Endemic Species

A species of organism that is confined to a particular geographic region such as an island or river basin is often referred to as an Endemic Species. Several endemic species exist in and around the La Romana area and in particular the National Park of the East.

The Dominican Republic even has an endemic palm tree called the "manacle palm."

The Hispaniolan Crossbill Loxia megaplaga is a crossbill which is endemic to the island of Hispaniola.It was formerly regarded as conspecific with the Two-barred Crossbill Loxia leucoptera, from which it is now assumed it evolved. The bird feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of Pinus occidentalis cones. It is accepted that the origin of this bird can be traced to southern populations of L. leucoptera that got stranded on the highest pine forested mountains of Hispaniola about 10,000 years ago when the glaciers started receding northward. The Hispaniolan Woodpecker is a medium sized Woodpecker endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.Their back is covered in yellow and black stripes. Males have a dark red stripe from their forehead to their neck while females the red stripe extends from the nape to the neck only. Their tail base is brilliantly red while the tail itself is black. The rump is olive-grey. Unlike other woodpeckers the Hispaniolan Woodpecker is a social species with large numbers of adult birds forming a colony to protect a nesting area. Their habitat, which is restricted to the Haiti and the Dominican Republic, extends from the coasts, over the deserts to the mountains of the island.

Many regard the Palm Crow as being endemic to the island of Hispaniola while the similar Cuban Crow is endemic to Cuba, but sadly dimishing in numbers and possibly nearing extinction there. The Dominican local name for the palm crow is cao, which is onomatopoeic of the simple and repetitive call of this bird. There it is locally common, mainly in mountain pine forests and also around the area of the Lake Enriquillo.

The Dominican Republic is home to the Rhino iguana.

Perhaps the most popular of all endemic species is the Palmchat ( Dulus dominicus). It is the National Bird of the Dominican Republic and resembles an oriole in appearance, but is more brownish in color. This beloved bird feeds on flowers, fruits and berries. It inhabits the low to mid elevations of Hispaniola where there are an abundance of palm savannas. This bird also adapts well to cities and urban gardens.

The Rhinoceros iguana is an endangered species endemic to Hispaniola. They prefer to live in dry, rocky forests in coastal areas. These areas may contain cacti or other thorny plants. They can also be found in scrub woodlands, and semi-deciduous forests. They are ground dwelling creatures, but will climb if they need to reach fruit or a warm sunning spot. Rhino iguanas are omnivorous, however their diets are mostly herbivorous, occasionally eating insects or eggs of other mammals or birds, however they prefer fruit, leaves and flowers.. Because they are cold blooded, they spend much pf their time sunning. Males tend to be aggressive and territorial. Rhino iguanas have perfect camouflage, their colors blending well with rocks and scrub bush. In captivity Rhini iguanas have been know to live 20 years.