Wildlife

Wildlife & Nature

Who You’ll Meet on Pearl Island

Pigs that swim out to greet the boat, lizards that own the footpaths, a reef glowing fifty feet from the sand. Here's who lives here, and how to meet them well.

MEET THE RESIDENTS EXPLORE The Reef
A field guide

A Small Island Is Never Empty

You can walk Pearl Island end to end in minutes, but a small Bahamian island still teems with life: reptiles on the paths, birds overhead and a reef alive with colour just offshore. Here's who you'll meet, when you're most likely to see them, and the simple rules that keep every encounter good for both sides.

On land & in the shallows

Meet the Residents

Star of the Island

The Swimming Pigs

The Swimming Pigs The most photographed locals in the Bahamas. A short boat ride from Pearl Island, they paddle straight out to meet you, strong, confident swimmers who are very used to the attention.

SWIM WITH PIGS →
Path Patrol

Curly-Tailed Lizard

Bold, stocky and completely unbothered by tourists. You'll spot them doing push-ups on the warm rock along the path to the lighthouse, a territorial display, not a show for you.

EXPLORE THE ISLAND →
Always Moving In

Hermit Crab

Land hermit crabs carry a borrowed sea-snail shell and trade up as they grow, which is why an empty shell on the beach is never really empty. Leave them where they are.

MEET THE CRABS →
Dusk Hunter

Antillean Nighthawk

One for patient guests. At dusk it hunts insects on the wing, cutting fast, erratic loops above the scrub with a distinctive nasal call.

EXPLORE THE ISLAND →
Gentle Glider

Southern Stingray

Placid and shy, stingrays glide across the sandy shallows hunting shellfish. Give them space and they'll carry on unbothered.

EXPLORE THE OCEAN →
Makers of the Sand

Reef Fish

Parrotfish, sergeant majors, blue tangs, wrasse and yellowtail snapper. Parrotfish even make the sand, that white beach is largely what they leave behind.

EXPLORE THE REEF →
50 ft Reef from shore
Below the surface

The Reef Is a Working Ecosystem

Pearl Island's reef sits close enough to swim to, less than fifty feet from shore at its nearest point. Brain and star coral built this structure over decades, growing at roughly the rate of a fingernail. It's fragile in ways you can't see from the surface: a single fin kick can undo years of growth. The one rule that matters most is float, don't stand. If you need to rest, roll onto your back in open water.

EXPLORE THE REEF
Keep it working

Six Rules That Keep the Wild, Wild

None of them costs you anything and together they're the reason there's still something here to see.

1
Float, don’t stand Rest on your back in open water, never on the coral.
2
Coral-friendly sunscreen Reef-safe sunscreen only or cover up with a rash guard.
3
Don’t feed the wildlife Let the island's animals stay wild. Enjoy them from a distance and leave them to it.
4
Shells stay That empty shell is a hermit crab's next apartment.
5
Keep your distance A close sighting is a privilege, not something to chase.
6
Take everything back Whatever comes to the island with you leaves with you.
Good to know

Questions About the Residents

Come Meet Them Yourself

Pick your kind of day and let the island take it from there. Direct bookings always come with our best price.

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