Nature in the Seychelles

Nature in the Seychelles

Nature in the Seychelles

The Seychelles are home to a plethora of rare animals and plants, as well as two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but endemic species are under constant threat from introduced exotic animals and man-made plantations, meaning that the island has to work hard to conserve its flora and fauna. The many reserves and national parks that have been set up across the islands are therefore vital to their survival.

One of the islands' endemic species is a plant that produces the world's largest seeds. Before the Seychelles were discovered, these seeds used to float in the sea and were found by the inhabitants of other islands. Believing their mysterious find to have come from a mythical tree deep in the ocean, these people dubbed them coco-de-mer' - translating as coconut of the sea'.

Another plant found on the Seychelles is the jellyfish tree, a critically endangered species found only on the island of Mah that gets its name from its flowers, which look like upside-down jellyfish. There are only eight jellyfish trees left in the entire world, making it one of earth's rarest plant species.

The Seychelles' two UNESCO World Heritage Sites are natural havens. Praslin's Valle de Mai is thought by many to have been the original site of the Garden of Eden. It's an unspoilt palm forest where coco-de-mer thrives, providing a home to the endemic black parrot and blue pigeons, plus tiger chameleons, tree frogs and Seychelles skinks.

The other UNESCO World Heritage Site, Aldabra, is the biggest raised coral atoll in the world and boasts 150,000 giant tortoises - the largest population of this creature on earth. It is also home to the Indian Ocean's only flightless bird, the Aldabra white-throated rail.

Aride Island provides a home to seabird species and the world's biggest population of lesser noddies, while on Bird Island you'll find the world's heaviest land tortoise living in the wild Esmeralda weighs in at a whopping 304kg. Going from big to small, the Seychelles are also the habitat of a tiny frog that only grows to a miniscule 1cm.

Some of the rarest endemic birds on earth live on the Seychelles, including the Seychelles bush warbler, paradise fly-catcher and bare-legged scops owl the latter was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered on Mah in the mid-1900s.

If you're on your Seychelles holidays 2011, make sure you take some time out from sunbathing on the beach to explore the islands' flora and fauna.

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