The animal life on Half Moon is fascinating whether you prefer your creatures on land, in the sea, or in the sky! I’m seriously happy to report that there are no big scary insects on the island. There are some cool, tiny spiders with glowing green eyes that you might see at night with your flashlight.
The Nurse Sharks
There are about 4 nurse harks that typically hang out around the island. There are likely one or two hanging around where the boats at any time of the day and I have encountered a couple resting in the sea grass when I went swimming in the morning. They know where the fish are cleaned and they know that the boats bring the fish, so you they always show up around 4:30 pm each day. Word gets around, and their friends come to crash the party. While the day’s catch is being cleaned, they swarm around to get the fish guts and are not bothered by the people standing around in the water.
While you can never forget that wild animals are wild, nurse sharks are generally docile and pose no threat to you. The sharks on Half Moon are respected and not harassed, so they are unconcerned about humans. Their mouth is on the underside of their snout so they aren’t really set up for attack anyway. I do take care with them passing over my feet, but other than that, these sharks are like friends I can’t wait to see on each return trip!
The Hermit Crabs
The island has hundreds of hermit crabs, if not thousands. They are extremely active at night and in places where they find food, like behind the kitchen. Watching them is fascinating. I’ve seen several of them exchange shells, and I’ve watched one fight another for it’s shell. It can be a bit spooky at night to hear the shells clacking together and one of the reasons you need a headlamp is to avoid these “speed bumps” on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
The Red-Footed Boobies and Magnificent Frigate Birds
While birds are not high on my list of animals that typically fascinate me, the red-footed boobies are a big deal. There are limited places in the world that you can see them, and Half Moon is home to around 4,000 of them during the nesting season. It is really cool to observe them from the bird tower and see their nests in the trees with babies that look like big cotton balls! And of course, the limitless opportunity for booby jokes satisfies the 12-year old boy in all of us!
The magnificent frigates soar like kites rather than fly, using their forked tail for direction in the wind. The males have a scarlet throat pouch and the birds are known as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” because they eat by stealing food from other birds–even by causing them to regurgitate. They cannot dive but I have seen a Frigate snatch fish guts away from a Nurse Shark! You can see them in the treetops from the bird tower or watch them soar while you relax in a hammock.
The boobies and frigates share a colony, but outside the colony they have an interesting relationship called kleptoparasitism, which no, is not a description of your worst boyfriend. The frigates will harass the boobies for they food that they catch, therefore the boobies learn to catch and eat quickly. You can read more about the Magnificent Frigates here, or better yet, just go see them for yourself!
Check out my Half Moon Caye Gallery to see more of these beautiful creatures and others!