Discovering the hidden wonders of Maracas Bay at Bioblitz 2025
When we think of Maracas Bay, its palm trees, waves, and bake and shark. However, Maracas has a lot more to offer than a good beach lime.
In late September, more than 250 scientists, naturalists and enthusiasts gathered at the Maracas Bay Community Centre to embark on the most intensive biodiversity survey ever conducted in the area: a Bioblitz.
Organised as a partnership between UWI St Augustine’s Department of Life Sciences (DLS) and the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club (TTFNC) for the last 14 years, and funded by First Citizens, the event consists of teams exploring a five kilometre radius area for 24 hours to record as many species as possible: plants, birds, bugs, mammals, fungi, reptiles and amphibians, aquatic creatures, and even microbes.
The coastal stretch between the Maracas Lookout and Las Cuevas Bay, the upper reaches of Maracas Valley and the mountains in between were included in this year’s survey area. At 936 metres high, Trinidad’s second highest peak, El Tucuche, presented an irresistible challenge to some of our more intrepid bioblitzers, especially as many unique species live only within the high elevation ‘elfin’ woodland habitats the peaks provide.
The Mammal Team, getting ready to leave basecamp and set up their bat nets. T&T has 70 different species of bat, and eight of these were recorded during the 24 hours. PHOTO: BRYAN RAMDEEN
These expeditions contributed some of the most prized finds of the weekend, including the golden tree frog, an endangered frog found inside bromeliads above 800 metres and classified as an Environmentally Sensitive Species.
Even more exciting for some was evidence of the luminous lizard, a legendary reptile that has not been seen on El Tucuche for 40 years. Saifudeen Muhammad, a second- year undergraduate in the DLS, led one of the El Tucuche missions along with Dr Mark Hulme, Zoology lecturer in DLS, who went in search of birdlife and to retrieve a remote audio recorder placed at the peak two days earlier, capturing the sounds of several high-elevation birds, as well as the calls of the golden tree frog.
Some of the 250 volunteers at Basecamp, just before we announced the grand total of 1,083 species. PHOTO: J PETERS IMAGES
Back on the coast, teams were snorkelling around the headlands, fishing rivers, sweeping vegetation for insects, and conducting bird banding. One group took a fishing boat around the headland near the Maracas Look Out to explore La Vache Cave with one very special species in mind: the oilbird. These birds roost in caves in the day, then head out at night in search of palm fruits—sometimes travelling as far as Venezuela.
To get to the cave, you need to swim from the boat until you bob up to find yourself engulfed by the ghostly screeches and putrid smells of the oilbird colony. Although the efforts were just to add one more species to the list, it was a worthwhile addition and reassuring to hear that the population in the cave seemed to be doing well, with several hundred birds seen.
Another highlight was a sighting of a neotropical river otter, just a stone’s throw from basecamp!
As night fell, the focus shifted to nocturnal creatures. One team set up bat nets, catching eight different species over several hours. Another team used a white sheet and bright light to attract moths, resulting in more than 200 moth species being recorded, several of which were new records for the country. Three different scorpion species were spotted, including T&T’s most venomous species, the endemic Thick-tailed Scorpion.
The Plant Team, led by Dr Mike Oatham, plant ecologist and the current Head of the Department of Life Sciences, had a record-breaking year, finding and meticulously identifying more than 400 plant species.
On Sunday morning, while many volunteers were still adding species to their lists, basecamp was transformed into a biodiversity fair, with displays and activities from the Environmental Management Authority, Institute of Marine Affairs, UWI Zoology Museum, TTFNC, the Wildlife Section of the Forestry Division, the El Socorro Centre for Wildlife Conservation, SpeSeas, ARC Environmental, Mushrooms of Trinidad and Tobago, and Garden with Wings.
We welcomed visitors from all over T&T who had come to see the displays, as well as residents of the survey area itself, who had learned about the event through a series of visits by the Bioblitz Outreach Team to schools and community meetings over the previous few weeks. We were delighted to welcome the Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development, Dr Kennedy Swaratsingh, who was visibly impressed by both the mission of the weekend and the passion displayed by the participants.
At 1 pm on Sunday, an excited crowd gathered to hear the final totals: 14 mammals, 34 reptiles and amphibians, 48 fungi, 83 fishes and crustaceans, 148 birds, 337 bugs, and 419 plants! The announcement of a total of 1,083 species was met with applause and cheers. It was the highest total of any Bioblitz, and one that is sure to rise as we continue to count some of the harder to identify specimens over the coming weeks. Maracas didn’t provide us with any sharks (in the sea or in a sandwich), but it is certainly brim-filled with biodiversity!
For more information on T&T’s Bioblitzes find us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out https:// sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/bioblitz-events-trinidad-tobago.
