Wildlife· East Plana Cay· Bahamas — Eleuthera, Andros & the Out Islands
Plana Cays hutia
22° 36.0′ N · 73° 29.7′ W · approximate
East Plana Cay holds the last natural population of the Bahamian hutia, the country's only native land mammal: a rabbit-sized, nocturnal rodent thought extinct until biologist Garrett Clough found a relict colony here in the 1960s. Animals from the Plana Cays were later moved to the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park.
Practical
Position is the OpenStreetMap centre of the Plana Cays group (on East Plana). Critically Endangered (IUCN). Wikipedia describes the Plana Cays as a protected reserve for hutia and endangered iguanas. Hutias stay underground by day, so you are far more likely to see burrows or skulls than animals. Do not land dogs or cats, do not bring food scraps ashore and keep to the beach. East Plana has no recognised yacht anchorage in the sources; visit by dinghy from West Plana only in calm weather.
Best for
Seeing the habitat of the Bahamas' only native land mammal
Nearby
- West Plana Cay Anchorage7.4 NM away
- Gray's Point Bonefish Lodge (Pinefield)21.2 NM away
- Acklins Island Lodge (Mason's Bay)21.5 NM away
- Mason's Bay Clinic (Acklins)21.5 NM away
- Mason's Bay post office and Administrator (Acklins)21.5 NM away
- Snug Corner and Mason's Bay stores (Acklins)21.6 NM away
- Pirate's Well Anchorage and mail-boat basin21.8 NM away
- Northwest Point Light (Mayaguana)22 NM away