As we conclude our first week in Jamaica, it feels both way too fast as the individual days go by, but also feels like we’ve been here for forever thinking back to the very first day. We have done so much so far, daily snorkeling or scuba diving, climbing a waterfall, exploring Ocho Rios, finishing our exam and so much more. The marine life we have observed so far is an extensive list full of extraordinary fish, critters, plants, algae and everything else. However, it is also important to note the captivating life on the land of Jamaica. With near access to a boardwalk, we have the ability to view a ton of terrestrial animals and plants. Some of the ones I’d like to specifically mention are the:

Female golden orb-weaver (Trichonephila clavipes), a fairly large spider with striped legs.

Tetrio sphinx (Pseudosphinx tetrio), a caterpillar with a black body with yellow rings, and a reddish head.

A stick insect (Phasmatodea), looking just like a stick.

Jamaican turquoise anole (Anolis grahami), a small lizard with the ability to camouflage. Bright blue on the upper half of its tail and yellowish on the second half.

Life in Jamaica is truly special, with over 3000 plant species, of which ¼ are found nowhere else on Earth. Jamaica is also known to have a very high number of endemic species. Unfortunately with our limited time here in Jamaica and its enormous biodiversity, it’s hard to explore in depth both the marine and terrestrial habitats, but we definitely have gotten good exposure to life on land in Jamaica so far.

Dante