Bahamian hutia in Exuma Park: where it lives, what it eats and how it is protected

The Bahamian hutia is the one native land mammal in the Bahamian islands, and it lives on the land of the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park. The park’s land is a vital refuge for a small mammal called the hutia, several rare iguana species and marine birds such as terns and white-tailed tropicbirds⁶. This page covers the animal, its range, its status and the rules that protect it. For the rest of the park’s animals, see the wildlife guide.

What is the Bahamian hutia?

About the size of a rabbit, the hutia lives in burrows in forests or shrubland and emerges at night to feed on leaves, fruit and other plant matter¹. Hutias are nocturnal and are the only land mammal native to The Bahamas². A 2019 study calls Bahamian hutias the only endemic terrestrial mammal in The Bahamas³.

The Animal Diversity Web gives an average adult mass of 660 g and calls the species a “living fossil” because it was once thought to be extinct⁴. It was believed to be extinct until 1966, when biologist Garrett Clough found a relict population on East Plana Cay, a small, uninhabited strip of land east of Long Island¹. Clough described the Bahamian hutia as “a most peaceable rodent”¹.

Where do Bahamian hutias live?

Once widespread across the Bahama archipelago, hutias are now limited to one ostensibly natural population on East Plana Cay and two modern-introduced populations on Little Wax Cay and Warderick Wells³. BNT’s fact sheet says a small hutia population was transplanted to two locations, Little Wax Cay and Warderick Wells².

The 2019 study dates the Little Wax Cay introduction to 1973. In that year, conservation efforts by the Bahamas National Trust led to the translocation of six male and five female hutias from East Plana Cay to Little Wax Cay³.

Warderick Wells is the island where the park has its headquarters. See the Warderick Wells headquarters page for how to reach the park office. A program is also reintroducing the hutia to the island of Exuma⁴.

Is the Bahamian hutia endangered?

Status depends on the source and the year. BNT’s fact sheet, copyright 1995, calls the hutia endangered, although current populations are thriving². A 2019 study by LeFebvre and colleagues says hutias are currently classified as a vulnerable species³.

Its population, though small, is believed to be steady, but a hurricane or the arrival of predators such as feral cats could threaten it¹. The Animal Diversity Web lists hunting, habitat destruction and predation by introduced cats, dogs and mongoose among the causes of endangerment⁴. The 2019 study says hutia populations depend on a delicate balance of resources, no human predation or disturbance, and ecological stability that natural events can upset³.

What do hutias eat, and when are they active?

Hutias are considered nocturnal folivores, preferring to forage at dusk and spending the day in rocky crevices or silver palm leaf piles³. A hutia can climb trees but mostly forages on or close to the ground, feeding on leaves, shoots, fruit, nuts and bark and occasionally on insects or small lizards¹. By day it stays underground¹.

How do hutias breed and how long do they live?

A female may have one to four young⁴. The young are born full of fur and with their eyes open, and they tend to stay with their mothers for up to two years⁴. The species lives up to 12 years in the wild, and its reproduction rate is low⁴.

What protects hutias in Exuma Park?

The hutia is protected under the Wild Animals (Protection) Act².

Pets are restricted to beaches only. No pets are permitted on trails or in the brush⁵.

The park’s rules say that over the years pets have caused the destruction of bird nesting sites, the loss of rare or endangered species (rock iguanas and hutia), and the disturbance of native vegetation⁵. Read the park rules before you bring a dog ashore, and see the rock iguana guide and the Nassau grouper guide for the other protected animals in the park.