Reptiles, Crustaceans, and Other Critters a la Roatan
News from the Honduras Bay Islands and North Coast
16 January 2001
By Pierre Renaldo, The Coastwatcher©

The other day while backing out of my long crooked driveway something caught my eye. It had to be quite noticeable for me to have seen it because I am usually oblivious to the things hiding in nature. Like the guy in the cartoon who is walking down the street reading a newspaper, and luckily just misses steping into an open manhole, then strolls under a grand piano which has broken loose from its hoist ropes and is hurtling down to the pavement this guy has just crossed, unaware that he nearly was squashed under the crashing hulk. I just don't notice those things unless I'm looking for them.

Since I had to maneuver a few times in order to back out, I passed the thorn tree (my nemesis) for the third time and that's when I realized that what I had seen in my peripheral vision was a rather long yellowish green snake, who was nonchalantly climbing the tree. He must have had a very tough hide because that tree is loaded with zillions of very nasty razor-sharp thorns that have no respect for man or beast.

I have often considered cutting it down since it has a bad habit of jumping out into the middle of the driveway every time I shift my truck into reverse. However it does provide a shady spot where I usually park and besides, if I cut it down who would be crazy enough to carry it off, out of the way? Those thorns are lethal.

So back to the snake. I have been told since I have lived on Roatan that there are no poisonous snakes on this island. So this fellow who was about six feet long, and maybe two or three inches in diameter at the largest part of his girth, was certainly no threat to me or mine, so have at it old boy.

I have not been able to identify that type of snake in particular and after describing it to several persons whom I thought may be familiar with the variety and it's name, one brilliant fellow said, "Why don't you just call him Spike?" Those others from whom I made inquiry were unanimous in their identification. "Well, it's a tree climbing snake, of course," they expertly exclaimed.

I was ready to retort angrily that I already knew of the snake's tree climbing ability, since it was I who had witnessed first hand, on the three drive byes, the feat of this creature climbing up into my thorn tree. I'm sure the well informed gentlemen were well meaning, but the variety of the snake shall remain anonymous for the time being.

One person did volunteer some other useless information as to the incidence of poisonous snakes on Roatan, by stating that someone had told him they knew another person who said he saw a coral snake on Roatan. I have never verified such a sighting from anyone with first hand knowledge of island reptiles.

Many people do not know the difference between a coral snake and a king snake, both of which have alternating black, red, and yellow stripes around the circumference of their bodies. I have seen a profusion of both species in Florida and there is a simple way of identifying one from the other even though, at a glance, they appear to be identical. It is a short rhyme, easy to remember. 'If his nose is yellow, then he's a good fellow. If his nose is black, then he's bad for Jack'. Get it?

I believe in the wisdom of the old adage, "Let sleeping dogs lie." And that goes for snakes too, sleeping or otherwise. I encourage you to avoid confronting any of our island creatures into a situation wherein they feel threatened. It is interesting to observe them and leave them in peace. Give them their space and they will happily avoid yours.

While Roatan does not have a great deal of wild life native to the island, we do have some, and a few of them may be grotesque to you if you have not seen these creatures before. Remember that old bumper sticker? Support wild life, throw a party.

Land crabs have a habit of scaring the wits out of my wife. They can make a racket in the brush while attempting to remove themselves from her presence when she is fumbling for her keys at the entrance door. One night when we entered the lower vestibule we were sure there was someone hiding in wait for us, when a resounding thrashing sound emanated from behind some stored building materials that were scheduled for installation the following day. It turned out to be a large land crab. Poor fellow was trapped back there and was trying to run for his life, and in so doing nearly caused ours to end in a state of fright.

Iguanas are popular creatures on the island. The locals eat them, and we try to discourage the practice, but have made little progress. Another common scene is the little hermit crabs carrying a shell five times larger than he needs. Quite a sight while sitting enjoying a little happy hour gurggly, when someone shouts "Goodness, there is a shell walking across your patio!" And then a lady guest blurts out, "Oh! I want one of what she's drinking." You may get the same reaction if a monkey lala runs across the same patio. These clever little lizards stand up and run on their hind legs. Frogs abound in our wet tropical climate, as do the little green lizards.

Of course there are many little critters in the sea. We beg you, look but do not touch. There are many fascinating wonders underwater and we want them to stay, so future visitors have the thrill of these wonderful encounters too. You may see reef crabs (called King Crab here) and spinney lobster, sea urchins, and a variety of mollusks including our beloved conch, (conk). They are a favored food for the locals, and have been poached into almost nonexistence here. If you see any please don't tell. If you want one the colorful shells, just go down to the pier where the cruise ships come in, and you can find a large assortment, all cleaned up and shinny, ready for you to take back to civilization.

Roatan is still very much unspoiled. We are not one of the more developed islands of the Caribbean, and I have chosen this place for just that reason. We hope to preserve our pristine flavor and although I do favor development in a fashion, it would be the kind that preserves and enhances our natural resources. In some ways primitive is nice.

In the past week I have received a dozen e-mails from people who are planning on retiring here in the near future, most for the same reasons I came to Roatan. If you are one of the lucky ones who are planning to live here soon, I would like to recommend some reading that I can assure you will be most helpful.

"How to Survive in Third World Retirement: The Handbook"
http://www.eroatan.com/pierre/handbook.html

If you plan on building your dream home in paradise then look at "How to Build Your Dream Home in a Third World Paradise" http://www.eroatan.com/pierre/logistic.html

I can assure you that both are worthwhile reading.

If you have questions about our paradise or would like to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, feel free to drop me an e-mail at: elouis@globalnet.hn

If you have any problems getting the book pages to work please let me know immediately.

I am always happy to answer questions or read your comments. One lady who loves Roatan wrote her memories of our island paradise, which happens to be her favorite place to visit. It was such a good commentary that I published it for all to see, in the current issue of Roatan Insights January 2001, which you may read by clicking HERE in the event you are not a subscriber.

Ciao, Pierre

By Pierre Renaldo, Mountain Coastal S.A,. General Contractors, Construction Management and Construction Consultants.