About the book: 1983 / Any island located in the tropics is a kind of laboratory in which nature itself conducts experiments on ecology and evolution of animals and plants. Therefore, the great interest that scientists show in the fauna and flora of islands located at low latitudes is understandable. In this book, processes characteristic of tropical islands are analyzed using the example of the fauna of the Cuban archipelago. The author examines the history of the formation of the Cuban fauna, the ways of settlement of the islands by immigrants from the continent. The story about the amazingly rich animal world of this region of the globe is told in the form of short essays about lower invertebrate animals, insects, spiders, fish, reptiles, birds and animals. Describes terrestrial, freshwater and marine biocenoses, which together make up the uniquely diverse world of wildlife on the island.