The Caribbean is a biodiversity hotspot, with unique flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. How much do you know about our region’s animals and plants? Test yourself with our quiz. Some of the answers can be found in our feature “Go wild” — or check the box below!
1. What extremely rare Cuban mammal hasn’t been spotted in the wild since 2003?
Anteater
Solenodon
Porcupine
Raccoon
2. Dark Cave in Barbuda is home to what kind of marine life that has evolved to be blind?
Hermit crabs
Sea slugs
Shrimp
Jellyfish
3. Which Caribbean island has two endemic parrot species, found nowhere else in the world?
Barbados
Trinidad
Dominica
Antigua
4. What kind of animal found nowhere else but St Lucia shares the colours of the national flag?
A butterfly
A spider
A hummingbird
A lizard
5. What are the “animal flowers” of Barbados’s Animal Flower Cave?
Sea anemones
Coral polyps
Seaweed
Sea snails
6. Which of these is an orchid species found in Curaçao’s Christoffelpark?
Flaming maiden
Dragonsblood
Dutch soldier
Lady-of-the-Night
7. What is Guyana’s national bird?
Harpy eagle
Scarlet macaw
Hoatzin
Sun parakeet
8. Which Caribbean island is home to the largest butterfly in the Western Hemisphere?
Jamaica
Puerto Rico
St Vincent
Aruba
9. Which Caribbean territory has a plant species depicted on its official flag?
Belize
Turks and Caicos
Cayman Islands
Grenada
Answers: 1 Cuban solenodon 2 Shrimp 3 Dominica: the Sisserou and the Jaco 4 A lizard, the St Lucia whiptail 5 Sea anemones 6 Lady-of-the-Night 7 Hoatzin 8 Jamaica: the Jamaican swallowtail 9 A trick question: they all do! The flags of Belize, Turks and Caicos, and the Cayman Islands each include their coat of arms, which depict, respectively, a mahogany tree, a Turk’s cap cactus, and a pineapple; Grenada’s national flag includes a nutmeg fruit
