Wildlife of
Puerto Rico

Occurs mainly in the Luquillo Mountains (El Yunque area) and other very wet windward/montane zones, with evergreen broadleaf forest, abundant epiphytes, and high year-round humidity; includes montane rain forest and very wet forest types.

Localized but prominent in the northeast and higher elevations; small proportion of the island overall (pockets in wettest mountains).

Seasonally dry forests and xeric scrub on the leeward (southern/southwestern) coastal plain and on smaller islands (e.g., Mona, parts of Vieques/Culebra), with drought-adapted trees, thorny shrubs, and strong seasonality.

Concentrated in the southwest and on offshore islands; patchy along drier coasts.

Open grassy areas with scattered trees/shrubs occur mostly as secondary/disturbance landscapes (historic clearing, grazing, fire, and droughty soils), plus naturally open coastal and serpentine/rocky sites in places.

Scattered and mostly human-influenced; limited natural extent.

Short, steep rivers and streams radiate from the central mountains; reservoirs and small freshwater wetlands support fish, amphibians, and migratory birds despite relatively small standing-water area.

Island-wide as networks of rivers/streams; lakes are few and largely artificial (reservoirs).

Coastal mangroves, brackish lagoons, freshwater marshes, riparian wetlands, and karst wetlands provide nursery habitat for fish/crustaceans and key stopover/wintering habitat for waterbirds.

Most extensive along coastal lowlands (north and south coasts) and around estuaries/lagoons; locally significant but limited in total area.

Warm Caribbean marine ecosystems include fringing and patch reefs, seagrass meadows, sandy and rocky bottoms, shelf waters, and deep offshore habitats that support reef fish, sea turtles, marine mammals, and fisheries.

Surrounds the archipelago; reefs and seagrass are concentrated on the insular shelf (notably east/southeast and around offshore islands).

El Yunque (Luquillo Experimental Forest) and other wet upland tracts with dense evergreen canopy, tree ferns, and epiphytes.

Broad suite of moist-to-wet evergreen forests across uplands and foothills; includes mature stands and widespread secondary forest regrowth.

Dry coastal woodlands and scrubby low forests in leeward areas and on offshore islands, often on limestone or thin soils.

Xeric scrub in the southwest and on arid coastal terraces/limestone, including thorny and salt-tolerant shrub communities.

Open fields and pasture-derived grasslands common in lowlands and interior valleys; some areas maintained by mowing/grazing.

Cordillera Central and Luquillo Mountains create sharp elevation-driven habitat shifts, including very wet montane forests and ridge-top communities.

Extensive karst cave systems (notably in the northern karst belt, e.g., Rio Camuy area) supporting bats and specialized cave fauna.

Karst escarpments and coastal cliffs provide nesting/roosting sites and specialized plant communities on exposed limestone and headlands.

Numerous short, flashy rivers (e.g., Rio Grande de Loiza, Rio La Plata) with riparian corridors linking mountains to estuaries.

Freshwater and brackish wetlands around coastal lagoons and river mouths (e.g., Torrecilla-Pinones systems) important for birds.

Fresh to brackish marshes in coastal lowlands and around lagoons/estuaries, often dominated by emergent vegetation.

Red/black/white mangrove forests and associated mudflats in sheltered bays and estuaries (e.g., San Juan Bay Estuary, Jobos Bay).

Mixing zones at river mouths and enclosed bays (e.g., Jobos Bay) with high productivity and nursery function.

A continuous coastal zone of dunes, lagoons, wetlands, and nearshore waters supporting fisheries and migratory species.

Sandy beaches and dune systems used by nesting sea turtles and shorebirds; highly variable from urbanized to protected stretches.

Wave-exposed headlands and rocky intertidal areas around the main island and offshore cays with tidepool communities.

Fringing and patch reefs and reef banks (notably around Vieques, Culebra, La Parguera, and shelf edges) with high biodiversity.

Pelagic waters surrounding the shelf support migratory fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals; influenced by regional Caribbean currents.

Beyond the insular shelf, deep habitats include slopes and basins (with the Puerto Rico Trench region nearby) supporting deepwater communities.

Benthic habitats spanning sand flats, seagrass-associated sediments, hardbottom, and deeper soft-bottom areas.

Dense urban/coastal development (e.g., San Juan metro) creates fragmented habitats and strong land-sea runoff pressures.

Peri-urban mosaics of housing, roads, and remnant green space; important for some generalist wildlife and urban wetlands.

Lowland and valley agriculture (historically sugarcane; now mixed crops and pasture) interspersed with secondary forest.

Legacy and remaining plantation landscapes (notably coffee in uplands and other managed tree/crop systems) forming semi-managed habitat mosaics.