Dear Steemit friends :
My travels in Bahamas have so far given me the opportunity to explore Atlantis and the legend that is The Lost City. In my last post about The Dig I was fortunate enough to visit the largest open air marine exhibit featuring some of the most exotic marine wildlife found in the Bahamas.
In my attempts to see other exotic animals and wildlife, I have decided to take a trip away from Atlantis in Paradise Island, and journey southwards to the Exuma Cays.
The Exuma Cays are a district of Nassau, and are a collection of over 365 named islands belonging to the Exuma district. Their largest island is called Great Exuma, an island home to the famous city called George Town.
To travel to Exuma, you have two options.
- Take the plane from Nassau, and within one hour, you can land in Great Exuma.
- Take a speedboat which will take around 2 hours.
For me, I opted for the speedboat. I prefer to take the extra time to live and breathe the island hopping experience. It's an exhilerating feeling traversing through the shallow waters of the Bahamian Cays and feeling the cool air run across your face, watching in detail as we pass by islands of very different sizes.
Some islands are the size of small bedrooms, whilst others are several kilometers in circumference.
Many are actually owned by celebrities who have built very beautiful holiday homes on the islands. Perhaps the most famous one is Johnny Depp, who has a fairly sizely island under his name as well as a few Yachts to match.
The powerboat is a 39' Vulture and can comfortably travel at around 55 knots cruising speed with 25 passengers. If the wind is strong, the waves can be quite high, and result in quite a bumpy ride. I wanted to sit at the front, but I was told the front is where the worst of the bumpiness can be felt.
I abstained and like a good girl, remained seated in the front row of the rear section.
This is a picture of me and the Captain. He is such a funny guy and you can really feel his passion for the seas.
Bahamian Rock Iguanas
Interesting facts about Iguanas
The Bahamian Rock Iguanas refer to 3 main species of Iguana, the largest is the Andros Rock Iguana which can grow up to 6ft in total length!
Iguanas are cold blooded and cannot regulate their body temperature without the heat from the Sun. This is why they spend most of their day 'chilling' at the beach.
Iguanas can lose their tails and regenerate a new one in full.
Iguanas can grow to 40 years old!
Although Iguanas look quite vicious, they are herbivores meaning that they only eat vegetables and fruits. As a result, Iguanas have physically adapted to eating fruits with hard shells by having large skulls which can withstand large biting forces, as well as serated teeth.
Feeding the Allen Rock Iguanas
I arrived at a fairly small looking island with a landing beach area. From quite a distance, I could already see these little colourful creatures dashing around and looking rather welcoming.
I realised that the Iguanas knew we came bearing gifts such as fruits and veg and so they waited on the beach looking pensive as we climbed off the boat.
Although not as large as the ones in Andros, the Iguanas at Allen Cay are a respectable size. Around the size of a common domestic cat.
Because of the regular visitations from tourists such as myself, the Iguanas at Allen Cays have adapted to the presence of humans and also the food that have been fed to them.
Some scientists have noted that there are already behavioural and physical differences between the Iguanas which come into regular contact with humans, and those that do not.
One difference would be that Iguanas which come into contact with humans on a regular basis are no longer afraid of humans and will even bite them.
This beautiful Iguana came over and took off as soon as he got the grape.
Did you know that Iguanas can actually swim?
The waters around most of the Exuma cays are only a few feet deep. This along with the white sands make the water some of the lightest blue I have ever seen.
The power boat easily moors on the sandy beach, and me and my group spend the next half an hour or so feeding the iggys!
Remember, use a stick to feed them grapes. Although Iguanas are herbivores, they are known to bite!
Someone in my group told me that they know someone who had parts of their finger bitten off by an Iguana!
Also, avoid feeding them with Grapes that have fallen on the sand. They cannot digest the sand properly.
All the Rock Iguanas in Bahamas are protected by the Wild Animals Act and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Rock Iguanas as "rare" meaing that they are an endangered species very close to extinction.
Because of this, the Bahamian Government have made it illegal to hurt or damage the natural habitat of the Iguanas.
Several threats still remain :
Poaching for food / Pet industry
Falling Prey to introduced predators
Natural disasters such as Hurricanes and fires
In the early 2000's, through the frequent visitation of tourists, the few islands with native Rock Iguana populations became under strain due to the introduction of house mice who began reproducing and thriving on these islands shared by the Iguanas.
Although the Iguanas do not eat the mice, Owls do. In the breeding season, the owls would come and hunt for the mice on these islands, but also catch many young Iguanas unable to fend for themselves.
This is one of the reasons that the population of Iguanas have failed to increase, very few Iguanas survive to adulthood.
The Bahamian government have since taken action to get rid of the house mice on these islands inhabited by the Rock Iguanas and hope in doing so, the population may grow significantly larger than the current 1000 or so remaining world wide.
This little eager Iguana came back for seconds, being attracted to red and pink colours, it must have thought my finger was another fruit, so gave it a quick gnaw. Thankfully, it was just a scratch!
Take a look at my video of Feeding the Iggys!
Feeding the Iguanas was a real treat, I certainly don't regret travelling across the ocean, getting sunburnt, for the opportunity to see these incredibly beautiful creatures living in their natural habitat and getting to interact with them.
Please upvote if you liked the post, follow if you wish to see more, and comment to let me know what you think!
熟悉我的人都知道，我可能是个实足的海岛控。但是今天我却做的一件从未在海岛上做过的事情。没错，在巴哈马能够做的事情总是你意想不到的，今天我们就要从首都拿骚的码头出发，坐船去Allen Cay喂蜥蜴。你没有听错，现在我们就一起去喂蜥蜴吧。还好这里的蜥蜴品种叫做岩鼠蜥蜴，它们只吃水果和蔬菜，不吃肉，甚至连水分也从食物中摄取，平时不喝水。所以不是拿我们自己喂蜥蜴，长呼一口气。
从拿骚码头坐power boat能量小船去Allen Cay，大概要一个小时。刚开始的时候，我以为会是个平稳的小船，但是当船加速开起，大家都变成了水上的兔子，被海浪颠簸的一蹦一蹦。原来是为了赶时间，所以船长选择了能够跑的最快的。说实话，刚开始我真的有点担心，这么快速会不会不安全，但是船长技术非常精湛，完全没有把我们甩进海里。
期盼已久的蜥蜴岛Allen Cay终于出现在眼前，从远处就看见岛上站满了大大小小的天然野生蜥蜴。岩鼠蜥大多分布在加勒比地区，是非常珍惜的品种，全世界目前大概只有1000只， 巴哈马有3个岛住着岩鼠蜥，其中巴哈马最大的岛 -- 安德罗斯岛分布有最多的岩鼠蜥。
岩鼠蜥其实面临着2大危害：
- 曾经人们乘船去看岩鼠蜥的时候，不小心带去了老鼠，老鼠来到岛上大量繁殖就招来了猫头鹰，猫头鹰在吃老鼠的同时也会吃岩鼠蜥的蛋宝宝，这下就让岩鼠蜥的数量大大减少，好在后来经过人们的努力，把老鼠从岛上彻底赶走了，猫头鹰也就不再偷吃蛋宝宝了。
- 因为岩鼠蜥身型漂亮，可爱的脑袋，胖乎乎的身体，还有灵活的尾巴，最长能长到1米8，还穿着鲜艳的彩色外衣。过去人们曾把它们当作宠物养或是吃它们，不过现在有了法律规定，就没人敢这么干了。
船长给我们发了一大袋葡萄喂岩鼠蜥，我用竹签插着葡萄，试着慢慢靠近他们，但是它们却显得有些害怕，可能我穿了鲜艳的黄色，也可能它们害怕我会伤害它们。很多只岩鼠蜥都在我的葡萄面前犹豫着。终于一只可爱的红宝石般的眼睛睁大看着我，慢慢向葡萄靠近，我努力不动以免吓到它，终于它吃到了葡萄。这让我想到了汉语里的俗语，吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮，岩鼠蜥就是这么吃葡萄的。这下我才有机会认真的看看岩鼠蜥，它彩色的外衣真是人见人爱，背上漂亮的脊，看起来像贝克汉姆的莫西干发型，其实是它们用来散热的工具。不过不管怎么样，岩鼠蜥是我见过最漂亮的蜥蜴了。
慢慢的它们开始熟悉我，开始围着我抢吃的，也不怕我突然把它们抱走了。正当我喂的开心的时候，一只大蜥蜴接受了我的葡萄，正当我从手中拿另一颗葡萄，准备放在竹签上的时候，它突然咬了一下我的手，吓到了我。不过我想它并没有恶意，只是等不及要吃葡萄了。
下面是我喂蜥蜴的过程，我把它们编辑成了一个视频，希望你们能够喜欢哦！
i love the way you write, its like you take us there personally
Hi sweetsssj
I love you blog, the pictures, the environment, the style and travel. I can't express the word ... awesome. I travel with you every time you post a very detailed travel plans.
Cheers for now.
Please follow me @Yehey
Thank you.
Indeed! Every one of @sweetsssj blogs is just better than the last one.
Great narrative and outstanding pictures !
Keep the hard work up! :D
Thank you! I will keep trying!
Yes the writing is lovely!!
When i visited great Exuma took a trip out to Stocking Island, just a mile across the harbor. Peace & Plenty runs its own ferry to their beach club on Stocking Island, while the beach bar called Chat & Chill uses a water taxi to bring guests over to its spot on the Point. Since the water in the bay is calm and easy to navigate, you can also rent a small boat from Minn’s Water Sports on Great Exuma – that way you can visit both beach clubs on Stocking Island and cruise the harbors other beaches and coves.
Thank you! I really do want you guys to experience as closely to what I did so it is a challenge to get the feeling across in a blog.
I'll keep trying though!
Very engaging blog, so much work in it. Thank you for sharing :-)
Nice!
Wow that water is so clear and beautiful! Hahaha those Iggys are getting aggressive for that food! Taking it right out of your hand @sweetsssj lol.
^^^UPVOTED^^^
Haha, yeah they seem to be super hungry. I don't know how they can continuously eat from tourists all day honestly..
They are just super Fat lol... I live around iguanas and I have never seen them act like that. Usually they are scared of humans.
They are living the good life!!
I guess this is the behavioural change from frequent human visitation. They say that they are trying to combat this by reducing the tourist visitations and restricting them to existing spots and not expanding to new ones.
Well I bet once the tourist stop visiting that area those Iggys might die. Most of them are probably dependent on humans now.....Stuff like that happens all over the world.
It's a shame because they're endangered species, and obviously it's better that they survive than to face extinction albeit living completely naturally and untouched.
That is true....It is hard to say what is right....I guess they are just outdoor pets now :)
Smart move taking the speed boat to Exuma, you get a much better view than flying!
i'm so glad I did! I got pretty sunburnt though :(
you know what... you are a great photographer
amazing and if there is something to say more than amazing your pictures deserve it
thank you cryptosteve, appreciate it!
Yellow dress, blue sky and greenish water, what a combination @sweetsssj you look very beautiful with all this but the most cute part is giving food to the Iguanas thanks for the nice share...
thanks jzeek, you have a good eye! :)
you don 't have any idea how much the tempture here !!!
time = 13:42
place = tunisia
tempture : 49 °
come to visit you will love the place :p
You're so cool Sandia, I wish I could also be there in Bahamas with you :-)
i wish i would b there...
Wow this was a great read!
This post took me on a trip down memory lane...
I was raised in the Virgin Islands on the small island of St. Thomas. We have iguanas & wild chickens everywhere! We actually call them "Yard Bird".
If you are still traveling through the Caribbean, I suggest you check out the US Virgin islands. You won't regret the laid back lifestyle, the local culture, and the friendly people!
Plus the water is always a warm 20 degrees C.
Cheers!
Some one please help me!!
I'm just beginner in this association, i've join to this association 2 days ago. My topic is about YuGioh Duel links. it's themed about card trade gaming.
May i know? Can you tell me why every time i post some thing it's can not to reach $4. I hope some day my post can be a trending.
Thanks for all of you who have taken the time to read my comment.
Love you all steemit friends
the same problems my friend - followed you. Lets see how will we look after some month
Thank you for you all steemit friend for you vote and comment
Dear my @sweetsssj i hope one day could travel in real life with you. I've followed every your posts and read it. Step by step u make me wanna travel as soon as i can. But, with you? Is it impossible? I think no. My dream will come true 😄😄
Really like your writing style, photos and video clips. Very interesting.
I know i'm a day late, but I wish you a late happy birthday btw.
oh I saw this yesterda! So sorry for not replying to it, I spent maybe 6 hours replying to comments and they were coming faster than I could reply. Thank you so much, I like it!
Oh, I know it was way down the list, so I wasn't sure if you seen it. Wow, you do have a sharp mind and you do pay attention to these posting.
Even if I don't manage to reply, I definitely read everything.
I can definitely see why your blog so popular. Most bloggers don't bother to write back, but you do put the time and dedication to each individual posting. If the blogger don't engage themselves to community, then they are missing the point. The Steemit community will voice their opinion ultimately and will award those who put the time and effort to create great contents. Like the old saying goes, what ever positive energy you give to the universe, the universe will eventually gives back in return. Thanks.
You're welcome halfscreen, you make some meaningful comments so it's a pleasure :)
you are amazing at what you do,
Thanks norrko I do try my best!
Wow, that's very cool. I didn't know Iguanas liked grapes - you learn something new every day.
Yeah! I thought they were carnivores too!
On a related note @sweetsssj, you might be interested in the Scorkl for your next adventure. It allows you to breathe underwater for up to 10 minutes at a time. We wrote a blog about it here >> https://steemit.com/travel/@adaptnetwork/this-portable-air-canister-lets-you-breathe-underwater-for-10-minutes
The Iggy bites you! Bad Iggy! :) Nice pictures and video :) Love it <3
thanks! Now i'm getting paranoid I have disease , I need to go to doctors and check it out!
yes you probably got ......................................... sun burn :))
Take Care
Really great photos! With the type of money you are making from Steemit, maybe you should start creating your own Steemit Dollar.
You need some Gaussian blur on that.
It's all fun and games.
That's a super cool dollar design of @sweetsssj @halfscreen Upvoted & followed
thanks halfscreen, just upgraded my camera and starting to get the hang of using it..
Look like you have a gimbals on it to stabilized the camera from shaking.
Oh no, I use a DJI Osmo with my Iphone for stabilising the video.
Sweet. Thanks for the info and continue with the great videos, photos and story telling!
fantastic
Amazing island you got there and pictures are so nice.
oh, wow, you're so brave:) I think I wouldn't have enough courage to feed iguanas, they are so scary.
They are really just adorable creatures. I don't find them scary at all!
Got to feed bigger ones in Mexico this summer and they were quite friendly :)
I would have run away from those iguanas :D
So beautiful, we live in Florida on the Ocean and a lot of people here go to the Bahamas every week end by boat. Properties in Exuma are still very fair priced compared to Bimini. We are hoping to eventually buy a house there. It is amazing. Your videos and pictures are out of this world. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼💯💯🐠🐟🐬
Thank you healthyrecipe. I'm so envious of people who live so close, I certainly would be going down to Bahamas frequently if it were closer. I would also love one of those large mansions there which I'm sure is probably the same money as a small flat in somewhere like NYC.
Oh probably a lot cheaper. Property is really cheap in Exuma still. We have been looking at them lately.
very good!
This post is so educative and rich in information. Your effortless description made it a pleasure read. How safe is the iguana especially when some species of creatures like that are known to be secondary carriers of some pathogens that can cause varying diseases. For example owls and bats have been found in some part of Africa and India transferring ebola virus that cause ebola; a dreaded disease that has killed many. Owls interact with the mice and mice in turn can interact with inguanas. This makes me suspect that these creatures may not be as safe as you think. Considering again that some birds like owls can fly long distances and can actually come from area where they are vectors of such pathogen.
That's a very good point. I think there are no guarentees that the Iguanas are free of these pathogens because they have likely come into contact with the Owls, who have come in contact with the mice. However, as sad as it is, I think the ones that came into contact with the owls, were eaten by the owls. The ones left, were probably too formidable so maybe didn't have any contact with them.
Well you need to know that the pathogens in question are microscopic and occur in millions, contamination is often not difficult. Please do not allow inguanas to bite you again! Play safe.
thank you for the information, I will see a doctor as soon as possible.
You are welcome
What camera are u using to make those beautiful pictures?
那些蜥蜴真可愛呢 吃了就跑
是的呢 好像小偷 哈哈哈: )
I'd love to travel with you someday. You are going to great places every time!
Ha, well, I do like some less exotic places. I will post about those too, they are just as important in rounding out travel experiences!
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing?
Is it your current trip or you taped this before?
This is where I'm at right now, happened yesterday =)
Thank you for sharing with us your trips and vision
Great post and lots of information passed.
Thanks for sharing this @sweetsssj
I'm still following you around.
thank you mcekworo, appreciated!
You're welcome
Power boats & hanging out with some iguanas 🦎 🚤 👌
You really know how to enjoy a holiday Miss Awesome @sweetsssj. That sun on the open ocean is a killer though, be careful my friend! ☀️ 😎 🙌
Thanks sandstorm, I'll try to keep covered as much as possible!
OK, that's good to hear 🤠
Cool
kind of aggressive little buggers those iguanas, glad it wasn't more than just a "nip"! lol
Lol, it was one of the bigger ones too.. Surprised i have no visible wound.. still, going to get myself checcked out asap
yeah, it was great that you also caught that on video! but as for getting it checked out, especially if you don't see any wound, I'm pretty sure you have nothing to worry about.
I've gotten plenty of "nips" over the years from all sorts of animals, and I'm still kicking! Though I am wondering if I should worry about those strange wings starting to grow out of my back... lol
Hey I think you're looking better than ever there..!
aww, shucks you're just saying that to be nice but thank you! if you ever need a "lift" somewhere, let me know! lol
What a great post. The trip looks awesome. You must have had a great time.
thanks grizgal, it was a really awesome trip indeed. My time here has gone so fast, a testament to how much fun i'm having!
nice place i hope visit it , thanks
Great pictures.
I love this trip :) I want to feed those little iggys I might want to keep one lol
Of course Iguanas can swim. They have a big brother who thought them!
That's great! I didn't see any swim tho,just read about them doing so. Sometimes from island to island.
This is a very nice post. I did not know any of this about iguanas. Thank you for sharing it. I really enjoy your posts.
Congratulations @sweetsssj!
Your post was mentioned in my hit parade in the following categories:
Those iguanas are awesome! Looks like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing...
no problem, my pleasure!
Great post and amazing fotos!
Thank you~~
Its really cool to see bahama and superb photoes around it. Thank you the posts
Great.
As always - perfect. I read all you posts since I came into steemit. I learn anything may be one day I'll could do such good job as you. I have a lot of stories from my travels but may be I am not perfect teller or something else. However you post are inspire me. On your example I see that good traveller can be interesting for many people. Thank you for your job!
You're welcome el-puzo always welcome over here =)
Great pics. Especially the animated gifs. Looks like you had a blast. In Florida we don't have iguanas but we have anoles, small lizards that are only about 2-3 inches long. They live around the outside of everyone's houses. They eat bugs and exhibit the same reptile behavior. But they are harmless and cute. I love them. It is sad when human introduction of non native species throws off the natural balance.
Nice pictures as always @sweetsssj! :)
水上的兔子🐰哈哈
蜥蜴原来吃葡萄啊 长知识了哈哈
好美啊你风景也是
谢谢啦，这种蜥蜴吃素，哈哈 : )
Hahahaha....The Diva has done it again ...so luvly to see how you are exploring nature...Its fun l guess..dreaming to be on such a trip one day..but thanks once again for sharing this great joy with us..You really have to extend your tour to Africa,Ghana of coourse and trust me you are going to love it..Steemit has the best people to make my day..We are still on the train of Birthday..Happy Sweet Belated Bithday @sweetsssj.
Thank you so so much 🐱
You are most welcome sweetheart...am just enjoying every bit of your staycation...Have fun..live life to the fullest..be beautiful..steem more...#steemit Ghana
nice post
(upvoted)
Great photos. your posts are always very detailed. great work.
Never thought we would find such an amazing travel experience on Steemit. Your style of writing is awesome and the way of interpretation really takes the readers on a journey with you. You are a great writer, with each of your post being better than the previous one.
Wow Amazing ;)
Nice SHOOOOTS !
kawaii
Wowwww, nice paid holiday
Very nice n informative... Keep posting. Such good stuff. :)