Interest Information

Environment

In Cuba you can find wonders of nature. Cuban flora and fauna are characterized by their great diversity and high level of endemism. Insularity and geological variety influence this, with a notable presence of karstic, serpentine, slate and savannah areas with quartzite sands.

Flora
There are more than 6,000 plant species, about half of which are endemic. The royal palm tree is represented in the country’s coat of arms; It is considered that there are 20 million palm trees in Cuba. The rest of the Cuban flora includes the rare and prehistoric cork palm tree; the jagüey; the pot-bellied palm; Ceiba; and the butterfly, a species of white jasmine, the national flower. Much of the southern coast has mangrove swamps that are home to various species of fish and birds, while the northern coastline is mostly rugged coastline.

Flora and fauna
In Cuba you can find blind fish that live in the crystalline waters of underground lakes in karst caverns, in Pinar del Río; snails such as polymitas and Liguus; the smallest frog on the planet, the tiniest bird in the world; rare and beautiful orchids, and the extraordinary butterfly with transparent wings. The terrestrial fauna is made up mainly of reptiles (crocodiles, iguanas, lizards, salamanders, turtles and 15 species of non-venomous snakes).

You can also see archaic mammals such as the almiquí, fossil fish such as the manjuarí, which lives in rivers and lagoons (most often in the Ciénaga de Zapata), or plant fossils such as the Palma Corcho, dozens of beautiful and exotic species of orchids, marine mammals such as the manatee; reptiles such as iguanas, hundreds of species of birds of great beauty for their plumage, or songbirds that bring joy to the fields and forests with their melodious sounds. The largest land mammal is the hutia. The smallest bird in the world also lives in Cuba, the zunzuncito, barely bigger than a grasshopper. The national bird is the tocororo, whose red, white and blue plumage recalls the colors of the Cuban flag.

In Cuba there are also 8 protected areas with international recognition and with a very high ecological, landscape and cultural wealth.

Around 32,050 living organisms have been counted as part of the Cuban flora and fauna, although an important part of them are inferior organisms. Of the superior ones, 8,000 species of plants, 7,500 species of insects, 963 fish, 121 reptiles, 46 amphibians, 350 species of birds and 42 mammals are known.

A very important characteristic of the Cuban flora and fauna is that there are no dangerous species for man. There are 2 species of crocodiles that do not attack humans (at least without provocation), and the species of sharks in Cuban waters do not share the aggressiveness of their Florida neighbors. Among the other species of reptiles or amphibians there are none poisonous or even aggressive. Finally, mammals, in addition to being rare, are small and completely harmless.