Hans Lollik Islands

The major part of the benthic zone around Hans Lollik is rocky and supports a dense diverse coral habitat.

[2] The terrestrial features of the Hans Lollik group are functions of their natural topography, exposure to trade winds, and consequences of human occupation.

The steep profile of the island caused exposed soil to creep and wash into the sea as sediment run-off; some estimate that several feet of topsoil were lost during this agricultural period.

The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), cats (Felis catus), and donkeys (Equus asinus) have been intentionally released.

Liophis portoricensis (a lizard-eating ground snake) has been reduced in numbers or extirpated on the large islands within its range.

The prime roosting spots for these species have been located and mapped by JDA to enable the site planning process to avoid these areas.

The cliff-site nesting areas for the tropic bird are de facto protected from humans by their precarious cliff location.

[citation needed] Hans Lollik has not been a historically important brown pelican-nesting site, and the sparse nesting which now occurs is opportunistic.

Other bird species seen on Hans Lollik include the ubiquitous pearly-eyed thrasher (Margarops fuscatus), the bananaquit (Coeroba flaveloa), the oystercatcher (Haematopus pallitus), and the sparrowhawk (Falco sparverius).

The shallows along the shores of both islands are colonized by head corals, Diploria strigosa, D. clivosa, Siderastrea siderea, D. labyrinthiformis, Colpophyllia natans, Porites astreoides, Montastraea annularis, M. cavernosa and Dendrogyra cylindrus.

The entire area is destiny colonized by soft coral species and sea plumes, fans feathers are scattered throughout.

[citation needed] The most common cetacean species to move through the waters of the greater Hans Lollik area include bottlenose dolphins ('Tursiops truncatus) and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).

Based upon historic accounts, a series of cotton plantation establishments were apparently developed and maintained from at least 1769, but probably several decades earlier.

More recent uses have included logging, fishing, residence by an individual, and cattle raising in the 1950s when the existing overgrown circumferential road was created.

[citation needed] The Virgin Islands lie in the “Easterlies” or “Trade Winds” which traverse the southern part of the "Bermuda High" pressure area.