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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 12, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2005 129BOOK REVIEW

McCranie, J. R, L. D. Wilson, and G. Köhler. 2005. The
Amphibians & Reptiles of the Bay Islands and Cayos Cochinos,
Honduras. Bibliomania! Salt Lake City, Utah. xiv + 210 pp.
Hardcover. $29.95 plus shipping (available at www.herplit.com).

Herpetology in Central America appears to be coming of
age. Julian C. Lee’s The Amphibians and Reptiles of the

Yucatán Peninsula (1996) and his Field Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of the Maya World (2000) were followed in 2002 by
two monumental works: The Amphibians of Honduras by James
R. McCranie and Larry David Wilson and The Amphibians and
Reptiles of Costa Rica by Jay M. Savage. Then, in 2003, Gunther
Köhler published the English edition of his Reptiles of Central
America, with a foreword by Larry David Wilson. After more
than two centuries of scientific collecting expeditions to the
region, detailed systematic studies, the description of new
species, the publication of monographs devoted to species
groups, single genera, and families, finding authoritative,
detailed, and well-illustrated summaries of the amphibian
and/or reptile faunas of entire political or geographic units is
now possible. The latest addition to this burgeoning library is
The Amphibians & Reptiles of the Bay Islands and Cayos Cochinos,
Honduras by McCranie, Wilson, and Köhler.

The Bay Islands are a small archipelago of three major
islands (Roatán, Guanaja, and Utila) and a couple of smaller
ones, off the northern coast of Honduras. The Cayos Cochinos
are a small cluster of two larger and several smaller islands nearer
the coast of Honduras south of Roatán. Although they are rela-
tively close to the mainland of Honduras (Utila is only about 32
km from the coast and the Cayos Cochinos only about half
that), the islands harbor a surprisingly large number of reptilian
species that occur nowhere else. The total herpetofauna consists
of 55 species, seven species of amphibians, one crocodilian, five

turtles (three of which are sea turtles), 23 lizards, and 19 snakes.
All of the amphibians are anurans (frogs and toads), no sala-
manders or caecilians occur on the islands.

At first glance, this book seems to be a field guide, and at 6
x 9 in and just over 200 pages, full of species accounts, it looks
like one, too — but this is more than a field guide. As for many
of the more recently published field guides, the authors follow a
brief introduction with a section on Materials and Methods that
explains, among other things, how to use the keys in conjunc-
tion with the detailed descriptions and photographs in the
species accounts to identify the animal at hand. Next is a chap-
ter on the physiography of the Bay Islands in general and each
of the major islands individually, a brief overview of the region’s
climate, and of the nine habitat types found there, including
aquatic and urban habitats. Then comes the first pleasant sur-
prise: a chapter on the social history of the Bay Islands and
Cayos Cochinos. Like many islands and archipelagos, the Bay
Islands have a long history of human habitation. The historical

B O O K  R E V I E W

The Bay Island Herpetofauna 
Comes to Life

Anolis (= Norops) bicaorum occurs only in hardwood and mangrove
forests in the eastern half of Utila.

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130 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 12, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2005 BOOK REVIEW

background presented in this chapter is a necessary prequel to
the concluding three chapters of the book.

The bulk of the book, 137 pages, is occupied by species
accounts. Accounts include the common name of each species,
in English, Spanish, and/or “corrupted English,” a technical
description and mention of similar species that might make
identification difficult, a statement of the general geographic dis-
tribution and distribution in the Bay Islands and Cayos
Cochinos, and a section on natural history. The authors
attempted to avoid overly technical terminology, but, where it
can’t be avoided, the reader can refer to a very useful glossary.
The natural history comments are often much more detailed
than those found in most field guides. The serious “herper” will
appreciate the inclusion of keys for the identification of species
and the photographs. Many species are represented by several
photographs, which, as noted in Materials and Methods, can be
used with the keys to identify species. Although most of photo-
graphs are of specimens found in the islands, some are of ani-
mals on the mainland of Honduras or elsewhere in Central
America. The pre-publication copy of the book I examined had
only black and white renditions of the photographs, all of which
will be in color upon publication, so I cannot comment on the
quality of the photographs other than to say that they all appear
in focus and aesthetically appealing. In addition to the photo-

graphs of amphibians and reptiles, the book includes an unusu-
ally large number of landscape and habitat photographs, which
provide a “feel” for the environment.

Following the species accounts are chapters on ecological
distribution and relationships and on biogeographic relation-
ships and their significance. The final three chapters constitute
the second pleasant “surprise” in the book in that the topics cov-
ered often are omitted or given short shrift in field guides. The
first is on the conservation status of the herpetofauna, which is
usually relegated to a sentence or two at the end of individual
species accounts in other regional guides, and the second is a
description of ongoing conservation efforts in the Bay Islands
and the Cayos Cochinos. Special emphases in the latter chapter
are on efforts to conserve the Utila Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri)
and on the Cayos Cochinos Biological Reserve. The text con-
cludes with a forecast for the future of the herpetofauna of the
islands, a future that is clouded by habitat destruction and pol-
lution associated with population increases and land develop-
ment. The book closes with the glossary, an eight-page Literature
Cited, and an index to scientific names.

Between them, the authors of this book probably know
more about the amphibians and reptiles of Honduras than any-
one, and their expertise is evident. Relatively few North
Americans visit the Bay Islands and fewer still get to the Cayos
Cochinos, and those who do are most often there to dive … this
is one of the few places in the world where one can fairly reli-
ably encounter Whale Sharks. I hesitate to recommend that you
go, because I’d really like to keep the place a secret, but it’s really
a wonderful place. If you go, buy this book. Read the chapters
on social history, ecology, biogeography, and conservation before
you go. You’ll be better prepared for what you’ll see. Take the
book with you, not only to help you identify the amphibians
and reptiles you will surely encounter, but to learn more about
their habits and habitats. Herpetology is much more than just
checking off the name of a species on a life list. Even if you can’t
visit the Bay Islands, buy this book. Through its photographs,
you can take a virtual trip. It’ll be worth it and, at $30.00, a lot
cheaper than the real thing.

Arthur C. (Sandy) Echternacht
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

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In sharp contrast to boas, the Silver Snake (Leptotyphlops goudotii) is the
smallest snake in the islands. These diminutive snakes are rarely encoun-
tered, mainly because they spend most of their lives under cover or
under ground. Like relatives, they probably eat termites or ants.

Boa Constrictors (Boa constrictor) are the largest snakes in the islands.
A local rumor suggests that Agoutis (large rodents in the genus
Dasyprocta) on Cayo Cochino Grande became abundant only after
5,000 boas were collected for the pet trade over a two-year period.

The gecko, Phyllodactylus palmeus, is endemic to the Bay Islands and
Cayos Cochinos. Historically abundant in various habitats, including
buildings, this species may be affected negatively, especially in edifi-
carian habitats, by the presence of the House Gecko (Hemidactylus fre-
natus; see also IGUANA 11(1), p. 20).




