分类： science

In an extraordinary wildlife encounter, Darnell Carbon of Morne Prosper, Dominica, has potentially become the first living Dominican to handle two critically endangered Dyabloten birds within an eight-month period. The latest encounter occurred on February 10, 2026, when Carbon’s colleague discovered a grounded black-capped petrel at the Upper Station of the island’s Cable Car Project.

The nocturnal seabird, known scientifically as Pterodroma hasitata, was found nestled within steel formwork designated for concrete flooring at approximately 3:00 AM. Carbon, who had previously cared for another Dyabloten in May 2025, carefully retrieved the creature from the construction site at 8:00 AM, noting its significantly larger size and damp plumage.

Remarkably, the bird demonstrated exceptional tameness toward Carbon, climbing onto his arm and head while resisting handling by other workers. Carbon provided paternal care for the avian visitor, housing it in a box with warming blankets for two days. The bird exhibited unusual behaviors including using its prehensile beak to climb onto Carbon’s bed.

The reunion concluded on February 12 when the petrel launched from Carbon’s shoulder at daybreak, executing a circular flight pattern before disappearing toward Morne Nicholls’ summit. Carbon speculates this might be the same individual from his previous encounter, now nine months matured, based on its recognizable behavior and apparent familiarity.

The black-capped petrel remains one of the Caribbean’s most elusive seabirds, currently known to nest exclusively on Hispaniola despite historical presence on multiple islands. Their eerie nocturnal calls earned them the colloquial name ‘little devil’ in local dialects. While Dominica has documented several grounded specimens, no active nests have been located on the island despite extensive searches using specialized detection methods.

This exceptional encounter provides valuable insight into the species’ movement patterns and behavior, offering hope for conservation efforts aimed at protecting these critically endangered seabirds.

Costa Rica is advancing toward a transformative agricultural policy with the development of its 2026–2034 National Bio-inputs Strategy, receiving comprehensive technical support from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). The initiative reached a critical validation phase during a high-level workshop convened at IICA’s Headquarters in San José, bringing together diverse stakeholders to finalize the strategic framework.

The collaborative effort unites representatives from Costa Rica’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), public institutions, academic and research centers, producer organizations, and international cooperation agencies. This multi-sectoral participation ensures the strategy’s goals and implementation mechanisms are technically robust and broadly supported.

Central to the strategy is creating an enabling environment—spanning regulatory, scientific, technical, and financial dimensions—to facilitate large-scale adoption of biological agricultural inputs. Key objectives include reducing dependency on imported chemical products, enhancing agricultural sustainability, developing local production chains, fostering innovation and technology transfer, and establishing Costa Rica as a regional leader in sustainable agriculture.

Marco Zapata, IICA’s Country Representative, emphasized the importance of collaborative governance: “We are aligning the public sector, academia, producers, the financial system, and international cooperation under a unified national vision.”

International partnerships significantly bolster this initiative. German cooperation agencies, including GIZ through its ‘From Farm to Fork’ program and a dedicated bio-inputs project for Latin America, are providing expertise. The effort receives funding from FONTAGRO, a mechanism for agricultural innovation, and involves collaboration with Costa Rica’s National Institute for Agricultural Innovation and Technology Transfer (INTA).

These collaborations are coordinated via IICA’s Hemispheric Bio-inputs Platform, which enhances the strategy’s technical foundation by facilitating regional knowledge exchange, harmonizing approaches, accelerating scientific validation, and strengthening Costa Rica’s position in the regional landscape of agricultural innovation.

The Caribbean island of Dominica, known as the Nature Isle, harbors an extraordinary biological treasure: twelve distinct species of bats that represent the island’s only indigenous mammals. While many residents assume only one or two species exist, scientific documentation reveals a diverse chiropteran population that surpasses larger neighboring islands in biodiversity significance.

Unlike introduced species such as agouti, wild pigs, and opossums, bats have inhabited Dominica for millennia. The island’s bat community includes six insectivorous species that perform aerial acrobatics under streetlights, three frugivorous species that feed on fruits like mangoes and soursop, two nectarvorous species that pollinate night-blooming flowers, and the impressive piscivorous greater bulldog bat that uses specialized talons to catch fish.

Notably, Dominica hosts several endemic species found nowhere else on Earth. The Dominican Myotis (Noctilio leporinus mastivus) shares exclusive island status with the Sisserou parrot and other endemic wildlife. Additionally, the Antillean Tree Bat (Ardops nichollsi nichollsi) and Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira lilium angeli) exist as Dominica-specific subspecies.

These flying mammals provide crucial ecosystem services. Insectivorous bats consume between 1,000-8,000 insects nightly, offering natural pest control and mosquito management. Frugivorous bats assist in seed dispersal by carrying fruits to feeding perches, while nectarvorous species contribute to plant pollination. Their guano (known locally as ‘kaka chouchòt’) serves as valuable natural fertilizer.

Bats are deeply woven into Dominica’s cultural heritage. Kalinago pottery historically featured bat designs, while traditional Carnival costumes include the ‘souswèl souwi’ bat-inspired outfits. Culinary traditions in villages like Dublanc maintain bat stew (‘chouchòt épi donmbwé’) as a Christmas delicacy, though recent bat poaching incidents have prompted forestry officials to issue conservation warnings.

The island’s geological features support numerous bat habitats, including coastal caves like Anba Chouchòt at Massacre and the remarkable Stinking Hole (Tou Santi)—a collapsed lava tube near Middleham Falls that hosts approximately 65,000 bats of three species. Local nomenclature reflects cultural connections, with Kwéyòl names like ‘souswèl souwi,’ ‘djenbo,’ and ‘wat volan’ varying by community.

Globally, bats demonstrate remarkable biological adaptations. With over 1,400 species worldwide, they represent 20% of all mammal species. They give birth upside down, produce typically single offspring called pups, and can live over 30 years. Contrary to the ‘blind as a bat’ myth, they possess excellent low-light vision alongside sophisticated echolocation capabilities.

Dominica’s bat conservation story represents a microcosm of broader biodiversity protection challenges, balancing ecological significance with cultural traditions while ensuring the survival of these unique mammalian aviators.