Endemic birds
The island was home to 18 endemic bird species, 7 of which are now extinct: the dodo, but also the large parrot, the red hen, owl species and the fruit pigeon. Fortunately, some extremely rare varieties have managed to survive in primary forests or on a few islets. The woodpecker, a small grey and white bird also known as the manioc zozo, flies in flocks, often early in the morning; it has adapted well to the presence of man and nests just about everywhere. The blackbird is also widespread and easy to spot, although it prefers forests to inhabited areas. Both males and females have characteristic yellow beaks.
Other endemic species survive in smaller numbers. Such is the case of the spectacled or white-eyed bird, which takes its name from the white circle surrounding its eyes. The wood cock, with its chestnut wings and back, is a small bird with a semblance of a blue crest; the species now survives only in a few isolated forests. The cook, a small bird dressed in gray for the males and red for the females, is rather difficult to see; it can still be found in the Black River gorges and the Bel Ombre forest. The Mauritius cardinal or banana bird is characterized by its magnificent red plumage (head and neck, males only) during the mating season; it has virtually disappeared from the island and nests only in primary forest.
Three endemic species, threatened with extinction, have survived thanks to the efforts of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation: the pink pigeon (a large bird with pink legs and a pink beak that has benefited from an aviary breeding program since 1976), the large green civet (a magnificent parrot with bright green plumage that enables it to hide in the foliage) and the kestrel (a kind of long-tailed falcon whose rounded wings make it easier to evolve in a forest habitat).
Native birds
While in Mauritius, you're bound to see the majestic peacock-tails over the ocean: the white ones, with two white strands on their tails, and the red ones, with two ruddy feathers on their tails. This indigenous bird, which has become the emblem of Air Mauritius, nests on the cliffs. Its firm, tapering beak enables it to catch fish on spectacular dives. The white is very common, but the red is only seen on Ile Ronde, north of Mauritius. This is also where you can spot the fouquet, the fine-billed, pink-legged bird that gave its name to an islet in the south.
Exotic birds
The boulboul is easily recognized by its black ruff and dark plumage on top, white underneath and red cheeks. Its puff and round silhouette give it a funny look. The Madagascar cardinal, a magnificent, brightly-colored bird, is characterized by its brilliant red plumage (males only) or, more rarely, bright yellow. Introduced by the French, it nests almost everywhere on the island and travels in groups. The Cape Serin comes from Africa. Feathered in bright yellow, slightly brown on top, it weaves sumptuous ball-shaped nests, hanging from the ends of bare branches.
Other exotic birds include turtle doves, kingfishers, Bengali birds and, of course, pigeons - of which there are many at the Port Louis market - and sparrows.
Mammals
Being an island, mammals are naturally few and far between in Mauritius. Apart from bats visible at dusk (the only mammals endemic to the island), deer, wild boar, monkeys and mongooses can be spotted.
The deer, originally from Java, were introduced by the Dutch in the 17th century. Today, they live in large estates, generally owned by wealthy Mauritian families and open to the public (Casela Nature Parks, Domaine de Wolmar, Bel Ombre Nature Reserve...).
Wild boar, also known as brown pigs, were brought to the island by Dutch navigators to provide fresh meat for settlers and sailors. Originally domestic pigs, they returned to the wild with the departure of man.
Monkeys, macaques native to Malaysia, were introduced by the Portuguese. They can be found in the south of the country, in the Black River Gorges, the Macchabée forest and the Champagne plains. Harmful to certain birds and crops, they are sometimes hunted by the Sino-Mauritians, who appreciate their flesh.
The mongoose, which can be seen stealthily at the bend in the road, originated in India and was introduced in 1900 to control the rat population in the sugarcane fields. They multiplied far too quickly and are now considered a plague in their own right.
Reptiles
Among reptiles, the most widespread species on the island is the harmless gecko, a small bright green or light-brown lizard that frequently twirls on the walls and ceilings of houses. It moves around using its suction-cup-equipped legs. In the food chain, the gecko eats the mosquito, which in turn eats man! There are no snakes in Mauritius, apart from two species of boas, one of which has been extinct since 1975, on remote Île Ronde, inaccessible to the general public.
Insects
Mauritius is home to some 2,000 species of insects and butterflies. Beware of the local mosquitoes, ferocious after dark (protect yourself), and the "yellow flies", actually yellow wasps, whose sting is particularly painful.
Fish
This is by far the most interesting fauna to observe. The Mauritian lagoon and offshore reefs are teeming with exceptional sites. Starting with the coral reef, where you can enjoy a superb Technicolor ballet with the aid of a mask and snorkel. The main roles are played by parrotfish, sea urchins with oversized purple or green spines, boxfish, surgeonfish, triggerfish, trumpetfish and more. Numerous varieties of coral and anemones provide habitat for colorful species such as small clownfish. Scuba diving brings you moray eels, conger eels, rays, sharks..
Many dolphins also inhabit Mauritian waters, particularly in the south and around Tamarin and Le Morne in the south-west. These include the spinner dolphin, a species between 1.90 and 2.30 m long and living in groups of 15 to several hundred individuals; and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, a species between 2 and 2.60 m long, very curious and sociable, most often seen close to shore in groups of 5 to 10 individuals. Further offshore: bottlenose dolphins and pantropical spotted dolphins. Sperm whales also pass along the west coast all year round. Humpback whales are common in Mauritian waters during the winter months, when they migrate to mate and give birth to their young before returning to the Antarctic in summer.
The dodo: nowhere and yet everywhere
When one thinks of the endemic fauna of Mauritius, the dodo (Raphus cucullatus) immediately springs to mind. This native bird, spotted nowhere else and now legendary, was the victim of colonization. The island was home to a large number of these strange, ungainly birds, also known as drontes. Morphologically speaking, the dodo had the body of a large, plump duck, the beak of a pelican and was unable to fly, as it had two stumps for wings hanging limply from either side. With the arrival of settlers and predators (dogs, pigs), the eggs, easily identifiable and accessible, were devoured. Rats also benefited from this providential food, as did some sailors on their way to India, who took a few specimens on board despite the notoriously bad taste of their flesh! Finally, other dodos served as targets for hunters... The species became extinct under Dutch colonization at the end of the 17th century. In 1854, an English schoolteacher, George Clark, discovered bone remains at Mare aux Songes. Further research at other sites, such as Mare Sèche, led to the enrichment of the collection. The reconstructed skeleton is now at the Mauritius Institute in Port-Louis. Today, the dodo has become the island's tourist emblem, and its image is exploited in all its forms for commercial purposes: T-shirts, cuddly toys, wooden sculptures, postcards..
Flora
Despite intensive deforestation and exploitation of its soils, the island boasts a wide variety of colourful plants. Some species are scattered throughout the island, while others are distributed according to region and, above all, climate.
Mauritius retains remnants of primary forests, notably at Macchabée, in the Black River Gorges, in the south-east of the island and in certain private estates: Vallée de Ferney, Ile aux Aigrettes, Lavilleon Natural Forest and Ebony Forest Reserve. In the latter two estates, located in Chamarel, there are still a few ebony trees, once widespread on the island before they were massively used by the Dutch for boats. Several endemic species can also be observed: bois de Natte, bois chandelle, vacoas..
Five species of palm native to the island are still widespread: the bottle palm and the elephant-leg palm, the latania palm with its sumptuous blue or red flowers, the famous palmiste from which the heart is extracted and used as an excellent delicacy, and the vacoas whose leaves, like those of the aloe, are used, once dried, to make all kinds of handicrafts.
Numerous other palm species have been introduced by man over the centuries: the mascarena palm, native to Rodrigues, the splendida palm from the Seychelles, the bamboo palm, the crocodile palm, and many others that can be seen in the Jardin de Pamplemousses - such as the romantic talipot, which, just before dying after 60 years or so, produces a cluster of magnificent flowers 3 or 4 m high.... like a plant version of the swan song!
The most common tree, introduced by Abbé Rochon in 1768, is the filaos or casuarina. Omnipresent along much of the coastline, it provides providential shade. Other trees also frequently grace the landscape: coconut palms, badamiers, banyan trees whose branches intertwine with their roots to form labyrinths, flamboyant trees which explode in December in sumptuous red or orange blossom, ficus or sacred fig trees whose wood is used by Hindus for cremations.
The flowers are a firework display of color and fragrance. The Trochetia Boutouniana, better known as the "Earring", unfurls a beautiful orange-red color. Endemic to Mauritius, it was declared the national flower in 1992 when Mauritius became a republic. Other marvels include the red anthurium, frangipani and hibiscus flowers and protected native orchids.
Finally, most tropical fruits grow in profusion on the island: lychees, papayas, mangoes, pineapples, bananas, avocados, coconuts, carambola... A real treat!
