Wildlife of the Maldives

A glimpse of the Maldive reefs, rich in different kinds of fauna

The wildlife of Maldives includes the flora and fauna of the Islands, reefs and the surrounding ocean.

Vertebrates

Mammals

There are very few land mammals in the Maldives. Only the flying fox and a species of shrew could be said to be endemic. Cats, rats and mice have been introduced by humans, often invading the uninhabited areas of islands and becoming pests. It is illegal to bring dogs to the Maldives.

In the ocean surrounding the islands there are whales and dolphins. Occasionally stray seals from Antarctic waters have been recorded to reach the islands.

Birds

There is a great variety of oceanic birds in the islands. Some of them are seasonal, like the frigates. There are as well birds that dwell in marshes and island bush, like the grey heron and the moor hen.

Reptiles

Since the islands are very small, land reptiles are rare. There is a species of gecko, as well as one species of agamid lizard, one species of skink and one species of snake (Lycodon aulicus).

In the sea there are turtles, like 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. Crocodiles have been also know to reach the islands and dwell in marshy areas. The local military used to kill them.

Amphibians

There is only one kind of toad in the Maldives. Frogs, salamanders and caecilians are absent.

Fishes

There is an enormous variety of saltwater fishes in the surrounding waters of the Maldive archipelago. Tuna fisheries are one of the main commercial resources of the country. Traditionally it was as a necessary activity for the survival of the local population.

In the few ponds and marshes there are freshwater fishes, like Chanos chanos and other smaller species. The Tilapia or mouth-breeder was introduced by a UN agency in the 1970s.

Invertebrates

The islands of the Maldives themselves have been built by the massive growth of coral, a group of living beings. The whole archipelago is a true natural wonder.

Coelenterata

There are many kinds of anemones and jellyfishes in the Maldive waters.

Crustaceans

There are four species of lobsters and many different species of crabs in the Maldives. Some crabs live in the water, but many live on the beach burrowing holes in the sand by the waterline, like the ghost crab. Fiddler crabs are common on muddy reef shelves.

Certain crab species of the islands are adapted to a purely terrestrial environment. Hermit crabs live under the leaves of shore bushes. There is a type of land crab that can be a domestic pest, living in holes in the houses. Some species of prawns and shrimp live in the islands but they are not fished with commercial purposes.

Mollusks

Octopuses, squids and clams are common on Maldivian reefs. The giant clam, Tridacna gigas, is common on the reef shelf.

Echinoderms

The Maldive reefs teem with starfish, brittle stars and sea urchins.

Sea cucumbers are now a source of income, being exported to east Asian markets. But they were not traditionally a form of local fishery.

Aracnidae

There is a kind of centipede, as well as millipedes, a small type of scorpion and certain species of spiders.

Several species of spiders are found in Maldives. Spiders exhibit remarkable affinity with those found in south western coast of Indian mainland and Srilanka. A pioneering work on spiders of Maldives was conducted by Pocock in 1904 in the work 'Fauna and Geography of Maldives'. A few common spiders include Hetereopoda venatoria, Plexipus paykulli, Argiope anasuja, Oxyopes sp and Black widow spider can be rearly seen Hulhumalé island and Malé International Airport.

Ecology

The land-based biotopes of the Maldives are highly endangered. The little land available in the country is being swiftly developed. Formerly uninhabited islands were only occasionally visited, but now almost no untouched uninhabited islands remain. Many of the natural habitats of local species have been severely threatened or destroyed during the past decades of development.

Coral reef habitats have also been damaged, as the pressure for land has brough about the creation of artificial islands. Some reefs have been filled with rubble with little regard for the changes in the currents on the reef shelf and how the new pattern would affect coral growth and its related life forms on the reef edges.

See also

• List of birds of Maldives
• Wildlife of India
• Wildlife of Sri Lanka
• Wildlife of the Indian Subcontinent

References

• Agassiz, A., The Coral Reefs of the Maldives. 2 vols. Cambridge, Mus. Camp. Zool.: Mem., 1903. 4to. XXV, 168p., 6 p., 8 folded maps, 3 profiles and 71 photographic plates.
• Prof. Agassiz' Expedition to the Maldives. The Geographical Journal, 1902.
• Romero-Frias, Xavier. THE MALDIVE ISLANDERS, a Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. Nova Ethnographia Indica. 1999.

External links

• “Online Photo Galleries” on Nature and Wildlife of India at "India Nature Watch (INW)" - spreading the love of nature and wildlife in India through photography