Isla de la Juventud, Cuba Photograph by © WWF-Canon/Michel ROGGO   Island of Cuba in the Caribbean Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests   25,400 square miles (65,800 square kilometers) -- about the size of West Virginia Critical/Endangered

· Rough but Rewarding
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Rough but Rewarding

If you visit the dry forests of Cuba, you might want to bring an extra pair of shoes. In some places, the terrain is called diente del perro (teeth of the dog), and it's guaranteed to shred the soles of your shoes! But you'll still be glad you made the trip if you encounter some of the amazing biodiversity of this island. Look inside the crevices of this jagged rock and you might see the small Guanahacabibes whistling frog. Small caves and holes serve as den sites for large Cuban iguanas. Elsewhere in the dry forests on the island, you might see the endangered blue-headed quail-dove foraging on the ground for seeds, berries, and snails.

Special Features

Cuba's dry forests were the first habitat to be cleared for development, but a variety of dry forest vegetation remains in scattered patches over the island’s diverse landscape. In this arid zone, some evergreen forest trees can grow as tall as 60 feet (18 m). Here you'll find Florida poisontree, West Indian mahogany, and turpentine trees growing above a rich shrub layer. In low-lying shrublands with good rain and soils, you'll encounter small evergreen and palm trees. A large patch of dry forest remains on the isolated western Guanahacabibes Peninsula.

	The blue-headed quail-dove is a beautiful and endangered bird, but unfortunately its meat is popular with local people.

Wild Side

Wander through these dry forests, and you may come across whistling frogs, anoles, geckos, and perhaps even the formidable Cuban boa. Covered with irregular brown markings, this snake is the largest found in the Greater Antilles, with some specimens reaching up to 10 feet (3 m) in length. Some of these snakes live in caves, preying on the readily available bats. Others live on the forest floor, occasionally climbing trees in pursuit of a tasty hutia--a mammal that looks like an oversized guinea pig. Hutias feed high up in the trees and then return to their dens on the ground to rest. You also might see a Cuban green woodpecker perched on a tree, extracting insects. You might hear a West Indian woodpecker or even spot the rare and vulnerable Fernadina’s flicker. This bird builds its nest on top of dead palm trees, and males sport what looks like a dapper little moustache.

Cause for Concern

Much of the island’s dry forest has already been cleared for agriculture and urban development. Slash and burn agriculture, charcoal production, clear-cutting, and selective logging are still serious concerns.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.