When it comes to wildlife in the Virgin Islands, guest might exclaim: donkeys, hermit crabs, and mongoose, oh my! There are also bats, birds and iguanas that can be seen in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For those who want to focus more on the animals, the Virgin Islands National Park is a must-visit place, but visitors can also expect to see a different mammals and reptiles on the different islands.

St. John Animals

There are many animals on St. John, but the two that have become popular on the internet are donkeys and migrating hermit crabs. There are also bats and birds, which is especially exciting to see with a pair of binoculars.

Feral Donkeys on St. John

St. John USVI could easily be known as donkey island because of all of the wild donkeys roaming around.

History of Donkeys On St. John

These beast of burden were originally brought to this Caribbean island back when the Danes colonized St. John and needed strong animals help transport goods on the farm, power the sugar mills, and plow the fields.

As modern technology replaced muscle, the donkeys on St. John formed herds and became an overpopulated nuisance, causing wrecks and destroying vegetation. Local authorities have since carried out sterilization efforts, and monitor the health of these island-bound donkeys so there is a healthy balance. It is best not to feed or try to pet them as these donkeys are considered wild animals.

Below is a video of donkeys running down a road in St. John, which is a common sighting, so be careful when you are driving your rental jeep around the windy, hilly roads here.

Along with the herds of wild donkeys, we also have herds of sheep and goats on St. John that roam freely and are often found in the coral bay area of St. John causing roadblocks. We personally, along with many tourists, love the freely roaming animals. It gives coral bay that special island country charm.

Migrating Hermit Crabs on St. John

Back in 2012 there was a hermit crab migration video that went viral (see below). Thousands of these little crabs were moving in mass all over the island of St. John. While seeing so many hermit crabs on St. John is rare, visitors can almost be guaranteed to see some. Before you think about snatching a few of these beauties up to take back home, the Indigenous Species Act protects the hermit crabs on St. John, so it is best to just watch them interact in the wild without interruption.

The Bats of Virgin Islands National Park In St. John

We LOVE the bats because not only are they great pollinators they also eat large numbers of mosquitoes! There are many bats that are native to the Virgin Islands, such as Pallas' Mastiff Bat, Brazilian free-tailed bat, Antillean fruit-eating bat, Velvety free-tailed bat, Jamaican fruit-eating bat. These bats have inhabited the USVI for millions of years and may be seen on St. John, St. Croix, and St. Thomas. But, the best place to see them is in the VI National Park

Birdwatching In St. John

The Virgin Islands National Park is the best spot for bird watching in the USVI. Bird watchers can expect to see: snowy and great blue & night herons, white and glossy ibis, osprey, and great egrets.

Here’s a great Youtube, below, on the birds of St. John, produced by the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park. It features the following birds: Bananaquit, Gray Kingbird, Zenaida Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Northern Parula, Ruddy Duck, Little Blue Herons, Scarlet Ibis, Ruddy Turnstones, and Magnificent Frigatebirds.

Animals in St. Croix

There are many animals living on the island of St. Croix, which include: white-tailed deer, black bear, gray squirrels, raccoons, beavers, otters, and bobcat. The best place to spot wildlife is in St. Croix State Park. But the most infamous animal of them all is the mongoose.

Mongooses In St Croix

The mongoose, an animal originally from Africa, was introduced to Caribbean islands like St. Croix back in 1884 to control rat scourges that were common around sugar plantations. It was also thought that mongooses would eradicate other undesirable animals, like snakes. While the rat population in St. Croix was initially curtailed, the rats adapted by climbing into trees which the mongooses could not climb. In addition, as an invasive species to St. Croix, the mongooses have been responsible for decimating native species on the island. There are some small scale mongoose eradication efforts on St. Croix, but they are limited to setting Tomahawk traps near nesting Sea Turtles.

St. Thomas Iguanas

The type of iguanas that are found on St. Thomas are green iguanas. While they are an incredible sight to behold, like little dragons walking around eating flowers and fruit, iguanas are now considered an invasive species in St. Thomas USVI.

How Did Iguanas Get To St. Thomas

A recent genetic study busted the myth that iguanas might have gotten to St. Thomas by way of illicit and irresponsible pet traders or even locals who might have had a taste for iguana. This genetic test indicated that iguanas simply spread naturally from other Caribbean islands, to which they had originally migrated in a pre-Columbian era. Since iguanas can live for up to 15 years, the populations have a way of exploding in places where food is plentiful and natural predators are not.

No Dangerous Animals In The Virgin Islands

While there are many animals to see in the Virgin Islands, it is especially reassuring to tourists that there are no dangerous animals here, like venomous snakes. There are a few snakes in the VI, like the tree boa and blind snake, but they are harmless.

Mostly this place is the Garden of Eden against the backdrop of the landscape of modernity. We hope you visit soon!