Amphibians Bermuda has no native
amphibians. A species of toad,
cane toad (
Rhinella marina), and two species of frog,
Antilles coqui (
Eleutherodactylus johnstonei), and
Eleutherodactylus gossei were introduced by humans through the transportation of orchids to the island prior to the 1900s, and subsequently became naturalized.
R. marina and
E. johnstonei are common, but
E. gossei is thought to have been recently
extirpated. They are nocturnal and can often be heard at night in Bermuda. Their songs are most prevalent from April until November.
Reptiles Four species of
lizard and two species of
turtle comprise Bermuda's non-marine reptilian fauna. Of the lizards, the
Bermuda rock lizard (
Plestiodon longirostris), also known as the rock lizard or Bermuda skink, is the only
endemic species.
Mammals All mammals in Bermuda were introduced by humans, except for four species of migratory North American
bats of the genus
Lasiurus: the
hoary bat,
eastern red bat,
Seminole bat and
silver-haired bat. Early accounts refer to wild or feral hogs, descendants of pigs left by the Spanish and Portuguese as feedstock for ships stopping at the islands for supplies. The
house mouse,
brown rat and
black rat were accidentally introduced soon after the settlement of Bermuda, and
feral cats have become common as another introduced species.
Birds Over 360 species of
bird have been recorded on Bermuda. The majority of these are
migrants or
vagrants from North America or elsewhere. Only 24 species breed on the island; 13 of these are thought to be native. One endemic species is the
Bermuda petrel or cahow (
Pterodroma cahow), which was thought to have been extinct since the 1620s. Its ground-nesting habitats had been severely disrupted by introduced species and colonists had killed the birds for food. In 1951, researchers discovered 18 breeding pairs, and started a recovery program to preserve and protect the species. Another endemic subspecies is the
Bermuda white-eyed vireo or chick-of-the-village (
Vireo griseus bermudianus). The national bird of Bermuda is the
white-tailed tropicbird or longtail, which is a summer migrant to Bermuda, its most northerly breeding site. Other native birds include the
eastern bluebird,
grey catbird and perhaps the
common ground dove. The
common gallinule is the most common native waterbird; very small numbers of
American coot and
pied-billed grebe are breeding. Small numbers of
common tern nest around the coast. The
barn owl and
mourning dove colonized the island during the 20th century, and the
green heron has recently begun to breed. or longtail Of the introduced birds, the
European starling,
house sparrow,
great kiskadee,
rock dove,
American crow and
chicken are all very numerous and considered to be pests. Other introduced species include the
mallard,
northern cardinal,
European goldfinch and small numbers of
orange-cheeked and
common waxbills. The
yellow-crowned night heron was introduced in the 1970s to replace the
extinct native heron. Fossil remains of a variety of species have been found on the island, including a
crane, an
owl and the
short-tailed albatross. Some of these became extinct as the islands' land-mass shrank by nine tenths after the
Last Glacial Maximum, while others were exterminated by early settlers. The Bermuda petrel was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1951. Among the many non-breeding migrants are a variety of
shorebirds,
herons and
ducks. In spring many
shearwaters can be seen of the South Shore. Over 30 species of
New World warbler are seen each year, with the
yellow-rumped warbler being the most abundant. The arrival of many species is dependent on weather conditions; low-pressure systems moving across from North America often bring many birds to the islands. Among the rare visitors recorded are the
Siberian flycatcher from Asia and the
fork-tailed flycatcher and
tropical kingbird from South America.
Insects Lawrence Ogilvie, Bermuda's agricultural scientist 1923 to 1928 identified 395 local insects and wrote the Department of Agriculture's 52-page book
The Insects of Bermuda, including
Aphis ogilviei, which he discovered.
Ants There are four ant species found in Bermuda. The African big-headed ant (
Pheidole megacephala) and Argentine ant (
Linepithema humile) are both
invasive to Bermuda. The African ant was first recorded on the island in 1889, and the Argentine ant arrived in Bermuda in the 1940s. These two ants battle for territory and control over the island. Furthermore, there is the Bermuda ant (
Odontomachus insularis), which is indigenous to the island. This ant was initially presumed to be extinct, however, they were re-discovered alive in July 2002. Carpenter ants (
Camponotus spp.) are also found in Bermuda.
Terrestrial invertebrates More than 1100 kinds of
insects and
spiders are found on Bermuda, including 41 endemic insects and a possibly endemic spider. Eighteen species of
butterfly have been seen; about six of these breed on the islands, including the large
monarch and the very common
Bermuda buckeye (
Junonia coenia bergi). More than 200
moths have been recorded; one of the most conspicuous is
Pseudosphinx tetrio, which can reach in wingspan. Bermuda has lost a number of its endemic invertebrates, including the
Bermuda cicada (
Neotibicen bermudianus), which became extinct when the cedar forests disappeared. Some species feared extinct have been rediscovered, including a
Bermuda land snail (
Poecilozonties circumfirmatus) and the Bermuda ant (
Odontomachus insularis). ==Marine life==