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local Monday 28 august 2023
Unique fauna of Aruba

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