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local Wednesday 22 OctOber 2025

Unique fauna of Aruba

For a small island, Aruba as rats and mice. It para- leave the nest. Only a few of green. There is also a bit they are just 2 to 3 months
sure has a lot of unique lyzes or kills its prey with its owlets survive. of blue in the wings. The old. A female rabbit, called
treasures. Among these, venom, which is injected parakeet’s beak is gray/ a doe, finds a suitable nest
we have some subspecies through a bite. The en- The owls dig burrows in the black. spot under a shrub or rocks
of animals that are unique emies of the cascabel are ground with low grass veg- and lines it with fur. She can
to our island. These have donkeys, goats, humans etation. An owl can live up Parakeets often use termite have an average of 3 to 4
evolved to perfectly adapt and cars. Humans are the to nine years. nests as breeding sites. Par- litters per year averaging 5
to our desert climate and biggest enemy of the cas- akeets are found in all natu- young each. The doe only
make Aruba their home. At cabel, as they kill them and Its defense mechanism is ral environments (mondi) of visits her young once or
the same time, they are part destroy their habitat for ur- simply to fly away or re- the island. It defends itself twice a day to nurse her
of what makes Aruba truly banization. treat to its burrows. They by flying away and loud babies for a period of 2 to
one of a kind. eat mostly insects, mice cries. Parakeets eat seeds 3 weeks. The young reach
Shoco (burrowing owl, and lizards, and the main from the pods of the Kwihi independence at 4 to 5
Cascabel (rattlesnake, Athene cunicularia threats to their survival are tree, Divi Divi, and columnar weeks.
Crotalus durissus unicolor) arubensis) boas – an invasive species cactus. They also consume
According to the Arikok The shoco is a small bird introduced by humans as natural fruits. Its main pred- The Aruban Conew is an en-
National Park, Aruba knows which is seldom seen. They pets – and humans through ators are boa constrictors, dangered species and pro-
two kinds of snakes, the San- are active during the day destruction of their habitat. humans. tected by Aruban law. The
tanero and the Cascabel. but are more active later Conew is thought to have
The cascabel belongs to in the day and at night for Prikichi (parakeet, Conew (cottontail rabbit, drastically declined due to
the rattlesnake family. The hunting. These owls have Aratinga pertinax) Sylvilagus floridanus an increase in human ac-
cascabel is the only venom- very good night vision and The Prikichi is the national nigronuchalis) tivities, habitat fragmenta-
ous snake from Aruba. It has very good hearing. bird of Aruba. On Aruba, The Eastern Cottontail rab- tion and predation by the
a length of 65cm to 100cm, The shoco is the national Bonaire, and Curaçao, par- bit (Sylvilagus floridanus) invasive Boa constrictor as
and is about 4 to 5cm wide. symbol of Aruba. akeets can be found, but was probably brought over well as feral cats and dogs.
Its color varies from light each of the three islands to the island by Indian set- However, recently there
brown to grey-brown, and The shoco has about 20cm has a different breed. The tlers thousands of years seem to be more rabbit
its underbelly is white. On its of length, and the females Yellow-shouldered Amazon ago as a source of food. sightings in rural and wilder-
back there are marks that are slightly heavier than the parakeet that we have on This rabbit, locally known as ness areas and also in the
are a little darker, in the males. They are light brown Aruba is also found along Conew, has spread all over National Park. This could be
shape of diamonds. in color, with many white the coast of Venezuela. the island and has become linked to a recent decline
spots. The belly of the Shoco Unfortunately, there is in- part of our ecosystem. The of the invasive Boa popula-
Its reproduction is ovipa- is either white or light brown, terbreeding between the very adaptable Conew tion after the long period of
rous, meaning the offspring and the shoco has striking breeds due to cage birds can live in a wide variety of drought. As the Conew can
can hatch from their eggs yellow eyes. Its beak is yel- from, for example, Curaçao habitats, including Aruba’s reproduce very quickly, a
just before, during or imme- low/green. Young owls do being released on Aruba. xeric scrublands, where it short break in predation
diately after laying. not have white spots and The parakeet population typically grazes on weeds pressure can lead to a fast
are lighter in color. on Aruba is in danger due and grasses. increase of rabbits. Sadly,
The cascabel lives mainly to extensive deforestation the Boas are back on the
in the Arikok National Park. The nest of the shoco is a occurring on the island be- The Aruban Conew has a rise again with the truly wet
It likes to live in dark plac- burrow in the ground. If the cause of the growing popu- brownish grey color and a rainy seasons we have re-
es, and is thus found hid- shoco cannot find a burrow, lation. distinctive white belly. This cently experienced. This
den among the limestone it will dig one in soft soil. The white fur extends to the could cause a new decline
rocks and under stones. As shoco lays one or two eggs The prikichi weighs between bottom of the tail which be- in the Conew population
a defense mechanism, the every other day until all the 90 to 100 grams. It has a comes visible as the rabbit that was just starting to re-
cascabel uses its rattle as a eggs are laid – a shoco can greenish-brown head with runs. These rabbits can grow cover.
warning, and it is not an ag- lay up to four eggs. The first some yellow around the up to approximately 40 cen-
gressive animal. owlets hatch after three to eye. The back and wings timeters in length over their These are but a few of Aru-
four weeks. The shoco owl of the parakeet are dark short lifespan of 3 years. ba’s beautiful inhabitant,
The cascabel feeds on liz- takes care of the owlets green, and the underside of Cottontail rabbits reach re- which we must all contrib-
ards, small mammals such for three months until they the body is a lighter shade productive maturity when ute to protect. q