Wildlife of the Maldives

Amongst the mammals, only the flying fox and a species of shrew could be said to be endemic. Only one amphibian, a toad is present. Of the land reptiles, there is a single species of gecko, as well as one species of agamid lizard, one species of skink, and one species of snake (lycodon aulicus). Quite another question is the sea which is home to the green turtle, the hawksbill turtle, and the leatherback turtle, that lay eggs on Maldivian beaches. Sea snakes (pelamis platurus) that live in the Indian Ocean occasionally go to the beach to rest. Most birds found are typical Eurasian migratory birds, only a few being typically associated with the Indian sub-continent.

Wildlife of Maldives – Wikipedia

There is an amazing diversity of sealife in the Maldives archipelago, with corals and over 2,000 species of fish, ranging from colorful reef fish to reef sharks, moray eels, and a wide variety of rays: Manta ray, Stingray, and Eagle ray. The Maldivian waters are also home for the whale shark. The waters around the Maldives are abundant in rare species of biological and commercial value, with Tuna fisheries being traditionally one of the main commercial resources of the country, with shells. In the few ponds and marshes there are freshwater fish, like chanos chanos and other smaller species. The Tilapia or mouth-breeder was introduced by a UN agency in the 1970s.

More links

Maldives ‘tourism boom’ putting manta rays at risk Giant manta rays could be driven away from world-famous feeding site in five years because of disruption from tourist industry, warns leading marine biologist

Maldives Government – Atoll Ecosystem Conservation Project

List of birds of the Maldives

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