Note: This post takes a long time to compile, so I’ll be updating and editing it over the next couple of days. Check back for more updates. 
To celebrate Fidel Castro’s retirement, the last episode of Kitty Mowmow’s Animal Expo featured animals from Cuba. Here’s the playlist from the show, along with info we covered and music videos when possible. Enjoy!
BEE HUMMINGBIRD (Mellisuga helenae)
Believed to be the world’s smallest bird, Cuba’s native bee hummingbird buzzes around forests and field edges in many parts of the island, where it feeds on flower nectar. It grows to about 2 inches long and weighs less than an ounce, or less than a dime. Some locals call it “zunzun,” and believe it is a symbol of love. Birders from all over the world travel to Cuba in hopes of catching a glimpse of this tiny bird.
1. Hummingbird, Wilco, A Ghost Is Born
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6-hIczcC-A]
2. Los Herederos, Buena Vista, The Next Generation
CUBAN PYGMY-OWL (Glaucidium siju)
The Cuban Pygmy-owl is endemic to Cuba where it appears to be quite common. It is found in a variety of forest habitats.
Upperparts are brown with whitish bars, these bars extending to the short tail. It has a tawny collar and two dark “false-eye” spots on the back of the neck as you can see in the second photo. Underparts are whitish with brown streaks. The eyes are yellow and the legs are feathered.
It hunts during both the day and the night. Prey consists of insects, lizards and small birds.
3. The Owls Go, Architecture in Helsinki, Fingers Crossed
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K07gw6Q6T9U]
4. An Owl With Knees, The Books, Lost and Safe
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkc3PleRDU4]
5. Owl Eyes, Devendra Banhart, Niño Rojo
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1juM9ekTw1c]
6. Chan Chan, Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fohk94TTg38]
7. The Owls Are Not What They Seem, The Motion Sick, The Truth Will Catch You, Just Wait…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAl0wl3yPD0]
BUTTERFLY BAT (Natalus family)
Cuba’s caves are home to many kinds of bats. But perhaps the best known is the butterfly bat, one of the world’s smallest. It has a wingspan of just 5 inches and weighs less than an ounce. It spends much of its time hanging around in dark, humid caves, but takes flight each evening to hunt for insects.
8. Batman Theme, Sun Ra and the Blues Project, Batman and Robin
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQBobrCBTNI]
9. Bat You’ll Fly, Animal Collective, Spirit They’re Gone Spirit, They’re Vanished
10. Asi son con el son, Buena Vista, The Next Generation
11. What’s A Girl To Do?, Bat For Lashes, What’s A Girl To Do?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1wnOUH2jk8]
12. Leather-Winged Bat, Burl Ives, Poor Wayfaring Stranger
13. Fangs On Bats, Tullycraft, Every Scene Needs A Center
14. Pa’ lo rumbero, Buena Vista, The Next Generation
CUBAN CROCODILE (Crocodylus rhombifer)
Once also found on other islands in the Caribbean, this rare crocodile is now limited to Cuba, where it lives in dense swamps. It can grow up to 13 feet long, and typically feeds on fish and crustaceans. It can also “leap” high out the water, with a push from its powerful tail, to grab hutia from their treetop perches. Biologists believe that fewer than 6,000 wild Cuban crocodiles remain, although others are raised on farms for their meat and hides.
Crocodile Rock, Elton John, The Very Best of Elton John
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-36u4xUCF0]
Crocodile Tears and the Velvet Cosh, The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy
De Camino a La Vereda, Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club
Don’t Slip Away, The Werefrogs, Don’t Slip Away
Frogs, The Flaming Lips, Hit to Death in the Future Head
1730 Know How Frogs Function, The Kleptones, 24 Hours
El Cuarto de Tula, Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club
Between Tomorrow & Sleep, The Werefrogs, Don’t Slip Away
Song 4 Tricia (Princes And Frogs), Superchick, Last One Picked
Michigan, Bear Vs. Shark, Bear Vs. Shark EP
Rompe Saraguey, Buena Vista, The Next Generation
You Were Right, Badly Drawn Boy, Have You Fed The Fish?
Evaporated, Ben Folds, Songs for Goldfish
Pueblo Nuevo, Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club
The Tinker And The Crab, Donovan, A Gift From A Flower To A Garden
Crabbuckit, K-Os, Joyful Rebellion
De todo un poco, Buena Vista, The Next Generation
Look at Her Face, The Coral Sea, Volcano & Heart
Who’s Gonna Find Me, The Coral, Roots & Echoes
Candela, Buena Vista Social Club, Buena Vista Social Club
Whales Tails, Cocteau Twins, Victorialand
The Whales, Japanther, Yer Living Grave
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