Fauna
There is a native marsupial known as the phalanger or the gray cuscus. The only other mammals are bats and rodents. There are many species of colorful parrots as well as estuarine crocodiles. In recent times, these crocodiles have been found only on the Weather Coast in the south of the island, but during the Second World War, they were found along the north coast in the vicinity of the airstrip where the fighting was taking place, as evidenced by names such as Alligator Creek. Venomous snakes are rare and are not considered to be a serious threat; however, there is a kind of centipede which gives a very nasty sting. These centipedes were well known to the American Marines during the Second World War as 'the stinging insects'.
Read more about this topic: Guadalcanal
Famous quotes containing the word fauna:
“The whole fauna of human fantasies, their marine vegetation, drifts and luxuriates in the dimly lit zones of human activity, as though plaiting thick tresses of darkness. Here, too, appear the lighthouses of the mind, with their outward resemblance to less pure symbols. The gateway to mystery swings open at the touch of human weakness and we have entered the realms of darkness. One false step, one slurred syllable together reveal a man’s thoughts.”
—Louis Aragon (1897–1982)