MAURITIUS WILDLIFE
“Living on a tropical Island we are surrounded by wildlife. Mauritius is home to many beautiful creatures and the landscapes here offer diverse habitats for different wildlife species. I myself am an animal lover and love to see the wildlife thriving.
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Below I will share some of the most beautiful wildlife I have experienced in Mauritius. I am not guaranteeing you the same response for yourself. Nevertheless, I cannot recommend what I haven't seen or experienced."
Karen
MACAQUE MONKEYS
The Macaque Monkeys of Mauritius tend to stay up in the mountains and forested areas of the island, making them a rare spot. You probably won't notice them unless you're looking for them, in my experience.
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They are very cute, but don't be fooled, they are wild animals so it is advised to keep your distance.
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The closest encounter I have had with these cheeky curious creatures was in the East of the island at the Grande River South East Waterfall. They are very intelligent monkeys and over the years have noticed the boats coming up and down the river have lots of people with food on them. The day we were there, one monkey plucked up some courage and jumped onto the end of the boat! At which point the captain was not very pleased and quickly scared him off before he could steal anything.
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This species is not endemic to Mauritius and it is believe they were bought here by early settlers as pets. So if you are around the national parks be sure to keep an eye out!
LIZARDS & GEKOS
The big stunning green guy in the background is the Madagascar Giant Day Geko. These in my opinion are the biggest and brightest lizard you will find. I see them around the house often and have even stumbled across some set of small eggs. I like to seem them as they protect us from mosquitos and small insects by eating them.
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There are many other types of geko and lizard. We see the Common Four-clawed Geko, Tropical House Geko, and Oriental Garden Geko frequently around the house and garden areas. The Four-clawed and House Geko look similar in appearance, they are a grey/brown colour and measure at about 10cm long. The garden geko is much bigger and has similarities to a an Iguana, its usually around 20cm and a yellowish colour.
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The Reunion Day Geko, Ornate Day Geko and Bluetail Day Geko all have similar appearances they are small (5-10cm) and are mainly found outdoors in trees and bushed. They are mainly green with blue and red/orange patterns on them. They are very pretty and very shy.
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DEERS
Another non-indigenous mammal we have are the Rusa Deers. Much like the monkeys it is thought these were bought here by the Dutch people to introduce lifestock to the island.
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The Rusa Deers are very large and when full grown can weigh up to 180ks. They are brown with the males carrying large set of horn which they lose and regrow once a year.
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They can be found in the wild at Black River Gorge and in other park areas.
The majority animals are kept in large privately owned hunting grounds. There are two hunting grounds on the island selling tourist packaging to hunting and shooting. This is not an activity I have or ever will try
ALDABRA GIANT TORTOISE
Mauritius is also home to these gentle giants. Originally from the 'Seychelles Island Aldabra. They are famous for living a long life and being able to survive with little food and water for long periods.
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But in Mauritius they eat lots! Mainly grass, leaves, vines and weeds. They can be found at nature parks, zoo's and some hotels as a tourist attraction. I have seen them at Casela.
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They are very friendly and gentle, just watch your fingers if you are feeding them! They also enjoy a good neck scratch.
There used to be two other endemic species, the dome-shelled and saddleback-shelled Tortoises, but these are now extinct.
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FLYING FOX
The Mauritian Flying Fox, also known as the Greater Mascarene Flying Fox or Fruit Bat is an endemic species to Mauritius.
These fluffy cute creatures are nocturnal and seen all over the island. At dusk in Tamarin it is a wonderful sight to see them flying down from the mountains to feed.
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The diet consists of mainly fruit, they have a wingspan of 80cm and usually live around 20 year old!
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If you a hear loud screeching in the trees at night, it is usually a bat fight breaking out. Don't worry it normally lasts no longer than 10 minutes before one bat is kicked out to find his own tree.
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Unfortunately this species has become endangered since colonisation and there are big efforts to help save and protect the bats.
PANTHER CHAMELEON
The Panther Chameleon is an endemic species to Madagascar but has been introduced to Mauritius Island. They are stunningly coloured and change colour depending on their mood, temperature and lighting.
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They can reach 50cm and are characterised by their fused claw/tong feet and round bulbous eyelids. I am told females usually stay orange/brown/tanned colours while males are much brighter shades of green, blue, red and orange.
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They have a very long tongue which they shoot out quickly to catch large insects such as grass hoppers, cockroaches, flies, worms and crickets.
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They must be very well camouflaged and rare to see as I am yet to see one in Mauritius in the wild, but am always keeping an eye out when hiking and exploring the outdoors.
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