Indigenous Species

Indigenous species are species that originate or are naturally living, growing and occurring in a region or country. Some of these species can be found naturally living in the region but are also found elsewhere.

A pod of dolphins usually consists of 10 - 12 adults.

Whale watching is a popular tourist activity in the Dominican Republic.

Parrots were kept as pets in early Taino huts as well as being a popular pet today.

Manatees are large aquatic mammals that habitat shallow lagoons and coastal areas

Dolphins can often be seen in the waters surrounding La Romana, and occasionally approach humans and playfully interact with them in the water. Dolphins are social animals and live in pods, or schools. Pods usually consist of aproximately twelve dolphins, however on occasion superpods are located with upwards of a thousand dolphins. Dolphins communicate with one another using a variety of clicks, whisltles and other voculizations. They also use ultrasonic sounds for echolocation.

Echolocation, also called Biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several mammals such as bats, dolphins and whales. Echolocation works like active sonar, using sounds made by an animal. Ranging is done by measuring the time delay between the animal's own sound emission and any echoes that return from the environment. Unlike some sonar that relies on an extremely narrow beam to localize a target, animal echolocation relies on multiple receivers. Echolocating animals have two ears positioned slightly apart. The echoes returning to the two ears arrive at different times and at different loudness levels, depending on the position of the object generating the echoes. The time and loudness differences are used by the animals to perceive direction.

One of the main breeding grounds of the Humpback whale is off the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. Every winter aproximately 3,000 whales migrate from the North Atlkantic, and congregate here to mate and reproduce in the shallow waters that are protected from boats by the coral reefs. The Humpback whale is one of the larger whale species measuring 12-15 meters and weighing 60 tons. Humpbacks do not eat while they are in Dominican waters, instead they live off their accumulated body fat.

The Parrot is native to the Dominican Republic and has been a part of our daily lives since the early Tainos. Today they are still kept as pets in Dominican homes.

Often referred to as "cotica" or "green parrot" because of its bright green plummage, this vocal and decorative bird is the most popular of all native birds.

Manatees are large aquatic mammals sometimes known as sea cows. The name comes from the Spanish manati, which itself is derived from the Carib word meaning "breast." Manatees , or manatis inhabit shallow, marshy, coastal waters and rivers of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

They spend most of their day sleeping in the water, surfacing for air at intervals of about 20 minutes. Manatees are herbivores and eat over 60 different plant species such as mangrove leaves, turtle grass, and types of algae, using their divided upper lip.

An adult manatee will commonly eat up to 9% of its body weight (approx 50kg) per day. Manatees were traditionally hunted by indigenous Caribbean people. When Christopher Columbus arrived in the region, manatee hunting was an established trade. Native Americans hunted manatees to make war shields, canoes, and shoes, though the manatee was predominately hunted for its abundant meat.