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St.Kitts Rodent Recovery Day 93
With the difference
between the two populations determined, I have completed my job for the
Department of Nature and Island Resources of the West Indies. I have been contacted by my employers and my report has been accepted.
I uncovered that
there are two species of squirrel, the Sciurus kittus and the Sciurus nevisus due to specific prezygotic reproductive
isolation barriers - those being behavioral isolation and habitat isolation. I also
determined that a possible reason for the split between these similar species
is allopatric speciation, with the earthquake that split the two islands apart hundreds of thousands of years ago that caused a separation of the original species.
Additionally, a possible reason as to why such a decrease in Sciurus kittus population may have to do with the numbers of cashew nut trees still remaining on the island. These squirrels are most commonly found on wild cashew trees and due to their removal for new development space, as well as the interference of hungry humans, the squirrels are forced to search for new suitable homes. In that period, many may have died and will continue to die.
In order to save these rodents, the Department of Nature and Island
Resources of the West Indies is encouraged to immediately start a captive breeding
program to save the population on the island of St. Kitts. Once the population
has grown, they can be re-released into the wild and live once again. The
environment of the island must be preserved and less upset by development and
tourism in order for this decrease to not occur again.
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