Wildlife of Mauritius
Encyclopedia
The wildlife of Mauritius is composed of its flora
and fauna
. 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.
ian fauna of Mauritius is limited to bat
s and marine mammals. The Mauritius flying fox and Rodrigues flying fox
are large fruit bat
s endemic to the islands.
A number of mammals have been introduced including rat
s, mice
, tenrecs, mongoose
s, rusa deer
and crab-eating macaque
s.
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
.
The common myna is becoming a pest due to its well documented habit of displacing smaller bird species from their habitat and also destroying the smaller bird species young. The mynas were introduced for commercial reasons, primarily to help control the locusts which eat the sugar cane leafage, instead, they prey on small indigenous lizards which are easier to catch due to their basking habits which is required for their metabolism, the lizards have become the mynas primary source of food, but due to the myna's preying on these lizards an imbalance is being created with insects which the lizard would prey on which the common myna doesn't eat due to its inability to crawl under rocks and forage in the dense grass, flora, and fauna.
. These include day gecko
s (Phelsuma
), night geckos (Nactus
), skink
s and the keel-scaled boa
. Giant tortoise
s formerly occurred but are now extinct.
s are found around most of the Mauritian coastline, most of the coral life on the ring reef and within the lagoons has been destroyed due to the practice of dynamite fishing which was allowed up to the seventies, the exception is areas which are inaccessible to indigenous fishermen due to excessively rough seas. . The fish life in the lagoons and seas around most of the villages and towns is virtually non existent due to overfishing by the locals who utilise any form of device to catch any marine protein, all fish species and crustaceans are landed irrespective of size and, in the case of lobsters, when the female lobsters have berries. The lobster population has been decimated to the extent that lobsters are now imported from Madagascar for the tourist (hotel) industry and local consumptiom. Spear Guns are illegal in Mauritius however the local fishermen use them extensively with which to hunt fish, there is a huge anomaly between the laws which exist to preserve and protect fish and the enforcement of these laws, The coast guard is under tight budgetary constraints and does very little patrolling, they are also reluctant to enforce existing laws with creole fishermen as they are deemed un-prosecutable due to their indigenous status. The coast guard is a department in name only, they do excel at inspecting the beaches on sunny days and if a station inspection is due then they'll endeavour to check the dive boats for correct documentation.
The estuaries are becoming polluted due to garbage which is dumped into the ravines by the Ministry Of Environment, inland ravines are utilised extensively as refuse dumps, this creates a huge problem with regards to toxic water flow into the various estuaries, this also has an adverse effect on various marine life.
At Flic en Flac, on the west coast, there is a resident pod of dolphins which has the habit of resting in a cove 2 km north of Flic en Flac but are continuously harassed and exploited by commercial speed boat operators, the speed boats will gather as close to the dolphins as they can, sometimes directly over the moving pod of dolphins, whereupon they then shadow the dolphins and allow tourists to swim with the dolphins, the tourists in the water do their best to try and touch the dolphins, the end result is that the dolphins now move on instead of resting in this cove. The maximum number of boats that I counted harassing/stressing the dolphins during my three month observation period was 18 boats.
There is no legislation to prevent the dolphins from being harassed/stressed by boats and the swimmers who get into the water to "swim with the dolphins". "Swimming with the dolphins" is advertised at most of the hotels and the speed boat operators pro-actively canvass for clients for this "tourist attraction".
The sugar estates dump their effluent into their bordering rivers, the resultant water flow is dark brown/black in colour with a strong foul stench, this effluent flows into estuaries, lagoons, and is then flushed by tides into the open sea. Black river on the west coast is so named because of the black coloured water which is the result of effluent dumped into it by the sugar estate. The river which flows through the Medine sugar estate (Flic en Flac) doesn't end in a estuary when it reaches the sea, it cascades from a water fall hence dispersing and diluting the blackness of its colour when it reaches the sea, ironically this " black water fall" is a tourist attraction for the speed boat operators. The sea life around these two areas is sparse.
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 Brazil
ian) guava (Psidium littorale) and Lantana camara
. Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea glabra
) and frangipani (Plumeria alba
) are among the most commonly planted ornamental species.
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.
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
is located in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
to the east of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. 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
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
because of human activities including habitat destruction
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
and the introduction
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
of non-native species. Some have already become extinct, most famously the dodo
Dodo
The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....
which disappeared in the 17th century.
Fauna
Mammals
The native mammalMammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
ian fauna of Mauritius is limited to bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s and marine mammals. The Mauritius flying fox and Rodrigues flying fox
Rodrigues Flying Fox
The Rodrigues Flying Fox or Rodrigues Fruit Bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae, the flying foxes or fruit bats. It is endemic to Rodrigues, an island in the Indian Ocean belonging to Mauritius. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. It is a sociable species...
are large fruit bat
Fruit Bat
Fruit Bat can refer to:* Megabats, a species of bat which eats fruit* Les "Fruitbat" Carter, guitarist of Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine* Fruit Bats , an American band...
s endemic to the islands.
A number of mammals have been introduced including rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s, mice
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
, tenrecs, mongoose
Mongoose
Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like"...
s, rusa deer
Rusa Deer
The Javan Rusa or Sunda Sambar is a deer native to the islands of Java, Bali and Timor in Indonesia...
and crab-eating macaque
Crab-eating Macaque
The Crab-eating macaque is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. It is also called the "long-tailed macaque", and is referred to as the "cynomolgus monkey" in laboratories.-Etymology:...
s.
Birds
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
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
Black River Gorges National Park
Black River Gorges National Park is a national park in the hilly south-western part of Mauritius. It was proclaimed on June 15, 1994 and is managed by the National Parks and Conservation Service. It covers an area of 67.54 km² including humid upland forest, drier lowland forest and marshy...
in the south-west of the island. The Mauritius kestrel
Mauritius Kestrel
The Mauritius Kestrel is a bird of prey from the family Falconidae endemic to the forests of Mauritius, where it is restricted to the southwestern plateau's forests, cliffs, and ravines.It is the most distinct of the Indian Ocean kestrels...
, Mauritius parakeet
Mauritius Parakeet
The Mauritius Parakeet , also known as Echo Parakeet, is the sole survivor of the Psittacula species which inhabited the southern Indian ocean islands near Madagascar. Its local name is katover.-Taxonomy:...
and pink pigeon
Pink Pigeon
The Pink Pigeon, Columba mayeri, is a species of Columbidae endemic to Mauritius, and is now very rare. It was on the brink of extinction in 1991 when only 10 individuals remained, but its numbers have increased due to the efforts of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust since 1977...
all came close to extinction but are now increasing thanks to intensive conservation efforts.
Rodrigues Island has two further endemic species, the Rodrigues warbler
Rodrigues Warbler
The Rodrigues Warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It is found only on Rodrigues, which belongs to Mauritius....
and Rodrigues fody
Rodrigues Fody
The Rodrigues Fody is a rare species of bird in the weaver family. It is endemic to Rodrigues, an island of Mauritius. It is classified by BirdLife International as being vulnerable. It is also on the United States' Endangered Species List with an endangered status.This bird is 12 to 13...
. 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
Common Myna
The Common Myna or Indian Myna also sometimes spelled Mynah, is a member of family Sturnidae native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the Myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments...
, Madagascar fody
Madagascar Fody
The Red Fody , sometimes known as the Red Cardinal Fody or Common Fody, is a small bird native to Madagascar....
, red-whiskered bulbul
Red-whiskered Bulbul
The Red-whiskered Bulbul is a passerine bird found in Asia. It is a member of the bulbul family. It is a resident frugivore found mainly in tropical Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical areas of the world where populations have established themselves...
and zebra dove
Zebra Dove
The Zebra Dove Geopelia striata, also known as Barred Ground Dove, is a bird of the dove family Columbidae, native to South-east Asia. It is closely related to the Peaceful Dove of Australia and New Guinea and the Barred Dove of eastern Indonesia...
.
The common myna is becoming a pest due to its well documented habit of displacing smaller bird species from their habitat and also destroying the smaller bird species young. The mynas were introduced for commercial reasons, primarily to help control the locusts which eat the sugar cane leafage, instead, they prey on small indigenous lizards which are easier to catch due to their basking habits which is required for their metabolism, the lizards have become the mynas primary source of food, but due to the myna's preying on these lizards an imbalance is being created with insects which the lizard would prey on which the common myna doesn't eat due to its inability to crawl under rocks and forage in the dense grass, flora, and fauna.
Reptiles
A number of endemic reptiles are found in Mauritius, particularly on Round IslandRound Island (Mauritius)
Round Island is an uninhabited islet 22.5 kilometers north of Mauritius. It has an area of 1.69 square kilometers and a maximum elevation of 280 meters...
. These include day gecko
Gecko
Geckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm....
s (Phelsuma
Phelsuma
The genus Phelsuma consists of several lizards in the gecko family, commonly referred to as Day Geckos.-Description:In contrast to most other gecko species, day geckos are active mainly during the day. Other diurnal geckos are members of the genus Lygodactylus and the genus Gonatodes...
), night geckos (Nactus
Nactus
-Classification of genus Nactus:*Nactus acutus*Nactus cheverti*Mauritius Accidental Gecko, Nactus coindemirensis*Nactus eboracensis*Black Mountain Gecko, Nactus galgajuga*Nactus multicarinatus*Pelagic Gecko, Nactus pelagicus...
), skink
Skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
s and the keel-scaled boa
Casarea
The Round Island Boa , also known as the Round Island Keel-scaled Boa, is a snake in the Bolyeriidae family, in the monotypic genus Casarea. It is also the only extant member of the family Bolyeriidae, and is endemic to Round Island, Mauritius...
. Giant tortoise
Giant tortoise
Giant tortoises are characteristic reptiles of certain tropical islands. Often reaching enormous size—they can weigh as much as 300 kg and can grow to be 1.3 m long—they live, or lived , in the Seychelles, the Mascarenes and the Galapagos...
s formerly occurred but are now extinct.
Marine life
Coral reefCoral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s are found around most of the Mauritian coastline, most of the coral life on the ring reef and within the lagoons has been destroyed due to the practice of dynamite fishing which was allowed up to the seventies, the exception is areas which are inaccessible to indigenous fishermen due to excessively rough seas. . The fish life in the lagoons and seas around most of the villages and towns is virtually non existent due to overfishing by the locals who utilise any form of device to catch any marine protein, all fish species and crustaceans are landed irrespective of size and, in the case of lobsters, when the female lobsters have berries. The lobster population has been decimated to the extent that lobsters are now imported from Madagascar for the tourist (hotel) industry and local consumptiom. Spear Guns are illegal in Mauritius however the local fishermen use them extensively with which to hunt fish, there is a huge anomaly between the laws which exist to preserve and protect fish and the enforcement of these laws, The coast guard is under tight budgetary constraints and does very little patrolling, they are also reluctant to enforce existing laws with creole fishermen as they are deemed un-prosecutable due to their indigenous status. The coast guard is a department in name only, they do excel at inspecting the beaches on sunny days and if a station inspection is due then they'll endeavour to check the dive boats for correct documentation.
The estuaries are becoming polluted due to garbage which is dumped into the ravines by the Ministry Of Environment, inland ravines are utilised extensively as refuse dumps, this creates a huge problem with regards to toxic water flow into the various estuaries, this also has an adverse effect on various marine life.
At Flic en Flac, on the west coast, there is a resident pod of dolphins which has the habit of resting in a cove 2 km north of Flic en Flac but are continuously harassed and exploited by commercial speed boat operators, the speed boats will gather as close to the dolphins as they can, sometimes directly over the moving pod of dolphins, whereupon they then shadow the dolphins and allow tourists to swim with the dolphins, the tourists in the water do their best to try and touch the dolphins, the end result is that the dolphins now move on instead of resting in this cove. The maximum number of boats that I counted harassing/stressing the dolphins during my three month observation period was 18 boats.
There is no legislation to prevent the dolphins from being harassed/stressed by boats and the swimmers who get into the water to "swim with the dolphins". "Swimming with the dolphins" is advertised at most of the hotels and the speed boat operators pro-actively canvass for clients for this "tourist attraction".
The sugar estates dump their effluent into their bordering rivers, the resultant water flow is dark brown/black in colour with a strong foul stench, this effluent flows into estuaries, lagoons, and is then flushed by tides into the open sea. Black river on the west coast is so named because of the black coloured water which is the result of effluent dumped into it by the sugar estate. The river which flows through the Medine sugar estate (Flic en Flac) doesn't end in a estuary when it reaches the sea, it cascades from a water fall hence dispersing and diluting the blackness of its colour when it reaches the sea, ironically this " black water fall" is a tourist attraction for the speed boat operators. The sea life around these two areas is sparse.
Molluscs
Flora
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
are found in Mauritius and nearly half of these are endemic. Rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
formerly covered most of the island with palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
savannah
Savannah
Savannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...
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
Trochetia boutoniana
Trochetia boutoniana also known by its native Mauritian name Boucle d'Oreille is a shrub from the Trochetia genus endemic to Mauritius. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics.-Description:It can reach a...
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
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
include "Chinese" (actually Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian) guava (Psidium littorale) and Lantana camara
Lantana camara
Lantana camara, also known as Spanish Flag or West Indian Lantana, is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to the American tropics. It has been introduced into other parts of the world as an ornamental plant and is considered an invasive species in many...
. Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea glabra
Bougainvillea glabra
Paper Flower , also known as lesser bougainvillea, is the most common species used for bonsai. It has shiny green, slightly hairy leaves and magenta colored bracts....
) and frangipani (Plumeria alba
Plumeria alba
Plumeria alba is a species of the genus Plumeria . This large evergreen shrub has narrow elongated leaves, large and strongly perfumed white flowers with a yellow center. Native from Central America and the Caribbean, it is now common and naturalized in southern and southeastern Asia....
) are among the most commonly planted ornamental species.
Conservation
Mauritian Wildlife Foundation
The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation is a non-governmental, non-profit conservation agency working in Mauritius to save threatened endemic local flora and fauna....
(MWF) and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is a conservation organisation with a mission to save species from extinction.Gerald Durrell founded the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust as a charitable institution in 1963 with the Dodo as its symbol...
(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
Captive breeding
Captive breedingis the process of breeding animals in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos and other conservation facilities; sometimes the process is construed to include release of individual organisms to the wild, when there is sufficient...
, habitat restoration and the eradication of introduced species.