In some places difficult to access one can find some remains of the primitive fauna of Cuba such as the jutía conga (Capromys pilorides), the Cuban boa, the majá de Santa María (Epicrates angulifer), and the Anolis lucius, a small endemic lizard.
In this province one of the richest zones as to diversity is the Ciénaga de Zapata. This marshland is the habitat of a wide variety of mammals, especially rodents such as several species of jutía like the "jutía enana" (Mesocapromys nana). Other species, like the deer and the wild boar, have been intentionally or accidentally introduced in the area However, the undisputed emblematic animal of the region is the Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rombipher), although the alligator (Crocodylus acutus), which can be 4 m (13 ft) long, can also be spotted.