El Tucuche (936 m) is the second highest peak in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

Northern Range The Northern Range is the range of tall hills across north Trinidad, the major island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The hills range from the Chaguaramas peninsula on the west coast to Toco in the east. The Northern Range covers approx ...

and is noted for its interesting pyramidal shape. It is fabled in

Amerindian The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...

lore as a sacred mountain. There are Amerindian petroglyphs on a rock outcrop below the mountain. These are the only petroglyphs in country known to archaeologists. Its summit is home to the golden tree frog ('' Phytotriades auratus''). On the summit of El Tucuche,

elfin woodland Dwarf forest, elfin forest, or pygmy forest is an uncommon ecosystem featuring miniature trees, inhabited by small species of fauna such as rodents and lizards. They are usually located at high elevations, under conditions of sufficient air humi ...

can be found. The vegetation is usually gnarled and short, due to the high elevation, exposure to clouds and prevailing winds. At the foot of the mountain lies the village of Lluengo, home to approximately 2,000 residents. Wildlife on El Tucuche includes animals such as the El Tucuche Golden Tree Frog ('' Phytotriades auratus''), the Red Brocket Deer, the Fer-de-lance ('' Bothrops atrox''), the Bearded Bellbird, the Orange-winged Amazon Parrot, the White-bearded Manakin, the Trinidad Stream Frog (''

Mannophryne trinitatis The yellow-throated frog, Trinidadian stream frog, or Trinidad poison frog (''Mannophryne trinitatis)'' is a diurnal species of frog in the family Aromobatidae that is endemic to the island of Trinidad in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Tri ...

'') and the Emperor Morpho Butterfly (''

Morpho peleides ''Morpho peleides'', the Peleides blue morpho, common morpho or the emperor is an iridescent tropical butterfly found in Mexico, Central America, northern South America, Paraguay and Trinidad. Most authorities believe that ''peleides'' is a su ...

'') to name just a few. Notable vegetation on the higher slopes includes mosses, tree-ferns and bromeliads (including ''

Glomeropitcairnia erectiflora ''Glomeropitcairnia erectiflora'' is a plant species in the genus '' Glomeropitcairnia''. This epiphytic tank bromeliad species is native to Venezuela and to the island of Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major ...

'' - the microhabitat of the El Tucuche Golden Tree Frog); and ''

Heliconia ''Heliconia'', derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word (), is a genus of flowering plants in the monotypic family Heliconiaceae. Most of the ca 194 known species are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to c ...

''s on the lower to middle slopes. Old abandoned

Cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter an ...

estates that are reverting to forest occur in some areas of the lower slopes. The nation's highest waterfall, Maracas falls, lies at the foothills of El Tucuche, and is 91.5 meters (300 feet) high. El Tucuche is often climbed by hikers. There are two summits, the first summit ascends to above 2,000 feet (800 meters) and displays a 1000 feet sheer-vertical cliff. The second and highest summit is at over 3,000 feet (936 meters) and is pyramid-shaped. When clouds aren't present, the nation's capital,

Port Of Spain Port of Spain ( Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a muni ...

, the

Caroni Swamp The Caroni Swamp is the second largest mangrove wetland in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located on the west coast of Trinidad, south of Port of Spain and northwest of Chaguanas, where the Caroni River meets the Gulf of Paria. The Caroni Swamp ...

and Main Ridge can be viewed from the summit. The mountain also has views of Maracas Beach.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucuche Mountains of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad (island)

See also

References