Herps of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba A look at the snakes, lizards and amphibians of Cuba. By Jeff Lemm and Allison Alberts, Ph.D Because travel to Cuba from the United States has been restricted since the missile crisis in the early 1960s, few herpetologists have had the opportunity to work with Cuba's fascinating variety of reptiles and amphibians. For the past five years, we have been fortunate to travel to the U.S. Navy Base at Guantanamo Bay to conduct ecological field studies on the island's largest terrestrial reptile, the Cuban rock iguana, Cyclura nubila nubila (see Reptiles 5(8); August 1997). Over time, we have learned a great deal about the iguana and a number of the other unique reptiles and amphibians of the Guantanamo Bay region. Although anoles are fairly easily detected by the trained eye, few people on the base have actually seen many of them. Photo by Jeff Lemm The navy base at Guantanamo Bay lies in Oriente Province in the southeast corner of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas U.S. military base, originally acquired as a coaling station in 1903, but reaffirmed by treaty with Cuba in 1934 after the American fleet aided Cuba in the Spanish-American War. Guantanamo Bay is the only U.S. military installation located in a communist country. Termination of the land lease requires consent from both the United States and Cuba. Because only 11 percent of the 20-square-mile base is actively used by the military, large areas of grassland, mudflats, thorn scrub and mangrove tidal forest remain in an almost pristine state (Silva Lee, 1997). Within these varied habitats numerous species of native birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians benefit from the protection the base provides. While northern regions of Cuba are characterized by wet climatic conditions, southern Cuba, including Guantanamo, lies in the rain shadow of the Sierra Maestra Mountains and is primarily xeric. Dry, tropical forests dominate this starkly beautiful region. With air temperatures averaging from 82.4 to 86.0 degrees Fahrenheit (28 to 30 degrees Celsius) year round and an annual rainfall of 16 to 33 inches, it is no wonder that as many as 30 terrestrial herp species, 21 of which are endemic to Cuba, make Guantanamo their home (Silva Lee, 1997). Frogs and Toads The most commonly seen nocturnal herps on the base are frogs and toads. They are usually observed foraging alongside giant land crabs on or adjacent to roads. The largest and most abundant anuran is an attractive and appealing brownish-red and yellow bufonid known as Peltophryne peltocephalus. Reaching lengths of roughly 5 to 7 inches snout to vent length (SVL), these charismatic creatures can be found in virtually every habitat on the base. During the heavy summer rains they reproduce in temporary ponds, with their tadpoles able to tolerate extreme fluctuations in water temperature (Silva Lee, 1997). Because dogs and cats frequently try to eat them and become ill, these toads are considered to be somewhat of a problem species. The other toad inhabiting the base, P. empusus, is seen much less frequently than its larger cousin, preferring to remain in burrows outside the rainy season. A single species of hylid frog is found at Guantanamo. The Cuban tree frog, Hyla septentrionalis, is actually quite common and occurs throughout the base, but seems to favor housing areas and buildings. On two occasions, these large tree frogs thoroughly surprised us by hiding inside rolls of toilet paper. When captured, they usually emit a shriek (also a common response by those awakening unexpectedly to find this frog burrowing in their hair, as loudly demonstrated by the junior author on her first night in Cuba). Two other frogs found on the base, Eleuthrodactylus atkinsi atkinsi and E. etheridgei, belong to one of the largest genera of vertebrates, with over 300 species represented. Both species are relatively abundant at Guantanamo, where they can be found singing in the grasslands or trees or sitting on roads at night after light rains. Eleuthrodactylus etheridgei was first described from five specimens on the base (Schwartz, 1958) and measures roughly 1 inch SVL, whereas the larger E. a. atkinsi can reach 2 inches SVL. Like many other frogs in this group, E. a. atkinsi has direct development and does not depend on standing water for reproduction (Silva Lee, 1997). Lizards With 19 taxa belonging to six families represented, lizards are the most commonly encountered herps at Guantanamo. The largest of these, the Cuban iguana, Cyclura nubila nubila, is very prevalent, probably because it is protected and the