Wildlife of Mauritius

The wildlife of Mauritius includes its flora and fauna and their natural habitats. Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean to the east of Madagascar. Due to its isolation, it has a relatively low diversity of wildlife. However, a high proportion of these are endemic species occurring nowhere else in the world. Many of these are now threatened with extinction because of human activities including habitat destruction and the introduction of non-native species. Some have already become extinct, most famously the dodo which disappeared in the 17th century.

Fauna

Mammals

The native mammalian fauna of Mauritius is limited to bats and marine mammals. The Mauritius flying fox and Rodrigues flying fox are large fruit bats endemic to the islands.

A number of mammals have been introduced including rats, mice, tenrecs, mongooses, rusa deer and crab-eating macaques.

Birds

Over 100 species of bird have been recorded in Mauritius. There are seven or eight surviving endemic species on the main island depending on taxonomy. The Mauritius grey white-eye is the commonest of these, being widespread across the island including in man-made habitats. The others are less common and are mainly restricted to the Black River Gorges National Park in the south-west of the island. The Mauritius kestrel, Mauritius parakeet and pink pigeon all came close to extinction but are now increasing thanks to intensive conservation efforts.

Rodrigues Island has two further endemic species, the Rodrigues warbler and Rodrigues fody. Seabird colonies are present on many of the smaller islands of the country.

A wide variety of birds have been introduced into Mauritius. These include some of the most common and conspicuous birds of the islands including the common myna, Madagascar fody, red-whiskered bulbul and zebra dove.

Reptiles

A number of endemic reptiles are found in Mauritius, particularly on Round Island. These include day geckos ("Phelsuma"), night geckos ("Nactus"), skinks and the keel-scaled boa. Giant tortoises formerly occurred but are now extinct.

Marine life

Coral reefs are found around most of the Mauritian coastline. They are home to a wide variety of fishes and other marine animals.

Flora

About 670 native species of flowering plant are found in Mauritius and nearly half of these are endemic. Rainforest formerly covered most of the island with palm savannah in drier regions and areas of heathland in the mountains. Most of this natural vegetation has been destroyed and what remains is threatened by the spread of introduced plants.

The national flower of Mauritius is "Trochetia boutoniana" or "boucle d'oreille" which is now restricted to a single mountain. Native trees include the Mauritius ebony ("Diospyros tesselaria"), takamaka ("Calophyllum tacamahaca") and various palms. Introduced plants that have become invasive include "Chinese" (actually Brazilian) guava ("Psidium littorale") and "Lantana camara". Bougainvillea ("Bougainvillea glabra") and frangipani ("Plumeria alba") are among the most commonly planted ornamental species.

Conservation

Conservation work in Mauritius is carried out by the National Parks and Conservation Service (NPCS) and by non-governmental organizations such as the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT).

The Black River Gorges National Park covers 65.74 km² of land and another 45 km² is protected by nature reserves such as Round Island and Île aux Aigrettes.

Efforts to preserve native flora and fauna have included captive breeding, habitat restoration and the eradication of introduced species.

References

*Ellis, Royston; Richards, Alexandra & Schuurman, Derek (2002) "Mauritius, Rodrigues, Réunion: the Bradt Travel Guide", 5th edition, Bradt Travel Guides Ltd, UK.
* [http://www.mauritian-wildlife.org/ Mauritian Wildlife Foundation] Accessed 13/11/07.
*Sinclair, Ian & Langrand, Olivier (1998) "Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands", Struik, Cape Town.