Bimini, Bahamas: A 40 Year Reunion, Part 1

Two and a half hours after departing Miami, the ferry gently nudges the dock on North Bimini. This was Jake Scott’s first trip and the first time I had visited since 1973—40 years prior. On that earlier venture I had found every one of the 16 species of reptiles and amphibians (with the establishing of the Amerafrican House Gecko there are now 17 taxa) in less than a day of looking. I couldn’t help but wondering what changes had been wrought in the ensuing four decades.

Disembarking, clearing customs and immigration, and checking into the hotel took less than a half an hour. Even before we had cleared customs we had seen the first lizard species, the Bimini Curly-tail, Leiocephalus carinatus coryi.

Following check-in at the hotel we took a short walk and quickly saw three additional lizard taxa. That left us 13 to go and, except for the ocellated gecko (which we neither saw nor searched for) all would be across the channel on the South Island, a mere 5 minutes ferry ride away. We scrambled for the ferry. Somehow the motorman, Captain Hyram, recognized us as tourists and immediately tried to sell us a small cay (above water only at low tide!) and we were so happy to be there we almost made the purchase. Almost! Captain Hyram was still chuckling to himself when we reached South Bimini. Photos: Top: Bimini Curly-tailed Lizard, Leiocephalus carinatus coryi Bottom: Bimini Brown Anole, Anolis sagrei ordinatus

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.