSt 2025

Aruba to me

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Unique fauna of Aruba

For a small island, Aruba bottom of the tail which This could be linked to a re-
sure has a lot of unique becomes visible as the rab- cent decline of the invasive
treasures. Among these, bit runs. These rabbits can Boa population after the
we have some subspecies grow up to approximately long period of drought. As
of animals that are unique 40 centimeters in length the Conew can reproduce
to our island. These have over their short lifespan of very quickly, a short break
evolved to perfectly adapt 3 years. Cottontail rabbits in predation pressure can
to our desert climate and reach reproductive ma- lead to a fast increase of
make Aruba their home. turity when they are just 2 rabbits. Sadly, the Boas are
At the same time, they are to 3 months old. A female back on the rise again with
part of what makes Aruba rabbit, called a doe, finds the truly wet rainy seasons
truly one of a kind. a suitable nest spot under we have recently experi-
a shrub or rocks and lines it enced. This could cause a
Prikichi (parakeet, Aratinga tween 90 to 100 grams. It Conew (cottontail rabbit, with fur. She can have an new decline in the Conew
pertinax) has a greenish-brown head Sylvilagus floridanus nigro- average of 3 to 4 litters per population that was just
The Prikichi is the national with some yellow around nuchalis) year averaging 5 young starting to recover.
bird of Aruba. On Aruba, the eye. The back and The Eastern Cottontail rab- each. The doe only visits
Bonaire, and Curaçao, par- wings of the parakeet are bit (Sylvilagus floridanus) her young once or twice a These are but a few of Aru-
akeets can be found, but dark green, and the under- was probably brought over day to nurse her babies for ba’s beautiful inhabitant,
each of the three islands side of the body is a light- to the island by Indian set- a period of 2 to 3 weeks. which we must all contrib-
has a different breed. The er shade of green. There tlers thousands of years The young reach indepen- ute to protect. For more
Yellow-shouldered Amazon is also a bit of blue in the ago as a source of food. dence at 4 to 5 weeks. information, visit https://
parakeet that we have on wings. The parakeet’s beak This rabbit, locally known as www.arubanationalpark.
Aruba is also found along is gray/black. Conew, has spread all over The Aruban Conew is an org/main/flora-fauna/
the coast of Venezuela. Parakeets often use ter- the island and has become endangered species and
Unfortunately, there is in- mite nests as breeding part of our ecosystem. The protected by Aruban law.
terbreeding between the sites. Parakeets are found very adaptable Conew The Conew is thought to
breeds due to cage birds in all natural environments can live in a wide variety of have drastically declined
from, for example, Cura- (mondi) of the island. It de- habitats, including Aruba’s due to an increase in hu-
çao being released on fends itself by flying away xeric scrublands, where it man activities, habitat
Aruba. The parakeet popu- and loud cries. Parakeets typically grazes on weeds fragmentation and preda-
lation on Aruba is in danger eat seeds from the pods and grasses. tion by the invasive Boa
due to extensive deforesta- of the Kwihi tree, Divi Divi, constrictor as well as feral
tion occurring on the island and columnar cactus. They The Aruban Conew has a cats and dogs. However,
because of the growing also consume natural fruits. brownish grey color and a recently there seem to be
population. Its main predators are boa distinctive white belly. This more rabbit sightings in rural
constrictors, humans. white fur extends to the and wilderness areas and
The prikichi weighs be- also in the National Park.