Fauna The dodo is the animal emblematic of Mauritius, an extinct species. This enormous bird weighing nearly 25 kg, disappeared at the end of the XVIIe century, drove out by the imported man and animals. The colonisation of the island was not very advantageous for fauna, much of species which existed before the arrival of the man disappeared. Certain endemic birds, of a great scarcity, could survive in the primary forests and some small islands of North (island Coin of test card, island to the Snakes and Ronde island). Among most known: a small raptor, the kestrel (Falco punctatus), a splendid green parrot (Psittacula eques echo) or a pigeon nommépigeon of the ponds or pink pigeon (Columba mayeri). Mauritius preserved colonial time of the monkeys brought by the Portuguese as well as stags and wild boars, introduced by the Dutchmen at the XVIIe century. They generally hide in the luxuriant vegetation of the high forests. The English brought mongeese to control the proliferation of the rats but also of enormous tortoises (Aldabra), coming from Seychelles, which one can observe only in parks. Among the indigenous or exotic species, it is frequent to see birds like the boulboul (Pycnonotus jocosus) called “Condé”, easily recognisable with its houppette black and appreciating particularly the papaws, the tiserin (Ploceus cucullatus - also named with Maurice “Serin du Cap”) of yellow color, which weaves strange nests suspendusau end of the branches, the cardinal of Madagascar (Foudia madagascariensis) whose male avoids itself of a bright red plumage; without forgetting the turtle-dove (Geopelia striata), Martin or grackle of the Indies (Acridotheres tristis), and on the littoral, the heron striated (Butorides striatus) or in full sky, the splendid tropic bird (Phaethon lepturus). The only mammalian natives are bats frugivorous or insectivorous. As for the reptiles, one finds impossible to circumvent the gecko, a small well-known lizard in the Tropics, of the chameleons and many other species of lizards. There exist two kinds of inoffensive snakes (grass snakes) and two endemic species of boas which live only on the Ronde island. So on ground, fauna is not very diversified, sea creatures offer an imposing spectacle to you: tropical fish, corals, nudibranches, octopuses… Dolphins attend usually Bay of Tamarin or the Bay of Black River, unfortunately the growing number of boats of ecotourism is likely well to drive out them. More with broad, one meets sharks, whales and cachalots as well as sea-breams, swordfishes and marlins which makes the happiness of the Fishermen! Flora Formerly, a luxuriant forest recovered all the island. Cleared by the Dutch colonists, then French, to develop the culture of the cane, it was almost completely destroyed. The vast ones extended from fields of cane constitute the landscape Mauritian today. Mauritius preserves however some primary remainders of forest mainly in the south-east of the island (Black River National Park). One still finds there ebony trees, guava trees, trees travellers, several species of palm trees and many other gasolines. In the wetlands the tree ferns and the bamboos giants proliferate.
Elsewhere, the landscapes in Mauritius are embellished by the badamiers and their fruits in the almond shape, the banians with their inextricable air roots and their profusion of lianas, the majestic tamariniers or the eucalypti with the almost white trunk. While on the roadsides, surprising them blazing are covered with December to January of small red flowers or oranges to cut the breath. But the tree more the current is the filao, kind of pine, longiligne. It borders the beaches and plays a part of natural fixer of sand as well as parasol for the many tourists! As often in the Tropics, the island abounds with flowers to the bright colours: bougainvilleas, flowers of alamande, hibiscus, anthuriums, héliconias…. without forgetting the fruits, gifts of a generous nature: mango, papaw, litchi, pineapple, grapefruit, banana and coconut… The essence of the flora Mauritian can be admired in the famous Pamplemousses Botanincal garden. |
