| THE ENDEMIC SPECIES OF SEYCHELLES (Animals)This section gives an account of the endemic, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians of the Seychelles islands. THE ENDEMIC BIRDS OF SEYCHELLES There are 12 endemic birds' species in Seychelles. These are listed in the table below. Seychelles warbler | Acrocephalus sechellensis | Seychelles Kestrel | Falco araea | Seychelles blue pigeon | Alectroenas pulcherrima | Seychelles scops owl | Otus insularis | Seychelles cave swiflet | Aerodramus elaphrus | Seychelles bulbul | Hypsipetes crassirostris | Seychelles magpie robin | Copysychus sechellarum | Seychelles black paradise fly catcher | Terpisphone corvine | Seychelles sunbird | Nectarinia dussumieri | Seychelles white-eye | Zosterops modesta | Seychelles fody | Foudia sechellarum | Aldabra Drongo | Dicrurus aldabranus |
THE ENDEMIC BIRDS OF SEYCHELLES Seychelles Warbler Acrocephalus sechellensis, Timerl Dezil - Description: Small (13-14cm), greenish brown bird. Greyish white underpart, long grey-blue legs and long, slender bill. Adults have red-brown eyes. Has a whistling melodious song.
- Range & population size: Can be found on Aride, Cousin and Cousine. More than 2500 individuals.
- Behaviour:. Found in woodland forest of primarily pisonia and bwa torti either in pairs, small groups or in solitary. Feeds predominantly on insects. Breeds throughout the year. Builds a cup-shaped nest in which one to four eggs are laid. The Seychelles warbler is one species of bird that exhibits co-operative breeding.
- Status: IUCN vulnerable.
Seychelles Kestrel Falco araea, Katiti - Description: A bird of prey of 18 – 23 cm. Dark grey head, chestnut upper part and paler under parts, and spotted wings. Usually seen in pairs.
- Range: Granitic Seychelles. Around 840 individuals.
- Behaviour: Can be found in various types of habitats either in solitary or in pairs. Preys on small animals such as lizards, frogs, small birds and insects. August to October is the breeding time. Breeds in cliffs, trees and buildings using sticks posed loosely for a nest. Lays 2 – 3 eggs.
- Status: IUCN vulnerable.
- Seychelles Blue Pigeon Alectroenas pulcherrima, Pizon Olande
Description: Bird of around 25 cm. Rd skin around eyes and top of head. Grey-white head and breast. Upperparts, wings, underparts and tail are blue. Yellow bill and dark grey legs. - Range: Granitic Seychelles.
- Behaviour: Found in woodland areas either singly, in pairs or in small groups. Feeds mainly on seeds and fruits, e.g. of cinnamon. Breeds yearly with peaks in October to April. The nest is a flat platform made of stick. One or two eggs are laid.
Status: IUCN vulnerable
Seychelles Scops Owl Otus insularis, Syer - Description: A small, dark brown owl (23 cm). Has bare legs and small ear tufts. Its call resembles the sound of wood being sawed (deep, slow rasping sound).
- Range & population size: Found on Mahe. 180 – 360 individuals.
- Behaviour: A nocturnal species found in forest especially densely wooded forest 200m above sea level. Diet consists of insects, lizards, skinks; Breeding season is between October and April. Lays one egg in a cavity in tree.
- Status: IUCN Critically Endangered.
Seychelles Cave Swiflet Aerodramus elaphrus, Zirondel - Description: Small swift of 11 cm. Dark grey-brown upperparts and paler underparts. Has a soft call but which is sharper when navigating in caves where they reside.
- Status & population size: Granitic Seychelles. Around 2000 individuals (possibly more).
- Behaviour: Can be found anywhere from coast to mountainous areas in small groups. Feeds on insects whilst in flight. Inhabits caves. Breeds yearly. Builds nest on the ceiling and walls of caves. Lays a single egg.
- Status: IUCN Vulnerable
Seychelles Bulbul Hypsipetes crassirostris, Merl - Description: bird of 25 cm in length. Dark grey-brown upperparts with greenish tinge and paler underparts. Reddish brown eyes, orange bill and legs.
- An inquisitive and noisy bird.
- Range: Granitic Seychelles.
- Behaviour: Found everywhere in pairs or in groups. An aggressive bird. Feeds on insects, berries, fruit, seeds, flowers and eggs. Breeds mainly in the rainy season. Builds a circular nest in a forked branch and lays 2 eggs.
Seychelles Magpie Robin Copsychus sechellarum - Description: 22 – 24 cm in length. An all black bird with white wing-patches. Has a melodious song.
- Range & population size: Fregate, Cousine, Cousin and Aride. Around 90 individuals.
- Behaviour: Found in shaded woodland of little undergrowth, as the magpie-robin is a ground-feeder, which search leaf litter for invertebrates such as cockroaches, millipedes, beetles, worms and insect larvae. Feeds also on small vertebrates like lizards and small snakes and to some extent vegetable matter. The magpie-robin is a cavity nester, which nest in tree holes and nest boxes. Breeds yearly laying one single egg.
- Status: IUCN Critically Endangered.
Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone corvina, Vev - Description: the male of this species is entirely black with a long tail and a pale blue bill. The female has black head, chestnut upperparts and wings and off-white underparts. The male makes a whistling call and female is usually silent.
- Range & population size: La Digue and Marianne. 150 to 200 individuals.
- Behaviour: Found in woodland of primarily Indian Almond (badamier) and takamaka trees and usually close to marshy areas. Diet consists of insects. Breeds yearly with peaks between November and April. Builds a cup shaped nest at the extremity of a slender branch and lays one egg.
- Status: IUCN Critically Endangered.
Seychelles Sunbird Nectarinia dussumieri, Kolibri - Description: Small dull grey bird (11 - 12 cm) with a long, slender, curved bill and black legs. Rather noisy. Male song is harsh and high pitched.
- Range: Granitic Seychelles.
- Behaviour: A very active bird, which is, encountered almost everywhere. Tends to be territorial. Feeds on nectar and insects. Breeds yearly with a peak in September and October. Builds a pear shaped nest and lays one egg.
Seychelles Grey White Eye Zosterops modestus, Zwazo linet - Description: A small olive grey bird (10 – 11 cm) with paler underparts, white ring around the eye, slightly long and slender greyish black bill. Soft nasal call (like new-born chickens). Song is complex and melodious.
- Range & population size: Found on Mahe, Fregate and Conception. 400 individuals.
- Behaviour: Difficult bird to spot as it spends most of its time in the canopy of large trees. Feeds on seeds and berries of for instance bwa dir, bwa siro and bwa kwiyer. Its diet consist of insects too predominantly caterpillars, crickets ans grasshoppers. Breeds between September and April, but breeds yearly on Fregate. Builds a cup shaped nest and lays 2 to 7 eggs. One of the few white-eye species that exhibits co-operative breeding.
- Status: IUCN Critically Endangered.
Seychelles Fody Foudia sechellarum, Tok tok - Description: A small (13cm) dark brown bird.
- Male in breeding feathers has yellow crown, face and chin. Makes a loud 'tok tok' sound.
- Range & population size: Found on Cousin, Cousine, Fegate, D'Arros and Aride. Around 3000 individuals.
- Behaviour: Though a forest species this bird is not confined to this habitat alone. Feed on insects. Breeding season is in May to September. Builds a large, untidy, dome - shaped nest at the end of a branch and lays 1 to 2 eggs.
- Status: IUCN Vulnerable.
Aldabra Drongo Dicrurus aldabranus, Moulanba - Description: An entirely black bird with a slight greenish blue sheen (c25cm in length) with a long forked tail. Eyes are reddish brown. The drongo has a harsh call.
- Nest : Neat cup-shaped construction, often over or near sea. Can be found on
- Range & population size: Found on Aldabra only. Around 1000 individuals.
- Behaviour: Arboreal. Found mainly in casuarina woodland, dense shrubs and mangroves. Feeds on insects and lizards. Breeds from late September till January. Nest is cup-shaped and lays 2 to 3 eggs.
- Status: IUCN Near-threatened.
- Source: Skerrett. A, Bullock. I, Disley.T. Birds of Seychelles
- Aldabra Fruit bat (Pteropus Seychellensis aldabraensis)
- The Aldabra fruit bat has a whitish face, unlike its near relative the Seychelles fruit bat found in granitic island. The largest species in the Aldabran fruit bat (Pteropus Seychellensis aldabraensis). This large species is a subspecies of the Seychelles fruit bat. As the largest fruiting-eating animals on most small Indian ocean island, fruit bats are important agents of dispersal for all fruit –producing trees and thus of importance in Tropical island ecosystems. Aldabra fruit bats have been seen eating the fruits of takamaka (calophyllum inphyllum), Indian almound (Terminalia catappa) Adabran fruit bats have been mating throughout the year, although most young are born in November and December.
MAMMALS OF THE SEYCHELLES
The Seychelles is rather poor in the amount of endemic mammals. The two endemic mammals treated here are the two endemic bats of the Seychelles.
Coleura seychellensis, Sheath-tailed bat
A small insectivorous bat (10g) that reside in caves. Present on mahe and Silhouette island. An extremely rare bat with possibly less than 50 individuals.
Pteropus seychellensis seychellensis, Seychelles fruit bat
Almost black with rusty brown face and ventral side, and black/brown muzzle. A fructivorous species. AMPHIBIANS OF THE SEYCHELLES
There are 11 endemic species of amphibians in the Seychelles (7 species of caecilians and 4 species of frogs). They are listed in the table below. CAECILIANS | FROGS | Grandisonia alternans | Megalixalus seychellensis | Grandisonia brevis | Nesomantis thomasseti | Grandisonia diminutiva | Sooglossus gardineri | Grandisonia larvata | Sooglossus sechellensis | Grandisonia sechellensis | | Hypogeophis rostratus | | Praslinia cooperi | |
CAECILIANS
There are seven species of caecilians in the Seychelles. Caecilians are limbless, burrowing, worm-like amphibians, found in the leaf litter, underneath rocks and burrows in the soil. FROGS
There are four endemic frog species in the Seychelles. Three species fall in the 'sooglossidae'group; Nesomantis thomasseti, Sooglossus gardineri and Sooglossus sechellensis. Megalixalus seychellensis fall in the group of hyperoliidae. Megalixalu seychellensis - a large green tree frog. Found in the high mountains.
Nesomantis thomasetti - as above but larger (45mm).
Sooglossus gardineri - as above, but smaller (15mm).
Sooglossus sechellensis - 25mm in size. Dark brown with darker and reddish markings. Found in the endemic moss forest. REPTILES OF THE SEYCHELLES SNAKES.
There are two species of snakes are endemic in the Seychelles. These are completely harmless. Lycognathophis seychellensis, Seychelles Wolf snake.
A slender bodied snake attaining a length of 120 cm. It has two colour phases. A yellow phase whereby the dorsal side is yellowish brown often with spots. Its ventral side is bright yellow. In the dark phase, the dorsal side is dark grey with black spots and the ventral side is white with small dark spots. The Wolf snake has small head and relatively large eyes, and a muzzle that is narrow and pointed. Found on Mahe, Praslin, Fregate and probably Silhouette. Boaedon geometricus, Seychelles House snake.
A thick-bodied snake which attains a length of 60-90 cm. It has a broad muzzle, small golden eyes and smooth scales on its body. The dorsal side of the snake is brown with three dark narrow stripes that run along the length of its body. Its ventral side is usually grey. The top of its head is brown and it has a white snout. Two white stripes run from behind the eyes to its neck. Found on Mahe, Praslin, Fregate and probably Silhouette. TORTOISES AND TERRAPINS
Dipsochelys elephatina, Aldabra tortoise
Pelusios seychelensis, fresh-water turtles
Pelusios subniger and Pelusios castanoides are sub-species
Invertebrate of the Seychelles
Seychelles is rich in insects but lack of scientific work has been done on it, due to lack of taxonomists studies on insects in Seychelles.
Studies are encouraged in a lot of potential areas in Seychelles. |
