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Up to 15 ft (4.5 m) in length, these crocs can look fearsome, but are in fact much more timid than their African or Australian relatives. They live up to 50 years on a diet of fish, waterfowl, and small mammals, thriving in the protected salt-water environment of Lago Enriquillo.

The big lizard up to 4-ft (1.2-m) long gets its name from a horn-like bump on its nose. Naturally shy, they have become used to humans on the Isla Cabritos, but normally seek refuge from the heat in burrows. They bask in the sun to become active and live on very sparse vegetation.

An endangered species, the leatherback has no shell, but rather a series of bony plates covered with a leathery skin. These creatures can be over 6 ft (1.8 m) and weigh some 800 lb (363 kg). They lay hundreds of eggs on remote beaches but are illegally hunted for meat and eggs.

You won’t see one of these long-nosed ant-eating mammals in the wild, as they are rare, extremely shy, and nocturnal. They are also now a threatened species, largely because their habitat is shrinking, and they are easy prey for dogs and other predators. A few can still be seen in captivity.

Another shy mammal, the endemic hutia looks rather like a rat, but it’s actually a rabbitsized herbivore that seeks refuge either in caves or in trees. Increasingly endangered by deforestation, it lives in the more remote and forested districts of the Parque Nacional del Este and the Parque Nacional Los Haitises.

Reptiles of all shapes and sizes have adapted to the island’s varied ecosystems. The diverse variety of the species ranges from the hefty 4-ft (1.2-m) iguanas and chunky geckos to the tiny 1.6-cm jaragua gecko which was discovered in 1998 on the isolated Isla Beata of the southwest coast. Don’t be surprised to have a lizard or two visit your room.

Popular among the locals as a coqui , the tiny greenish-brown frog is one of several similar species known for their surprisingly loud choruses during the hours of darkness. One of the most evocative of Caribbean sounds, the tireless nocturnal singing of tree frogs becomes louder after a heavy downpour.

Samaná Bay and the Banco de la Plata (Silver Bank), areas some 60-miles (97-km) north of Puerto Plata, are the preferred mating and calving grounds of humpback whales, which can grow up to a staggering 50 ft (15 m) and weigh 40 tons. It is a delight to see them leap out of the water.

The rare and protected sea cow is the gentle giant of the ocean. Shy and vegetarian, it can reach 12 ft (3.6 m) in length, and rises to the sea’s surface every five minutes to breathe air. It’s hard to believe that this bulbous and whiskery creature was once mistaken for a mermaid.

Almost 300 species of butterfly have been identified, but it is thought there are many more, especially in the remote mountain terrain of the Sierra de Baoruco. The arid southwest is home to hundreds of colorful species, including some rare swallowtails and monarchs, attracting growing numbers of lepidopterists.