Hello Chisn,

The Virgin Islands Boa is endangered and next to never seen. So its very very unlikely your son will encounter one. And if he does, take pictures and report it to the local Dept. of Fish and Wildlife ;). Here is a description:

The small Virgin Islands Boa has a distinct mottled pattern, light grey-brown with dark brown markings and a cream colored belly with dark markings. They are known to live in steep coastal forest among dry rocky soil. They eat small lizards and more infrequently small mammals and birds. The tree boa is almost never seen in the Virgin Islands, it has become endangered due to large-scale habitat destruction and its demise was greatly impacted by the introduction of the mongoose.

"Range: Within the US Virgin Islands. Found on Cayo Diablo, Tortola and the eastern end of the Island of St. Thomas.

Interesting Facts: The Virgin Islands tree boa was first described in 1933, but has been rarely seen since that time. Only 13 specimens have been recorded. It is extinct from the Island of Puerto Rico because of the extinction of xeric fauna. The Virgin Islands tree boa is nocturnal, meaning they only come out at night and they sleep during the day. Captive individuals rapidly seek cover when exposed to light, however, during the later stages of gestation, females may bask in the sun to raise body temperature and aid in the development of the embryos. There life span is up to 10 years."

He is likely to encounter Hermit Crabs while hiking the trails in the Park and want to pick them up. One warning their pinchers are very strong and if they catch your finger they are likely to draw blood. Their is a picture of one and a few other critters in our Flora and Fauna section. Click here https://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/flora_fauna/ for that section.

Also definately tell him about not touching things while snorkeling. Coral is fragile so a touch hurts it and also if its fire coral it will hurt you.

Have a great time.

--Islander

Thanks so much Islander. Great Information! Our last time in St. John, my little man met a crab on the beach of Trunk Bay. I was just looking at the pics counting the days until we're there again and they made me smile. He knows not to touch when we're snorkeling. We've toted him to many a snorkel adventure and he does great. We never got to snorkel the island last time, so it's something that I'm really looking forward to!

Didn;t the mongooses eat every snake on the island such that they don't exist anymore? That's what we always heard. Also, we heard a funny story about a guy who bent down to a tiny anoli to take a picture and the anoli jumped out and bit his eyelash, thinking it was a fluttering insect so watch out for these adorable but apparently fast moving little creatures!