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Ninety miles off the tip of Florida lies a Caribbean isle shaped like a crocodile. That's fitting, because the island of Cuba is home to rare "leaping" crocodiles -- and a host of other unusual animals, including some of the world's smallest hummingbirds, frogs, and lizards. There are caves full of bats and their wily predators, snakes.
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The Republic of Cuba is comprised of Cuba, the main island; four archipelagos -- the Sabana-Camagüey, the Colorados, the Jardines de la Reina, and the Canarreos; and smaller islands. The republic covers more than 110,000 square miles, about the size of Pennsylvania.
Cuba includes a patchwork of habitats, from fields and swamps to mountains and forests. Millions of tourists visit each year to swim in its warm seas and lounge on tropical beaches.
Here are few key spots for wildlife lovers:
Habana Province (1) is home to Cuba's capital city, Havana, and lots of limestone caves and caverns. Some are flooded, drawing divers looking for adventure. Drifting in the perpetually dark waters, they can see a rare cave fish named Lucifuga, "the animal that flees from light." It has no eyes and virtually no color, making it a ghostlike creature. Some species found in Cuba are found nowhere else. (More about Cuba's wildlife »)
About 100 miles south of Havana is Ciénaga de Zapata (2) or Zapata Swamp, a world-famous wetland and national park. Mangroves, marshes, and woodlands there are home to a wide variety of birds, including two found nowhere else: the Zapata wren and the Zapata rail. The largest population of endangered Cuban crocodiles, known for their leaping abilities, also lives in the swamp. These crocs can grow to nearly 13 feet in length and 300 pounds in weight.
The Ciénaga de Zapata Biosphere Reserve, at 1.5 million acres, is Cuba's largest protected area. But parts of the swamp are still unprotected.
On the east end of the island, Guantanamo Bay (4) is a great place to see several dozen species of seabirds that feed in Cuban waters, from pelicans to sharp-beaked terns. The bee hummingbird, the world's smallest bird, inhabits nearby forests.
At the Baconao Biosphere Reserve (5) there are caves full of bats, and the bat-eating cave boa. Visitors wait until dusk to watch the bats emerge for their nightly hunt.
A flock of a different kind -- flamingos -- can be found at Humedal Río Máximo-Cagüey (6), an internationally important wetland. Up to 75,000 of the tall pink birds can be seen feeding in the flats here, making it the largest colony of Caribbean flamingos.
At Peninsula de Guanahacabibes (7), on the very western tip of Cuba, a reef-fringed bay is home to sea turtles and the occasional porpoise. The reef is also visited by sharks and goliath groupers, which can weigh up to 800 pounds.
On the Isle of Youth (8) swimmers can see another kind of underwater treasure: coral reefs. These fence-like structures, built by living coral polyps, are home to an amazing array of brightly colored fish, clams, and invertebrates.
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